Do You Remember… Boom Boom Rocket?

Dan Lee 22 Comments

I’ll freely admit that when it comes to technology I am an early adopter; I just can’t help myself.  However, when it came to the Xbox 360 I actually waited a fair while before picking one up.  When I eventually did take the plunge, Xbox LIVE Arcade was a sorry affair.  Sure, Geometry Wars broke my face with its addictive gameplay, and Hexic provided a stiff challenge (with some oddly compelling music), but apart from that I was bored.

Then April of 2007 came along and brought with it the divine ‘Boom Boom Rocket’.  The game is based firmly in the rhythm action genre, with the objective being to trigger fireworks explosions in time with music.  Think Guitar Hero, but with a control pad (and no strutting around the room).

The colour of each firework is matched to one of the colored buttons on the Xbox 360 controller, and you had to detonate each one at a precise moment on the screen otherwise it would count as a miss.  Too many misses and the stage would automatically grind to a halt and end.  Every detonation gets a rank, with better ranks earning more points.  At the top of the screen is a score multiplier meter which fills with each successful shot ,and drains with each missed shot. Detonate enough fireworks successfully and you will enter a type of hyper mode where fireworks explode twice as large, and you earn mega points.

Of course, all of this would get pretty boring if the soundtrack didn’t back up the gameplay, but luckily it more than made the grade.  Originally the game had ten music tracks, each with three difficulty levels.  The unique selling point was that each track is a classical music song, but remixed with a modern twist.  Whilst many bemoaned the lack of custom soundtrack, I didn’t; purely because I thought the ones that shipped with the game were outstanding.

In addition to the main game, there was an ‘Endurance Mode’ where you played a level on infinite loop, and at certain intervals it would speed up until the BPM was 180+.

I dread to think how many hours I spent playing Boom Boom Rocket.  In fact, I think it would only be equaled by Geometry Wars 2.  The gameplay was pure perfection and such a breath of fresh air from the usual buffet of space marines and oversized guns.  Even now I still know the tracks off by heart, and watching the video below sets my fingers off tapping at the points I know I should be detonating those fireworks.

Several years (and 360s) have passed since I last detonated a firework, but now I’ve got an itch that needs scratching, and there’s only one game that can do it.

‘Press Start to play?’  I believe I shall.

Video by Halopgriffon

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22 Comments

  1. Yep was a great game, you can use guitar from GH to

    • I think you could use dance mats too

  2. Never even heard about this game. I will download it immediately. Thanks, Dan!

    • Dan lee: draining your wallet since 2010 :oD

      • Demo downloaded. Will try this out tonight. However, after viewing the video on this article it really does look utterly wonderful.

      • but not if you only hsve a ps3.:D

  3. abit like that fireworks game from eyeToy

  4. Boom Boom…. hey isn’t this a game that’s makes you feel that there was a Dreamcast game with a similar name I think it was called Chu Chu rocket….

    • Yeah but that was about helping mice escape from cats, if I’m thinking of the right game, it was awesome.

  5. I love this game. A mate gave me one of his copies of the arcade disc that comes with xbox arcade models and this was pretty much the only game that got any real playtime. It still gets an occassional 10 mins here or there now.

  6. Reminds me a little bit of Fantavision..

    • Agreed. Fantavision was my favourite PS2 launch title and I still have the exact same copy lying under my TV stand.
      Never heard of this but it looks very similar, wish I’d known it existed before I sold my 360. :(

      As for Fantavision, can we have a spruced up PSN release please Sony?

    • That when you drink too much soft drink? Sounds awesome. ;-)

      • BoomBoom! (Rocket)

      • BoomBoom (Basil Brush)

      • Boom boom boom boom
        I want you in my room
        Let’s spend the night together
        From now until forever
        Boom boom boom boom
        I wanna double boom
        Let’s spend the night together
        Together in my room

        Whoa oh whoa oh
        Everybody get on down
        Whoa oh whoa oh
        Vengaboys are back in town

    • Ah yeah! That was the name of the game I was trying to think of.

  7. Boom Boom Bishi Bashi 1999

  8. I love this track. Smooth Operetta. Need this as my ringtone now…

  9. I clicked on the article thinking it was about The Outhere Brotheres

    I say Boom Boom Boom, now let me hear you say Way-oh!
    Way-oh!

    I say Boom Boom Boom, now everybody say Way-oh!
    Way-oh!

  10. man that game looks awesome ill have to tell my mate about it get him to dl it so i can play:D

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