Please Make Me! A Sequel to Silent Bomber

I wouldn’t blame you if you never played Silent Bomber on the PS1. It was by no means a popular game when it was released in 1999, and even I only bought it on a whim after the PS2 had already been out for awhile. The original game is a rarity now, fetching over $80 for a new copy on eBay, although it can also be downloaded to the PSP from the Playstation Store. Still, what I really want to see is a modern installment to one of my favorite games for the original Playstation. This game needs a sequel.

Silent Bomber took the traditional style of a top-down shooter, but took away the guns and replaced them with bombs. The protagonist, Jutah, had two “E-Units” attached to his arms, which dealt out different bombs. The bombs could either be planted on the ground or launched so they could attach to enemies. Then you could detonate them when you wanted, like if an enemy wandered close to another enemy, so you could take them both out in one shot. You could also collect and fire special bombs that released fire, electricity, or a gravity sink. Power-up for you E-Unit were also scattered throughout the levels and could be cashed in for upgrades such as the launching distance, power, and quantity of your bombs. All this combined into some incredible action-packed gameplay where you could leap into the air and rain down massive explosions on enemies. You had to fight your way through 14 levels, each with different environments and a massive boss at the end.

Unfortunately, the game also featured some of the worst voice acting I have ever heard…ever. Jutah constantly sounded like he just woke up from a nap. Most of his companions had some of the most grating voices around combined with a robotic delivery that could send a shudder through your spine. This made for some lines me and friends would quote from time to time — “Is this…the end? — but I wouldn’t want to see any more of that in a sequel.

Aside from new voice actors, a sequel would need some work done on the story. The story itself wasn’t so bad, but its delivery made it confusing to know exactly what you were doing. I’ve played through the whole game several times, and I still had to look up the Wikipedia article to write this post; because I didn’t really understand what was going on most of the time. At least give us an intro video that isn’t some crazy dream sequence.

A new Silent Bomber game would look spectacular on the current generation of systems. We’ve already seen some pretty awe-inspiring explosions in games like Crackdown, so I’m sure a game entirely based around things blowing up wouldn’t be too hard for any graphics chips out there. The gameplay would need to remain intact for the most part though, but with more upgrades and types of bombs. Also, there would need to be more possibilities for collateral damage. My favorite level in the original game had you fighting enemies in a small city with a few buildings. Even though it wasn’t part of my objectives, I always made sure to destroy all the buildings just because it was fun. All the environments of a sequel should be that destructible.

So here’s hoping someone hears my plea. Truly innovative shooters are rare these days, but I’m sure a new Silent Bomber would sure fit the bill nicely.