When did Bomberman stop using bombs? That's the big question you'll ask yourself as you trod through this tiresome collection of mediocre mini-games. Bomberman Land is a horribly misleading title. From the sound of things, you may think there is an adventure of some sort, involving bombs. You'd be incorrect.

There are a number of modes to play through, but the game's focus is its titular Bomberman Land mode. In this story-based journey, Bomberman is sent on a quest to save Bomberman Land by collecting various land pieces, 150 in total. By collecting the right land pieces, Bomberman will be able to unlock more parts of this inexplicably sunken world. To make matters worse, the denizens of this land have seemingly undergone collective amnesia, and will only bestow the "Piece King" (that's you, by the way) a piece when he completes one of the game's 50 mini-games.

After most of our more outspoken readers were pretty disappointed with Bomberman Land's maniacal math mini-game, we present you with the latest multiplayer offering from Hudson Soft. In Free Throw, players shoot basketballs while attempting to pop balloons to maximize points. What do you say, loyal readers? Does this mini-game seem more interesting?

If simple math isn't your strong suit, you may have a hard time playing at least one of Bomberman Land's more than 50 mini-games. Taking a page out of the recent "brain training" craze, this mini-game will have you trying to beat out your opponents by looking at the problem and answer and choosing if addition or subtraction needs to be used to reach finish the problem.

What makes this even more fun? You'll be able to match wits against your friends via the game's Game Sharing feature.

We've been impatiently awaiting Hudson's announcement when it would release Bomberman Land stateside, and today, our long wait is over. Bomberman Land, which was released earlier this year in Japan, will hit the PSP in January 2008.

Bomberman Land will feature a traditional single-player story mode, more than 50 mini-games and will support Game Sharing. "Gamers are going to be blown away by the sheer amount of content they get in the Bomberman Land series," said John Greiner President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment.

In the single-player mode, you will have the unenviable and no doubt maddening task of restoring "peace and tranquility to the beleaguered Bomberman world" by solving quests and puzzles. And to win over the series faithful, the "classic multiplayer" Battle Pack Mode makes a return.

Bomberman is a game series that has had more releases than Mario. The titles have spanned across nearly every game system ever created. Yet despite these facts, most of the gameplay additions to the series have been ignored in favor of playing the classic multiplayer. And that's okay when the multiplayer gameplay is so perfect.

Every gamer should have at least one version of Bomberman on every system they have. I'm pretty sure it's against gamer law to not do so. Luckily for PSP owners who haven't jumped on the Bomberman train, another Bomberman release is coming to Sony's handheld.

Bomberman Land Portable has the land split into pieces and Bomberman must put it back together again. Of course if history repeats itself, it's unlikely we'll play the single player version anyway. But maybe this Bomberman will be the first one to actually provide a worthwhile single player experience. No US release date has yet been set, but the Bomberman Land Portable hits Japan in March.

To see screens and read more, check out Famitsu.

Play-Asia sure has been on a roll this week. First it was Gitaroo Man Lives for only $20, and now they've recently slashed prices on even more games.

• Aedeus Memories Shinten Makai Generation of Chaos V (Asia) – $14.90
  
• Boku no Natsuyasumi Portable (Asia) – $12.90
  
• Bomberman Blast Squadron Bomberman (Asia) – $16.90
  
• Jukugon (Japan) – $12.90
  
• King's Field Additional I (Asia) – $12.90
  
• Koukyou Shihen Eureka Seven (Japan) – $16.90
  
• Magna Carta Portable (Asia) – $16.90
  
• Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner (Asia) – $16.90
  
• Myst (Japan) – $14.90
  
• Portable Island: Tenohira Resort (Asia) – 12.90
  
• Simple 2500 Series Portable Vol. 4: The Mind Mapping Exercise (Asia) – $10.90

I'm not too sure how import friendly any of these games are, and quite frankly, there are a few of them on the list I'm not familiar with at all. However, with the incredibly cheap prices of King's Field and Myst, it looks like I may have to pull the trigger.

Click here for the full page of recenly discounted games across all platforms.

(Via Play-Asia)

Nippon terebi geimu wo shiyoka? You know the PSP can play games from all over the world, right? So, if you're tired of all those PSP games that are released here in the States, then maybe you should consider importing some games from the land of the rising sun. Here are this week's releases:

• Bleach: Heat the Soul 3
  The insanely popular Bleach anime series gets a third fighter for the PSP. It received a 28/40 in Weekly Famitsu.
• Bomberman Portable
  It's Bomberman. Does it need any more explanation? And with Game Sharing, you can play with one UMD. It got a 26/40 in Weekly Famitsu.
• Portable Island: Te no Hira no Resort
  This is a ridiculously boring "game" that has you having all the fun of being stuck on a deserted island.
• Ultraman Fightman Evolution 0
  Ultraman is still around in Japan for some reason. If you like men in tights fighting each other, you'll want to pick this up. It got a 25/40 in Weekly Famitsu.

I'd recommend getting Bleach: Heat the Soul 3. It's by far the prettiest game of the bunch, as you can tell by the video embedded above. And, it's provided in a language that everyone can understand: beat things up. You can import it from YesAsia.com for about $49, shipped.

[Via IGN]

We knew a new Bomberman was on the way, but ever since it got quietly announced back in April, we haven't heard much from our pyromaniac friend. Well, it appears that Hudson has made a brand-new trailer, and it's filled with so many exclamation points, it's explosive. Get it? I'll stop my bad puns and let the trailer do the talking:

• All new levels, boss enemies, and power-ups!
• Network up to 4 players with one UMD game!
• You can play Bomberman ANYWHERE! ANYTIME!

The Game Sharing feature is what gets me the most excited. It's great to see more great games are taking advantage of this sorely underused feature. (Now, when are we going to get Infrastructure multiplayer?)

Hudson has announced that a new addition the Bomberman franchise, Bomberman Portable, will be making its way to a PSP near you this July 20. That is, if you live in Japan. This edition will offer a more traditional (if 3D) form of Bomberman action than more recent titles as well as a Classic Mode which will be based on the original Bomberman game for NES. Four-player wireless (we're guessing ad-hoc) play will also be implemented. Another title, Bubble Bobble Evolution, was announced for Europe and Japan, albeit under the more esoteric name Bubble Bobble Magical Tower Daisakusen. There's no information whether the games will make it to the US, but we're going to go out on a limb and guess that they will.