News

Bomberman blasts onto PSP

Manic fight for survival, old skool style

Bomberman blasts onto PSP
|
PSP
| Bomberman PSP

While the Daily Mail is likely to print its outrage over a game clearly aimed at glorifying the exploits of a minority of Islamic extremists, anyone with decent gaming knowledge could use the tabloid's letters page to point out that the Bomberman series dates back to a time when Osama Bin Laden enjoyed financial and military backing from the US.

Various Bomberman titles since then have bothered with a storyline, but ultimately the action comes down to simple, straightforward frantic fun – you and other Bombermen are locked in a topdown-viewed maze-like stage, and must bomb each other out of play before a timer runs out.

The bombs are also used to clear a path around the level to increase your strategic options, and often power-ups reveal themselves when part of the scenery is destroyed – anything from blast radius extension, to speed increases, or the ability to lob your explosives over a wall.

It's a simple premise but when played against evenly matched opponents Bomberman often produces titanic battles, with quick thinking, tactical nous and expert timing required in order to succeed.

This latest version wisely keeps the classic dynamic, but updates the visuals to full 3D and adds a number of new twists.

Normal mode offers 100 levels of single-player action while introducing a new item stock system that enables the collection and strategic use of items.

Classic mode, as you'd suspect, sticks closely to the proven Bomberman formula over 50 levels but, crucially, also adds another 20 levels with four-player ad hoc support; there's also a game sharing option, enabling up to four players to engage in party modes from a single UMD. That may not sound like much, but highly customisable game types should increase variety.

Not that the level count ultimately matters that much, provided the core elements of the series have been successfully captured. We remember enjoying hours of explosive fun with the first version, and the level selection back then was slimmer than the CIA's chances of catching Osama.

Joao Diniz Sanches
Joao Diniz Sanches
With three boys under the age of 10, former Edge editor Joao has given up his dream of making it to F1 and instead spends his time being shot at with Nerf darts. When in work mode, he looks after editorial projects associated with the Pocket Gamer and Steel Media brands.