I decided to get a new GBA game for later this week, when the family goes down to da beach. And why not Bomberman? I figured I could play the quest mode for now, and then get into some multiplayer action in a couple weeks when I go visit some friends out of town.

Bomberman Tournament opens up with a sweet cartoon-like introduction, which explains the quest mode's story. Then you get to the main menu, and it couldn't possibly describe Bomberman's two gameplay styles any better. It's either "Quest" or "Battle".

The Quest mode is, as Max said in his impressions, a lot like Zelda, although the dialogue is much simpler. The environments also seem less like cool locations and more like lavish Bomberman puzzles...there are trees and rock cliffs scattered around, but you also have rocks and bushes set up in a tile pattern that kind of kill any suspension of disbelief. The bombing gameplay also doesn't lend itself very well to overworld adventuring, because it's so slow and laborious. Sometimes getting from one screen to the next takes way too long, even if you're all powered up and everything.

The dungeons are a different story. The first one, which is the only one I've played through so far, was set up very much like the SNES Bomberman single-player modes. The level design is tight, and the challenge is actually much higher than I expected. If you don't watch your health, you will die. Too bad you can't hold multiple health-restoring items!

Some of the enemies are very crafty...they'll eat your bombs, jump over them, etc. The first boss will even prematurely set off your bombs, which can spell major pain if you're not quick.

I didn't think I'd like all this "Karabon" stuff, but it's actually done very well. Each Karabon you find gives you a power that is used in gameplay, and some of them can give you access to secret areas or places you just couldn't get to before. Training them simply involves picking up little power-up tiles that are lying around EVERYWHERE, and Karabon battles appear to be totally optional. The matches are graphically impressive, but winning is purely a matter of luck as far as I can tell.

Anyway, you want to hear about the Battle mode, right?!? Well, I've only played it for a little while, but it's very awesome. You can play four-player battles all by yourself, thanks to excellent CPU-controlled opponents. Those little guys are smart! Even on just Normal difficulty, they're better than me...guess I have some brushing up to do. There's a good variety of level types to play on, and all the best powerups are back, plus new ones like the Bomb Line. Can't wait to try that one. The Super Revenge Bomber mode is frigging GENIUS...not only do you get to toss bombs into the arena after being killed, but if you take out one of the remaining players, you're revived and can jump back into the fray!

I can't wait to hook up with some GBA-owning (read: true) friends and test out the four-players-on-one-cart. If it's as much fun as one-player battle, plus trash talking, Bomberman Tournament may turn out to be one of the best party games ever.