Bomberman: Act Zero
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| Bomberman: Act Zero | |
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| Developer(s) | Hudson Soft |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release date |  August 3, 2006 August 29, 2006 November 3, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Online multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | CERO: All Ages |
Bomberman: Act Zero is a 2006 video game for the Xbox 360. The game doesn't feature the main Bomberman character - instead of the familiar depiction of Shirobon, there are new Bombermen in this game that look like mechanical-looking cyborgs. The player can choose between a male or female Bomberman, as well as its armor color.
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[edit] Story
This game is a supposed prequel to the series. Bombermen are being built and must prove to be good enough by destroying each other. Whoever comes out alive wins. The player is a character made up and customized to their liking. This said Bomberman (or Bomber for females) is awaken from a deactivation, and is thrown into battle, along with the mission to the center of the earth to escape the battle.
[edit] Gameplay features
Act Zero is the traditional 2D styled gameplay that the Bomberman series is known for. One of the few changes in the game is FPB mode (first person battle). Despite the title, the game mode plays in a 3rd person perspective, where the player is given control of the camera which follows the character being played. The player still has the option of playing on standard mode, which sets the camera to an overhead view like other various 2D bomberman titles.
The game also features a life meter which depletes if the player is hit by a blast. The player can take multiple hits from the same explosion if the blast lingers for a while. Players can collect various power ups which allows them to lay more bombs, have stronger and longer blasts, and can give the player higher speeds.
The single player campaign contains both FPB and standard modes with a total of 99 levels. The player has no option to save in between levels unless they are connected online, and if the player dies, they must restart at the beginning, making it the most challenging single player experience for a bomberman game. The game features an online battle mode called "world battle" which supports up to 8 players at once on Xbox live. Unfortunately, there is no system link available or local multiplayer option to play on the same system.
[edit] Criticism
Before its release, Electronic Gaming Monthly, "rewarded" the game with its Shame of the Month award, comparing Bomberman's new Halo-esque thematics to Mario morphing into a cold-eyed Mafia hitman, and criticizing the game for its severe lack of play options (only two multiplayer modes), as well as only having one life in the single player mode with no continues or saving the game between, as in if the player dies anywhere from Stage 1 to 99, they instantly must start over from Stage 1. It has also been criticised for having no offline multiplayer option; all multiplayer occurs through Xbox Live.[1]
Many others disliked Bomberman's new design in Act Zero. Game Daily, on its video "Big No's of 2006", commented that Bomberman "Looked like Master Chief on crack" and Adam Sessler on X-Play made a similar comment saying, "...you look like Master Chief and Venom had a baby". Gametrailers told Bomberman fans to "dust off your Super Nintendo."
Despite the varying opinions on the game's new style, the gameplay of Bomberman: Act Zero was universally panned by critics, who felt the game suffered from a lack of depth and from a poorly-implemented camera system. Because of this, it is widely regarded as one of the worst games ever made.
While articles on Hudson Entertainment's official website depicted the game in a more positive light and highlighting that it's still a classic Bomberman game at heart despite its controversial direction[2][3], on July 2nd, 2007, their Bee TV video podcast published a featurette about the making of Bomberman LIVE, condemning Act Zero several times throughout the video and calling the game a mistake.[4]
[edit] Scores
- Electronic Gaming Monthly- 2⅔ out of 10
- Famitsu Magazine- 23 out of 40 / 5.75 out of 10
- Game Informer Magazine- 3 out of 10
- GameSpot- 2.9 out of 10 (Won Flat-Out Worst Game of 2006 by Gamespot staff) [1]
- GameSpy - 1.5 out of 5
- GameTrailers- 3.5 out of 10
- IGN- 3.0 out of 10
- Metacritic- 34 out of 100
- Official Xbox Magazine- 4 out of 10
- TeamXbox- 4.4 out of 10
- TGZ- 2.4 out of 10
- X-Play- 1 out of 5
- Gameworld Network- 20 out of 100
[edit] References
- ^ Bomberman: Act Zero for Xbox 360 Review - Xbox 360 Bomberman: Act Zero Review
- ^ J.Montes. 5 Reasons Why Bomberman Act: Zero Rocks!. Hudson Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ Jon Yu. FIGHT! Bomberman PSP vs. Bomberman Act: Zero. Hudson Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ Hudson admits Bomberman: Act Zero was bad - Joystiq
[edit] External links
- Official page at Hudson Soft's US Website
- Official page at Hudson Soft's Japan Website
- Bomberman Act Zero on Encyclopedia Gamia
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