25 years after its original launch, a hit Sega Dreamcast title is finally playable online again after two decades without servers.
Bomberman Online Can Now Be Played Online Again
The Bomberman franchise kicked off all the way back in the early 1980s and there have been a ton of installments since then. The franchise was particularly popular throughout the 90s, but did manage to have a decent number of releases in the early 2000s.
Fans of those later installments may be excited to learn that 2001’s Bomberman Online is finally available to play online once again after 23 years of multiplayer downtime. The revival is thanks to Farkus and flyinghead, who collaborated to unofficially end the server outage as a fan effort.
Here is a short summary of the effort from Dreamcast Live:
“The day many of you have been highly anticipating has finally arrived, today I’m very happy to announce that Bomberman Online is now back online! Thanks to the collaborative effort of flyinghead and a newcomer to the scene, Farkus, the game is now playable online again after a 23-year server outage. This game has been a work-in-progress for quite a few years now with Shuouma getting it working up to the lobby but struggling to find the missing pieces after that. After putting the game on the back burner for a while, flyinghead and Farkus took up the slack and successfully managed to assemble the entire puzzle and finally give us full online multiplayer functionality!”
For those who aren’t familiar with Bomberman Online, the title released on the Sega Dreamcast all the way back in 2001 to generally favorable reviews. The game is similar to other titles in the Bomberman franchise, but also offered the benefit of online servers from launch until they shut down in 2003.
Players who own a copy of Bomberman Online and want to get in on the fun will have to follow the steps outlined by Dreamcast Live. Getting online will require DreamPi (a software used to simulate a dial-up connection), real dial-up (if you still have a landline phone line), or a broadband adapter. The broadband adapter approach also currently supports getting Outtrigger, Phantasy Star Online, POD SpeedZone, Quake III Arena, Driving Strikers, Propeller Arena and Toy Racer online.
Be sure to check back in the near future for more retro gaming and Bomberman news and updates.
Bomberman Online is available for the Sega Dreamcast.
The post Sega Dreamcast Game Now Playable Online for the First Time in 23 Years appeared first on VICE.
