Online Bomberman
A defunct online Bomberman title with multiple modes.
Online Bomberman is a 2003 online installment of the Bomberman franchise, co-developed by MGAME Corporation and Hudson Soft for Microsoft Windows. It was released in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, but all official servers have been permanently shut down. A fan-based version, Bomberman Online International, emerged after the closure of the Taiwan server.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Hudson Soft; MGAME Corporation
- Publisher
- Hudson Soft (Japan)
- Wizgate (South Korea)
- Fullerton (Taiwan)
- Series
- Bomberman
- Released
- 2003
- Genre
- Massively multiplayer online game, maze
- Modes
- Multiplayer
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Online Bomberman featured four gameplay modes: Survival Mode, Panel Paint Mode, Hyperbomb Mode, and Boss Battle Mode. In Survival Rule, players battle individually or in teams, aiming to eliminate all opponents. Panel Paint Mode involves bombs covering the floor with the player's team color; dying revives the player but erases their occupied area. Hyperbomb Mode requires collecting three of five special hyperbomb items and reaching the center of the room to win, with the risk of losing all collected items upon death. Dropbomb Mode, later changed to Boss Survival Mode, involves avoiding falling bombs without placing any, using only field-generated items to disturb enemies. Boss Survival Mode lets players face a chosen boss that places special bombs and hides; players can purchase items for special effects. In the Korean version, this mode is called Boss Battle Mode. Data files also contain references to 'Submarine Mode' and 'Ring Match', which never appeared in releases. In late 2004, the Taiwan and Hong Kong versions introduced an item shop for boss battle mode, offering character cards and nickname cards purchasable with Bomberyen, which could be earned through gameplay, boss defeats, tournaments, or cash. The Japanese version later added an item shop with clothing and accessories for custom characters.
Net de Bomberman
In 2004, Bomberman Online was ported to the PlayStation 2 in Japan as Net de Bomberman, designed exclusively for subscription-based online multiplayer with no offline support. It featured ten grid-like maze maps and allowed up to eight players to collect items and kill enemies to unlock stages, with online chat for communication. A free pre-launch test ran from November 2003 to February 2004, after which the service required a monthly fee of ¥500 (tax excluded); the service was discontinued in 2008.
Bomberman Online Japan
Bomberman Online Japan, the successor to Bomberman Online, used Shockwave Entertainment's 55Shock! online service and was released on PC in Japan only. Players earned experience points and filled a bomb waza bar; when full, it refilled a bomb waza gauge allowing use of a bomb technique. Items collected in a course could be saved. From September 10 to October 14, 2008, players could obtain weapons like pippocon hammer, lightning blade, and dekadeka milk bomb by creating save data. The paid service was interrupted on December 26, 2008, and Shockwave Entertainment terminated its online service on January 31, 2009, refunding subscribers. Hudson Soft announced on May 27, 2009, that the service would end on June 3, 2009.
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