Smart Bomb
Score: 95% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: Eidos Interactive Developer: Core Design Media: UMD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Puzzle
Graphics & Sound: Smart Bomb is a puzzle game that will keep you on your toes from the very beginning. Each puzzle is made of a series of objects that you have to move in order to unlock and gain access to a bomb core. Smart Bomb's visuals depict the futuristic bombs and their components in a manner that makes it easy to see how the various circuits and pieces need to be moved about in order to rewire the bomb before its too late. Each puzzle piece within the bomb-components is distinct enough that you can easily identify the type of object it is and whether it can be moved, rotated or if it is a completely stationary obstacle that you need to work around. The puzzle area itself reminded me a lot of Archer MacLean’s Mercury. The area was typically a flat grid that you could tilt or rotate about so that you could see exactly what you were doing, while the pieces and parts found on the level itself varied from mirrors and lasers to gears with belts. The game's music and sound effects also left a good impression. The high-energy background tunes let you focus on the puzzle before you without getting in the way and making it impossible to concentrate. Also, the different sound effects that I heard as I moved or rotated objects about seemed to fit with the animation and look of the object I was manipulating.
Gameplay: Smart Bomb takes place more than a decade after the creation of a specialized agency known as the Bomb Disposal Unit. This group came about because a crazed and hyper-intelligent bomb maker planted complex and highly destructive bombs around the globe. The BDU works in a highly advanced virtual reality system that allows them to work on the insides of the explosive threats without putting the operatives at risk. The team was able to stop the threat, but now the group's top operative, Colonel Cage, has disappeared and a new series of "Smart Bombs" have appeared. Now you will be trained by the head of the BDU, Michelle Grace, to use the VR system and take out the new versions of the Smart Bombs. Each bomb is made of several components surrounding the core. In order to stop the bomb from exploding, you must disable the core. Unfortunately you have to disarm each component before you can gain access to the vital heart of the bomb. Components come in many shapes and sizes. In some, you may have to direct light beams in certain directions or maybe change the flow of energy into different objects in the component. Of course, you are doing all of this with a clock ticking away constantly. As you make headway in each puzzle, you can nab pick-ups that increase time, earn extra points or maybe even find an EMP pulse that will disable the component completely. Along with the extensive single-player mode, Smart Bomb also supports 4-player modes that can pit you and three other BDU members in a race to see who can defuse bombs or gather the most points the fastest.
Difficulty: Smart Bomb starts off tough... so tough that after the first couple of components, I almost didn't want to play the game again. However, once you get past the initial learning curve, you get a better feel for what the game is asking from you. When that happens, the only major obstacle becomes beating the clock. After I got into the game, it was a rare level that kept me so stumped that I couldn't figure out what combination of movements and selections would disable the component. At that point, it was a matter of working fast enough to not have the bomb go up in my face. So yes, Smart Bomb is a tough game, but the puzzles themselves are only slightly above average -- its the task of going through the motions in the precious little time that you have that makes this game a challenge.
Game Mechanics: Smart Bomb's control scheme is simple and intuitive making it easy to focus on the puzzles and impending explosion. You move the bomb objects with the D-Pad, and rotate them with the PSP's analog stick. You use the X button to select the object you want to manipulate. The Circle and Square buttons have different actions based on what type of bomb you are dealing with, while you can activate your EMP pick-ups with the Triangle button. You use the shoulder buttons to rotate and zoom the camera around to get a better view of what exactly you are dealing with. Between the puzzles and the short time limits, Smart Bomb is a challenging puzzle game that belongs on the game-shelf next to Mercury and Lumines.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
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