Bust-A-Move

In summation, then, this is a title no-one should let slip by. You need to play Bust A Move at least once in your life. And if the Western version is too tough for you, grab a hold of the Japanese version, where some of the levels have been dumbed-down and simplified. And by the way, don't let the looks fool you - the most complex-looking levels are often the easiest to beat…

Puzzle Bobble is one of those games that, like Tetris, is incredibly simple to play, completely fan-fecking-tastically addictive and will swallow every moment of your waking life.

It'll get confusing once the background screens get more colorful and start moving around, too. But it all adds to the challenge of this game. The backgrounds grow progressively more interesting. Big bubbles that move across the screen and dark, creepy clouds. It's all quite graphically pleasing.

PBM is een erg leuk spel. Een beetje van het kaliber Tetris, en dus enorm verslavend. Het verschilt weinig van de eerder genoemde varianten, maar als de Neo Geo Pocket je eerste spelcomputer is, dan mag deze game niet in je collectie ontbreken!

With great gameplay and the excellent 2 player mode, this game is just a true classic and everyone should have a go at it at least once.

Bust-A-Move is definitely a game that you'll want if you own this portable. As enjoyable as any other puzzle game, Bust-A-Move has the kind of replay value that made Tetris the classic that it is.

The move-and-shoot controls are very responsive and the simple visuals and music are well done. This is one puzzler that isn't a bust.

Bust-A-Moe is a thoroughly enjoyable and incredibly addictive puzzle game that relies on reflexes and timing. It takes a while to get used to the ricochet effect, but once that's down, it's solid gameplay. The Two-player Mode really shines (especially where one player can be handicapped) and the one-player game is also a challenge. This is a game that relies more on solid play than flashy graphics and effects. (The Bubble Bobble characters at the bottom are adorable).

Honestly, though, the only real challenge I found was going for the record, otherwise, the game gets old pretty fast.

Puzzle Bobble is a great game that easily accessible to anyone. It has the easy-to-learn, hard-to-master quality that makes the game very addictive. Puzzle Bobble is a bit lacking in the graphics and music department, but that isn’t that uncommon in the puzzle genre. The game is easily obtainable for a reasonable price, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Na gut, den Oskar für innovative und abwechslungsreiche Grafik oder tollen Sound kann Puzzle Bobble nicht für sich beanspruchen. Am Spielprinzip gibt jedoch nichts zu mäkeln: einfach, aber durchaus mit einigen Zutaten in Richtung Suchtspiel.

If you're really into puzzlers, you might want to give Bust-A-Move a rental test drive. Better yet, dust off your NES and take Bubby and Bobby through some Bubble Bobble, a game with the durability that this one's missing.

Overall, Bust-A-Move suits well on the Game Gear. The graphics are crisp and clear, the sound is decent and the control is good. Even the tiny dinosaurs of everyone's favorite Bubble Bobble adventure are in it. Unfortunately the gameplay doesn't live up to the excellent presentation, which makes this one of those bubbling games that doesn't last for very long.

Zut alors, Puzzle Bobble VS avait tout pour plaire (un design mignon comme tout et un principe qui a fait ses preuves) mais la durée de vie du soft de Taito étant bien trop faible, la partie technique en deçà de ce qu'on pouvait attendre et le mode multijoueur n'emballant guère, vous pousserez un gros bâillement en passant devant le rayon de votre revendeur préféré où le titre trônera magistralement.

Gamers can argue about the titles that critics and their friends say they should buy, but is there ever an argument when it comes to the titles that you should stay away from? Advice like this is given for a reason, and it's something I have not had to say about any other N-Gage title. Puzzle Bobble VS is not super-fun, it's super-boring. Soporific, if you will. It's not even a little fun in the beginning. And if you stick it out, guess what? It doesn't get any better.

It's a shame that Puzzle Bobble VS turned out the way it did, because it would have been a great addition to the N-Gage library if it had resembled the popular arcade version. In the end, we can't bring ourselves to even recommend it as a rental; it's much too frustrating (and eye-straining) to subject others to its blur of near identical bubbles, and snore-inducing pace. Stay away, for your optometrist's sake.

The N-Gage needs Puzzle Bobble VS as a launch title about as much as anyone needs to play it. The game itself has little that gamers can't find elsewhere, with far less trouble per bubble. Even if it does offer decent multiplayer, that would require gamers to find three friends who all have 20/20 vision and unlimited patience. Much luck with that.

Unfortunately the gameplay is Puzzle Bobble has slowed to a crawl. The arrow that shoots out the balls and the speed of the balls reaching the top of the screen is painfully slow. At times it can take up to three seconds for a ball to reach the top of the screen. This is a stark contrast to the almost instantaneous shooting seen in most versions of the game. The music doesn't help the game either. Each mode offers the same classic Puzzle Bubble song - but with the first 10 seconds of it looped. After hearing whole soundtracks in Tony Hawk on N-Gage there's absolutely no reason for this title not to include various, whole tunes. Puzzle Bobble Vs. may be the weakest version yet. It does offer the same action - just slowed down in half and matched with looped music.

There really isn't much to say about Puzzle Bobble VS other than that it is a complete and utter mess. Puzzle Bobble seems to be one of those games that would be incredibly difficult to mess up, but the N-Gage version of the game proves that even the simplest and most street-tested gameplay concept can be ruined by a few key oversights. These oversights make Puzzle Bobble VS an awful product that isn't worth your time or money.