Hi-Ten Bomberman

Hudson is, of course, best known for its Bomberman series. The original game of bomb detonation - clumsily entitled The Bomber Man - was written in 1980 purely as an exercise to demonstrate the power of Hudson痴 own BASlC compiler. It eventually enjoyed a small-scale release in Japan as a oneplayer PC game, with just one type of bomb and one enemy.

It wasn't until the arrival of Nintendo's Famicom system that the concept was revived. Struggling for inspiration after cartridge hits such as Lode Runner and Star Force, Hudson Soft plundered its back catalogue and happened across the game that would prove to be its crowning glory. After seeing power-up systems in popular shoot 'em ups of the day, the game's designers incorporated a similar concept into Bomberman - bombs could be increased in strength by collecting icons. A concept that, of course, made Bomberman a classic lesson in competitive gameplay.

But it was a still only a twoplayer game. NEC's technology was to change that. 'We were really lucky that the PC Engine had a multitap,' reveals Nakamoto Shinichi, Hudson Soft's director of R&D. 'Without it, the PC Engine version would have been merely a reproduction, and would probably soon have been forgotten.' The development of multitap hardware was arguably the single most important factor in Bomberman's success. It made the game a true party experience, one that managed to induce more competitive energy in its participants than probably any other game before or since.

And Bomberman is still going strong. Hudson's most ambitious game to date is Hi-Ten Bomberman. But you won't see it turning up in the home. The game will only run on Hudson's in-house hardware - a combination of custom PC and stripped down PC Engine technology. It is aimed specifically at the exhibition/show market, and its unprecedented tenplayer capacity has already proved a big draw on recent tours in Japan. The size of the playing area and the number of players means it has to use HDTV technology - the first game to do so.

And it certainly is an experience. It's a simple equation: multiply the fun of standard Bomberman by two and you arrive at the entertainment provided by Hi-Ten. It excels as a demonstration of both cutting-edge display technology and lovingly crafted gameplay.

Although the system has only enjoyed floor space at Japanese events, it may not be long before British audiences get a taste of the action. Hudson has firm intentions to bring Hi-Ten to these shores, although dates and venues have yet to be agreed. Despite the hi-tech adventure of HiｷTen Bomberman, Hudson is still committed to the established games platforms. Hence Super Bomberman 3, now nearing completion for the SFC.

This is the first game in the SNES series to allow five players to take part - the fifth player starts in the centre of the playing area, With more collectibles and extra level details, including mine carts and even creatures to ride on, the game promises to offer more variety than previous Bomberman outings, if nothing else.

The second game in the series, released only recently in the UK, met with a fairly lukewarm reception among die-hard fans of the original. The main criticism levelled at it was that the gameplay had been tinkered with just a tad too much - familiar features had been thrown out and replaced with new, but not necessarily better, ideas. And Super Bomberman 3 has been tinkered with even further. Whether it will appease or further annoy its fans will no doubt become clear on its release in April '95.

Despite the multiplayer game's following, the anticipation surrounding the third SNES incarnation, and the HDTV Hi-Ten system. Nakamoto Shinichi still hankers after the old days. 'I personally believe that the Famicom version of Bomberman is the one and only version of the game,' he admits.

3 September 2005

2005年11月 3日
HiTENキャラボンの思い出

これって、９３年だったかな？
ファミコンで登場したボンバーマンも、PCエンジンに載って「５人対戦」になり
対戦ゲームとしては非常に面白いゲームになった時代に、世の中では
「ハイビジョン」という、次世代モニターが登場してきました。
これは、画面が綺麗なこと以外に、それまでの４：３のディスプレイ比率が
１６：９となり横幅になったのです。
これにより、家庭でも映画館と同じ全画面を見ることができるようになったのです。
映画館で、スクリーンの両サイドに立って演技していた役者さんは、今までの４：３
では、消えていましたから、画期的なことだと思いました。
で、横長になった画面で何が出来るかを考えていたときに、ボンバーマンの１０人対戦
という企画が盛り上がりました。
当然PCエンジン１台では接続できませんし、PCエンジンの映像信号は、
そのまま出力してもハイビジョン信号では無いので、映りません。

そこで、ハイビジョン信号を出せるボードを手作りで作成しました。
そして、PCエンジンを母体にして、コントローラー１０個分の信号を取り入れる
インターフェースも制作し、ハイビジョン用のボンバーマン専用機が作られたのです。
このマシンはイベントで持って歩くことから、予備も含めて４台制作されました。

ゲームを作っているとき、アイテムのパラメーターが問題になりました。
まず火力ですが、やはり端から端まで火が届いた方が迫力があるだろうということに
なりました。
次に、爆弾の数ですが、こちらも３０個くらいまでもてるようにしました。
画面が広い分、どこから火が伸びてきたのか分からない時もありましたが、やはり面白かったですね。

大会では、親子大会も企画されてましたが、ゲームをさわっていなかった親子は
お互いに爆弾をセットしてしまっていたのを思い出します。