Bomberman goes badass

According to The Magicbox, this is the new look for Bomberman on the Xbox360:


What? For comparison, here is an image of the original bomberman that I pulled from Wikipedia:

What is going on in this crazy, crazy world?! I mean… (ahem)”this new visual aesthetic marks a distinct new direction in style when compared to the classic Bomberman art”.

Musings on the possible appeal to a western gaming market and the problem of continuity after the jump!

Update: Looks like insert credit feels the same way!

Appealing to a Western market?

Just a few thoughts on why this terminator-esque version of Bomberman has come into existance. There seems to be an expectation that the western gaming market wants more adult characterisations, more action, and more violence. On the other hand, the Japanese market is seen as more likely to embrace actual storylines, slow gameplay , and “beautiful” or “cute” characterisations.

In layman’s terms: John wants an ultra-violent ultra-realistic first person shooter and Hiro wants an involving role playing game with hot chicks. This new style looks to be an attempt to make it appeal more to a western market. I’m going to support this with a few keen observations:

  • It looks realistic and badass rather than cute. (Well, as real as killer robots anyhow… I don’t think we have them yet.)
  • It has a first person mode. (Which will no doubt mark it as a terrorist training simulator in the eyes of Jack Thomson).
  • It’s being made for the Xbox360. (Therefore, nobody in Japan is going to be playing it!)

On continuitiy

The new game is a prequel, so Hudson are going to have quite a hard time trying to keep a consistent storyline. Here’s my take on it.

Bomberman was a badass killer robot (in Act: Zero) and then became some sort of superdeformed child’s toy (in the series after this new prequel). Now, I don’t want to give away the game ending, but he obviously must get thrown into some sort of machine that transforms him into a cute and cuddly (although insane) bomber.

2 thoughts on “Bomberman goes badass”

  1. Ewww… If they want to change the direction of the game THAT much, they should just call it something else. It’s kind of like the transition from the Toyta MR2 GT to the new MR2 Spyder. :S

  2. Indeed, I’d prefer the cutsey version, mainly nostalgic. The new one doesn’t look too bad, and seems to be keeping the old gameplay. Yay!

    You’re right on the money though Nick. This is sooooo “let’s make it more appealing to western market – cause no one has an 360 here in Japan”.

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