Remember Bomberman?  That cute happy-go-lucky Hudson Soft mascot?  Sure you do.  Everybody loves Bomberman and his many adventures.  That means, of course, that he has to die.  Take a look at the next generation of Bomberman.  Yes, that's him in the picture there.  Introducing Bomberman: Act Zero for the Microsoft Xbox 360.

The latest issue of Japanese game bible Famitsu displays screens from the upcoming Xbox Live Bomberman title. The game originally appeared twenty years ago and became a cross platform game. The cute character looks to have been injected with steroids and pumped full of plutonium. While the scans may say “First Person Bomber,” the game is still a third person point-of-view title. Bomberman: Act Zero debuts May 25th on Japan’s XBL.

Normally this is where I'd rail against tarnishing a classic character, but in this case I have a better idea.  I'd like to assume that this Act Zero subtitle means this is a prequel to the Bomberman we know and love.  At the end of this game there should be some event that causes the violent gritty world to transform into the happy cartoon playland that Bomberman and its sequels established.  That'd really tweak the dark and gritty crowd, eh?  I also think that if the gritty crowd gets one of our cartoon heroes, we should get one of theirs in return for re-imagining.  How about if Halo 3 becomes an animated hop 'n bop adventure?  You just know that Master Chief has the most adorable smile under that helmet.