Bomberman Blast
Encyclopedia
Bomberman Blast is an action game
developed and published by Hudson Soft
for the Wii
and WiiWare
. It is part of the Bomberman series. It is the second in a trilogy of downloadable Bomberman games, after Bomberman Live
for Xbox Live Arcade
, and followed by Bomberman Ultra
for PlayStation Network.
The game was released as two versions: a fully featured retail release and a downloadable, lower priced WiiWare version with less content. The retail version was released in Japan
on September 25, 2008, while the WiiWare version was released on September 30, 2008. The WiiWare version was released in Europe on September 12, 2008 and in North America on September 29, 2008.
s by defeating five bosses who have kidnapped them. The story mode covers 39 stages across 5 worlds, featuring 31 different unique enemies.
The game features new items, such as a rocket that enables the player to fly, and a shield. A number of items are activated by shaking the Wii Remote. In the retail version, players are also able to purchase upgrades and power-up
s by cashing in gems collected during play, such as Hearts, Fire Ups, Bomb Ups and Speed Ups. In addition, players are also able to use their Miis during play, and the retail version features a mode called My First Bomberman which teaches novice players the basics of the game.
The game is primarily controlled with the Wii Remote held on its side NES
gamepad-style,. The game also supports GameCube
controllers but not Classic Controller
s. The game also supports 480p
and 16:9 widescreen
display modes, but does not output in Dolby Pro Logic II
. When four Wii remotes and four GameCube controllers are used in conjunction, this game can support 8-player offline play.
Battle mode also introduces "appeal motions", an emote
players can perform. WiiWare players will have access to 10 motions, while retail players will have access to 20 in total.
for Xbox Live Arcade
which was outsourced to Backbone Entertainment
. The game was originally scheduled to be released in June 2008, but was later delayed to September 2008 due to Hudson wanting to make sure the online mode was top-notch.
The official website initially opened on March 28, 2008, fully opening on July 11, 2008. The final name was revealed through the game's rating by the German USK
on July 9, 2008.
To celebrate the release of Bomberman Blast, Hudson held a Bomberman Blast tournament called "Bomb It Up".
, which gave it an 8/10, were also impressed by the many game modes and options available. Although they believed the game was "a tad pricey" at 1000 Wii Points, they otherwise felt that "it's hard to quibble over such a dependable game".
Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game 88%, calling it a "brilliant version" of Bomberman and recommending it over Bomberman '93
on the Virtual Console
. However, despite the general praise of the online play, they did voice some minor concern about "a few instances" of lag, and also believed some players may be put off by the WiiWare version's focus on multiplayer battling. IGN
scored it an 8.1/10, claiming that despite the lack of innovation and some minor interface hiccups, the game is "a blast to play" and maintains "that classic, addictive quality" from past Bomberman games.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
developed and published by Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
. It is part of the Bomberman series. It is the second in a trilogy of downloadable Bomberman games, after Bomberman Live
Bomberman Live
Bomberman Live is a downloadable video game for the Xbox Live Arcade, developed by Backbone Entertainment. Live is an original version of the classic game Bomberman, an arcade-style maze-based video game originally developed by Hudson Soft. The game was officially announced on May 16, 2007 and...
for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
, and followed by Bomberman Ultra
Bomberman Ultra
Bomberman Ultra is a downloadable video game for PlayStation Network that was released on June 11, 2009 in the United States. It is the third in a trilogy of downloadable Bomberman titles, after Bomberman Live for Xbox Live Arcade and Bomberman Blast for WiiWare.Bomberman Ultra gives players the...
for PlayStation Network.
The game was released as two versions: a fully featured retail release and a downloadable, lower priced WiiWare version with less content. The retail version was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on September 25, 2008, while the WiiWare version was released on September 30, 2008. The WiiWare version was released in Europe on September 12, 2008 and in North America on September 29, 2008.
Overview
The WiiWare version of Bomberman Blast only contains the traditional battle mode, while the retail release also includes a story mode and other additional features. The plot of the story mode revolves around Bomberman saving the player's MiiMii
A is a digital avatar used in Nintendo's Wii and Nintendo 3DS gaming consoles. They allow users to capture a likeness of themselves and others. After creating one using the Wii's Mii Channel or the Nintendo 3DS's Mii Maker, they can be used as playable characters in various titles for the...
s by defeating five bosses who have kidnapped them. The story mode covers 39 stages across 5 worlds, featuring 31 different unique enemies.
The game features new items, such as a rocket that enables the player to fly, and a shield. A number of items are activated by shaking the Wii Remote. In the retail version, players are also able to purchase upgrades and power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s by cashing in gems collected during play, such as Hearts, Fire Ups, Bomb Ups and Speed Ups. In addition, players are also able to use their Miis during play, and the retail version features a mode called My First Bomberman which teaches novice players the basics of the game.
The game is primarily controlled with the Wii Remote held on its side NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
gamepad-style,. The game also supports GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
controllers but not Classic Controller
Classic Controller
The is a video game controller produced by Nintendo. It is used to play games on the Nintendo Wii video game console.-Classic Controller:The Classic Controller is plugged into the Wii Remote in order to be used. It features two analog sticks, a D-pad, face buttons labeled "a", "b", "x" and "y",...
s. The game also supports 480p
480p
480p is the shorthand name for a video display resolution. The p stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The 480 denotes a vertical resolution of 480 pixel high vertically scanning lines, usually with a horizontal resolution of 640 pixels and 4:3 aspect ratio or a horizontal resolution of...
and 16:9 widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
display modes, but does not output in Dolby Pro Logic II
Dolby Pro Logic
Dolby Pro Logic is a surround sound processing technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, designed to decode soundtracks encoded with Dolby Surround. Dolby Stereo was originally developed by Dolby in 1976 for analog cinema sound systems...
. When four Wii remotes and four GameCube controllers are used in conjunction, this game can support 8-player offline play.
Battle mode
The game's battle mode features eight-player, worldwide online play with rankings, and players with the retail and WiiWare versions of the game are able to compete against each other.10 battle stages are included with the WiiWare version, while the retail release includes an extra 2 stages, for a total of 12. Eight-player battle mode is supported by having four players using GameCube controllers and four players using Wii remotes.Battle mode also introduces "appeal motions", an emote
Emoticon
An emoticon is a facial expression pictorially represented by punctuation and letters, usually to express a writer’s mood. Emoticons are often used to alert a responder to the tenor or temper of a statement, and can change and improve interpretation of plain text. The word is a portmanteau word...
players can perform. WiiWare players will have access to 10 motions, while retail players will have access to 20 in total.
Development and release
2008, the year Bomberman Blast was released, was the 25th anniversary of the Bomberman franchise. The game is developed in-house by Hudson, unlike Bomberman LiveBomberman Live
Bomberman Live is a downloadable video game for the Xbox Live Arcade, developed by Backbone Entertainment. Live is an original version of the classic game Bomberman, an arcade-style maze-based video game originally developed by Hudson Soft. The game was officially announced on May 16, 2007 and...
for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
which was outsourced to Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment is an independent video game development company located in Emeryville, California.Backbone Entertainment is the result of a 2003 merger between Digital Eclipse Software and ImaginEngine...
. The game was originally scheduled to be released in June 2008, but was later delayed to September 2008 due to Hudson wanting to make sure the online mode was top-notch.
The official website initially opened on March 28, 2008, fully opening on July 11, 2008. The final name was revealed through the game's rating by the German USK
Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle
Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle is the organization responsible for computer game ratings in Germany.- Ratings :...
on July 9, 2008.
To celebrate the release of Bomberman Blast, Hudson held a Bomberman Blast tournament called "Bomb It Up".
Reception
EurogamerEurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
, which gave it an 8/10, were also impressed by the many game modes and options available. Although they believed the game was "a tad pricey" at 1000 Wii Points, they otherwise felt that "it's hard to quibble over such a dependable game".
Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game 88%, calling it a "brilliant version" of Bomberman and recommending it over Bomberman '93
Bomberman '93
Bomberman '93 is a video game in the Bomberman series. It was released on the TurboGrafx-16 in 1992 in Japan, with western releases following in 1993. The game has been re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console, with full multiplayer capability intact, in Europe, North America and Australia...
on the Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
. However, despite the general praise of the online play, they did voice some minor concern about "a few instances" of lag, and also believed some players may be put off by the WiiWare version's focus on multiplayer battling. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
scored it an 8.1/10, claiming that despite the lack of innovation and some minor interface hiccups, the game is "a blast to play" and maintains "that classic, addictive quality" from past Bomberman games.
Sequel
A sequel was announced by Hudson which will be titled Bomberman Live: Battlefest. It is scheduled to be released on the WiiWare in 2011.See also
External links
- Official Bomberman Blast Website (Japanese)
- Official Bomberman Blast Website (English)
- Hudson Entertainment Bomberman Blast Tournament Page (English)
- Hudson Soft's Bomberman Blast (Wii) Page (Japanese)
- Hudson Soft's Bomberman Blast (WiiWare) Page (Japanese)