Bomberman has been around for a long time and he returns again, this time in the form of Bomberman Land on the Wii, but is this one Bomberman too many or does it play differently enough to justify a purchase?
There are three gameplay modes on offer, in the main story mode you are put in control of a white bomberman, throughout the game you will take part in various tournaments which are made up of a variety of mini games, all with the aim of trying to become the Bomberman Land Wii champion. Some of the mini games included in the game will see you take on computer controlled opponents, while others will come down to you and your own skill.
To enable you to train, take part in tournaments and visit shops etc, the main bulk of the game is based in a lobby, from here you can earn point by training on any of the mini games you have unlocked so far and then spend those points to unlock different zones and buy new outfits.
At the beginning of the tournaments you are given a set amount of tokens which you must use to pay for entry to the mini games, to win promotion to the next zone you must rank amongst the highest at the end of the tournament, which ends once you have spend all of your tokens. Should you not rank amongst the top players, you will be required to stay in the current zone, and if you end up in the bottom half of the rankings you will find yourself demoted.
The mini games during tournaments are probably the most fun aspect of the Wii version, they are quite varied too and can range from trying to slap your opponent with a weapons before he slaps you, to something a lot more basic like jumping over a skipping rope, all of which is certainly a far cry from the Bomberman games that I am used to, like Bomberman Live on the Xbox 360 for example.
The main issues that I have with Bomberman Lands main story mode is that it just seems to take such a long time to do anything, wandering around the tournament lobby trying to find mini games is frustrating, as is waiting for the tournament to begin due to the long introductions from the host. This theme seems to be the same during the whole story mode, making things drag on more than necessary.
Bomberman Land also includes an attraction mode, this basically lets you revisit the mini games you have completed in the story mode, this also allows up to four players to play at once so is good fun, providing you have managed to unlock most of the multiplayer mini games.
Perhaps one of the best modes for multiplayer fun comes in the form of battle mode, this enables you to play Bomberman as you know and love in the classic top down maze. For those who have never played this mode (where have you been?), the game takes a top down view and sees you and up to four players trying to explode your way through a maze of blocks in order to take down your opponents, before they get you. There is a wide variety of maps included in this mode, and it really is great fun to play, it’s just a pity it isn’t online.
Bomberman Land is certainly a bit different and in some respects this is a good thing, the mini games are fun enough and graphically the game doesn’t have any real issues, although it doesn’t do anything special either.
There is certainly some fun to be had in Bomberman Land, especially in the multiplayer modes, but it may just struggle to stand out amongst a crowded shelf to attract people attention.
