Game Boy Advance

Super Bust-A-Move

Despite the lack of battery save, Super Bust-a-Move is a great puzzle game for the Game Boy Advance. Its classic design returns the game to its roots, but it includes elements that make more sense than additions that were included in the series' sequels. Just train your eyes to recognize certain colors that look a bit too close to other bubble colors, and you'll have a great time with this action puzzler.

I wager that most of you reading this have played a game from this series at some point in time. I know I got started on the NEO-GEO cabinet in the arcade years ago. It's been a while since I've played, but I'm glad I have such a faithful version, and then some, that I can carry around with me even if it's just for a quick pick up and play. Even if you want to sit down and stay a while there's plenty to do with hundreds of puzzles, the new modes of play, and the two-player competitive stages.

The PlayStation 2 version drew sharp criticism for bringing nothing new to the series, but Super Bust-A-Move comes into its own on the GBA. Although it's an amalgam of older efforts and could have used a few more gameplay modes, this is the first handheld version of Bust-A-Move that's both playable and visually appealing.

Super Bust-A-Move isn't the deepest game, it isn't as innovative as Tetris Attack and it doesn't have as many modes as Tetris Worlds, but it is still an excellent game. Had I not gotten to review Super Bust-A-Move, my sister would have ran out and bought it. She loves this game, as do I, and the fact that she was willing to spend money on it proves how good it really is. Would I have purchased it? At $40, no. At $25 on sale at Target or Best Buy (assuming the game was on sale), then yes, I would have definitely purchased it. There are too many great games out there right now for me to spend forty bucks on an updated version of the same puzzler I've been playing for the past three or four years.

Nevertheless, Super Bust-a-Move holds its own as a solid GBA title for on-the-road puzzle gaming goodness. With such an incredibly long line of prequels and similar releases, it looks like Taito's in it for the long haul with this one, so pick it up today or try your best to avoid it forever. (Good luck with the latter!)

This installment does some new things (like the non-sequential path), but it's still the same ball shooting, and it's kind of hard to see. I'd rather waste my time and enjoy it, too.

Super Bust-a-Move sur Gameboy est décevant. Taito a pour je ne sais quelle raison décidé d’enlever certains éléments du jeu qui à mon avis en faisait sa force. J’espère que les prochains épisodes seront à la hauteur. En tout cas, si vous avez le choix, je vous conseille plutôt la version Playstation bien plus fun et fidèle à l’esprit sympathique qui devrait se dégager d’un tel jeu.