Bomberman 64 (1997 video game)

Last updated

Bomberman 64
Bomberman 64.jpg
North American Nintendo 64 cover art
Developer(s) Hudson Soft
Publisher(s)
  • JP: Hudson Soft
Director(s) Hitoshi Okuno
Producer(s) Shinichi Nakamoto
Hidetoshi Endo
Designer(s) Kōji Innami
Artist(s) Shoji Mizuno
Composer(s) Akifumi Tada
Series Bomberman
Platform(s) Nintendo 64
Release
  • JP: September 26, 1997
  • EU: November 21, 1997 [1]
  • NA: December 3, 1997 [2]
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Bomberman 64 [a] is a video game developed and published by Hudson Soft in Japan, and published by Nintendo in North America and Europe for the Nintendo 64. The game was released in Europe and North America in November and December 1997, respectively. While the game never saw a release on the Wii's Virtual Console service, it was released on the Wii U Virtual Console in both Europe and North America in March 2017 followed by Japan in June 2017. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Bomberman 64 is the first 3D game within the Bomberman series. It implements a different single-player mode by incorporating action-adventure and platforming stages instead of arenas in which enemies or other elements must be destroyed. This new variety of single-player game was well-received by critics for its imagination and depth, though most critics also deemed the multiplayer mode to be lacking compared to previous entries in the series.

Three more Bomberman games were released on the Nintendo 64: Bomberman Hero (1998), Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (2000), and Bomberman 64 (2001).

Gameplay

This game is featured in full 3D, thus the directional controls change. Bomberman is able to walk in eight directions with a rotating camera facing in eight directions and with three different zoom levels. His bombs have a different effect than in other games of the series; the bomb's explosion waves have a spherical pattern, rather than the traditional cross-shaped ones. [6]

In both single player and multi-player modes, Bomberman always has the ability to kick, pick up, and throw bombs, without the need of power-ups, as in previous games. A unique feature of this game is that Bomberman can "pump" a bomb while holding it, which will make the bomb's explosion more powerful. [7] A pumped-up bomb cannot be kicked or picked up again. Unlike most platform games of its time, Bomberman cannot jump, nor can he swim in water, although he can wade in shallow water. Since Bomberman lacks the ability to jump, higher areas that do not have a path leading to them must be reached by bouncing across bombs - typically this requires the "remote" power-up to avoid the normally timed bombs exploding early. "Bomb jumping" is actually required to fully explore most levels, retrieve certain power-ups, and cross many obstacles.

If Bomberman runs into an enemy NPC, or is hit on the head by a small object, such as an unexploded bomb, he will become temporarily dizzy. While in this state, he can get hoisted up by an enemy and thrown around, or even finished off by getting thrown off the map, or into a bomb explosion. Bomberman can do the same to an enemy.

When Bomberman takes damage, he dies. If he has a "heart" power-up when he's hit, he will survive, but he will lose the heart. When he dies, all the power-ups he obtained will scatter all over the place. In the Normal single-player mode, taking damage simply causes Bomberman to drop the heart, and if it doesn't bounce off the level, he can pick it up again to survive another hit. In the Hard mode, the heart will disappear.

The game has four bosses, all of which perform the same bomb attacks as Bomberman. All bosses can cause Bomberman to be dizzy if they touch him on Hard mode.

Game progression

At the start of the game, Bomberman can enter any of four anchors, which are terrariums of other planets (that were likely drained by Altair. With the Planet that is Blue Resort world being shown being drained as shown in the opening cutscene). In each anchor, there are four stages. The first and third stages are adventure stages which Bomberman must navigate by solving puzzles and blasting his way toward the "Goal Arrow." The second and fourth stages are boss stages. Bomberman must fight Sirius or one of Altair's subordinates in the second stage, and he must fight the world's guardian in the fourth.

After Bomberman beats the first four anchors, he can enter the Black Fortress. Like the previous worlds, the first and third stages are adventure stages, but this time Bomberman must fight the guardian in the second stage and Altair himself in the fourth stage.

In every stage, there are five gold cards to collect (100 total). Once all gold cards have been collected, the player can unlock the secret world, Rainbow Palace. After all the gold cards have been collected from there (an additional 20, making a grand total of 120 Gold Cards) the player unlocks more courses in multiplayer mode plus the "Full Power" cheat option. With the cheat activated, Bomberman starts with 8 bombs, 5 flames, power bombs, and remote bombs.

Synopsis

In the game's opening sequence, a peaceful-looking planet with gardens, rivers, and residential buildings abound is shown (this planet being the world Blue Resort). But then the space pirate, Artemis, drops from the sky with a band of soldiers to raid the planet. Altair, the leader of the space pirates, watches from the Black Fortress, using his coveted weapon, the Omni Cube, to completely drain the planet's energy, condemning it to a zombie-like state. Artemis returns to the Black Fortress to meet up with her partners, fellow pirates Orion and Regulus, and her superior, Altair. Together, they set their sights on their next target: Planet Bomber, home of the protagonist, Bomberman.

They maneuver their fortress into the atmosphere of Planet Bomber. Bomberman, from atop a cliff, observes the Black Fortress' descent. Not much later, the Fortress begins to open fire on the people of Planet Bomber, firing destructive energy rays into populated areas. A warrior clad in white then flies out to the surprised Bomberman, and asks if he plans to defeat the assailants. Bomberman gives an affirmative response, and the stranger (later introduced as Sirius) explains that a force field protects the Fortress from any outside attack. Sirius goes on to say that this force field can be deactivated by destroying the four anchors attached to the Fortress; the "Green Garden": a ruin-filled natural world, "Blue Resort": a fortress surrounded by water, "Red Mountain": a large volcano fraught with danger, and "White Glacier": a large, snowy mountain covered in ice. Once inside the Fortress, they must find and destroy Altair.

Bomberman climbs onto and destroys all four anchors with the help of Sirius, who supplies power-ups and teaches him new techniques. In the process, he kills Artemis and Orion, but Regulus survives. Once the force field around the Fortress is deactivated, the duo enter the Fortress. After sneaking through Altair's security measures, Bomberman finds and confronts Altair, and after a difficult struggle, defeats the pirate. The previously defeated Regulus swoops in and attempts to rescue his master from the battlefield, but is then knocked away by Sirius. Altair drops the Omni Cube, which Sirius lands on the battle platform to retrieve. Altair is annihilated by a newly powered-up Sirius. Sirius reveals that he was only using Bomberman's abilities into taking back the Omni Cube which was stolen by Altair, adding that he was sick of working with him and lying to him during the mission. He takes the Omni Cube and escapes to his secret lair to destroy Planet Bomber.

Bomberman pursues him, making his way through the palace, confronting Sirius for his betrayal. When Sirius is about to fire on Bomberman, he is saved by Regulus, knocking him away and destroying the Omni Cube. With the aid of Regulus, Bomberman defeats Sirius. Without the power of the Omni Cube, the Rainbow Palace crashes into the Black Fortress, destroying both, as Regulus escapes with Bomberman, informing him that he was surprised with Bomberman's ability to defeat Sirius, as he and his comrades had considerable difficulty taking the Omni Cube from Sirius. Regulus leaves Planet Bomber, stating that one day he will have a rematch with his new rival, Bomberman, who celebrates his victory.

Development

After working on the game for about six months, the development team scrapped all their initial designs and started anew due to the emergence of more advanced 3D games on the market. [8] It was subsequently exhibited at the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo. [9]

Reception

Bomberman 64 received mixed reviews. Critics almost unanimously commented that, in a reversal of the Bomberman series's most fundamental trend, the single-player mode is much better than the multiplayer mode. [14] [16] [17] [20] However, their opinions of the overall quality of these modes varied. Doug Perry from IGN applauded the single-player mode for its intrigue and inventiveness, particularly the bomb bridging and tower-building abilities, and stated that the multiplayer mode, while not the best of the series, is accessible and benefits from well-designed arenas. [17] Joe Fielder from GameSpot instead judged the single-player mode to be a satisfying improvement over previous Bomberman single-player experiences, but not essential, and said that the multiplayer mode has "lost all the addictive charm that so positively defined the series." [16]

Shawn Smith and Dan Hsu of Electronic Gaming Monthly considered the multiplayer mode outright problematic, remarking that the 3D format, which occasionally makes it difficult to see what the player character is doing even in single-player mode, is a constant hassle in multiplayer. Hsu commented that "in my book, certain games should stay 2-D, and the B-man series is no exception." Their co-reviewer Crispin Boyer opined that the multiplayer simply gets old quickly, while Kraig Kujawa found it sufficiently intense and fun, though not as good as in previous installments. [14] GamePro found that the analog stick control works fine in single-player mode, but causes heavy aggravation in the heat of the multiplayer battle mode. However, the reviewer concluded that the single-player mode is good enough to make the game worth buying. [20]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Explosive Bomberman (Japanese: 爆(ばく)ボンバーマン, Hepburn: Baku Bonbāman)

Related Research Articles

<i>Tetris Attack</i> 1995 video game

Tetris Attack, also known as Panel de Pon in Japan, is a puzzle video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A Game Boy version was released a year later. In the game, the player must arrange matching colored blocks in vertical or horizontal rows to clear them. The blocks steadily rise towards the top of the playfield, with new blocks being added at the bottom. Several gameplay modes are present, including a time attack and multiplayer mode.

Star Fox is an arcade style rail shooter, space flight simulator, and third person action-adventure video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, developed and published by Nintendo. The games follow the Star Fox combat team of anthropomorphic animals, led by chief protagonist Fox McCloud. Gameplay involves many adventures around the Lylat planetary system in the futuristic Arwing fighter aircraft, in other vehicles, and on foot. The original Star Fox (1993) is a forward-scrolling 3D rail shooter, but later games add more directional freedom.

<i>Bomberman</i> Video game series

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.

<i>Wave Race 64</i> 1996 video game

Wave Race 64 is a 1996 racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the second entry in the Wave Race series following the 1992 Game Boy game Wave Race. Gameplay involves the player racing on a personal watercraft on a variety of courses while successfully manoeuvring the vehicle around various buoys. A multiplayer mode where two players can compete against each other on a chosen course is also included. The game supports the Controller Pak, which allows players to transfer saved data from one game cartridge to another. The game is presented in a letterboxed 14:9 aspect ratio.

<i>Bomberman</i> (2005 video game) 2005 video game

Bomberman is a 2005 video game developed by Racjin for the Nintendo DS. It was released by Hudson Soft in Japan on May 26, 2005, and published worldwide by Ubisoft. The game is notable for its chibi art style, previously seen in the Bomberman Land series.

<i>Bomberman Hero</i> 1998 video game

Bomberman Hero is a platforming video game and the second Bomberman game for the Nintendo 64. A further departure from the 16-bit Bomberman titles after Bomberman 64, it gives Bomberman more character moves, and features additional levels, bosses, and weapons. However, in a break from the Bomberman series formula, it lacks a multiplayer mode. This game was released on the Wii Virtual Console service in 2011.

<i>Bomberman 64: The Second Attack!</i> 1999 video game

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack! is a 1999 action video game, the sequel to 1997's Bomberman 64.

<i>Bomberman Generation</i> 2002 video game

Bomberman Generation is a 2002 video game released for the GameCube. It was followed up by Bomberman Jetters.

<i>Bomberman Jetters</i> (video game) 2002 video game

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.

<i>Super Bomberman 2</i> 1994 video game

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.

<i>Bomberman Tournament</i> 2001 video game


Bomberman Tournament is a game in the Bomberman series for the GBA. The game contains a multiplayer battle mode between linked Game Boy Advances. The player and up to three others can compete in any of the game's eight multiplayer battle arenas, each of which has its own unique gameplay twist.

<i>Super Bomberman</i> 1993 video game

Super Bomberman is an action, maze game, part of the Bomberman series, released for the Super NES in 1993. It is the first in the series to be released in Europe keeping the Bomberman title instead of being called Dynablaster or Eric and the Floaters.

<i>Bomberman 94</i> 1993 video game

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.

<i>Bomberman Land Touch!</i> 2006 video game

Bomberman Land Touch! is a puzzle video game developed by Hudson Soft for the Nintendo DS. The game was first released in Japan and North America in 2006. Part of the Bomberman franchise, Touch! is the third game in the Bomberman Land series and its first to be released outside Japan.

<i>Bomberman 93</i> 1992 video game

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.

<i>Bomberman 64</i> (2001 video game) 2001 video game

Bomberman 64 is a Japanese Nintendo 64 game released in 2001. It was the final Nintendo 64 game to be released in Japan. The game features four distinct gameplay modes, each with unique gameplay, based on different games in the Bomberman franchise.

<i>Bomberman</i> (1990 video game) 1990 video game

Bomberman, 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.

<i>Geometry Wars: Galaxies</i> 2007 video game

Geometry Wars: Galaxies is a multidirectional shooter video game developed by Bizarre Creations and Kuju Entertainment, and published by Vivendi Games for the Wii and Nintendo DS in 2007. As the first Geometry Wars game to be released on non-Microsoft platforms, Galaxies is a spin-off of Geometry Wars, which was originally included as a bonus game within Project Gotham Racing 2 on Microsoft's Xbox console. This updated version includes a single-player campaign mode, several multiplayer modes, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, and support for online leaderboards. The Wii version supports widescreen and 480p progressive scan display.

<i>Bomberman Blast</i> 2008 video game

Bomberman Blast is an action game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Wii and WiiWare as part of the Bomberman franchise. The game was released as two versions: a fully featured retail release and a WiiWare version known as Wi-Fi 8-Nin Battle Bomberman. 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.

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.

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases". Daily Record . November 20, 1997. p. 12. Retrieved December 2, 2023. Bomberman 64//For N64//The hit cult game now reaches 3-D! Revel in the legendary 4-player battle mode!//Out Tomorrow
  2. ↑ "Game Informer News". Game Informer . February 19, 1999. Archived from the original on February 19, 1999. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bomberman 64 for Wii U - Nintendo Game Details". Nintendo. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Bomberman™ 64 | Nintendo 64 | Games | Nintendo". Nintendo. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  5. ↑ "爆BOMBERMAN | Wii U | 任天堂" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Bomberman 64". GamePro . No. 108. IDG. September 1997. p. 63.
  7. ↑ Bro Buzz (November 1997). "Bomberman 64". GamePro . No. 110. IDG. p. 90.
  8. ↑ "NG Alphas: Bomberman 64". Next Generation . No. 31. Imagine Media. July 1997. p. 80.
  9. ↑ "E3 Showstoppers!". GamePro . No. 108. IDG. September 1997. p. 38.
  10. ↑ "Bomberman 64 for Nintendo 64". GameRankings . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  11. ↑ McCall, Scott (1998). "Bomberman 64 (Nintendo 64) - Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  12. ↑ Pogarcic, Irena (December 1997). "CVG Review: Nintendo 64 - Bomberman 64". Computer and Video Games . No. 193. EMAP. pp. 110–111. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Testscreen - Baku Bomberman (Nintendo 64)". Edge . No. 52. Future plc. December 1997. pp. 80–81.
  14. 1 2 3 Smith, Shawn; Boyer, Crispin; Hsu, Dan; Kujawa, Kraig (February 1998). "Review Crew - Bomberman 64". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 103. Ziff Davis. p. 105.
  15. ↑ Halverson, Dave; Griffin, Mike; Williams, Bryn (November 1997). "Viewpoint – Bomberman 64 (Nintendo 64)". GameFan . Vol. 5, no. 11. Metropolis Media. p. 22.
  16. 1 2 3 Fielder, Joe (January 21, 1998). "Bomberman 64 Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Perry, Doug (December 2, 1997). "Bomberman 64". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  18. ↑ Nicholson, Zy (November 1997). "Import Arena: We've been looking forward to it for months and, well... Oh dear. - Baku Bomberman". N64 Magazine . No. 8. Future Publishing. pp. 54–58.
  19. ↑ Dan; Erich; Henry; Sonja; Terry (December 1997). "Now Playing - Bomberman 64 (N64)". Nintendo Power . No. 103. Nintendo of America. p. 96.
  20. 1 2 Larry, Scary (December 1997). "Nintendo 64 ProReview: Bomberman 64". GamePro . No. 111. IDG. p. 140.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.