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Bomberman: Act Zero

EMAIL PRINT xbox360

2.2 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 41 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 29 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Hudson Soft

Genre(s): Action

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: August 29, 2006

Summary

Deep within an experimental underground facility, humans are imprisoned as test subjects and trained to become soldiers. Equipped with armored battle suits, the subjects must fight for survival and eliminate each other to determine who will become the Ultimate Human Weapon. As Bomberman, your objective is simple: destroy your opponents before they destroy you. Survive through 99 stages as you try to escape to the surface. Scramble for hidden items including speed, bomb, and armor power ups. Evade looming bomb blasts from a new tension-filled perspective. Choose from the classic one-hit, one-kill gameplay style, or utilize a new life bar and item system for a more aggressive gameplay style. Earn multiple achievements in single and multi-player modes to increase your Gamer Score. Up to 8 players can engage in frantic battles for survival online through Xbox Live and earn points to become the ultimate weapon on the World Rankings. [Konami]

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameSpot Hints & Cheats

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

GameBrink

The lack of stage types and offline multiplayer hinder the game's longevity a bit, but overall, Act: Zero plays well, the new FPB mode is fun, and the Standard mode still offers classic Bomberman fun. [JPN Import]

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Games Master UK

Could do with a few more options, but otherwise quite good. [Nov 2006, p.84]

Worth Playing

It trades off tried-and-true design decisions for things that would have made great bonuses in a better-made title.

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Cheat Code Central

As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." And the classic Bomberman was definitely not broken.

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Planet Xbox 360

Bomberman Act: Zero has cleverly tricked me into thinking it was a full fledged triple-A title with its price tag of $50, but after playing the game for five minutes I realized that this game is more like something you would pay 400 Microsoft Points for to download off of the Xbox Live Arcade.

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TeamXbox

Had it been released as a slimmed-down Xbox Live Arcade title, Bomberman Act: Zero would be a surefire hit, right up there with Zuma in terms of addictive, stage-based gameplay. But instead, Bomberman Act: Zero is a $49.99 standalone title that you simply shouldn’t buy.

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Official Xbox Magazine

We never thought the day would come where we'd so dislike a Bomberman game, but by being needlessly lacking in the most crucial areas, Act Zero is impossible to love. [Sept 2006, p.78]

Games Radar (in-house)

Remove the generic Matrix-inspired graphics and story, and it's online Bomberman with a new camera angle and less depth. We'd rather play ports of the original on TI-89 calculators.

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Yahoo! Games

Single-player won't occupy you for long -- the daft AI and total lack of variety will see to that. Live play will keep you smiling for a little while, but the sad truth is that Act Zero is totally inadequate. Treat it like it's one of the bombs getting flung around the map and run the other way.

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X360 Magazine UK

We're hoping the online component's as good as we think it'll be, because between the ugly new look and the lack of any offline multiplayer, there's nothing here for offline gamers. [Issue 12, p.96]

AceGamez

A proper next-gen update to the classic franchise is something I'd love to see, but with its myriad of flaws and questionable change in style, this game simply doesn't cut the mustard.

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GamePro

Even if you're a diehard fan of the series, there is absolutely nothing to love about Act Zero.

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GamerNode

Bomberman Act: Zero is a perfect example of what happens when game developers have good intentions, but bad ideas.

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GameTrailers

A cold, heartless, and completely uninventive action-puzzle nightmare that we could barely recommend if it were available for free on Xbox Live Arcade.

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Kombo

The worst game on the Xbox 360, this game is to be avoided at all costs.

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Gaming Age

There are only two reasons to purchase Bomberman: Atrocity…err Act Zero. Firstly, if you know enough people who will buy and play this game online, as it is already difficult to find opponents. And secondly, if you need to add the achievements to your Gamer Score.

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Game Informer

There's really only one way to sum it all up. This game just sucks. [Sept. 2006, p.97]

GameSpy

Act Zero isn't a bad core game, fundamentally. But the overhaul is terrible, the gameplay is dated, the features are few and you can't play against people you're sitting next to. This makes every other version of Bomberman better than this one, and Act Zero a candidate for worst Xbox 360 game ever.

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IGN

An unqualified failure. While the old-school Bombermans -- specifically Super Bomberman and Saturn Bomberman -- had their fair share of weaknesses, flaws, and were indeed getting old, this new mess isn't the answer.

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games(TM)

Multi-player over Xbox Live … is the only reason anyone should consider investing in Bomberman Act:Zero. [Oct 2006, p.132]

GameZone

This game has no variety and is just boring to play.

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Gamezilla!

This game has less to see than most budget titles I’ve seen, and it still carries a top shelf price tag.

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Edge Magazine

It’s a souring of Bomberman’s classic formula, and it hasn’t been compensated for with any new thinking, leaving older editions to continue reigning supreme. [Nov 2006, p.91]

Official Xbox Magazine UK

An amazingly limited game - so basic that you can't quite believe it's not free on Xbox Live Arcade. [Nov 2006, p.102]

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GameSpot

Act Zero takes the Bomberman series to a new low with paper-thin gameplay, ugly visuals, and an overall lack of effort.

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Talk Xbox

The game play was weak, the graphics weak, and the audio even worse. I was fed up and bored with this game after just a mere six minutes of playtime.

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Game Chronicles

Somewhere in the desert, next to that landfill full of ET Atari 2600 game cartridges there is a growing pile of Bomberman: Act Zero…exactly where it belongs.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

Sorry, B-Man, you went from hero to a big zero. [Sept. 2006, p.97]

VGPub

Probably the worst Bomberman game to ever be unleashed upon the public. Just about everything you ever liked about the franchise has been destroyed and little good has been created.

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GameShark

Bomberman: Act Zero is like new Coke.. sure it has the name, but it just doesn't taste as good as the original.

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Detroit Free Press

While the Internet play is the frenzied, chaotic fun you've come to expect from a "Bomberman" title (though it has some loading issues), you're completely unable to blow up buddies sitting on the couch next to you.

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Xbox Solution

Hands down this has to be the worst game I have seen on any Xbox system.

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GamingTrend

If you ever think about picking this game up, put it down and slap yourself for thinking such a thought. Run far, far away from Bomberman Act: Zero.

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Gaming Target

Bomberman: Act Zero is Hudson Soft’s attempt to try something new and having it blow up in its face as if the company just laid down a bomb and became trapped in between boxes.

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G4 TV

This one is too vacant, tries too hard to be cool, and fails to be compelling in either single- or multiplayer.

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360 Gamer Magazine UK

It makes a catalogue of glaring errors that any fan can instantly recognise, and become infuriated by, and is massively out done by every other Bomberman game in existence. [Issue #16, p.71]

eToychest

There is simply monotony, pain, and a deep feeling of loss.

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GamerFeed

The graphics are bland, the gameplay stunted, and the multiplayer limited to online only. Throw in a useless first-person bombing mode that isn't even first-person and you've got a game that's simply a bomb. No, not the bomb, just a bomb.

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Console Gameworld

Hudson Soft needed to add offline multiplayer, more customization, and beef up Act: Zero altogether. It feels incomplete and empty.

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Gamer 2.0

It offers nothing but frustration and disappointment. The gameplay is shallow and won’t hold your interest or keep you entertained for more than a few minutes.

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Digital Entertainment News

For this pile of crap with a multitude of problems, no variety and fewer options than virtually every Bomberman game released since the 16-bit era, do you know what the asking price is? Oh, no, this isn’t some bargain bin title – they’re charging a full $50 for this sick, anorexic puppy. Do I even need to go on?

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 2.2 (out of 10) based on 29 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tomas B gave it a3:
They...raped Bomberman. Why did they rape bomberman. Potentially one of the best platformers of all time... raped. He is no longer a totally awesome little guy with a cool sword and kickass, unrealistic bombs. He is a extreme guy with chains who kills just about anything that moves, and even so... He got raped, by his own creators.

Jordan H. gave it a6:
This game isn't as bad as people say. The new FPB mode is pretty good. It adds a new style of gameplay to the series. Sadly, you can't save your progress, so you'll have to try and do all 100 stages in one sitting, which is very time-consuming and difficult. I haven't got past Stage 15 myself. The online multiplayer would be good if people actually played it online, but no one does, so I've never tried it. Overall, the game isn't that bad. It's just repetitive, time-consuming, and the online servers are always empty.

Chade W. gave it a0:
Ben G.... This is NEXT Gen gaming, we're talking about here. If this were a gamecube title, I would understand a little better (Gamecube+few online games= crap). But... simply saying this is a COMPLETE game is an insult to all the truly complete games out there. When you get a beefier bomberman for a character, I expect a beefier bomberman game.

Ben G. gave it a10:
There is no conspiracy, market ploy, or outstanding flaw with Bomberman Act Zero. It's just a Bomberman game that you can play online. (and with an optional new mode) I'm not really sure what's so hard to understand about that. This really hit the spot for me. In this game, there are two modes, 1) the standard mode which is top-down perspective like classic Bomberman, and 2) "FPB" mode in which the camera is third person. In FPB mode everyone has a life bar so FPB mode is actually more fun and has more depth. The only thing wrong with this game is that you can't play on the same screen -- you have to go online to play.

Tom G. gave it a0:
What the hell is this? This is the worst game ever! No save features, no offline MP, and a manual camera? I can go on and on. Save your money.

Spartan gave it a0:
Bomberman: Act Zero is yet another failed attempt at resurrecting a classic arcade title into the next generation of gaming. Instead of the classic "top-down" view of Bomberman that the game was clearly designed for, the developers have instead thrown in an abysmal "first-person" perspective. It isn't even first-person -- it's actually a close-up third-person view with a camera that must be controlled MANUALLY by the player! With a whole bunch of stuff going on in the game world, this gets extremely frustrating. As a failed attempt to remedy the situation, Bomberman is now allowed to absorb multiple bomb blasts before dying -- a departure from the original arcade version. The lack of any kind of save game feature -- which means that you start over from level 1 if you die -- further adds to the already extreme frustration. Throw in the lack of offline multiplayer (which is absolutely inexcusable for a Bomberman game), and you've got one of the worst games of 2006. Even if you're a hardcore Bomberman fan, whatever you do, avoid this game at all costs!

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Bomberman: Act Zero

Game Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

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