Player Two: Bomberman 2 Release Date Announced

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 14, 2009

: Player Two: Bomberman 2 Release Date Announced

On January 7th, Konami announced the release date for the latest game in the Bomberman series. Bomberman 2 will ship on February 13th, 2009 on the Nintendo DS. Though a veteran character for the system, the new game returns to Bomberman’s roots in a way not seen since his DS debut in 2005.

While Bomberman 2 will return to the traditional top down gameplay where bombs are placed to remove obstacles and kill enemies, developer Hudson Soft has added a modern twist. With a more open layout and a set of goals, the game moves beyond the realm of “break blocks, defeat level, repeat”. The task asked could be as simple as escaping a level in a shortened amount of time or blowing up a certain type of blocks. To assist the player, multiple different types of bombs are available to collect along the way as well as power ups both new and old.

Taking a page from the popularity of character customization in previous Bomberman games, Hudson Soft has created over 160,000 possible customization additions to offer the determined collector. Not only will the player be able to change Bomberman’s appearance, but also his capabilities. The developer has buffed up the multiplayer component of the game as well. Bomberman 2 will feature a four-player versus mode through the DS’s internal Wi-Fi connection or up to eight-players through wireless internet hot spots.

After several years of missteps by Konami to branch out Bomberman’s appeal, whether through the abysmally received FPS Bomberman on Xbox 360 or the tired mini-games of Bomberman Land, it will be a pleasant reprieve to return to the tested and true formula. Hopefully Hudson Soft can recapture the magic that once made the series as popular as it was.

Original press release: http://www.voltagepr.com/release.asp?i=801