Features

• Uses cel-shading to give the game a cartoon appearance
• Navigate Bomberman through a vibrant 3D world
• Explore five different worlds with over 16 different areas
• Use bombs to solve puzzles -- knock down trees, shift blocks of ice, and activate switches
• "Pump" up your bombs to gigantic sizes for more damage
• Use classic power-ups to give Bomberman and added abilities
• Combine bombs with elements to reveal new powers revolving around water, ice, wind, and light
• Collect Charabomb pets to enhance Bomberman's abilities
• Four-player battle mode featuring old-school 2D-style gameplay
• Multiple variations on battle modes including Dodge, Reversi, Coin, and more
• All-new 3D "power bomb" explodes in every direction for battle mode
• Broad ranging, intuitive gameplay suited for all ages
• Only for Nintendo GameCube

Gameplay
There's a good chance that you've played a game like Bomberman Generation before. The game sticks to a formula that has worked for years. As the hero, Bomberman, you navigate five different worlds broken up into separate stages: 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, etc. You gain new powers, meet new foes, and face off against boss figures as you progress through the stages. In fact, you can expect to meet up with a huge, hulking boss every three stages. There's no doubt that Bomberman Generation is designed around a formula. Regardless, even though you have an idea of what's next, and even though you know when bosses may appear, you still can't help but enjoy Bomberman Generation for the entertainment it offers up.

It's a Saturday morning cartoon brought to the tips of your fingers. In Bomberman's universe there have been six crystals stolen and scattered across one of the planets. The story is told via an opening cut-scene which as been somewhat bafflingly translated from Japanese. Terms like "this is where energy unfathomable to humankind is overflowing" will probably throw you for a loop, but the story is very simple and not exactly integral to the experience. The basic concept comes across just fine. As Bomberman you're going to have the travel to several different worlds to save the world and recapture these crystals.

Unexpectedly, you begin your single-player adventure with the option to play in one of the three worlds on the main planet (there's a moon, too), based on forest, ocean, and desert themes. It's not the best idea for beginners to jump ahead, but it's an option, and is there for gamers who may want to take a break from one of the worlds if they get stuck. Whatever you do, you'll be in constant contact with the professor, who will give you hints and tips to make it through each world. Thankfully the controls for Bomberman are very intuitive, so he doesn't have to explain things too often. You control Bomberman with the main analog stick and set bombs with the A-button. As you earn more power-ups and more abilities, you'll be able to have more control over your explosive activities. As this is a 3D game, you should know it will require manual control of the camera with the R and L triggers, which swing it around Bomberman. With the camera high above you it really isn't too much of a problem to use at all. The worlds are all laid out to send Bomberman down paths. He breaks off into larger areas, but it isn't really 3D like Mario or Zelda game would be. In fact, Bomberman Generation is really not at all similar to a true 3D exploration-based title. Instead, it stays close to the series' roots and offers up nearly 2D gameplay and a constant offering of puzzles.

However, there are new bomb powers to exploit in this latest adventure. Placed in various stages, gamers will find mini-games such as the cleverly named "Bomjy Jump." If you successfully complete the event, you'll get one of the elements of the world such as ice to merge with your bombs. Of course, it's not as simple as just completing the event. You'll have to search out a bomb-merging center later in the world where you can properly combine them. With this the puzzles begin to become more complicated, but it's still something that everyone can grasp. Things like using the water bomb to put out a fire or the ice bomb to freeze a fountain of water into a platform are the most basic uses. Once again, though, Hudson wasn't content with just these elements. No doubt inspired by Nintendo's own Pokemon franchise, gamers who play Bomberman Generation will find pets called Charabombs. You can activate any Charabomb you have for added abilities such as detonating your bombs remotely or being able to toss them higher and father. Only one ability can be used at a time, so this really deepens the possibilities for puzzles.

You win your first Charabomb by facing off against it yourself, but after that you'll find a quasi-turnbased battle waits between Charabombs in your possession and the one you want to capture. You can choose three strategies prior to your battle ranging from defensive to skillfully to "get wild" and more. After you make your choices, the battle plays out before you. So, you don't control each of your Charabomb's actions in real-time, but you strategize beforehand. After three rounds the Charabomb with the least energy or no energy, loses. Only by winning can you gain a new Charabomb. The end verdict is that the implementation of Charabombs is clever and certainly welcomed by us. You even collect special food along your quest to help them level up. If Hudson creates another Bomberman in the version of this GameCube version, we hope to see them expand on Charabomb battling, perhaps even linking up with the GBA. Doesn't that sound dandy?

Of course, what would a throwback to retro gaming be without the constant threat of a boss battle? Bomberman Generation has this in spades. Ever few levels you'll face off against a huge boss. At first, it can be a little tricky to make some progress, but with practice and experimentation you'll find the boss's weakness. As seen in old-school gaming, bosses have patterns that you must observe and test. We don't want to spoil any of the fun for you, but needless to say you'll have to study each boss carefully. They've got a lot of tricks up their sleeves. Our only complaint is that the learning process can be frustrating at times due to a certain level of vagueness that is present. Sometimes you just don't understand how you hurt them. Fortunately, it doesn't pose too much of a major roadblock if you're persistent.

For the sum of all its explosive elements, Bomberman Generation is a lighthearted, yet unexpectedly entertaining title. It offers up a huge dose of nostalgia and fills a gaping hole in GameCube's current lineup. It offers up compelling puzzle-based, exploration-heavy gameplay and sets it upon a solid foundation of balanced and surprisingly clever game design. The single-player experience on its own will deliver at least 6 or so hours of entertainment, if not quite a bit more. But, as you probably are aware of, Bomberman is also very much about its multiplayer battle modes, and this latest GameCube version has plenty of options four players can indulge in.

Multiplayer
The battle options in Bomberman Generation are robust. The number of available modes will lengthen gameplay and, perhaps, even take precedence over the single-player experience if you're a Bomberman fanatic. If you select the dedicated Battle section of Bomberman from the main menu, you'll find the following modes are available:

• Standard Battle
• Reversi Battle
• Coin Battle
• Dodge Battle
• Revenge Battle

All of these come chock full of their own options including the ability to form teams, set time, number of rounds, time, and much more. The Standard Battle will draw the most attention with eight varying stages and the return of the golden bomber. The different stages range from the basic generic setup to stages that have warp portals and moving sand. You can count on blowing yourself up repeatedly as you learn the ins and outs of each stage. For golden bomber, the winner of the set matches will face off against opponents in an odd twist on soccer's penalty kick. The golden bomber kicks the bomb at his chosen power-up and if it gets by the keepers he'll be able to keep it for the duration of the next matches. Henceforth comes hundreds of matches and countless hours of play. Bomberman is best played with as many friends as possible thanks to its four-player support.

Graphics
Bomberman Generation is an explosion of color, blending vibrant texture design with cel-shading for a well-rounded cartoon look. The characters look more hand-drawn than the rest of the world, but the style fits the Bomberman series quite well. He's always been very much a cartoon character with his squinty eyes and sphere-shaped hands. Seeing the franchise in this light has us hoping for an even more impressive graphics feat next time around. The world is sorely lacking in polygons, rarely uses complicated particle effects, and could absolutely benefit from more diverse animation. It's not that Bomberman Generation looks bad. It just doesn't have you dropping your jaw in the way that Nintendo's cel-shaded version ofLegend of Zelda does.

We were also disappointed with the lack of progressive scan support for HDTV users who could have benefited from an even more vibrant display.

Sound
We're saddened to report that the GameCube version of Bomberman doesn't have the best soundtrack in the series. The Saturn version still reigns as king, but Hudson's efforts are decent when it comes to Generation. There are multiple tracks for the differently themed worlds and a number of different tunes for the multiplayer modes. Sound effects are sufficient, but certainly not extravagant. You won't hear any environmental effects or anything complicated like that. Bomberman Generation is very simple in audio design. The voice acting will probably get on older gamers nerves, but a few of the characters such as the professor aren't so bad, and will probably appeal to the younger crowd.