Game Statistics

• Blue and Red games, play as either Bomberman or Max.
• 80 levels.

Game Design
Similar to Pokemon, Bomberman Max comes in two different games, Red and Blue. Each game contains different Charaboms to collect, but the remains the same in both. The standard Bomberman style of play has been used in this game. Before each level begins you are given a goal to achieve in the level. These goals range from destroying all the enemies in the level, to rescuing a Charabom. After completing the goal(s) portals appear to take you to another level. The blue portals take you to an uncompleted level in the zone, and the red portals take you to a completed zone where you can exit through another blue portal. Once you reach the boss of that zone, and beat him, you are taken to one of the other zones. Each zone contains about 20 levels. Beat all five zones and the Evil computer to complete the game. All in all, this is a typical Bomberman game; battle the enemies and defeat the villain. This game also includes a multiplayer Charabom battling feature. You can battle other Charaboms collected by friends; however, this game does not contain any head-to-head Bomberman action. Multiplayer bombing is one of my favourite parts of Bomberman, and I was disappointed at its absence. This game holds true to the classic one-player Bomberman style of gaming.

Graphics
Bomberman max is a 16 by 16 pixel tile-based game. It includes many different types of levels ranging from metallic to forest-like. The sprites are well designed and well animated. The opening sequence is also well done and really brings you into the Bomberman realm. Graphically, this game adheres to the original Bomberman games, which made this series so popular.

Sound
The music is appealing and contains many tracks. Combined with the many sound effects this game has, the overall sound contributes well to the playing of this game.

Control
The control scheme of Bomberman Max is very effective. With only the A and B buttons at this game's disposal, it does an excellent job of keeping the controls in order. Bomberman games can get complicated as you obtain more bombing maneuvers. When you need to be able to throw, kick, and detonate bombs all at once, it can be easily done thanks to the effective control scheme. The menus are not as effective - they are difficult to navigate and can be extremely annoying. Pressing the wrong button in the menu can reset the game and make you start over in the menu. In summation, this game has good in-game controls, poor out-of-game controls.

Satisfaction
As a fan of Bomberman games, I was slightly disappointed. This game did not include any tangible new features. The Charabom aspect is interesting but not very satisfying. The collecting and leveling of Charaboms does not play a very big role in the game play and seems to have only been included to encourage consumers to buy the two versions of the game. I do not think that the Red and Blue versions of this game were necessary. Nevertheless, the one-player mode is still appealing and fun to play.

Replay Value/Game Length
This game contains 80 levels. It takes quite a while to complete all the levels and even if you complete the game you may have to go back and find more blue portals to go to levels you haven't completed. You have a rank and percentage for your game, the higher your percent the better your rank will be. The game also includes the multiplayer Charabom battling. This can be fun if you have friends with Charaboms of a similar level to yours, otherwise the battles can be one-sided. Overall, a fairly long-lasting one-player game, but it does not include a very interesting multiplayer game.

Overall
I recommend this game to Bomberman fans, but I would suggest another Bomberman title if I wished to get someone interested in the Bomberman series. This game must have done something right, because their will be a release of a Bomberman Max sequel in the near future. I hope that this game will better incorporate the Charaboms into the gameplay. This was a good Bomberman game, but definitely not my favourite.

Review by Xander

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