Gaming to Go: Bomberman Land Touch! 2

Nobody likes minigames, right? Nintendo's stellar sales have attracted far too many of them, unfortunately, resulting in some pretty bitter words about the white waggle box's expanding library of games. Everyone's favorite handheld has also seen its fair share of minigame collections over the years, only a handful of which are worth your time and money.

Bomberman Land Touch! 2 is one of those proud few. That's a pretty debatable point, I'm sure, given the game's paper-thin plot and utterly forgettable soundtrack, but the title does have two redeeming qualities: rockin' multiplayer and a surprisingly solid collection of minigames for you to blast through.

I don't even like minigames, honestly, so it's a little puzzling that I've spent over nine obsessive hours playing what Bomberman Land Touch! 2 has to offer. Want to be equally confused? Come along with Gaming to Go and I'll show you just why this bite-sized gameplay is perfect for your next lunch break.

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Let's start with the doom and gloom, shall we?

Bomberman Land Touch! 2 -- like its predecessor, Bomberman Land Touch! -- is not the Bomberman adventure of old. Remember Bomberman 64? Though mind-numbingly difficult at times, the title came packing with massive explosions and massive fun. The most recent DS incarnation of the series is a decidedly different title, cutting back on the explosive single-player action in lieu of one of the least popular words in this generation of games: minigames!

Yup, Bomberman Land Touch! 2 has them. Several dozen of them, in fact, though you'll have to trek through the aptly-named Adventure mode to unlock them all. Be warned: it isn't the most thrilling nor entertaining adventure you'll ever experience, though it's still far better than most would expect. Let's just ignore the fact that it's an easy way to extend the length of the game, shall we?

The blueprint for the adventure looks pretty amazing awful on paper. Protagonist Cheerful White -- yes, you read that correctly -- dashes about with his horribly-named friends on a magical island, collects a whole lot of useless crap, and then uses some of that junk to solve the occasional puzzle. It's a pretty easy affair, overall, made even simpler by purple-clad Fortunetellers scattered across the island. Scoot closer to one of those lovely ladies and she'll tell you exactly where to go, the whole cloudy crystal ball thing be damned. Don't feel bad about abusing their services. I won't judge you ... too much.

Still, the adventure comes with its own unique charm. The characters can be entertaining, something resembling a romantic subplot slowly develops, and even in its darkest moments the storyline is just too damn cheerful not to be enjoyed. That fact alone makes the adventure all the easier to bear, as it's the only way you'll get to unlock all of the minigames and thus validate the entire point of this column.

With a few exceptions, the minigames strike a fine balance between speed and satisfaction, most taking less than a minute or two to conquer. Once you've run through a game once, you'll have the opportunity to complete it again as many times you like, though a different minigame is never more than a few minutes away. This makes it especially ideal when you don't have a lot of time, as ten to fifteen minutes are all you'll need to clear out a few minigames, collect a few prizes, and push the threadbare plot along.

I feel I should take this time to mention Bomb Factory, one of the later minigames you'll run across during the adventure. Those who have already played Bomberman Land Touch! 2 should know what I speak of, and likely have started weeping several bloody tears as a result. Don't know what I'm referring to? Count yourself lucky. Here's a tip: you can't win.

The whole adventure runs more smoothly for the fact that each small game is surprisingly fun. You'll be using mostly the stylus as you run about, yet the developers did a pretty decent job of making each minigame feel distinct. Some will require you to poke, some will require you to scratch, and a scant few will make you blush a violent red when you're forced to blow into the microphone. Yes, Bomberman Land Touch! 2 uses the microphone. No, it is not okay to put your lips that close to the DS in public.

Once you've cleared the adventure mode, you still have the entire minigame catalogue to work through. Completing each game again isn't the most riveting thing you'll ever do, though the developers jazzed things up a bit by providing high scores to conquer. This is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Though the games you'll play during the actual adventure don't require too much effort, completing them afterward suddenly takes that newfangled skill thing, so you might need multiple attempts to take the top score.

Overall, Bomberman Land Touch! 2 presents a surprisingly well-rounded package. Combine a pretty decent single player adventure with the highly recommended multiplayer mode and you have a winner -- a game that's solid fun whether or not you have friends nearby in need of a good bombing. Sure, nobody likes minigames, but they're not too incredibly awful, I'd say, when they present a fun way to pass what little time we have these days.

Ready for the stats? I'm being nice and sparing you the bomb pun I've been saving.

Sleep time: The minigame madness doesn't pause if you close the lid, so be careful. Play it smart and pause the game yourself -- yeah, yeah, it's a little more work, but don't complain, alright?

Load time: A little under thirty seconds to start the DS and load a saved game. Am I the only one noticing a trend with these load time numbers?

Play time: Like I said, each minigame shouldn't take you more than a few minutes, provided you're not testing your stamina and going for a high score. The Adventure mode map is fairly small too, so you won't waste a lot of time running around and looking for the next puzzle to blow up solve.

Tick tock of the clock ringing in your ears? Tell your timepiece to shove it! We live busy lives, but remember this: there's always time to game. Check back with Gaming to Go every Thursday for the latest and greatest titles you should spend your precious few minutes with.