I have a confession to make--this is the first time I've ever played a Bomberman game.
Learning Bomberman's power-ups takes on a whole new dimension when playing online, since the action is often too frantic to glance at available upgrades for more than half a second. Players will need to learn which upgrades should be used online, and which should not. Bomb-Ups increase the number of bombs players can set, and this is always a good thing, but what about Fire-Ups, which increase each bomb's blast radius? Multiplayer games with lots of players tend to be rather congested, so I found it prudent to increase my radius only to a certain point, since maneuverability is often an issue. It sounds like an annoyance, but it's just another clever way that Bomberman forces players to really think about their actions instead of acting on impulse, even in the midst of pure chaos.
Perhaps the most appealing facet of multiplayer is the ability to take local players onto Xbox Live. This may be the best manifestation of the game's mix-and-match play style, as it could be argued that Bomberman's fast-paced gameplay is best enjoyed in a room full of friends.