E3 06: Bomberman Preshow Report

Bomberman might be taking on a surly new attitude in his upcoming Xbox 360 adventure Bomberman Act: Zero, but he'll still retain his sunny, yet highly devastating disposition when he hits the Sony PSP this summer. With no edgy subtitles to hinder him, Bomberman promises to deliver the frenetic puzzle action that fans have come to expect from the series.

With shadowy forces creeping toward his home planet and crazy robots that have left nothing but destruction and anarchy in their wake, the story mode in Bomberman will charge you with igniting your way through 100 levels of destructive fun in order to save the day. The game will introduce a new item-stock system that will give you the ability to collect a greater number of items, making your destructive payloads more strategically potent. If you prefer to keep things a little more old school, Bomberman will also include 50 "classic" levels.

As any kid with a cherry bomb can tell you, blowing stuff up is awesome no matter what, but it's just that much better when you can do it with your friends. Bomberman shares this philosophy wholeheartedly. With ad hoc multiplayer support, up to four people will be able to demolish each other across 20 different levels--even better yet, Bomberman will include game-sharing that will allow all four players to go at it with only a single copy of the game.

Top it all off with spiffy new music, sound effects, and 3D graphics, and you've got a package that looks set to please just about any Bomberman fan. You can expect to see Hudson's gleeful demolitionist on the PSP this fall.