More than bubbles were busted in this puzzlers move to the 360
Driven by the cutting edge hardware of the NeoGeo, the original arcade version of Bust-A-Move raised the bar in the puzzle genre. The next-gen video fidelity combined with an interesting mix of color matching and shooting to spawn a series that, in its 15 years, has seen sequels across all the major platforms. As a fan of the original I have been able to watch the series evolve steadily over this period. Although the formula never strays far from its roots, there has been the occasional combo-chaining system or puzzle mode thrown in to keep things interesting. When I heard there was a new version coming to the 360 I was looking forward to see what they would do to take advantage of the latest console generation. I should have just dusted off my Dreamcast version instead.
Before even launching the game you may notice something amiss. When you hit up the Live Marketplace, 800 credits in hand, you’ll see the game advertised as ‘Bust-A-Move Live’. ‘Bust-A-Move’ is the name used in most of the English speaking world, although the original Japanese translates as ‘Puzzle Bobble’. Surprise, surprise then when, after finishing the download, you see ‘Puzzle Bobble Live’ in your ‘My Games’ list. It even says Puzzle Bobble in the preview graphic. Fire up the game and you’re treated to a title screen once again declaring the game as ‘Bust-A-Move Live’. Hardly a major issue, but this is the first sign of a lack of attention to detail that pervades every nook and cranny of the game.
If you’re like me you’re going to want to jump right into the multiplayer. The game mechanics are so simple that even if you’ve never played a Bust-A-Move game before you should find yourself lining up three of a kind and popping those bubbles like a boss in no time. Over the years I’ve had some epic matches in great puzzlers like Bust-A-Move and Puzzle Fighter. The multiplayer balance in the best of these games can see matches see-sawing for minutes on end until someone keeps up the pressure long enough to swing the battle irreversibly in their favor. Imagine my surprise then when after about 15 seconds my friend had handed me my first defeat.
“Bad Luck” I said. Although both players start with the same cluster on screen, the bubbles that each player is given as ammunition throughout the round are completely different. In this first round the result was that my opponent was able to send a pile of bubbles my way with her first few shots, immediately putting me in an insurmountable situation. Unphased, I buckled down, ready to return the favor. Another 25 seconds later and she’s won the round, 2-0. A little frustrated, I pound on the buttons so that we can go again. Imagine my surprise when, instead of being given the option for a rematch, we are thrown back out to the main menu. We have to navigate back to local play, identify the controllers we want to play with, and wait for the versus screen to load up. If player 2 clicks in before player 1 you’re going to end up playing on the wrong side of the screen, so be careful. After going through this cycle a few times I do manage to even the score up, but it feels as though I’ve spent as much time in the menus as I have playing the game.
A dozen rounds later we’re still pretty much even. Any difference in skill is mostly negated by the randomization of the bubbles. One player almost always has an immediate advantage which the other player rarely recovers from. This is great if you’re playing this game in order to make sure nobody’s feelings are hurt, but if you’re looking for solid competitive puzzle action then this is the last thing you want to see.
The rest of the game doesn’t fare much better. If you’re hoping to tweak the gameplay in the options menu, have fun with your two choices of sfx volume and bgm volume. The single player offers a few different modes including versus against the CPU, an endurance mode, and a puzzle mode that can give you a little bit of a challenge. There is net play over Xbox Live which I almost gave up on after spending a few minutes waiting for a match with no luck. The next day I did manage to find someone after a few tries, but I wouldn’t count on a steady stream of online opposition. Graphics and sound are serviceable, but aside from the higher resolution they do little to differentiate them from the original.
From start to finish it is evident that this latest version of Bust-A-Move was pushed out the door as fast as Microsoft would certify it. From the horribly imbalanced multiplayer, to the undownloadable content of ‘get the two add-on pack’ (I kid you not), Bust-A-Move Live lives up to its name: it’s busted, it moves (all over the place), and if you’re really lucky you might be able to take it online with Live. Even if you are a die-hard Bust-A-Move fan you should stay away from this version, lest it taint your memories of the better composed entries in the franchise.
