PSP

Smart Bomb

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.

As amusing as some of the bomb-defusing puzzles are, many are either overly difficult or poorly designed. There's some great gameplay here, but you often have to suffer to reach it.

Imagine, if you will, that the Unabomber wasn't actually cabin-dwelling lunatic Ted Kaczynski, but rather classic Batman villain the Riddler. That's basically the idea behind Smart Bomb. There are deadly explosives planted around the globe, and the only way to disarm them is by solving a series of puzzles inside.

The game exists as a way to take a bunch of little games which could have easily been momentary distractions at work or the like (think Flash game level of complexity, only not nearly good as some of the better Flash games you've played), tied together by a lame premise and sold as a retail package. Smart Bomb may not entirely bomb, but it certainly is neither “the bomb” nor is it all that smart.

If you’re looking for a puzzle game with staying power you thankfully have a few other choices on the PSP. Smart Bomb is only for those with steely nerves, low blood pressure, and a lot of extra time on their hands.

Smart Bomb is a strategy game with a purpose, and this is a genre that does best when the concept is the last piece of the puzzle. On their own, none of the puzzles in the game would have been particularly memorable without the concept, so it's certainly designed this way for good reason. But the mix isn't all that fun because of the uneven pace and lack of build-up, and because the puzzles are so limiting, it doesn't get better with time like many brain-twisters do. It's not a total bomb, but for those looking for a balanced and time-consuming puzzle experience, Smart Bomb is more dud than dynamite.

Smart Bomb has an interesting premise, but it absolutely fails to capitalize on that premise. The presentation aspects of the game are broken, and the sluggish control and short timers simply don't mix. If this were a Lethal Weapon movie, it would be the one that you like the least.

Smart Bomb has too many things going against it, including bombs timers that are way too short, especially on harder puzzles, which turns off the casual player. The biggest thing that make this game get such a low score is non-responsive controls and framerate issues will make you want to slam your precious PlayStation Portable against a brick wall. Avoid this game at all costs if you value your sanity.

Smart Bomb doesn't work as a stand-alone game. It's like a single component of a Tomb Raider-style action adventure game looking for a home. Everything about it is low quality, from the music to the terrible cutscenes. But what made me madder than all Hell is the fact that I purchased this game with my own money. I'll see if I can return it and exchange it for a needle in my arse.

Smart Bomb isn't so much about skill, but rather patience. The slow load times, the tedious puzzles, and the overall lack of fun in this title are almost awe inspiring. It's really very hard figure out why someone gave the go-ahead on its production.

Smart Bomb is a terrible game. It's not fun, it's infuriating, and it feels like a budget title that was rushed out the door. Unless you have an incredibly high tolerance for dying and repeating tasks, there's no reason to spend another second thinking about this game. I read the reviews and ignored them, hoping that I would find a few hours of enjoyment. I was a fool. Don't make the same mistake, avoid Smart Bomb at all costs.

I mean, Core and Eidos were so lazy making this game that they couldn't even tack periods on to the end of all the text in the game. "Defense" is still spelled "defence", I'm guessing because they only wanted to master it once, but have it ready for the PSP's launch in Europe. So, be warned, Europeans! Stay away from this one. It is probably the worst puzzle game I have ever had the misfortune of playing, a failure of extraordinary magnitude. With good titles like Lumines, GEOM, and even Archer Maclean's Mercury putting this title to shame, there's no reason to even acknowledge its existence with a rental.