Bomberman is perfect for the Xbox Live Arcade experience, and while we already pretty much confirmed the series was headed to Microsoft's marketplace, Hudson Entertainment decided they'd go and confirm the news officially. The XBLA-enhanced Bomberman will ship this summer with 8-player support, with no word yet on pricing.

"This has been one of our most requested games, our fans have been clamoring for it, and we are thrilled to finally be able to deliver the game they want," said Hudson Soft President John Greiner.

One of the new features for the XBLA version is an offering of complete Bomberman customizability so gamers can design a unique bomber to identify themselves with online. Hudson promises enough options for over 10,000 possible combinations.

...This new game borrows level designs and power-ups from the best Bomberman games in the series. These include the iterations that appeared on the Super Nintendo, Saturn, and PC Engine; thus, the new game creates a comprehensive whole that even Hudson admits might be the last Bomberman game you'll ever need. Because it supports up to eight players via Xbox Live, will feature support for future downloadable content add-ons, and may even include sponsored tournaments with prizes available, we're inclined to believe Hudson may be right.


Most of the arenas will contain unique gameplay features that will let you blow up your friends in exciting new ways.

Unlike Act Zero, Bomberman Live thankfully doesn't mess with the Bomberman formula one bit. In fact, the American development team collaborated with Hudson's Japanese studio to make sure everything would feel authentic for series fans, all the way down to the bomb-throwing physics and character-movement metrics. Just in case you've never tried this series out over its lengthy history, Bomberman simply has you running around a grid-based level with a number of other players, and everyone throws bombs that explode in the cardinal directions down each adjacent corridor. You can set up combos by laying multiple bombs next to each other, as well as gather items that will enhance your destructive abilities in some madcap ways.