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SUMMARY

Bomberman is commonly referred to as the ultimate party game and has had a cult following for every system that it has appeared on. Finally, thanks to Sega of America and Hudson Soft, Bomberman has found its way to the U.S. Sega Saturn in the form of a up to ten player compatible and up to four player NetLinkable Saturn Bomberman.

Saturn Bomberman has been out in Japan now for quite a long time, and for U.S. Saturn owners who chose not to import it, the wait for the game to make its way to the U.S. has been way too long. The main reason for the delay turned out to be the addition of NetLink support to the game, and for the 10,000+ NetLink owners in the United States, it is surely a very welcome addition.

Most Bomberman fans seem to believe that the series reached an apex with Super Bomberman 2 on the SNES, as most of the Bomberman games since then have just been the same basic game without any major new additions. But, with the inclusion of support of up to 10 players and NetLink support for up to two players (two NetLinks and two people on each), Saturn Bomberman has what it takes to be considered the best of the Bomberman games.

PLAYABILITY: 9/10

The great addictive gameplay, especially when played multi-player, has always been the single greatest feature of any Bomberman game, and it is no different with Saturn Bomberman. While it doesn't get much credit as a single player game, Saturn Bomberman does prove to be very fun as a single player game whether you choose to play a normal game, battle game, or master game.

The normal game takes you through a series of mazes where you must plant bombs to destroy objects and Zarfs. Once you blow up all the Zarfs, you will be allowed to move onto the next level. After you get throw all the boards on the current level, you will face an end of level boss character that is usually pretty hard to defeat if you aren't powered up. The normal mode also allows a second player to join in your quest to defeat the evil Mr. Meanie.

The Battle game is best played with multiple players, but it is also very fun if you are playing all alone. There is no goal of saving the world, but just a goal of beating the other players in matches that are totally customizable and will allow up to 10 different computer or human controlled players to battle it out. When playing with 9 or 10 players, you will play on a wide play field in which your characters will be very small. This can cause some eye strain at times, but if you have a large enough TV, it isn't really that bad. With 8 or less players, you have eight different stages in which to play on.

The battle game is without a doubt the best mode in Saturn Bomberman with all of its customizable features and options. Some of the cool options worth mentioning are the Mad Bomber and Team options. With the Mad Bomber option turned on, when you are defeated in a Battle Game, you can throw bombs from the outside of the ring. This is especially great for players who may accidentally kill themselves in the very beginning of a match. And the Team option allows you to play with teams, which adds a strategy element to the game and is also a great deal of fun.

The Master Game is a solitaire game that will test your ability to work through mazes, defeat enemies and defeat various boss characters. And you will be scored on how well you complete each level.

REPLAY VALUE: 10/10

As a single player game, the Normal and Master Game modes can be completed by a skilled player within a few days, but once you beat either mode, the game does offer enough fun and excitement to be played plenty of times over. But, where the game's replay value really excels is as a multiplayer game.

The simple fact is that as long as you have your Saturn and your copy of Saturn Bomberman, you will not likely get bored of playing Saturn Bomberman with your friends. Nothing matches the multiplayer excitement of this game and it is infinitely re-playable.

GRAPHICS: 7/10

The graphics in Saturn Bomberman are without the doubt the best of any of the 2D versions of the game, but are not really anything special. It features more animations, more colors, and the best battlefields of any of Bomberman games, but when compared to other 32-bit games, there is really nothing here in the graphics department that will get you excited.

SOUND: 7/10

Much like the game's graphics, the sound in Saturn Bomberman is pretty mediocre. The sounds of the explosions and other effects in the game are good and the music fits the mood and feel of the game, but neither really stand out. The worst part of the game is probably the newly added voices to the US version that can be quite annoying at times.

OVERALL: 9.5/10

Saturn Bomberman is arguably the best Bomberman game ever created and with that honor, it is unarguably one of the very best multiplayer games in existence. If you own a Sega Saturn and enjoy playing games with your friends, you owe it to yourself to buy this game.