Super Puzzle Bobble
A Puzzle Bobble series entry with no arcade release.
Super Puzzle Bobble, released as Super Bust-A-Move in Europe and North America, is a puzzle video game in the Puzzle Bobble series. Developed by Taito, it was released on November 27, 2000 by Acclaim Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, and later ported to Windows, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube. It is the first mainstream game in the series not to see an arcade release.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Taito; Altron (GBA version)
- Series
- Puzzle Bobble
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- PlayStation 2
- Windows
- Game Boy Advance
- GameCube
- Mobile phone
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Super Puzzle Bobble plays like earlier series entries but upgrades the look and sound, introduces a fresh art style, and swaps in new characters. Modes include single player, training, computer competition, and two-player versus. New additions are oversized bubbles and a cooperative two-player mode for clearing stages together. The GameCube All-Stars version adds four-player play and a Shoot Bubble mode inspired by Space Invaders.
Promotion
The game was showcased at the February 1999 AOU Amusement Expo in Japan. The original PlayStation 2 version in North America and Europe featured cover art with a photorealistic baby wearing shades and blowing a red bubble, which was included on a 2003 GameSpy list of the Top Ten Worst Covers. Later releases, including the GameCube version, used cover art featuring the game's core cast of playable characters.
Reception
The PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance versions received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic, while Bust-A-Move 3000 received mixed reviews. Famitsu scored the PS2 version 28 out of 40, the Game Boy Advance version 24 out of 40, and the All-Stars edition 26 out of 40. Ryan Davis of GameSpot praised the PS2 version's graphics and sound as the best in the series to date, but called its gameplay stripped-down and missing features from Bust-a-Move 4. For Bust-A-Move 3000, he noted nothing new and awkward analog controls, but appreciated the multiple gameplay modes. Geraint Evans of NGC Magazine said the game was worth owning on only one console. Tom Russo of NextGen found the Japanese PS2 import disappointing and no different from the original game. Human Tornado of GamePro called the PS2 version the best puzzle game for the system almost by default, while Uncle Dust of GamePro noted that the PS2's backward compatibility made the new version less compelling. The PlayStation 2 version was a runner-up for Puzzle Game of 2000 in Editors' Choice at IGN's Best of 2000 Awards for PlayStation 2, and won the same award in Readers' Choice.
More in Taito Games of the 2000s
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