It’s pretty easy to stand out in the Virtual Boy catalog. There were only fourteen games. Half weren’t very good, half felt like tech demos, and half were Virtual Boy Wario Ware. If a game didn’t fit into any of those three halves, it stuck out like a missing tooth.

Panic Bomber was one of those games. It’s a perfectly find match-3 puzzle game, with a heaping of Bomberman charm. It just didn’t benefit from being on the hardware in the slightest. The Virtual Boy had its advantages, but it’s hardly the ideal way to play a puzzle game.

Thankfully, it wasn’t exclusive to the crimson goggles. It originally came out on PC-Engine Super CD-ROM² in 1994 and was ported to a number of platforms. Unfortunately, the only other time it came out in North America was a port on Wii U. Thankfully again, I have an Analogue Duo now, and it plays Japanese games. The Super CD-ROM² version isn’t that expensive, so now I can play Bomberman: Panic Bomber without wrecking my neck.

Not hereditary

I’ve never been terrific at puzzle games of the falling block variety. I’m not terrible, either. I can usually get through whatever story mode they present, but I’m not competitive. My sister, however, is a high-level Dr. Mario player. She and her college roommates got really into it for a time, and she built up skills that I would define as “mad.” I can wreck her at most games, but I’d need a few training montages to compete against her in Dr. Mario.

Most of my affection for the genre comes from my mother. Not hereditarily. I mean, she used to play them a lot. I’d come home from school, and she’d be on my Super Nintendo engaged in Yoshi’s Cookie or Kirby’s Avalanche. I didn’t have much interest in them myself, but my concept of cozy largely comes from my mom. It’s the same reason I often drink my tea with way too much milk.

Anyway, what I’m saying is that Bomberman: Panic Bomber gives off those same vibes. Puyo Puyo did a real number on the genre. This could practically be called “Bomberman’s Mean Bomb Machine,” except that would completely destroy the rhyme.

The point is that you face off against various cartoon monstrosities whose portrait sits in the middle of the screen. When you put three Bomberman heads of the same color in a row, they disappear. The big difference here is that more explosives are involved.

Munitions stockpile

Every time you eliminate a row of heads, a bomb will pop up from the bottom of the screen. Eventually, a pink bomb will drop from the top, and you (sometimes) want to steer it so that it explodes (in the classic Bomberman plus shape) and creates a chain reaction with all the unlit bombs you built up.

I know what you’re thinking, but contrary to what we’ve been taught, the Bomberman heads here are mostly immune to explosions. Like Puyo Puyo, the strategy isn’t to keep your field clean. It’s to cause as much frustration to your opponent as possible. Detonating a bomb sends garbage to their field with the goal, expectedly, to fill up their side of the screen until it overflows. Garbage can only be removed using the bombs, so the game boils down to amassing as many explosives as you can, then detonating it at the right time to both prevent your field from overflowing and fill up your opponents’.

You also build up a gauge as you knock out combos, and when it’s full, a big bomb drops. This one will actually clear out Bomberman heads, so it’s especially useful when you’re about to drown and need some air. It also typically results in a lot of garbage getting flung to the other side of the screen.

This leads to some interesting back-and-forth action as you clear your screen, send garbage to your opponent, and then they detonate their bombs and send it right back. When this gets going, it can be rather exciting, like a good sumo match. 

On the other hand, it seems like Panic Bomber has a single strategy, which is to stockpile bombs and detonate them at the least convenient time. You can still build up combos Puyo Puyo style, which will get you appropriate bonuses, but it all comes down to who can screw the other over the hardest. Just like the business world.

Path of destruction

This is going to sound weird, but the Virtual Boy version of Panic Bomber is better. Not that I really want to assemble a team to set up my Virtual Boy just to play it, but the VB version had more detailed graphics. To the credit of the Super CD-ROM² version, it supports five players.

I was kind of disappointed that it doesn’t really take advantage of the Super CD-ROM² beyond just for the soundtrack. There’s only an outro cutscene, but it’s not as elaborate as I’m used to from the platform. In fact, the story isn’t really set up within the game itself. You just watch Bomberman cut a path of destruction through the world map.

Bomberman: Panic Bomber is far from the best match-3 puzzle game in the world. It probably isn’t going to replace Puyo Puyo for anyone, but it’s decent fun for a while. It’s especially beneficial if you have one friend too many any need a five-player game to keep everyone happy. I don’t have that problem. Being too popular has never been an issue for me.

For other retro titles you may have missed, click right here!

The post Bomberman: Panic Bomber for PC-Engine is a blast, and no one has made that joke before, right? appeared first on Destructoid.

We think of video game sequels as something that can outdo the original in most ways, be more of the same, or even hit fans with the heavy hammer of disappointment. That, however, ignores the rare but very real case of sequels that don't necessarily suck but that will baffle fans with their nigh-inexplicable new design choices. We shouldn't forget this class of sequel, it does at least a great job of providing fun to anyone learning about just how absolutely bizarre these games can get.

[caption id="attachment_398483" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Silent Hill: Book Of Memories

Remember how the Silent Hill series managed to make players feel scared and uneasy even when no enemy was on screen? Well, nobody had time for that when they were reinventing the square for the PlayStation Vita with Silent Hill: Book Of Memories.

This one isn't a psychological horror game and barely even a survival horror game. It's a weird attempt at making an isometric action title in the vein of the awesome Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light but in the world of Silent Hill.

Heck, you don’t even have one of the simplest staples of psychological horror that the series had done so well up until this point—like the feeling of loneliness and isolation—as this one is a co-op adventure featuring up to four players. Wild stuff.

[caption id="attachment_398490" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Nintendo[/caption]

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Remember when the original The Legend Of Zelda changed gaming by taking a cue from the top-down perspective of RPGs and re-purposing it for action adventures?  You don't? Well, neither do I because I was too young to play it back then, but that's what the legend of The Legend of Zelda says.

Zelda 2 is definitely not a bad game (if you're looking for a bad Zelda side-scroller, google Zelda CD-I games), but it’s still pretty weird that Nintendo did away with the revolutionary design they’d come up with in the first one to make a more conservative 2D side-scroller. Nintendo already had Mario dominating that field, and there was no shortage of similar side-scrollers from other companies. Luckily, it didn't take Nintendo long to both go back to their revolutionary formula and then try new stuff that further propelled the series into legendary status.

[caption id="attachment_398485" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Konami[/caption]

Bomberman Act: Zero

This one was absolutely terrible and also marked an awful tonal shift for a beloved cutesy series that definitely didn't need one. I probably wouldn't have put it on the list because this isn't about straight-up bad sequels, but I like how its poster looks just like Oppenheimer's, so that's some extra bonus points for weirdness.

If you're looking for a wacky fun Bomberman game, then you're much better off playing Saturn Bomberman.

[caption id="attachment_398478" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Valve[/caption]

Half-Life 2: Survivor

Remember how the original Half-Life and its sequel each changed the FPS landscape of its time, due to smart gameplay mechanics that forced players to use their brains? Welp, Half-Life 2: Survivor is a bizarre, mostly on-rails arcade version of Half-Life 2 that only came out in Japan.

Do you see that massively busy interface? That's not one of those spoofs of HUD glut that you see all over the Internet—that's the real deal. The reason why anyone would come up with such an antithesis to what made Half-Life 2 great is a mystery, but I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't spend a few dollars at the arcade to try this mess.

[caption id="attachment_398461" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Naughty Dog[/caption]

Jak 2

Ever wondered why the original Jak & Daxter had players happily hopping from platform to platform and then Jak 2 was all about gunning down enemies and driving flying vehicles? Sure, Naughty Dog had also previously equipped Crash with a Bazooka for the third game in the Crash Bandicoot series, but Crash's Bazooka only fired Wumpa fruit, not lethal rounds. What the hell happened there?

Well, it turns out that the sequel to Naughty Dog’s once happy-go-lucky platformer became a shooter because Naughty Dog saw the entire gaming landscape change with the arrival of gritty titles such as Killzone, God Of War, and, most importantly, Grand Theft Auto 3. The team made all the changes to the original that they could to accommodate gameplay elements that played similarly to Rockstar's mega-hit, and the series was never the same again.

In Naughty Dog's defense, however, I have to admit that Jak 2 was pretty damn good.

[caption id="attachment_398509" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Nintendo[/caption]

Star Fox Adventures

This is the game that sent the Star Fox series into dormancy and made the titular Fox more recognizable as a top-tier Super Smash Bros. character than as the main character of his own series. Its mistake? It decided to get Fox out of his ship and give him some ground-based missions.

This isn't a new kind of 3D game. This is Zelda with the exception that Zelda games are usually great, and this one is just okay. Star Fox Adventures marks one of the very rare moments in gaming when they would've been much better off just doing an on-rails shooter than a sprawling 3D adventure.

[caption id="attachment_398471" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Capcom[/caption]

Dino Crisis 3

Dino Crisis has always been an odd Resident Evil clone, but the rule is that you can only send your series to space after around the 8th entry. Picking space as the setting for your mundane terrestrial series in the third entry is too much—especially when it's a game about pre-historic stuff, the historical opposite of space stuff, I guess. Even Exoprimal feels more grounded than this Chimera.

Also, the first two games in the series came out for the original PlayStation, whereas Dino Crisis 3 landed on Xbox as an exclusive, which might have gotten Xbox fans to believe it has always been in space, thus making it all the more hilariously weird.

[caption id="attachment_398467" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image By Bethesda[/caption]

DOOM RPG

Remember when Doom fans didn't like Doom 3 because it was slower, darker, and spookier? Well, there's an even weirder, blacker sheep in this series: Doom RPG.

For some bonkers reason, Id looked at the "meh" reaction DOOM 3 got and decided to further reduce the amount of action and make a game that was more Final Fantasy than Doom. To Id's credit, however, Doom RPG is pretty decent and was even pretty revolutionary in the mobile gaming scene, as it provided a fully-fledged campaign two years before the iPhone made mobile gaming go big. Did any of the things that you just read entice you to wait for an HD remaster? Well, good luck with that, since Id lost Doom RPG's source code.

[caption id="attachment_398464" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Maxis[/caption]

Darkspore

Remember Spore? At some point, it was totally going to be the best game ever made! Sadly, the most fun anyone ever ended up getting out of it came from the game’s extremely advanced creature creator—mostly because they got to create beings that looked awfully phallic.

The people at Maxis looked at the game's lukewarm reception and came to the natural conclusion anyone in the ‘00s would’ve arrived at: it just wasn’t gritty enough. To solve this, they came up with Darkspore, a game that ditched everything from the original except for the creature creator, and then made a gritty action game about a badass creature that went on to battle other gritty, less phallic creatures.

Darkspore wasn’t even bad, but I can’t help but laugh at the very obvious high-speed course correction that was at play here.

The post Here are some of the most bizarre games from otherwise popular franchises appeared first on Destructoid.

It seems like Fall Guys has been making the rounds lately. I mean, sure, the game has kind of been everywhere since it launched back in 2020. But its collaboration momentum certainly shows no signs of slowing down. So hot on the heels of Fall Guys coming to Final Fantasy XIV, we have official confirmation that the upcoming Super Bomberman R 2 will dip its hands into the Fall Guys pot as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Xm66vWDNE

These two franchises have certainly enjoyed a good relationship up to this point. After all, Super Bomberman R Online had already crossed over with Fall Guys in 2021. What makes this one a bit interesting, though, is that Super Bomberman R 2 will have the… guy from Fall Guys shortly after launch. It’ll arrive on September 14, to be specific. Called the “Bean Bomber” here, you’ll be able to unlock the little fellow from the title’s in-game store.

The Bean will join a few other cameo characters that were previously pointed out by Destructoid’s own Zoey “corn chips are no place for a mighty warrior” Handley. These include the likes of Dracula and Princess Tomato, making Super Bomberman R 2 something of a crossover fest. Considering it’s hard to tell when and if we’ll ever see a lot of these classic Konami characters, I'll welcome these small cameos when I can.

Super Bomberman R 2 will launch on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 13. Those with physical copies can play the game a day earlier on September 12.

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Coming to Apple Arcade on August 5

Konami and Apple Arcade teamed up for another game, and this one's got a quirky musical twist. Amazing Bomberman flips the script on the series' familiar explosion-dodging action with score chasing and battlegrounds that change to suit the song.

As short as this trailer is, it's worth a look.

https://youtu.be/cBxlRu3Fd5I

According to Konami, "the bomb placement and explosion sounds change with the songs, and the battle time also changes depending on the song. When the song gets exciting, blocks will drop, and items may appear when you break them with bombs."

If you take a fireball to the face, you'll careen off the screen — but you can revive "as many times as you want as long as the song is playing."

With that in mind, the goal is less about staying alive at all costs, and more about outscoring your three bomb-laying opponents. If you see a Bomberman in the spotlight, they've got the highest score, so chase 'em down and blow them up for bonus points.

There's original music from several artists

As for the all-important music, Amazing Bomberman will feature original songs from artists like Rasmus Faber, YMCK, Dizzly, Masahiro "Godspeed" Aoki, and Ai Takekawa.

[caption id="attachment_338040" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Try to focus on the important stuff.}[/caption]

On the game's site, Konami also details missions and customization items — badges, frames, expressions, and the like. There's a badge for battling 1,000 times. Godspeed.

Amazing Bomberman will debut on Friday, August 5, exclusively for Apple Arcade. With a $5-per-month subscription, you can play it on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV.

From the admittedly little we've seen, it's no Tetris Effect, but then again, nothing else is. I think more music-infused games, in general, would be a great thing — I appreciate the experimentation. I'm on a break from subscribing, and I'd much rather play Bomberman on a console, but if you're subbed, this might be worth a morbidly curious install.

The post Amazing Bomberman, a musical take on the series, is out this week appeared first on Destructoid.

Set to launch in 2023

It's hard to believe that Super Bomberman R, a flawed revival of the series, came out five whole years ago, but here we are. It was a Switch launch game even, and over a year later it made the jump to PC, PS4, and Xbox One.  After all these years Super Bomberman R 2 is now a thing, and it's going to launch on basically everything and ring in its own set of improvements.

So this time, Konami is eliminating any of the mystique of a timed exclusive platform. Although it technically debuted during the Nintendo Direct Mini presentation this week, Super Bomberman R 2 is actually arriving on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X devices in 2023.

The big additions for the Super Bomberman R sequel Konami is revealing so far include:

• A "castle" battle mode where one person can challenge 15 other players with traps and support characters
• A creation mode, which Konami says is "essentially a level editor," that also has a share feature for online play

In terms of what's coming back, the story mode is returning (with exploration sequences, base building, defense missions, and boss battles), as well as the 64-person battle royale mode, grand prix, and standard battle.

For me, the castle mode sounds the most intruiging. It's the kind of thing you'd make up as a kid playing Bomberman for the first time, but never actually get to play. You can watch it in action below, or at this timestamp in the new trailer (starting roughly 0:45 seconds in).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAugdDnuy2M

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May 27

Super Bomberman R Online was announced a few months ago and stewed for a bit, but now it's ready for release. Konami has revealed this week that the game will be headed to PC, PS4 (it's "PS5 compatible"), and Switch on May 27.

In case you missed this entire franchise return, this is not the standalone Super Bomberman R game that came out back in 2017. It's the one that came out on Stadia originally late last year. Instead, the "Online" moniker brings it more into spinoff territory, functionally turning it into a 64-player battle royale game.

Note that this is a free-to-play title, which supports itself on a 100 rank season pass scheme (which is being ported back to the Stadia version too). Seasons will run for "three months," (similar to a lot of games like Fortnite) and add in an exclusive hero as well as other characters and a currency called Bomber Coins. The first bonus is a big one: Old Snake Bomber from Metal Gear Solid.

Now, the free-to-play schema is very confusing deliberately, but the game itself is actually free, so download it and give it a shot. The battle royale layer actually works far better than you'd think, and there's a fair amount of strategy to both the macro-game and the micro-arena battles.

If you're looking for the Xbox One and Series X/S edition, keep looking! Konami says that will be confirmed "at a later date." Maybe they're waiting for a crossover.

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Stadia exclusive blowin' up everywhere

Previous Stadia-exclusive Super Bomberman R Online will come blasting onto PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch at some point in the near future. Rumors of a port popped up back in February, after a listing for a PC edition appeared on The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea's website. Konami officially announced the multi-platform port earlier today.

Super Bomberman R Online takes the famous and frantic gameplay that is the franchise's trademark and applies it to a larger, battle-royale format. Up to 64 Bombermen are deposited across a selection of 16 maps, blowing each other (and often themselves) to kingdom come until there is a last bomber standing. Players can kit their custom master blaster out in over 100 different items, ensuring that they have the coolest-looking bomber on the block.

As Super Bomberman R Online features a heavy emphasis on customization, Konami has decided that the new port will be released as a free-to-play title. A "Premium Pack," which will retail for around 10 bucks, will include a selection of unique items and skins based on famous Konami brands such as Castlevania, Gradius, and Silent Hill. Players will also need to purchase the Premium Pack if they wish to set up private games or access the "Grand Prix" mode. The mammoth 64-player battles, however, will be available to everyone for free.

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Stadia-exclusive release ready to blow up on other platforms?

More news from our favorite spoilers, The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea, who has released a new listing for a PC port of Super Bomberman R Online, the fast and frantic multiplayer title currently only available on Google's cloud gaming service, Stadia.

The latest release in the now decades-old series, Super Bomberman R Online, takes the maze-blasting gameplay that is the series trademark and expands it to a staggering 64-player battle royale format. In true Bomberman fashion, players compete to make the most of their local play area, cornering foes, bagging power-ups, and strategically placing explosives, while hopefully not painting themselves into a corner. The clock is also against our boom buddies, with the player area shrinking down as the battle continues. Will you be the Last Bomber Standing?

Super Bomberman R Online features a selection of characters, including guest stars from other Konami titles - such as Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid - as well as full customization options. The new Crowd Play function offers streamers and their audiences the opportunity to quickly and efficiently hook up for multiplayer action. While publisher Konami is yet to announce a port of the release, this new rating all but confirms that the title will be arriving on PC - and perhaps other platforms - in the near future.

Super Bomberman R Online rated for PC in Korea [Gematsu]

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No More Heroes / No More Hope?

As part of this morning's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation, producer Masahiro Sakurai revealed the next incoming run of Mii Fighter costumes, which will arrive in the Switch brawler on October 13.

The new selection of fun cosplay outfits are based on popular characters from cutesy party classic Bomberman, old-school RPG Tower of Druaga and - in keeping with Smash Bros. Ultimate's newest DLC character - a trio of characters from the best-selling video game of all-time, Minecraft, including the terrifying Creeper. Spooky.

Also appearing in the set is a skin for Travis Touchdown, hero of irreverent adventure series No More Heroes. This latter reveal has understandably disappointed some fans, who had been hoping that Mr. Touchdown would be joining the Smash Bros. Ultimate roster proper. No More Heroes creator Suda51 has taken to Twitter to celebrate the reveal.

You can check out the six new Mii Fighter costumes in the video below, ahead of their October 13 launch. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.

The post Bomberman and Travis Touchdown among the new wave of Mii Fighter costumes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate appeared first on Destructoid.

Oh you better believe there's a battle pass

We live in wild, wild times when even Tetris and Bomberman are joining in on the battle royale craze.

While Konami naturally doesn't enter the arena as gracefully as Arika did with the former, Super Bomberman R Online is a weird, crazy game that I'm going to enjoy diving into occasionally.

So what is this thing with the "Online" moniker tacked-on? Well, it's kind of like Super Bomberman R, the polarizing series revival released in 2017 on Switch and 2018 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, but quite literally an online-centric battle royale take on it. It also has elements of a hero shooter and a live service battle pass-like approach. I told you, it's weird.

Players still have the ability to plant bombs and blow stuff up, but now the map is actually a series of interconnected giant maps with 64 people spanning the whole labyrinth. After a timer pops, you have the opportunity to shift around to another grid (called the "movement phase") and either try and hide or take on other players: while the game corrals you out of "unsafe" zones, similar to the purple ring in Fortnite.

That's basically the game. You start off in a traditional Bomberman arena, then periodically you can trek around a world map until there's one person left. It's a ton of fun, actually! Not only do you need to keep track of the map you're on at any given time to survive, but you also need to scope out the best players in a bid to avoid them and take everyone else out first. Now here's where the game starts to get weird: characters have special abilities, just like Overwatch or another hero shooter.

Konami Character Factory cameos return, like Castlevania's Alucard, who can trigger a mist power to go through bombs or blasts, or Simon Belmont, who can whip bombs or players to him, or Naked Snake, who can stealth for a period of time. All of these powers aren't necessarily balanced, and are governed by a cooldown timer. Characters also sport different stats and "types," with a focus on bomb strength, speed or several other factors.

The battle pass is the other bizarre part of the design-by-committee aspect of the game. After playing matches you'll unlock new gear, like the picnic outfit above: an early pass reward. Other cosmetics include emotes, background music (a Silent Hill track is the first one to pop), player icons and hats. Like most battle passes, it can be ignored. But it's there and the intention is to have you grind for rewards that mostly just aren't worth it.

Super Bomberman R Online is out today as a "first on Stadia" release. The game is free with Stadia Pro, as is the Premium Pack until November 30, which grants you 14 characters and the ability to create private matches. After that, the premium pack will run you $10. I have a feeling the reception for it is going to be all over the place. I just hope it survives long enough for me to pop in and blow off some steam every once in a while, because 64-person queues could get fairly lengthy if it doesn't.

_{[These impressions are based on a retail version of the game provided by the publisher. 7.5/10]}

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Stadia Base players can get it for $9.99 at a later date

I'm finding it hard to drum up much enthusiasm for Super Bomberman R Online while it's locked to Stadia, but if you're okay with Google's streaming platform and you're into the idea of a 64-player Bomberman mode with multiple stages running simultaneously, it's releasing on September 1, 2020.

When I say the game is launching on September 1, what exactly does that mean?

Well, if you're a Stadia Pro subscriber, you'll be able to play Super Bomberman R Online right away. Your paid membership will include the base game and a separate, free-to-claim Premium Edition bundle – a collection with 14 extra characters and the ability to "creative private matches with your friends."

As for Stadia Base users who don't want to drop $9.99 per month on a streaming game service, you'll have to wait until after September 1 to play. The exact release timing "will be shared soon."

According to Konami, "Stadia Base users will be required to purchase the Premium Edition bundle at SRP $9.99" since a "'base game only' option will not be available." So, ten bucks it is.

Super Bomberman R Online is leaning into Stadia's new Crowd Play feature that lets players easily jump into a match with a streamer, it has wacky tie-in characters like Pyramid Head and Simon Belmont, and Louies – those kangaroo creatures you can ride around the stage – are finally back in action.

Can Bomberman hit it big in the streaming era? I'm not convinced. I am hoping for ports, though!

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A not-so-horrible night to have a curse

And just like that, I'm thankful that I inadvertently let Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon slip through my fingers when it first released (and again after recently burning through Castlevania: Requiem, now that I think about it). Inti Creates' retro-style lead-in game for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will be free to play for Xbox Live Gold subscribers throughout the month of February. That's a heckuva get!

The same can also be said of Super Bomberman R, which got off to a decent start on Nintendo Switch and has only grown richer and more surprise-filled since launch. Any Bomberman title capable of assembling disparate characters like Pyramid Head, Solid Snake, and Alucard has the right idea.

On the Xbox 360 side of Games with Gold, February will roll out Assassin's Creed Rogue, otherwise known as the one Brett referred to as "familiar" and "comforting," like a BLT. Subscribers will also get the original Xbox's Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy for a healthy dose of nostalgia in these trying times.

Here's the February 2019 Xbox Games with Gold schedule at a glance:

• Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (February 1 – 28) (Xbox One)
• Super Bomberman R (February 16 – March 15) (Xbox One)
• Assassin's Creed Rogue (February 1 – 15) (Xbox One and Xbox 360)
• Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (February 16 – 28) (Xbox One and Xbox 360)

Good month, yeah?

New Games with Gold for February 2019 [Xbox]

The post Xbox Games with Gold brings Bloodstained and Bomberman together in February appeared first on Destructoid.

Free!?

With little to no fanfare, Konami released Pixel Puzzle Collection on mobile devices today. Taking advantage of the company's large franchise portfolio, the game has players going through Picross puzzles featuring iconic gaming characters. From Gradius to Castlevania to Bomberman, the amount represented is staggering.

What makes the whole deal sweeter however is that the game is entirely free.

Yes, that's right, unlike most publishers including Nintendo, this whole thing is free with none of the usual free-to-play mechanics included. There are no microtransactions or energy bars. There are ads, but only on the main menu for Konami's other games. However, they do not display without a Wi-Fi or data connection. There are also timers, but they are only on boss fight puzzles. When completed, the puzzles fill out a piece of a mural, similar to the ones found in the Pokémon and Zelda Picross games.

Why Konami released the game this way, I have no idea. However, there is no way that I'm going to pass up on it in the meantime. A mobile game that doesn't require me to use my cellular data is a godsend, and being video game themed is even better. Combined with the complete absence of the mechanics that plague other mobile games, I'm absolutely going to support this by downloading it.

You can find the iOS version here and the Android version here.

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Yes, it's still getting updates

For as much crap as we love to give Konami over basically everything it does as a company, and we do love it, the publisher has done right by Super Bomberman R. Here we are, more than a year and a half out from its initial release, and the game is still getting free content updates. Over the summer, Solid Snake, Naked Snake, and Raiden from the Metal Gear Solid franchise joined in on the fun. Now, another Konami icon has been added to the expansive list of playable characters.

With Version 2.2, available for download today, Alucard from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is now playable. He's joined by Upa Bomber from Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, as well as some console exclusive characters. PlayStation 4 owners will get Piposaru Bomber and Toro, Xbox One owners will get Arbiter Bomber and Grunt Bomber, and those playing on Steam will get ATLAS Bomber.

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Bungeeeeeeeeeeeee...

Konami's madcap multiplayer title Super Bomberman R has passed a total of one million sales across all formats. Bomberman himself decided to celebrate this milestone in style, by bungee-jumping off of a bridge in Japan.

In the novel PR stunt, yer boy Bomberman bravely made the leap of faith, saved only by a length of elastic. Despite his enormous head, the jump went without a hitch. Fortunately  for us, Konami captured the event on video, which you can check out below.

Super Bomberman R, which is available now on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch, features classic Bomberman action, along with the colourful characters and fast-paced multiplayer gameplay that has helped maintain the series' popularity for 35 years.

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Download right now!

I bought Super Bomberman R before I bought my Switch. Silly, I know, but I was so sure it was going to bomb and that its first printing would be its last. I was playing the long game in hopes of making a cheap buck on eBay. It serves me right then that Super Bomberman R became a huge success for Konami. It sold hundreds of thousands of copies on Switch and, honestly, it's the most fun I've had with the franchise since the SNES days.

Part of what keeps me coming back to it are all the free updates. This isn't the same game it was at launch, and the new features added today are a perfect example of just how far this game has come since people were angrily debating if it was worth the asking price. Version 2.1 is available for download now and it brings with it new stages and new characters based on Konami's other hit franchise, Metal Gear Solid.

!!SPOTTED!! Both Naked Snake & Solid Snake join Super Bomberman R! The incomparable David Hayter returns to provide his legendary voice for the new Snake Bombers! @DavidBHayter https://t.co/gUY0GTERJe

Also added: New Mother Base Map! New Game Mode! New characters! #HaveABlast pic.twitter.com/hbsv2Giewp

— Konami (@Konami) June 27, 2018

Yep, this is enough to keep me playing for the rest of the summer. For anybody who is wondering, here are the full patch notes for version 2.1:

The Grand Prix mode now has the new "Checkpoints" rule.

[Checkpoints] Players scramble for areas known as "Checkpoints" in the stage. Occupied checkpoints provide a certain amount of point every 10 seconds. At the end of the round, additional points are given for the occupied checkpoints.

- 3 types of Metal Gear stages have been added for you to enjoy the Checkpoint rule.

- New characters are available in the shop.

• Solid Snake Bomber 
• Naked Snake Bomber 
• Raiden Bomber 
• Bill Bomber 
• Lance Bomber 
• Vic Viper ZERO Bomber 
• Ayako Katagiri Bomber 
• Ebisumaru Bomber 
• Xavier Woods Bomber 
• Max 

- New accessories have been added.

-The rules for accomplishing a perfect in Grand Prix have been changed.

- In Crystal, a perfect is accomplished when you possess all the crystals in the stage for 15 seconds.

- Various other small bugs have been fixed.

Super Bomberman R ver 2.1 update [Konami]

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It's a new day for Bomberman

Konami have revealed that WWE's New Day member and passionate video game fan Xavier Woods is to make an appearance as a DLC character in Super Bomberman R. YES HE IS!

Art was released of the Bomber Woods character, sporting the trademark day-glo outfit of The New Day and wielding his famous trombone. Woods hosts his own YouTube channel, UpUpDownDown, where he and other WWE guys 'n' gals face-off on various video games, so he is no doubt completely stoked by this cameo appearance.

No launch date has been announced yet, but Xavier will be making noise soon in Super Bomberman R, available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch and launching on Xbox One tomorrow.

WWE's Xavier Woods coming to Super Bomberman R [Twitter]

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Good gets

The initial announcement of guest characters Ratchet & Clank/Master Chief for the PS4 and Xbox One ports of Super Bomberman R respectively was pretty ace, but this new announcement from Konami is the cherry on top.

The publisher has just confirmed that not only will these guests be fully voiced, but they'll actually be accompanied by their original voice actors. Steve Downes will return as Master Chief, and Arnold Taylor/David Kaye reprise their roles as Ratchet & Clank. As a sort of consolation prize the Switch will get the character Max (Bomberman's ally historically in the series) at some point as a free update (and PC is still getting the P-body from Portal), but for now expect the awesome console-exclusive guests to hit their ports on June 12.

With all of the updates in tow from the Switch version, including the smoothing of the framerate, it should be a good time.

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Look at that chibi Chief!

Super Bomberman R has really come into its own post-launch, and all that work is leading up to a round of ports for the Nintendo Switch title. It's heading to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One this June with P-Body, Ratchet, and Master Chief as exclusive new characters, respectively. Here's how they look:

It's about what I'd expect given all of the other guest characters that've found their way into Super Bomberman R since launch, from Dracula to Vic Viper to even Pyramid Head. I'm good with the original Switch version, but I'm glad to see this game reach a wider audience. The new ports will cost $40.

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This is probably a thing

[Update: Konami has confirmed the news directly to Destructoid -- Super Bomberman R will be making it to PC, PS4, and Xbox One in June. The latter two consoles will host a release on June 12, with the PC release to follow a day later. Platform exclusive characters are in, including Rachet, Master Chief, and P-body.]

I was just talking about how odd it would be to have a Bomberman game not hit a Microsoft platform after years upon years of success on the Xbox Live Arcade, and here we are less than a week later.

While Super Bomberman R was originally a Switch launch title it seems to have had a year and change of exclusivity, as Konami has all but confirmed its existence on other platforms. Just recently a Korean rating was spotted for a PS4 edition, and now there's a very official looking listing for R on Microsoft's website, plain as day (and screencapped in case it went up early).

It seems like Microsoft has it slated for June 12 but no price is set yet (it originally went for $40).

Super Bomberman R [Microsoft] Thanks Jason!

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A Korean rating suggests so

Super Bomberman R was a rare recent showing for Konami. Despite its outrageous price it was a pretty fun game, didn't have microtransactions, and doled out a ton of free content after its launch.

At this point a lot of Switch owners have picked it up via the bargain bin, but now non-Switch owners might be able to get in on the action. According to the Korean Ratings Board, R is now bounding off the Switch and is PS4-bound.

It's weird to see Bomberman bouncing around so much from place to place, starting life on various PCs, then heading to Nintendo platforms for a long while, then making its home on the Xbox Live Arcade before going back to Nintendo. At least he's still around!

Super Bomberman R [GRB.or.kr]

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Grand Prix Mode was just added as well as more characters

Konami has been low key updating Super Bomberman R throughout the year, and it's worked out rather well for the game.

While I did enjoy it overall at launch it wasn't without its issues, some of which have been smoothed out due to content drops and performance patches. This week Bomberman R is getting a 3v3 Grand Prix mode, new "arena" maps, more multiplayer levels, a new "World 7" campaign with extra bosses, nine more characters (one of which is Goemon), and extra pets.

Every time I see "free DLC," "no microtransactions," and "Konami" in the same story, I have to do a double take. But here we are in 2017, and they did one thing right.

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The game that keeps on giving

Despite all the negative initial reception, Konami has been consistently updating Super Bomberman R to become a pretty solid game. We've seen the introduction of a higher framerate, better online netcode and even new characters. It's almost as if someone cares about the game they made! That care isn't stopping as Super Bomberman R is going to get even more free content in a new update.

Announced at the Tokyo Game Show, a brand new "Grand Prix" mode will be coming to the game alongside 3 Vs 3 battles for multiplayer. A new ruleset called "Crystal" will be introduced as well as three new characters. You'll be able to play as Reiko Hinomoto from Rumble Roses and Anubis and Jehuty from Zone of the Enders. At the rate they're going, they might as well call this Konami All-Stars and slap Solid Snake in the game.

I've gotta say, these constant updates are tempting me to actually pick up the game. I've always had a fondness for Bomberman, but I was disappointed to hear that the release version of R was poor. I suppose this game could be an indication of where the gaming industry is currently at (with games releasing in unfinished states), but if all the updates are free, then I can't complain too much.

Super Bomberman R reveals new Grand Prix Mode, new characters [Nintendo Everything]

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And Snipperclips has gotten 350K downloads

We know Zelda: Breath of the Wild is selling super well, but what about other Switch games?

Alongside a surprise New 2DS XL announcement, Nintendo also shared some more game sales figures in its financial results briefing. Looking at three notable games from the Switch's launch lineup, 1-2-Switch is "on track to ship one million units very soon," Super Bomberman R managed to ship "over 500,000 units" in March, and Snipperclips has secured 350,000 downloads worldwide.

The latter is especially interesting to hear. I love Snipperclips and I think it well represents the Switch as a system, but I wouldn't have expected that many downloads for an eShop title. That said, it had high visibility on the storefront given how few other games were available around launch.

Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ending March 2017 [Nintendo]

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Adorable

Super Bomberman R may have not have set the world on fire on release, but Konami is trying their best to keep it from being a full-on bomb. With a free DLC update fixing many of its issues, and with good early sales numbers, Konami could really pull off something interesting here if Konami doesn't Konami itself. 

But I digress. Reminding you of games long gone, Simon Belmont from Castlevania, Vic Viper from Gradius (my favorite), and Pyramid Head from Silent Hill will be joining Super Bomberman R's bomb squad. Although there are no further pricing or release date details as of this writing, this could rule. 

It's too much to ask for these add-ons to be free also, but hopefully it's not too costly given the entry price was a little higher than I preferred. 

[via Famitsu]

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A new level and some tweaks

[Update: That ended up being four levels and two accessories. Right on.]

As was confirmed several weeks ago, Konami will be supporting Super Bomberman R post-launch with more content and tweaks. I was initially shocked to see that after booting the game up that there were no microtransactions on board, and now I'm just as surprised that the very same Konami that parades its franchises as gambling platforms is giving us free shit.

Alas, if you play Bomberman R on Switch, you'll be able to update to version 1.3 on Friday, which brings a new stage along with it, as well as difficulty changes and other bug fixes. The game has plenty of room for improvement overall, but more free stuff isn't a bad thing.

Let's see if Konami can keep this up for their other upcoming releases. I can't keep a straight face while saying that out loud, but it could happen.

Bomberman [Twitter]

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That same Konami?

During a Konami sponsored episode of The Game Theorists last night, free DLC for Super Bomberman R on the Switch was teased.

Konami. Free DLC. I know, I'm still parsing this too. It might be a trick, but supposedly it's happening. Although specifics weren't given it seems as if levels and characters will be involved, which is the perfect way to keep people interested beyond the in-game currency levels and bombers already in. More info will come "in the next few days." Ice and water worlds were shown.

If the pricey Bomberman R goes down in price and gets a sizable amount of add-ons, that would be pretty amazing for everyone on the fence. It's nowhere near the best Bomberman game around, but it is fun and is eight players to boot.

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Version 1.2

Super Bomberman R could use some fundamental improvements when it comes to its campaign and multiplayer arena selection, but for now, you'll have to settle with some performance tweaks. Konami has announced that version 1.2 is now live, which includes more stability for online play, and input lag enhancements for all modes.

Hopefully at some point we get some free DLC. I mean it's Konami, so in the back of my mind I was kind of assuming this patch would even cost money, but a man can dream. Some crossover/guest characters would be pretty great, as would some new levels, or even nostalgia DLC from past games.

They could also capitalize quite a bit on the speedrunning community if they cleaned up the story mode a bit and added in a special mode to cater to runs, like many retro-centric games have in recent years. Free ideas, Konami!

Version 1.2 [Konami]

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Since Bomberman World in 1998

Super Bomberman R has room for improvement, but Konami has a lot to be excited for given its early sales numbers. Right now we just have Japan to go off of, but looking at Media Create sales, this is the first Bomberman game since 1998 to break 50,000 in sales in that region. This is a $50 game, mind, and not a downloadable like many others.

Yep, only Bomberman World was able to surpass that mark nearly 20 years ago on PS1, and had 16 more attempts before it hit the mark again with Super Bomberman R. Perhaps Nintendo's unending hype train deserves the credit, but either way, we can probably expect to see a follow-up.

Media Create [NeoGAF]

Disclosure: Mr Destructoid is playable in earlier Bomberman games.

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That'd be a nice start

I wasn't holding out much hope that Super Bomberman R would see many updates, but it sounds like at least one important patch is on the way. Konami says it is "aware that some players are experiencing control lag issues" and that, better yet, it is "currently working to improve the situation."

"Our first priority is to adjust control response times which will improve both the online experience and control lag during offline battles," continues today's notice. "We will share more information about the update's release date very soon. Future updates are also planned as we work hard to continuously improve the experience for players, both online and offline."

I've only just dipped my toes in the game -- long enough to clear the first world after shedding a laughably high number of lives against the out-of-control boss -- so I can't personally comment on the online lag situation. Knowing that it should improve makes me want to hold off for now. Well that, and this no-frills Bomberman game can't easily compete against Zelda for my time.

Regarding the latency issues during Online Battles. (2) [Konami via Nintendo Everything]

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