best bomberman multiplayer titles

[christianscott27]

so i'm thinking of having a big ol' bomberman multiplayer showdown at the next trademeet and seeking some title suggestions. there are something like 40 different bombermans spread across platforms, all of them have some multiplayer features but which are the best for a party type setting? i've got my eye on the saturn version but that would mean i'd need to invest $30 for the game and whoknowswhat for all the taps and controllers. the N64 version sounds too modern and playstation only supports (gasp!) 2 players. what other bomberman titles really have the party game thing down and how many players can you have at once?

[digitalpress]

We play multiplayer Bomberman at just about every one of our gamer events. There are really just two you need but I'll give you a few more if you're have a particular console preference.

PlayStation Bomberman Party: this is IMO the best Bomberman compilation ever, with several of the original Bomberman titles all neatly wrapped up into one package, with 5-player and a vast menu of options you can set to tweak any tournament. The only downside is that the game loads between rounds, which is weird... not terrible when you're partying since this gives you a split second to take a quick swig of beer between rounds

Saturn Bomberman: get yourself TWO multi-taps and try out TEN PLAYER Bomberman. Absolute chaos and great great fun.

Now, if you have other consoles, here are some other fine games:

Genesis Mega-Bomberman: This is essentially Bomberman '94 on PC Engine, arguably the best single game in the series (what with the various "pets" you can release and ride into battle).

SNES Super Bomberman 2: This is the favorite for many many gamers, essentially thsi is Bomberman '93 on PC Engine/TurboGrafx. This was the last of the uncomplicated Bomberman games - no pets but some interesting options including the ability to pick up and throw bombs with the glove power-up.

Of course you could play TurboGrafx-16 Bomberman, Bomberman '93 (much improved in my opinion) and PC Engine Bomberman '94 as well, all VERY solid titles.

Dreamcast Bomberman Online is also superb, with a new graphic style that "works".

I did not care for any of the N64 games or any Bomberman game that attempts to put him in a 3D environment. They just lose their charm, even if the action stays true to the classic style.

[Tetsu]

My suggestion is Super Bomberman for snes, 1 multitap, 4 controllers. The levels are really charming without being too challenging for beginners, and they are pretty straightforward enough so that master players can duke it out with skill and not resort to stage gimmicks. Plus, the snes controllers are comfortable and easy for beginners to use. the idea here is that someone, somewhere hasn't played bomberman before, and you want them to be able to jump right in and play.