Hudson Soft sure knows when they are onto a winner. The Bomberman games have been with us for countless years and over many consoles and the recent online shops allow them to show us what they do best. As with any longstanding franchise you get the good, most Bomberman games through the 90's and the bad, Bomberman Zero and Bomberman 64 so I am glad to say this is more along the lines of the classic bombing madness.  

 

 

Ultra is in keeping with the cute graphics and simplistic approach to blowing up your adversaries. You play over a huge maze filled with solid and destroyable blocks. The aim is to kill or force you opponents to make a mistake, last player standing wins. 

 

There are loads of maps to play through, each one filling the screen but having slightly different hazards to be wary of. There is the classic simple map, in Quicksand, Ghost Town with its trap doors, Thin Ice, Big Top, Plunder Isle with loads of power ups to grab and Spaced Out with random transporters. Each map is customisable so you can make it play however you like. The game is presented in an angled top down view but with a click of the RS you can change it to a completely top down view.

 

The gameplay is as simple as ever, never getting any more complicated than dropping bombs. There are plenty of power-ups to collect to help give you an edge like multiple bombs, flame extenders and remote bombs, but these tend to get you killed quicker than it kills your opponents.

 

Each of the bomber people are fully customisable by unlocking parts in the single player mode, allowing you to don cowboy hats, pirate get ups and bumblebee suits to give your little chap their own personality. Both the levels and players look great in High Definition and the games engine seems to manage to handle all of the action with no slow down.

 

 

Each game can be played locally or over the net with up to 8 players. It is very easy to start a new game and even create them. When the game is full the game handles the pace well and it makes for some great tactical and fluke game moments.

 

Having missed the last few incarnations of Bomberman this is exactly what I would have expected from a PSN title. With its solid single player and online modes this could very well be a must have title.