Bomberman Live: Battlefest Hands-On

Bomberman is regarded by many as one of the most addictive, fast-paced, and downright fun multiplayer experiences. Now, the explosive gameplay of Hudson’s classic franchise enters into all major consoles, with this latest installment designed by Pi Studios.

We played the Xbox 360 version of the game and went head-to-head with another player. Our opponent, along with the computer enemies, took control of multicolored bombermen. However, we chose to instead compete in the match as an Xbox Live Avatar. We played two different matches, and the first was a zombie match. Our goal was to paint the field by planting bombs, which in turn would explode and leave our color over damaged spaces. However, if we were defeated by an enemy bomb or misplaced one, not only would we take damage upon being restored, but we’d also lose all of our colored squares.

The second match type was a sort of King of the Hill. A golden crown would appear randomly somewhere in the match, and all players darted straight for it. When the character wearing the crown took a hit, he would drop the crown and it would re-pop in a random location. The interesting bomb upgrades we could add to our arsenal included mines, rockets, and timed explosives. This allowed for many strategies, including camping, traps, and long-ranged attacks.

While our demo only allowed for a five-character matchup, the full release will allow up to eight players online and locally. We’ll get more of a feel for the game when it is released in fall 2010 for Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare, and the PlayStation Network.