I feel bad for the developers of Bomberman: Act Zero. Bringing this popular puzzler platformer to a next-generation system must have been a task and was marked with a risk of failure from the word "go.". Trying to create a mature Bomberman franchise that focuses on action and doesn't use the key ingredients from it's cute and much love predecessors was an almost impossible task, so it's no shock that this Xbox 360 title doesn't stand up very well against the high standard of the popular franchise.

But you can almost see what Hudson was trying to accomplish here: A mature, fully 3D Bomberman navigating 3D mazes and blowing up other armor clad warriors with a variety of special power-ups and bombs. The problem is that Bomberman as this type of experience doesn't really get the job done. And let's face the facts - without the charming wonderful big eyed Bomberman as fans know him and love him further hinders enjoyment for fans of this long-running series.

The gameplay in Act Zero is pretty simple to grasp: players start the game by designing a simple human "Bomberman", selecting the gender and the Bomberman's color. A generic armor suit is slapped on your character and it's off to the mazes. Next you choose which game mode to play. Whatever you choose (we'll get to the gameplay variations later) you be plucked from the safety of your pod and dropped into a rectangular room filled with blocks. Some of these blocks can be broken and some can not, and there's usually another Bomberman trying to accomplish the same goal you are simultaneously. The gameplay is real-time, but the goal isn't complicated: use your bombs to blow up those other players and clear any obstacles in your path. To help this concept along there are a number of power-ups that appear like enhancements to your bombs and health to keep you alive longer.

The trick is to drop bombs in the right place and cause cross explosions that hit your opponent. Explosions spread out from the center of their point of origin and go down rows (up down, left or right), hitting whatever happens to be in its path. Your goal is to avoid the other player's bomb blasts while hitting them with yours. It sounds simple enough but when more than one opponent is on a given level it gets harder to avoid all those explosions coming at you from every angle.

There's also a new perspective for Bomberman that is the focal point of a new mode in Act Zero called first-person bomber, which is actually more like a third-person view because it's behind your character. The new mode, called FPB or First-Person Bomber, features the aforementioned perspective tied to a Bomberman that has a health bar and power-ups at his disposal. This view actually makes it more difficult to play the game because the camera is always behind you (over the shoulder), which means that you'll be switching back and forth between this view and the more traditional top-down view in the game if you want to successfully navigate these mazes. Even then it's a difficult pill to swallow, and the anemic nature of the gameplay doesn't feel like it is worth the effort.

Luckily the Classic Bomberman gameplay - a top-down map showing the entire level - is also available in the game, which does alleviate some of the heartache fans will feel by playing the game in First-Person Bomber mode. Like the original game, this mode uses the one bomb blast and you die gameplay rules, though there are some power-ups that can keep you alive. This is probably where most hardcore Bombeman fans will want to spend their time, though this mode still lacks the charm of the original series due to its unflattering graphics and sounds.

Bomberman Act Zero also offers multiplayer via Xbox Live for up to eight players in ranked or unranked matches. Unfortunately finding a game and filling it with eight players is pretty difficult task all by itself. Normally I wouldn't put a heavy emphasis on graphics, but in the case of Bomberman Act Zero it is important to note. If Hudson had gone with an enhanced version of the game's original look, I don't think i'd have as many complaints. This is supposed to be next-generation Bomberman, but Act Zero just doesn't look next-gen.

In the end, Bomberman: Act Zero is like new Coke.. sure it has the name, but it just doesn't taste as good as the original. Sadly the magic Bomberman formula just isn't in Bomberman Act Zero. It was an interesting experiment for Hudson on next-generation hardware, but it's time to get back to creating Bomberman games that fans will recognize and enjoy. Bomberman can work on the Xbox 360 if Hudson doesn't forget what made the series so popular and scraps the idea of Bomberman as a a mature icon. You can't completely alter every aspect of your game and expect fans to embrace it. Add to all that the Xbox 360 game price point of $59 dollars and you have a game that just isn't worth it in the end.