There's a new Puzzle Bobble and it's very important ⊟

Don't just take it from me, the person who drinks coffee from a Bubble Bobble mug every morning and is on stage 1174 (oh no) of Bub's Puzzle Blast, a game I only found by accident while looking for a new Bust a Move/Puzzle Bobble.

Look at the above video, with its four-player co-op (including Story Mode), hi-res Bub, Bob, Peb, and Pab, little Miniroons, and so many bubbles. Everybubble, in fact! Puzzle Bobble Everybubble will be out on Switch next year.

New Bubble and/or Puzzle Bobble games aren't always... good, but I'm getting my hopes way up anyway. Sky high! I definitely won't survive even a slight disappointment.

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#jc #gaming #nintendo switch #bubble bobble #bust a move #puzzle bobble #Youtube

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Tiny Review: Bust-a-Move Universe

I didn't think it was even possible to make a crummy Bust-a-Move/Puzzle Bobble game. I've played a bunch of them, and they've all been, at worst, unremarkable Bust-a-Move games, but still fun.

Bust-a-Move Universe on 3DS is unremarkable at best, and kind of irritating at worst. A session of Azumanga Puzzle Daioh last weekend confirmed that I still like good Puzzle Bobble games, and that this isn't one. For one thing, that arcade game has awesome multiplayer, and Universe has no multiplayer.

Three details that are fab:

There is some really nice 2D art interspersed throughout this game. It's nice to see Bubblun and Bobblun rendered with such loving care.
The game transitions between stages really quickly.
There's a built-in achievements system, that keeps track of your bubble-popping milestones.

Four details that are butt:

The walls on the sides of the screen aren't clearly-defined vertical lines, but some kind of ornate, golden gear things that tilt into the screen. I'm guessing this is supposed to be a neat 3D thing, but it just makes it hard to tell where the boundaries actually are.
The boss battles are pretty stupid -- a bubble with an enemy in it, that you defeat by shooting "bomb" bubbles at it. Basically, if you collected enough keys in previous stages, and unlocked a rapid-fire powerup, you win; otherwise, the time runs out before you can shoot enough bubbles. Fun? Also, there are bosses. ...
The "endless mode," which constantly adds new lines of bubbles until you fail, is way too easy. I completely cleared the screen 35 times before I just stopped playing.
The controls are pretty annoying. The circle-pad controls will randomly switch direction, and both those and the D-pad controls lack precision. As usual, you can 'nudge' the cannon a bit with the shoulder buttons, but that doesn't sufficiently cover for the wild swings of the normal controls. Also, using the touchscreen just pauses the game -- there's no touch control scheme.

Score:

999 (is the game I bought after selling this on eBay).

Notes:

This review is based on a copy I purchased myself. I didn't sell a review copy on eBay. I'm not a monster.

Buy: Bust-a-Move Universe ($10 Amazon credit!)

#3ds #bust-a-move universe #gaming #jc #nintendo 3ds #tiny review #taito #puzzle bobble

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Sneak preview of Taito's Bust-a-Move for iPhone, found by Offworld. The vibrant graphics and big sprites are very impressive, but the controls concern me.

The video demonstrates two control types: "Slingshot", last seen in Bust-a-Move DS, and "Tap Shot", which is a terrible idea. Much of the challenge of Puzzle Bobble is in aiming your shots, and Tap Shot totally obviates that by letting you just point at where you want your bubbles to land.

Buy: Space Bust-A-Move ($19.99)

See also: Space Bust-A-Move trailer

#bust-a-move #iphone #puzzle bobble #taito #jc

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Space-age technology lets you try new Puzzle Bobble

www.taito.co.jp

TGS attendees reported mostly disappointment in Taito's Space Puzzle Bobble, due to the lack of new content (and also crummy touchscreen controls). However, the full game features online play and paddle controller support, neither of which were on display at TGS, and both of which make for a more than sufficient upgrade.

This demo doesn't include any of that new stuff either, but it's five levels of Puzzle Bobble for free, so yay. Also it reminded us that the game is coming out, and that we need to find a paddle controller.

[Via Siliconera]

#space puzzle bobble #puzzle bobble #paddle #taito #taito cartridge #jc

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Paddle Bobble may very well change your life

Though the Bubble Bobble series has been ill-treated on the DS -- suffering everything from terrible packaging to a game-ruining bug -- I've held onto the hope that Taito would one day release a handheld follow-up to 2002's wonderful Puzzle Bobble Online (PC).

The game had it all -- six-player online combat, cooperative mechanics, and even a chat box for griefing other PBO players. Taito's newest announced DS title, Space Puzzle Bobble, won't have all of that, but it still has some interesting features:

online multiplayer for up to four players
paddle controller support
budget price for Japan
dinosaurs in space (Dinosaucers!)

I'm pretty pumped about all of that. As for why I'm still wishing for the return of a six-year-old Puzzle Bobble game that hardly anyone remembers, there was more to PBO than just its feature list:

"I stole my first kiss from the woman I'd eventually marry [shorly after discovering] PBO. She fell asleep that night with her head on my chest, hours before I closed my own eyes.

I could see everything in my life finally coming together in bubble form. Cannons were angled, balls were shot and bounced down bends into tucked-away corners, and a burst of of confetti rained down with the cleared rows as Bub and Bob hopped up and down in victory."

That explained, enjoy some Space Puzzle Bobble screens!

#puzzle bobble #taito #puzzle bobble online #paddle #space bubble bobble