Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Bomberman Timeline

So, Bomberman is a big series and even I often lose track of when each game came out in relation to each other. And since there aren't too many truly great timelines out there, even Wikipedia's feels really cluttered to look at, I thought I'd make a timeline of most of the really important Bomberman games and when they all came out, grouped into series for organization's sake:

  • Bomberman - Arcade (1983) - The one that started it all
  • Bomberman - NES (1985) - Basically just the arcade version
  • Bomberman - PC Engine (1990) - Reimagining, the series comes into its own here
  • Bomberman II - NES (1991) - Sequel to Bomberman 90
  • Bomberman 93 - PC Engine (1992) - Continuation of where Bomberman 90/II left off
  • Super Bomberman - SNES (1993) - Soft reboot series for the SNES, a lot like 93
    • Super Bomberman 2 - SNES (1994) - Unique puzzle-focused sequel
    • Super Bomberman 3 - SNES (1995) - Takes after 94 and Mega
    • Super Bomberman 4 - SNES (1996) - Culmination of all the previous Super games, but with time travel to boot
    • Super Bomberman 5 - SNES (1997) - Reuses assets from Super 1-4 and introduces nonlinearity
  • Bomberman 94 - PC Engine (1993) - Dramatic restructuring of the formula, introduces Louie
    • Mega Bomberman - Genesis (1994) - Genesis remake of 94
  • Bomberman GB/Wario Blast - Game Boy (1994) - Very barebones entry on the Game Boy focused on taking down a rival, crossed over with Wario in the US
    • Bomberman GB 2 - Game Boy (1995) - Indiana Jones-themed sequel focused more on exploration
    • Bomberman GB 3 - Game Boy (1996) - Lets you ride a motorcycle
    • Pocket Bomberman - GBC(1997) - Bomberman as a 2D platformer
  •  Saturn Bomberman - Saturn (1996) - Refined continuation of 94
    • Saturn Bomberman Fight - Saturn (1997) - Fighting game sequel to Saturn
  • Neo Bomberman - Neo Geo (1996) - Arcade game, takes primarily after Super Bomberman 1
  • Bomberman 64 - N64 (1997) - First 3D Bomberman game, very technical
    • Bomberman Hero - N64 (1998) - Bomberman as a 3D platformer
    • Bomberman 64: The Second Attack - N64 (1999) - More straightforward sequel that introduces Pommy, the first Charabom
  • Bomberman World - PS1 (1998) - Isometric game based on 94/Mega
  • Bomberman Party Edition - PS1 (1998) - Remake of the original game with a very robust Battle Mode
  • Bomberman Quest - GBA (1998) - Bomberman as a Zelda-like with monsters to catch
    • Bomberman Tournament - GBC (2001) - Spiritual sequel to Quest with multiple planets and Charaboms
    • Bomberman Jetters: The Legendary Bomberman - GBA (2002) - Jetters-themed sequel to Tournament with Charabom evolution and more complex level design
    • Bomberman Story DS - DS (2007) - Spiritual sequel to Tournament but without the Charaboms and overall somewhat worse, made by Amble
  • Bomberman Max - GBC (1999) - Introduces the Charaboms and combines them with the non-linearity of Super Bomberman 5
    • Bomberman Max 2 - GBA (2002) - Sequel to Max but now you're tiny and can ride on the Charaboms
  • Bomberman Land - PS1 (2001) - The first Bomberman party game
    • Bomberman Kart - PS2 (2001) - Racing game spinoff of the Bomberman Land series, Racjin took over development of most of the Land series from here
    • Bomberman 64 - N64 (2001) - Weird compilation/port of Land and a remake of the original game
    • Bomberman Land 2 - GCN/PS2 (2003) - Sequel to Bomberman Land
    • Bomberman Jetters Game Collection - GBA (2003) - Minigame collection based on the Jetters anime, includes many minigames from Land
    • Bomberman Land 3 - PS2 (2005) - Sequel that introduces a 3D hub-world
    • Bomberman Land Touch - DS (2006) - The first properly portable Bomberman Land, not done by Racjin
    • Bomberman Land - Wii (2007) - Technically Bomberman Land 4, has a lot of motion controls
    • Bomberman Land Portable - PSP (2007) - Portable counterpart to Bomberman Land Wii
    • Bomberman Land Touch 2 - DS (2007) - Sequel to Bomberman Land Touch, also done by Hudson rather than Racjin
  • Bomberman Online - Dreamcast (2001) - Multiplayer-focused spinoff centered around battling
  • Bomberman Generation - GCN (2002) - 3D entry blending 64-style gameplay with the Charaboms, my favorite in the series
    • Bomberman Jetters - GCN/PS2 (2002) - Rushed Generation sequel based on the Jetters anime, killed all momentum as well as the Charaboms
  • Bomberman - DS (2005) - Back-to-basics reboot based off the original game that utilizes two screens, done by Racjin
    • Bomberman 2 - DS (2008) - Mission-focused sequel with a focus on customization, done by Hudson, probably the best game in years
  • Bomberman - PSP (2006) - Similar to Bomberman DS but without the two screens
  • Bomberman Act Zero - XBOX360 (2006) - That dark and gritty reboot everyone hates
  • Bomberman Live - XBOX360 (2007) - Downloadable battle-focused game
    • Bomberman Blast - Wii (2008) - Downloadable battle-focused game
    • Bomberman Ultra - PS3 (2009) - Downloadable battle-focused game
    • Bomberman Blitz - DS (2009) - Downloadable battle-focused game
  • Super Bomberman R - Switch (2017) - Konami's reboot series which trims the cast and focuses on crossovers
    • Super Bomberman R Online - Stadia (2020) - Bomberman but battle royale
    • Super Bomberman R 2 - Switch (2023) - Sequel to R that takes somewhat after the Tournament series

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