Majesco ships Bomberman games for Nintendo systems

Majesco announced today that its latest lineup of Bomberman games has shipped to retailers. The three games hitting stores in the next few days are Bomberman Generations for the GameCube and Bomberman Max 2: Blue Advance and Bomberman Max 2: Red Advance for the Game Boy Advance.

The sequels to last year's Bomberman Max titles allow players to choose between playing as Bomberman (blue version) or Max (red version) and battle against the Hige Hige bandits, who have shrunk the duo to the size of ants. To return to normal size, the heroic pair must drop bombs, complete puzzles, and destroy the bandits' shrinking ray. Players can also collect, raise, and breed charabom characters, which can be used during link cable battles against friends.

Bomberman Generations is the first-ever Bomberman release for the GameCube. It features cel-shaded graphics and five levels of adventure-based gameplay. As Bomberman, players will have to blow up enemies and obstacles with their short-fused explosives, opening pathways to each end-of-level boss. Bombs can be combined with elemental powers to create special ability bombs, including those with powers of ice, water, and light. In addition to the single-player mode, the game features a number of four-player multiplayer modes that make use of the traditional Bomberman 2D grid-style design.

"There is no doubt that Bomberman is one of the legacy franchise properties that not only helped establish the video game industry, but grew it as well," said Ken Gold, vice president of marketing. "The appeal of Bomberman is timeless and our new offerings are sure to appeal to those fans who grew up playing the game, as well as gamers new to the franchise."

Look for our full review of Bomberman Generations, Bomberman Max 2: Blue Advance, and Bomberman Max 2: Red Advance in the coming days.