Bomberman Land Touch! 2

One thing that game publishers know is that if your franchise needs a restart, plunk the cutesy cast of characters into a mini-game collection. We’ve seen the likes of Sonic, Mario, and Rayman all in dual-screen competitions, and now recently, Bomberman.

Landing on the NES in 1987, Bomberman has been around for decades. How he’s avoided airport security this long, we’ll never know. But maybe it’s because of Homeland security that Bomberman has been reduced to mini-game collections on the casual-game powerhouses, DS and Wii. Hudson’s latest iteration of its “bomb”-astic franchise is Bomberman Land Touch! 2.

In this game, you can go three routes: Story Mode, Battle Mode, and Attractions Mode.

The single-player story is surprisingly an addicting and fleshed-out experience. As you explore the different “zones,” you will collect various items that progressively unlock more things to do. As you explore the top down, 2D environment, you’ll find events and doors that are locked and require X number of an item; eventually, as you collect more pieces, you can find new mini-games (Attractions) and unlock new areas to explore.

“Bomberman in Excitebike??”

In Story Mode, you’ll discover a plethora of goofy mini-games from ice-skating to target practice. Like most mini-game collections, they are very shallow and get old fast. But there are some fun games – just a lot of mediocre ones, too. In Attractions Mode, you can replay all of the games you’ve unlocked with friends and compete to your hearts content!

The environments are all fairly interesting and unique, but I had trouble getting past the graphics. From the StarZone to the MoonZone, you’re character is stuck in a SNES landscape. The color palette, too, seems very limited and never gets close to the visual brilliance of New Super Mario Bros. Even the best mini-games feel lackluster with such a flat, uninteresting presentation.

 
“Outstanding multiplayer”

The most exciting part of this game is the Battle Mode. With a speedy Wi-Fi connection, you and your friends from Australia and Japan can play the intense, bombing madness of classic Bomberman multiplayer. The WFC will hold up to 8 players (4 onlines) and also offers a chat system, as well as random battles – so you don’t have to spend the afternoon typing in Friend Codes. If you have “real” friends with DS’s, you can bring 2-8 of them in on the action via single-card Download play or multi-card.

If you already own Bomberman Land Touch!, there’s not too much more you’ll get out of this sequel. Some of the mini-games have been recycled and the Battle Mode is the same, with new maps. If you’re new the franchise and are looking for a great multiplayer experience, check this game out.

Gameplay: 8.0
The mini-games are all pretty solid and use the touch-screen in clever ways.

Graphics: 5.0
While the game runs smooth and the 16-bit era graphics don’t hurt the game, they certainly don’t help.

Sound: 8.0
The music is surprisingly good. You’ll be tapping your feet while you’re blowing stuff up.

Difficulty: Easy
Very accessible for younger gamers.

Concept: 6.0
The first game was pretty innovative, but there’s not much new here. .

Multiplayer: 9.0
Between online play and single-card download play with up to 8 players, bombing your friends has never been this easy!

Overall: 7.0
This game is a solid collection of mini-games with a complete Story Mode and addictive multiplayer; it’s just more of the same, however, and in need of a facelift.