Bomberman Online Dreamcast prototypes release
Bomberman Online on Dreamcast took over the now cult license est Bomberman. It was always to place bombs in order to eliminate our opponents, in closed arenas, filled with mischievous little bonus. This opus, an American exclusive, was to offer a mode online, allowing up to ten players to compete.
Bomberman Online was a small revolution in the legendary Bomberman series. If the gameplay did not change, the graphics them were now in 3D, a bit like a virtual chessboard. The game arenas were also larger.
Sega had decided to adapt the famous Hudson Soft game, which had made Nec's PC Engine famous, to the Dreamcast more than ten years ago.
At the end of 2001, after a remarkable passage on the Saturn, Sega put the cover back on the Dreamcast and continued to supply the console with games, but not for long!
Bomberman Online prototype video
The Toy Fair:
Today, more than 1,000 exhibitors showcase approximately 150,000 toys and entertainment products at this trade-only event. The Toy Fair is the equivalent, for toys, of the E3 of the video game.
Sega, from Sunday February 11 to Thursday February 16, was present in New York to present Bomberman Online during the Toy Fair.
With the upcoming cinema release of Jurassic Park 3 (July 16, 2001 in the United States), the toys of the cult saga, started in 1995 by Steven Spielberg, were at the party.
Tomb Raider -inspired Playmates Toys clothing, collectibles, books, action figures were also ready to hit store shelves when the film was released that summer.
Ken , Barbie 's husband, was celebrating his 40th birthday. He's getting old!
The New York Toy Fair is the high mass of toys. There is something for everyone, for young and old!
Archive video from the 2001 Toy Fair
Bomberman Online (Feb 7, 2001 Dreamcast prototype) :
This Bomberman Online Dreamcast prototype is early. It dates from about 8 months before the marketing of the game, October 30, 2001. As it is a demo, the majority of game modes are locked. The player will have access to "Battle Mode" multiplayer only.
Option inédite
Quelques nouveaux personnage jouables
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After the contents of the prototype are extracted, the ISO is called DAYTONA1. An intriguing text file named GD is found among the game files.
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There is no warning message about saving Bomberman Online when the game starts.
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The logo, with Bomberman's head, appearing on the VMU screen is not present.
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The inscription "Presented by" is missing when the window with the Sega logo appears. The logo screen with "SEGANET" does not exist on this prototype.
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Before arriving at the title screen, Hudson Soft invites the player to view an introductory cutscene . Certain colors of background elements, character animations or lighting effects differ from the cutscene in the final version. You have to have the eye, the ideal is to watch this comparative video to realize it:
Comparative video of the intro cinematic
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The "TM" symbol, next to the "Bomberman Online" logo is not displayed on the title screen.
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In the main menu, it is possible to quit the game by clicking on "EXIT". This functionality does not exist on the final version. The player will arrive in the main menu of the console.
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The field used to adjust the screen "Option Screen Adjutst", in the options after selecting "Screen", is not the same as on the final version.
prototype
Final
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The "Battle Mode" menu is basic on a black background, it lacks the "Survival Rule" choice. On the Toy Fair build, the player will only be able to select the " Normal" mode which is specific to the prototype or must match another mode in the final build, may be "Survival Rule" (mode naming change).
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Once the game mode is selected, Bomberman Online will ask to choose between "Single Match" and "Tag-Team Match". The heads of the Bombermans that we find in principle in the final version are replaced here by another motif.
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On the screen for selecting the number of players (human or computer), there is always a difference in the patterns used. This time, the developers have opted for the full body of Bomberman and not just his head as will be the case when the game is commercially released.
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This early prototype has a new feature that allows you to select the character of your choice from 10 possible, on the "Select Character" screen. From parameter 0 to 3, the characters are the original Bombermans (different colors), from parameter 4 to 9, they are the single player enemies. On the commercial version, it is impossible to choose the character that the player wants to embody.
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No matter the level, the chosen map, the Loading is always the same. The loading time display is different with a small Bomberman walking from left to right at the bottom of the screen. It's cute !
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The font color and size used for the "Hurry Up" text displayed during gameplay is incorrect. Its coloring should be similar to that of "Battle Game Start" in the early game which also takes up most of the screen. There is no voice accompanying the display and dictating the message "Battle Game Start"
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The color of the Bomberman heads representing the different players is associated with the selected character. Only the 4 real Bombermans have a color assigned to it (white, black, green and red). By choosing another character than the original Bombermans, the default color is red. The 4 symbols are not always displayed (bug?).
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On the prototype, the avatars moving around the map are weird. The cups (trophy) next to the players' heads are larger than usual.
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The game cannot be paused.
You can download the Bomberman Online Dreamcast build below
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