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Features
Gameplay
The Legend of Zelda isn't the only GameCube title to take advantage of the
hardware's powerful toon-shading capabilities. Hudson's Bomberman Generation
takes place in a 3D cartoon world where a newly designed, lanky Bomberman must
blast his way through a bright, colorful landscape. Unlike the Nintendo 64
renditions of the franchise, Bomberman Generation uses a top-down camera view
and narrow paths to simplify gameplay.
The concept is pretty simple. On his quest to take back a powerful "element" of some kind from the clutches of evil, the B-man must use his bombs to push forward, blasting open new pathways, solving puzzles, and fighting gigantic boss figures. As you navigate through these worlds you'll face roadblocks and have the choice to venture down several different paths. Beginner puzzles require simple tasks such as knocking tress down by placing a bomb at the foot of them. In most cases taking down the tree isn't very useful, but let's say you need to cross a deep stream: just knock down a tree and make your way to the other side. As the game progresses forward the difficulty increases. Later on you will have to control the flow of water by blocking and unblocking streams.
In the version we played at Space World 2001 we were only allowed to experience the game on its most basic level. So we're not entirely sure how deep Bomberman Generation's gameplay mechanics get. But the world is littered with traditional Bomberman power-ups such as the speed roller-skates, increased explosion power, and other bomb upgrades. Eventually you'll be able to bind elements such as fire, wind, water, and light to your bombs for increased functionality. We imagine you will be forced to solve more advanced puzzles such as using a fire bomb to melt a frozen waterfall, which may in turn empty a pond so you can cross it. However, that's all speculation at this point.
One of the more impressive elements we did get to come into contact with was the huge boss figures. As you approach the end of levels. We had the pleasure of fighting with a large, vibrantly colored elephant that would charge at you. Being only the first boss, you could easily defeat him by placing bombs in his path. Later bosses get more difficult. One boss in level four swings a long, deadly chain from the top of his head to keep Bomberman from coming too close. We have a good feeling that kicking bombs (instead of throwing) at him might put him down.
At its heart, Bomberman Generation returns to a very classic style of gameplay. It almost has a 2D feel to it because of the isometric top-down perspective. Bombs are easily thrown or kicked in any direction, and you still have the special ability to enlarge them for increased power. In fact using the larger bombs is a required asset if you want to get anywhere in the game, because larger obstacles such as boulders can only be shattered by them. Controlling Bomberman is also fairly easy, although Hudson doesn't have an automatic camera system in place. You have to manually rotate the camera with the L and R buttons, which can become an annoyance.
Multiplayer Battle
Now for the part you're probably most interested in: Bomberman Generation's
multiplayer mode. Is it 3D like the N64 version, creating baffling and boring
battle arenas? Absolutely not, because the development team has learned that the
novelty of 3D gaming isn't always the best step forward in gameplay. Going back
to the tried and true, 2D grid-style arena, Bomberman Generation's multiplayer
mode looks as promising as ever. Using a little bit of creative freedom the
development team has injected a bit of interactivity to give the battle stages
some variety.
One unique stage is just a field of grass. There are no rocks or any things to keep you from freely roaming right next to your enemy and placing a bomb. The only catch is that you cannot see where your bombs lie if they're under the grass. Furthermore the destructive bombs will burn away the grass revealing a more level playing field. Areas that are left alone will be replenished with fresh grass. It's definitely a new take on the classic gameplay, and we hope to see more creative designs like this.
But the classic 2D battle arenas have not gone unchanged by their 3D brethren. Hudson has decided to make use of the 3D space with a "super bomb" of sorts. If you get this power up, you can pump up your bombs to explode in every direction. The fiery explosion exceeds all boundaries, pushing outward in the shape of a sphere. The only way to avoid it, is to get very far away; there will be no hiding behind rocks to avoid the "super bomb."
Graphics and Technology
Hudson has dug right into the GameCube hardware and unearthed its unique ability
to perform "cartoon" outlining and shading to give 3D objects a 2D,
hand-illustrated look. Bomberman, his enemies, and many of the objects around
him have an "ink and paint" appearance. When blended with the extremely
colorful world -- this is the most colorful GameCube title to date -- the game
is almost too cute for its own good. Texture design is actually very impressive,
featuring rich, vivid palettes that will nearly send your brain into overload.
There's much that we haven't seen, but so far we're very impressed with its
style.
Outlook
We're excited to see how this colorful adventure unfolds. Hudson's choice to
keep the 3D elements of the game simple have been for the better. Picking up
Bomberman Generation and making immediate progress is simple because it's so
easy to adjust to the environment. The design could provide the best of both
worlds, offering up a simplified 3D adventure and a solid multiplayer mode. Set
for release sometime in 2002, Bomberman Generation is making good progress.
Expect more information in the coming months.