Bomberman Act:Zero is a video game for the Xbox 360 and arguably Hudson Soft's failed attempt at rebranding the Bomberman series. Compared to preceding entries in the series, the game significantly changes the overall tone and character design.
Story[]
This game is loosely based on the original Bomberman game. The main character is a nameless Bomberman (or woman) who is created for the sole purpose of fighting. They are awakened and thrown into a battle where only the strongest will survive.
Gameplay[]
The player must use bombs to defeat their rival on each level. There are 99 levels and no save options or continues making the experience very difficult. The camera plays a unique role in this game in that it can be set to one of two options. It can be used either from the 2D perspective of previous Bomberman titles or a 3rd person mode where the camera follows behind the player.
There is also an online multiplayer mode that can support up to 8 players worldwide; however, there is no local mode.
Criticism[]
This game has received disappointing scores by many critics and a lot of harsh criticism from the fans. The gameplay has been called tedious and repetitive. The design of the protagonist (both genders) has been criticized for looking too "sexual" and too similar to character designs of comic artist Todd McFarlane. It has been noted that there is no save feature, resulting in the game restarting entirely after a game over. It has also been criticized for lacking any sort of local multiplayer mode, which is commonly seen as a necessity in a traditional Bomberman game.
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)
- 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
Trivia[]
- Act Zero received a digital re-release through Microsoft's Games On Demand service.
- In November 2006, a mobile phone version, titled Bomberman Act:Zero MOBILE Type, was released for i-Mobile phones exclusively in Japan.
- The game runs on the same engine as Fuzion Frenzy 2, also developed by Hudson Soft for the Xbox 360.
- The third-person camera mode that follows the player is confusingly, and erroneously, referred to as "First Person Bommer" in the Japanese version.
- In an interview with Gamasutra, when asked about the reception of the game, Hudson US president John Greiner pinned the blame on poor communication affecting marketing saying “The problem is, I think, when you look at the way the Japanese intended the game to be marketed, and how it was marketed, there is a disconnect. And I think it’s an unfortunate thing that happened, because Japanese Hudson and Konami U.S. don't speak to each other. So that needed to be properly explained, because the game is made as a multi‑player battle game, which is what the Japanese Hudson people thought American people really wanted.” [1]
Gallery[]
References[]
External links[]
- Official page at Hudson Soft's US Website
- Official page at Hudson Soft's Japan Website
- Scans from Famitsu
- Game Trailer