Bomberman '93

Worms. Mario Party. Power Stone 2. These are some of the best party games ever made. But if it weren't for the Bomberman series we may not have had a chance to play any of these games. Bomberman paved the way for party games, titles that allow you to get all of your friends into the game. Forget about two-player games, Bomberman was about bringing four (and even five) players together to battle it out to see who the best player was. Throw in some drinks and you have yourself one of the best video game experiences of all time.

There is no shortage of Bomberman games on the market, just about every game system ended up hosting a version of the game at one point or another. Even today we see Bomberman games on the Xbox 360, PSP and Nintendo DS. But no matter how good the technology is, Bomberman's theme has remained the same since day one. It's all about you dropping bombs and trying to trap your friends (and enemies) into a position they won't be able to get away from. Bomberman is simple, it's easy to learn, and best of all, it's a whole lot of fun.

Bomberman '93 on the TurboDuo doesn't go out of its way to change the theme of Bomberman; it's still the same old game with the same old bombs and power-ups. But that doesn't mean that it's boring, this early 1990s version of Bomberman is actually one of the best versions out there. It offers the same great game play, plenty of explosions, and quite a few levels to go through. Unfortunately it still suffers from the same problems that have always plagued the series, but if you're in the market for a classic version of Bomberman, then this is the version to get.

Bomberman offers several ways to play the game, most of which will be pretty familiar if you've played the game on other systems. If you're by yourself and still want to have that Bomberman experience, you can go through seven worlds (of 56 stages) of bomb laying madness. This mode has you going against a lot of colorful enemies looking for power-ups and the exit. Eventually you will run across a boss battle and earn a power chip for your trouble. You start with three lives and two continues, so plant your bombs wisely and beware of the enemies that sneak up on you.

These single-player stages look fantastic; they take you to a lot of different worlds each with their own look and enemies. But the fancy graphics don't change the fact that you are doing the exact same thing in each level, which can get old long before you make it to level 56. It's also worth noting that this mode is extremely difficult, due in large part to the small amount of lives you start with and only getting two continues. I'm sure there are people out there that find this kind of mode exciting, but this is not the reason you buy a game like Bomberman.

The real attraction of Bomberman '93 is the multiplayer mode, where you and up to four other friends can bomb the heck out of the level and themselves. Unlike the single-player mode, this five-player game doesn't offer levels with multiple screens, all of the action manages to stay in one tight area that is easy to navigate through. The five players on the board things can get pretty chaotic, and really, that's where the fun of this game comes in. Throw in a bunch of different looking levels (and maybe a few drinks to get everybody in the mood) and you have one of the best party games of all time.

Overall the graphics in Bomberman '93 are pretty good. Your character looks exactly like he does in the other games, but the various worlds arena you play in are all unique looking and have a cool style to them. Some levels actually have some animation in the background that is nice to see (and maybe even a little distracting). The game itself is a little slower than some versions I've played recently, but that's not going to be enough to keep you from having a good time.

The highlight of the game is the music. While newer versions of the game offer CD-quality tunes, this hu-card actually features the strongest music I have heard in any Bomberman game. Of course, it still sounds like an 8-Bit game, but the people that composed the music did a great job of working around those barriers and creating songs that you actually want to listen to.

With so many Bomberman games on the market it's sometimes hard to tell them apart, but Bomberman '93 manages to stand out from the pack thanks to its great levels, five-player support and amazing music. Even without internet support or polygonal graphics Bomberman '93 proves to be the strongest game in the franchise.