Super Bomberman was a staple of the Digitiser office, back in the day. Heck, it remains one of my all-time favourite multiplayer games, and still holds up in the way that all great ideas do.
In the unlikely event that you know nothing of Bomberman, it's basically Pac-Man with bombs. Sort of. In a maze viewed from above, you have to drop bombs to first destroy the blocks which stand in your path - as other players (or, in single player mode, monsters) do the same from the opposite corner.
The ultimate aim is to trap your opponents with your bombs, or hope they stumble into the path of your blast. There are power-ups along the way, obviously, but this is the joyously simple conceit at the core of the Bomberman series.
It's a pure, flawless, concept, but since the four-player Super Bomberman - released 23 years ago! - refined the idea into something unequalled and immaculate, the franchise has flailed in its attempts to build upon the original premise.
It's a problem that Tetris has similarly struggled with; how do you make a franchise out of a game that was already perfect, because it was so simple? Would glueing a digital watch to a daffodil, or putting headlights on a narwhal, make them better? What about nailing a frond to a harp, or scrawling the word "Gladys" on a wasp?
Exactly. Some things simply emerge already perfect.
In the unlikely event that you know nothing of Bomberman, it's basically Pac-Man with bombs. Sort of. In a maze viewed from above, you have to drop bombs to first destroy the blocks which stand in your path - as other players (or, in single player mode, monsters) do the same from the opposite corner.
The ultimate aim is to trap your opponents with your bombs, or hope they stumble into the path of your blast. There are power-ups along the way, obviously, but this is the joyously simple conceit at the core of the Bomberman series.
It's a pure, flawless, concept, but since the four-player Super Bomberman - released 23 years ago! - refined the idea into something unequalled and immaculate, the franchise has flailed in its attempts to build upon the original premise.
It's a problem that Tetris has similarly struggled with; how do you make a franchise out of a game that was already perfect, because it was so simple? Would glueing a digital watch to a daffodil, or putting headlights on a narwhal, make them better? What about nailing a frond to a harp, or scrawling the word "Gladys" on a wasp?
Exactly. Some things simply emerge already perfect.
THE THREE (ONE) R
Super Bomberman R - the R stands for Robert Raddington - is a return to basics, and serves as a reintroduction to what made the original so great.
Commendably - at least, as far as the multiplayer mode goes - it strips away many of the bells and parps which the series has added in the 24 years since Super Bomberman.
In fact, the differences between the two are largely cosmetic - R has fancier graphics, and a slight, isometric, viewpoint. Plus, it boasts a surprisingly robust single-player campaign - with some impressive bosses - and online play. The latter has come in for some stick, with lag issues apparently requiring the release of a patch.
I can't comment, as I didn't even bother with it, but we know by now that opinions on the Internet are by and large trustworthy, and rarely informed by histrionics or bitter attempts at relevance.
Frankly, Bomberman, for me, has to be played in local multiplayer - and in that sense, this is where Rrrrrrr excels. Indeed, you can play with up to eight people, if you know enough other Switch owners.
It's frustrating that many of the maps have to be purchased via in-game currency, but it's a faff worth faffing with. It's every bit as frantic, entertaining, and profanity-provoking as it always was.
Super Bomberman R - the R stands for Robert Raddington - is a return to basics, and serves as a reintroduction to what made the original so great.
Commendably - at least, as far as the multiplayer mode goes - it strips away many of the bells and parps which the series has added in the 24 years since Super Bomberman.
In fact, the differences between the two are largely cosmetic - R has fancier graphics, and a slight, isometric, viewpoint. Plus, it boasts a surprisingly robust single-player campaign - with some impressive bosses - and online play. The latter has come in for some stick, with lag issues apparently requiring the release of a patch.
I can't comment, as I didn't even bother with it, but we know by now that opinions on the Internet are by and large trustworthy, and rarely informed by histrionics or bitter attempts at relevance.
Frankly, Bomberman, for me, has to be played in local multiplayer - and in that sense, this is where Rrrrrrr excels. Indeed, you can play with up to eight people, if you know enough other Switch owners.
It's frustrating that many of the maps have to be purchased via in-game currency, but it's a faff worth faffing with. It's every bit as frantic, entertaining, and profanity-provoking as it always was.
THE PRICE IS WRONG
I rarely consider the price of games when reviewing them. It's therefore a little ironic that I'm going to do so here, because Bomberman R - in the interests of full transparency - is one of the few games I've reviewed on Digitiser2000 for which I received a free review copy.
Admittedly, I had also pre-ordered it - and forgotten to cancel that pre-order - so it remains a consideration for me.
You, see, Bomberman R is being sold as a full-price game, in a launch line-up which has but a handful of games full stop. How do you quantify the monetary worth of something? I've had a lot of fun with Super Bomberman R, and yet... somehow it still doesn't feel like it should be a fifty quid game.
It's a feeling which is difficult to shift, not least in the harsh light cast by Breath of the Wild - which offers SO much for its asking price. However, DVDs and cinema tickets aren't bought on a sliding scale, depending on how many special effects are in the movie, so why should games be different?
Well, because games a) Aren't quite as finite as a two-hour movie, and b) Have more of a potential financial outlay in the first place.
When it drops to a more reasonable price - as it has inevitably already begun to do, if you care to shop around - then Super Bomberman R will become a worthwhile purchase. At the moment, though, it feels as if it's being asked to step up and be a Triple-A title, when it's just too old-school, too slight and simple (in the best way, admittedly) to shoulder such a responsibility.
I suspect that had there been a couple more Triple-A games in the Switch line-up then Super Bomberman R might've been priced differently.
On the plus side, I doubt it'll give you a yeast infection.
SUMMARY: A classic game, refreshingly untampered with - but far, far too pricey.
SCORE: £25 out of £49.99.
I rarely consider the price of games when reviewing them. It's therefore a little ironic that I'm going to do so here, because Bomberman R - in the interests of full transparency - is one of the few games I've reviewed on Digitiser2000 for which I received a free review copy.
Admittedly, I had also pre-ordered it - and forgotten to cancel that pre-order - so it remains a consideration for me.
You, see, Bomberman R is being sold as a full-price game, in a launch line-up which has but a handful of games full stop. How do you quantify the monetary worth of something? I've had a lot of fun with Super Bomberman R, and yet... somehow it still doesn't feel like it should be a fifty quid game.
It's a feeling which is difficult to shift, not least in the harsh light cast by Breath of the Wild - which offers SO much for its asking price. However, DVDs and cinema tickets aren't bought on a sliding scale, depending on how many special effects are in the movie, so why should games be different?
Well, because games a) Aren't quite as finite as a two-hour movie, and b) Have more of a potential financial outlay in the first place.
When it drops to a more reasonable price - as it has inevitably already begun to do, if you care to shop around - then Super Bomberman R will become a worthwhile purchase. At the moment, though, it feels as if it's being asked to step up and be a Triple-A title, when it's just too old-school, too slight and simple (in the best way, admittedly) to shoulder such a responsibility.
I suspect that had there been a couple more Triple-A games in the Switch line-up then Super Bomberman R might've been priced differently.
On the plus side, I doubt it'll give you a yeast infection.
SUMMARY: A classic game, refreshingly untampered with - but far, far too pricey.
SCORE: £25 out of £49.99.
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