PAX 2008: Bomberman Blast Hands-On

Bomberman has been around for 25 years, but it never gets old. The classic game of dropping bombs on your opponents has had many variations and new additions. At the Penny Arcade Expo 2008, we had a chance to play with Bomberman Blast, a WiiWare game that will allow you to play online with the Wii for the first time with up to eight players.

The traditional Bomberman Free-for-All mode still pits players in each corner so that they can try to take each other out by dropping bombs and picking up power-ups. There are three new items that will change up the gameplay and are used by shaking the Wii Remote. You can change yourself into a bomb, use a rocket to jump into the air, and bring up a shield to protect yourself while you shake the remote. One of the new modes includes dodging an air raid where the goal is to simply stay alive and avoid the bombs. Another has you jumping into a spacecraft where you can fly around and drop bombs on others.

There are several different fields that will also affect how the game is played. There is a field where everyone is moving at a faster pace, as well as another one where if you kick a bomb, the bomb will follow arrows and roll around the map. A potholes map will have bomb blasts go through the pit squares. There seems to be a lot of variety and content for a game that will be available for $10 or less.

Another new addition includes importing your Miis, which will need to be unlocked by completing the 10 levels. You will have your Mii in traditional Bomberman gear to add a bit of variety to the scene. For those who like online leaderboards, there will be a place for you to brag about your skills. We were told that Bomberman Blast will be ready in the next month or so, so stay tuned for more Bomberman action.