Bomberman | |
---|---|
Developer(s) |
|
Publisher(s) | |
Director(s) | Shigeki Fujiwara (Uncredited) |
Designer(s) | Tsukasa Kuwahara |
Programmer(s) | Atsuo Nagata Yūji Muroya |
Artist(s) | Hideyuki Ogura Mika Sasaki |
Composer(s) | Jun Chikuma |
Series | Bomberman |
Platform(s) | PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, Super CD-ROM², X68000, Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Windows |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Action, maze, party |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer (up to five players via TurboTap) |
Bomberman [lower-alpha 1] , also known as Dyna Blaster in Europe, is an action-maze video game originally developed and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine in Japan on 7 December 1990 and later in North America for the TurboGrafx-16 by NEC in 1991. Belonging to the Bomberman franchise, it is a re-imagining of the first game in the series starring White Bomberman on a quest to rescue Lisa, the kidnapped daughter of his inventor Dr. Mitsumori, from the castle of Black Bomberman while defeating evil monsters and villains that work for him. The game was later ported to home computers, each one featuring changes compared to the original version. Conversions for other platforms were in development but never released. The title garnered positive reception from critics since its initial release on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 and later on home computers.
The single player game is divided into eight worlds, each one divided into eight stages. [1] [2] Each stage is presented as a maze of blocks filled with enemies. By using bombs, the player must destroy the blocks blocking their path and defeat all of the enemies. Once all of the enemies are defeated and the hidden exit is uncovered, the player can proceed to the next stage. Each stage also includes one power-up hidden under one of the blocks, which can increase the number of bomb drops, increase the range of the bombs' explosions, and other useful powers. The eighth stage in each world is a boss battle.
The game also includes a multi-player mode which allows up to five players to compete against one another (requires the use of a TurboGrafx-16 Multitap). This mode plays identically to the single-player mode, with the exception of power-ups being limited to only Bombs and Fire. There is also an alternate multi-player mode, Skull Mode, in which skulls sometimes appear hidden beneath blocks, which are detrimental if picked up.
Bomberman on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 was created by most of the same team that would work on several projects such as later entries in the Bomberman series at Hudson Soft, with Tsukasa Kuwahara acting as sole designer. [3] Atsuo Nagata and Yūji Muroya served as co-programmers, while Hideyuki Ogura and Mika Sasaki created the pixel art. [3] The soundtrack was composed by Jun Chikuma, with Keita Hoshi also collaborating in its development at sound programmer. [3] The game was first published in Japan by Hudson Soft on 7 December 1990 and later in North America by NEC in 1991. [4] [ citation needed ] In Europe, the title was released for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS by Ubi Soft as Dyna Blaster due to the European mainstream media associating the original name with terrorist bombings. [5] [6] [7] Versions for Atari Lynx and Commodore 64 version were in development but never released. [8] [9] [10]
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Computer and Video Games | 93% [11] |
Famitsu | 29/40 [4] |
ASM | 10/12 [12] |
Génération 4 | 85% [13] |
Hobby Consolas | 93/100 [14] |
Joystick | 80% [15] |
Mega Fun | 78% [16] |
Play Time | 87% [17] |
Player One | 89% [18] |
Power Play | 81% [19] |
Raze | 89% [20] |
Tilt | 12/20 [21] |
Video Games | 84% [22] |
VG&CE | 7/10 [23] |
Bomberman on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 garnered positive reception from critics since its release. [24] [25] Aktueller Software Markt 's Hans-Joachim Amann criticized the visuals but commended the sound and gameplay. [12] Computer and Video Games 's Paul Glancey and Richard Leadbetter praised the visuals, music, gameplay and multiplayer. [11] French magazine Génération 4 praised the animations and playability but criticized the visuals and sound. [13] Hobby Consolas ' Marcos García commended the simple graphics, sound, gameplay and multiplayer aspect. [14] Likewise, Jean-Marc Demoly of French publication Joystick praised the gameplay and multiplayer component. [15] Both Martin Weidner and Stefan Hellert of German magazine Mega Fun gave the PC Engine original a positive outlook. [16] Japanese readers of the magazine PC Engine Fan voted to give the game a 23.78 out of 10 score, ranking at the number 51 spot, indicating a large popular following. [26] Bomberman on the TurboGrafx-16 was included in the 2010 book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die . [27]
Dieter Kneffel of German magazine Play Time felt mixed in regards to the visuals and sound but praised the gameplay. [17] Likewise, Olivier Scamps of French magazine Player One felt mixed about the graphics and sound but commended the gameplay and the ability to play against other players simultaneously. [18] Heinrich Lenhardt of German publication Power Play was more critical of the visuals and sound, however he commended both gameplay and multiplayer positively. [19] Raze noted that "Bomber Man is good in one player mode, but really come into its own with two or more players", stating that the magazine's staff played the multiplayer mode daily. [20] Tilt 's Alain Huyghues-Lacour, however, gave the PC Engine original a mixed overall outlook. [21] Michael Hengst of German outlet Video Games was more critical to the game in regards to several aspects but gave it a positive outlook regardless. [22] VideoGames & Computer Entertainment 's Joshua Mandel commended the cartoony graphics and sound effects but criticized the single-player's short length. [23]
The Amiga conversion of Bomberman received critical acclaim from reviewers. [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] Amiga Action 's Jason Simmons praised the graphics, sound and combination of puzzle and arcade elements, stating that "the simplest games are often the best and this is definitively the case with Dyna Blaster." [33] Amiga Computing 's Daniel Whitehead praised the colorful graphics, sound design, gameplay and multiplayer, though Whitehead noted that "single players may feel a bit neglected, though." [34] Amiga Format 's Linda Barker commended the simple but colorful graphics, addictive gameplay and multiplayer, however Barker criticized the sound design. [35] Amiga Mania's Ashley Cotter-Cairns praised the fast gameplay, sound and graphics but criticized the longevity of the game, stating that "Dynablaster won't hold your attention for very long. But get some friends and a few four packs in and you're guaranteed a great evening's bombing." [36] Amiga Power 's Matt Bielby highly praised the multiplayer aspect, regarding it as a "PC Engine perfect conversion" but noted the title's high retail price due to the included multitap adapter. [37]
CU Amiga 's Dan Slingsby praised the graphics, sound, longevity, playability and frantic multiplayer but admitted that the stages in single player mode eventually become boring. [38] Likewise, Computer and Video Games 's Frank O'Connor commended the visuals, sound, playability and longevity as well as the multiplayer. [39] Winfried Forster of German magazine Power Play was conflicted in regards to both graphics and sound but commended the gameplay and multiplayer component. [40] Tilt 's Jacques Harbonn praised the visuals, animation, music, playability, longevity and multiplayer. [41] Top Secret 's Emilus gave the Amiga conversion a perfect score. [42] Zero 's Martin Pond commented positively about the visuals, sound, addictive gameplay and overall execution. [43]
The X68000 version of Bomberman obtained critical acclaim from critics. Yoshida Kenji of Japanese magazine Oh!X praised the presentation and gameplay. [44] Japanese publication Technopolis also praised the X68000 version highly. [45]
The Atari ST port of Bomberman was also met with critical acclaim from reviewers. [5] ST Action 's Jason Dutton praised the visuals, sound, gameplay and multiplayer. [46] Likewise, ST Format 's Rob Mead commended the presentation, pacing, gameplay and multiplayer but criticized the controls for being unresponsive. [47] ST Review 's Wayne Legg gave high remarks to the graphics, sound and playability, though he criticized the initial simplicity but regarded it as "one of the best games on the ST". [48]
The MS-DOS release of Bomberman saw a mixed but positive reception from critics. [49] Sébastien Hamon of French publication Joystick praised the ability to play against four players simultaneously, controls, visuals and sound. [50] PC Games 's Oliver Menne criticized the sound and felt mixed in regards to the graphics but praised the gameplay and originality highly. [51] Richard Löwenstein of German magazine PC Joker felt mixed about the port but rated it slightly higher than Kingsoft's Bug Bomber. [52] German publication Play Time gave positive remarks to the sound, graphics and gameplay. [53] Richard Eisenmenger of Power Play felt mixed about the visuals and sound but commended the multiplayer aspect. [54]
Bomberman is a video game franchise created by Shinichi Nakamoto and Shigeki Fujiwara, originally developed by Hudson Soft and currently owned by Konami. The original game, also known as Bakudan Otoko (爆弾男), was released in Japan in July 1983 and has since spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs released on numerous platforms, as well as several anime and manga adaptations.
Dynablaster or Dyna Blaster is a name that has been given to the European releases of four different games of the Bomberman franchise:
Military Madness is a 1989 turn-based strategy video game originally developed and published by Hudson Soft in Japan and NEC in North America for the TurboGrafx-16. It is the first entry in the Nectaris series. Set in the year 2089, players take command of the Allied-Union forces in a desperate offense against the Axis-Xenon Empire army on the Moon before they launch the S.A.M. weapon to obliterate Earth. Its gameplay consists of moving units into positions to confront enemies in turn-based encounters determined by multiple factors, capturing factories to produce resources and repair units in order to occupy the enemy prison camp or destroy all enemy forces.
Bomberman Jetters is an action game for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube and PlayStation 2, and part of Hudson Soft's Bomberman series. The game builds on the gameplay style established in the previous Bomberman series entry, 2002's Bomberman Generation, and features characters and settings from the 2002 anime series Bomberman Jetters. The GameCube version utilizes cel-shaded graphics similar to those of Bomberman Generation, while the PlayStation 2 version does not.
Dungeon Explorer is an action role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the TurboGrafx-16 and originally published by Hudson Soft in Japan on March 4, 1989, and later in North America by NEC on November 15 of the same year. The first installment in the eponymous franchise, the game is set in the land of Oddesia, which has been overrun by an alien race and where players assume the role of one of eight main characters tasked with recovering the Ora stone to kill the alien king Natas. Co-directed by Kazutoshi Ueda and Yōsuke Niino, the title was created by most of the same team that would work on later several projects such as entries in the Megami Tensei series. Though it was initially launched for the TurboGrafx-16, it was later re-released through download services for various consoles.
Super Bomberman 2 is a video game developed by Produce! and Hudson Soft and released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in Japan on April 28, 1994, in North America later the same year, and in Europe on February 23, 1995.
Bomberman: Panic Bomber is a 1994 puzzle video game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine on December 22, 1994. It was later released for the Neo Geo, Super Famicom, Sharp X68000, FM Towns, NEC PC-9821, Virtual Boy, and PlayStation Portable. It saw a re-release for the Wii and Wii U's Virtual Console services. Panic Bomber is a falling block game with the players' goal being to clear matching blocks using bombs, ensuring that their screen does not fill and that their opponents' screens do. It received mixed to positive reception, identified as a decent game by multiple critics. It has been compared to the falling block puzzle game Tetris. The Virtual Boy version received a mixed reception for its handling of the platform's visual capabilities.
Super Bomberman 3 is a game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. It is the third installment in the Super Bomberman series, and the third Bomberman game to be released for the system. Up to five players can play at the same time. The game was released in Japan and the PAL region, but not in North America due to the closure of Hudson Soft USA.
Atomic Bomberman is a game by Interplay Productions for the PC that was released in 1997. It was the first original Bomberman game to be developed for Windows, and the second game of the series made for the PC, following Dynablaster.
Neutopia II is a 1991 action-adventure/action role-playing video game developed and published in Japan by Hudson Soft and in North America by Turbo Technologies for the TurboGrafx-16. It is the sequel to Neutopia, which was released earlier in 1989. In the game, the player takes control of Jazeta's son, who embarks on a quest to both save his father and defeat the returning evil demon Dirth.
Bomberman '94 is a video game from the Bomberman series which was developed and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine and released on December 10, 1993, in Japan. It was later re-developed by Westone and re-published by Sega as Mega Bomberman on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994 in other areas. The PC Engine Bomberman '94 was later released outside Japan through the Virtual Console and the PlayStation Network.
Bomberman '93 is a video game in the Bomberman series. It was released on the PC Engine on December 11, 1992 in Japan, with western TurboGrafx-16 releases following in 1993. The game was also re-released for PCs in 2002 alongside the TurboGrafx-16 version of Bomberman and Bomberman World as part of a compilation disc titled Bomberman Collection. The game was re-released for the Virtual Console, with full multiplayer capability intact, for Wii on November 21, 2006 in North America, December 8, 2006 in Europe, and July 6, 2007 in Australia. The game was re-released for the Wii U on December 28, 2016 in Japan, November 30, 2017 in North America and December 14, 2017 in Europe. Bomberman '93 later spawned a sequel titled Bomberman '94.
Chew Man Fu is a 1990 action video game developed by Now Production and published in Japan by Hudson Soft and in North America by NEC for the TurboGrafx-16.
Drop Off is a Breakout clone by Data East. The game was published in 1990 for the PC Engine as Drop Rock Hora Hora and subsequently saw a US release for the TurboGrafx-16 as Drop Off.
Bomber Man World is a 1992 video game released by Irem under license from Hudson Soft for arcades. It is part of the Bomberman series. It was the second Bomberman game to be released for arcades, preceded by Bomberman (1991), which was also released by Irem.
Jack Nicklaus' Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf is a golf-simulation video game developed by Sculptured Software, and published by Accolade beginning in 1988. It was released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64 (C64), MS-DOS, Macintosh, MSX, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), PC-88, Sharp X68000, and Game Boy.
Bomberman GB is a sub-series of video games in Hudson Soft's Bomberman series released for the Game Boy. The first entry was Bomberman GB, released as Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! in North America and Europe, later succeeded by Bomberman GB 2, under the name Bomberman GB internationally, and Bomberman GB 3, which was only released in Japan.
P-47: The Phantom Fighter is a 1988 horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by NMK and published by Jaleco. Set during World War II, players control a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft to face against the Nazis, who are occupying multiple countries around the world. Its gameplay involves destroying waves of enemies, picking up power-ups and new weapons, and destroying bosses. It ran on the Mega System 1 hardware.
Hi-Ten Bomberman is a 1993 action-maze video game developed and first showcased by Hudson Soft at their Super Caravan events in Japan. It is a multiplayer-only entry in the Bomberman franchise, featuring support for up to ten players and widely regarded by many to be the first commercially created game for widescreen HDTVs, as well as being regarded to be the basis for Saturn Bomberman, but it was never released for the general public.
Dungeon Explorer II is an action role-playing video game developed and originally published by Hudson Soft for the TurboDuo in Japan on March 26, 1993, and in North America by Turbo Technologies in October of the same year. A sequel to 1989's Dungeon Explorer, it is the second installment in the eponymous franchise.
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