Bomberman
SCORE: 63
The Playstation Portable (PSP) version of Bomberman hearkens back to the early days of the Bomberman franchise. Players must fry all of the enemies, find the exit, and do so in a certain amount of time. There are nine levels per world, and then a boss level. Bomberman has come a long way since his release, and it is baffling to me as to why Konami would want to throw away all that progress. But then I am a lowly magazine editor, and they are the ones who make the money off of video games. Of course all ya’ll read these reviews to determine if such a game is worth your hard earned dollars or not.
Bomberman games really seem to hit or miss, and the graphics on this one is a nice 3D update to the original Bomberman themes. There is cartoon violence similar to the looney tunes, as the enemies have a surprised look when they are engulfed in the flames of the bomb(s). The real irritation to me is having to blow up all the enemies. This got old really quick, especially once the exit had been unearthed. If you did not know these little critters do not stay still, and the bombs can take the player out as well. As the screens on this page display, the graphics are generally bright and colorful.
The sounds in the PSP version of Bomberman are okay. Some of the worlds had nice music, and others had me turning the volume off really fast. The sounds are generally crisp and clear, but there is no voice acting at all. In fact this department makes the game feel a little rushed to me. The player dies from one mistake, and those sounds became highly annoying to me.
There are a couple of different features included for those interested in the replay value of Bomberman. I had trouble finding anyone else with a PSP near me to play them, and when I did they were not interested in Bomberman. Levels can be replayed, but honestly I can see no reason why to do that. This game can be picked up cheap, but I do not think it is worth the money.
Each world in Bomberman has a specific theme to it (desert for example), and the nine levels are very similar. This is the biggest drawback to Bomberman PSP. It gets way too monotonous, way too soon. Once a world is beaten, the player realizes it is the same thing with some small changes to the scenery. Konami did include a save after every level, and that is definitely needed. Power up items are stored for the player, and used as needed. The catch is power ups can not be used while fighting a boss.
For some reason the
Bomberman series has trouble with the first game on most consoles. The
second one on any given console is generally better. Bomberman is trying
to save the galaxy from a dark shadow, but the game play seems to have
little to do with the story line. There are better games on the PSP.
- Paul
Graphics: 66%
Sound: 62%
Replay/Extras: 64%
Gameplay: 61%
Family Friendly Factor: 64%
System: Playstation Portable
Publisher: Konami
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
{Mild Cartoon Violence}
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