TGS 2001 Fall: First impressionsBomberman Kart

Bomberman has been seen on countless consoles in several different types of games. The standard bomb-tossing strategy games that he is best known for still set the high-water mark for fast-action multiplayer strategy games. He's also been in a few single-player adventures, such as Bomberman 64, Bomberman Tournament, and the upcoming GameCube game Bomberman Generation. Now, Hudson is putting its flagship character into your typical kart-racing game.

Bomberman Kart is a four-player game that will contain at least seven different karts, ranging from typical go-karts to dune buggies and monster truck-like vehicles. At least six characters will be selectable, mostly bombermen of different colors. The characters have an anime-like style to them, and they're very expressive throughout the race.

The gameplay is standard kart-racing fare, containing power-ups such as turbo, bombs, and homing missiles. The game supports the GT Force steering wheel, giving you finer control over your turns, and it uses the shift flippers on the wheel for weapon firing.

Bomberman Kart will hit Japanese shelves on December 20.