Title:
Bomberman Online |
Format:
Dreamcast |
Production:
Sega
Hudson |
Comments:
The Dreamcast goes out with a BANG! |
Overall Rating:
 85% |
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Animefringe Reviews:
Bomberman Online
By J.P. Arevalo
Well, here we are near the end of the line for Dreamcast games in North America. It's been a fun run, and it's only fitting that the Dreamcast go out with a BANG! That's the line you'd expect from most reviews of this game. Tacky...but it works.
One of the last games to appear on the Dreamcast here in North America, Bomberman Online brings the multiplayer fun and frenzy we've come to know and love to the 128-bit Dreamcast. One of the first things you'll notice about this game is that it makes use of the currently over-used cel-shaded graphics that were made popular by Jet Set Radio. The use of cel-shading in Bomberman's case is forgivable because it fits the cartoony feel of the Bomberman world well.
The single player mode gives you access to 5 different areas with 5 different types of games to play. Each world has 3 stages, and at the end of each stage, a formidable boss awaits you. Most people will be familiar with the "Survival" mode. This is the classic Bomberman style of play in which you place bombs on the field in the hopes of blasting your opponent out of the game. "Hyper Bomber" mode consists of collecting 3 "target panels" and then racing to the center of the stage to win the round. In "Submarine" mode, the stage is split in two. One is your side, the other is your opponent's, and bombs are sent to the other side just before exploding. "Panel Paint" mode is pretty simple, the blast radius of your bombs will color the floor panels your color, the player with the most when the time is up, wins. The final mode is the "Ring" mode, in this mode, the stage is much smaller and dropping bombs like crazy is the name of the game.
All of these modes aside, the coolest feature of this game is the edit mode in which you can create your own custom Bomberman for online play. Special items are hidden during the normal and online game that you collect in order to unlock different body parts. This is a super cool feature for Bomberman fanatics.
As for the online play on Bomberman Online, it can be fun, if you can find people online to play with that is. Bomberman Online has fallen under Sega's new initiative to charge $10 a month for access to all games that are run by SegaNet. For this reason, many people have shied away from this amazing game, and it is truly a shame, considering the cheap price point ($29.99US). One of the neat features of online play on Bomberman Online is that you can go online with 2 or 3 of your buddies that are with you and play online in games that can go up to 8 players. 8-player online Bomberman is fun, make no mistake about that. Lag is addressed in the form of "SAFE" markers that appear when, because of lag, a bomb suddenly appears in your path without giving you enough time to notice and avoid it. The one downside to the online play is that it only offers two of the 5 modes in the game, "Survival" and "Hyper Bomber", but even so, those are probably the best two modes in the game.
The bottom line on is that it is a great game for a great price, even if you never play it online. Invite some friends over and have fun the good old-fashioned way if need be, but be sure to give this title a try.
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