Super Puzzle Bobble

Super Puzzle Bobble (スーパーパズルボブル, Sūpā Pazuru Boburu), released as Super Bust-A-Move in Europe and North America, is a puzzle video game in the Puzzle Bobble series. It was developed by Taito, and released on November 27, 2000 by Acclaim Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, and by CyberFront and EON Digital Entertainment for Windows in 2001. It was later ported to the Game Boy Advance that same year, the Japanese version under the name Super Puzzle Bobble Advance (スーパーパズルボブルアドバンス, Sūpā Pazuru Boburu Adobansu). It was re-released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 in 2004 as part of Super Puzzle Bobble DX (スーパーパズルボブルDX, Sūpā Pazuru Boburu DX) (along with its sequel, Super Puzzle Bobble 2), which is Volume 62 of the Japan-exclusive Simple 2000 Series. This compilation includes a few graphical enhancements.

Super Puzzle Bobble
Japanese PlayStation 2 cover art
Developer(s)Taito
Altron (GBA version)
Publisher(s)
Taito
  • PlayStation 2
    Game Boy Advance
    Windows
    GameCube
    • JP: Taito
    • WW: Ubi Soft
SeriesPuzzle Bobble
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Windows
Game Boy Advance
GameCube
Mobile phone
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • JP: September 28, 2000
  • NA: November 27, 2000[1]
  • PAL: December 15, 2000
Windows
  • JP: September 7, 2001
  • NA: October 19, 2001
Game Boy Advance
  • NA: November 7, 2001[2]
  • PAL: November 30, 2001
  • JP: December 21, 2001
GameCube
  • NA: February 12, 2003[3]
  • JP: February 27, 2003
  • EU: September 5, 2003
Mobile
December 11, 2004
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Super Puzzle Bobble was ported to the GameCube in 2003, under the name of Super Puzzle Bobble All-Stars (スーパーパズルボブル オールスターズ, Sūpā Pazuru Boburu Ōru Sutāzu) in Japan, Super Bust-A-Move All-Stars in Europe, and Bust-A-Move 3000 in North America. The game is a direct port, except for the inclusion of new backgrounds and remixed music. It also features new box artwork, more in line with the in-game artwork.

It is the first mainstream game in the series not to see an arcade release, although there is an arcade game with the same title, which is a completely different game to this one.

Gameplay

Super Puzzle Bobble gameplay is essentially the same as the rest of the series. It bestows some audiovisual improvements, adds and removes gameplay elements, adds a new art style, and adds a new character roster. It has single player, training, computer competition, and two player competition modes. New to this game are large-sized bubbles and a two player cooperation mode, in which players work together to solve a stage.[4]

The GameCube All-Stars version has a four player option and a Space Invaders-style mode called "Shoot Bubble".[5]

Promotion

The game was showcased at the February 1999 AOU Amusement Expo in Japan.[6]

Reception

The PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance versions received "generally favorable reviews", while Bust-A-Move 3000 received "mixed" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3][7][8] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40 for the PS2 version,[16] 24 out of 40 for the Game Boy Advance version,[14] and 26 out of 40 for the All-Stars edition.[15]

Ryan Davis of GameSpot said the PS2 version has the best graphics and sound of the series to date, "with extraordinarily sharp 2D graphics and a healthy amount of visual splendor", but that its gameplay represents an "incredibly stripped-down" disappointment to the series which "brings virtually nothing new to the franchise" and is missing a lot of features from the previous year's Bust-a-Move 4.[23] As for BAM3000, there was nothing new and the analog controls were awkward, but the multiple gameplay modes kept players happy.[22] Geraint Evans of NGC Magazine regarded the game as worth owning, but only on one console.[5] Tom Russo of NextGen found the Japanese PS2 import a bit disappointing and no different from the original game.[28]

The PlayStation 2 version was a runner-up for "Puzzle Game of 2000" in Editors' Choice, but won the same award in Readers' Choice at IGN's Best of 2000 Awards for PlayStation 2.[32]

Notes
  1. Three critics of GameFan gave the Japanese PlayStation 2 import each a score of 89, 82, and 79.

References
  1. "Acclaim Entertainment Ships First Title For PlayStation® 2 Computer Entertainment System". Acclaim Entertainment. November 27, 2000. Archived from the original on August 26, 2004. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  2. "Gameshark Calendar". GameShark. IGN Entertainment. November 2001. p. 14.
  3. "Bust-A-Move 3000 for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  4. "Taito goes by the Competition". Gamers' Republic. No. 12. Millenium Publications. May 1999. p. 34.
  5. Evans, Geraint (January 2004). "Super Bust-A-Move All Stars". NGC Magazine. No. 89. Future plc. p. 50.
  6. "AOU Show Preview". Gamers' Republic. No. 11. Millenium Publications. April 1999. p. 11.
  7. "Super Bust-A-Move for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  8. "Super Bust-A-Move for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  9. Miller, Skyler. "Super Bust-A-Move (GBA) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  10. Marriott, Scott Alan. "Bust-A-Move 3000 - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  11. Thompson, Jon. "Super Bust-A-Move (PS2) - Review". AllGame. All Media Netwotrk. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  12. MacDonald, Mark (February 2001). "Super Bust-A-Move (PS2) [console mislabeled as "PS"]". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 139. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 11, 2001. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  13. Burnham, Van (January 10, 2001). "Super Bust-A-Move (PS2)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions, Inc. Archived from the original on June 22, 2002. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  14. "スーパーパズルボブルアドバンス". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  15. "スーパーパズルボブル オールスターズ". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  16. "スーパーパズルボブル". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  17. Leeper, Justin (February 2002). "Super Bust A Move [sic] (GBA)". Game Informer. No. 106. FuncoLand. p. 100. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  18. Helgeson, Matt (November 2000). "Super Bust A Move [sic] (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 91. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  19. Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Weitzner, Jason "Fury"; Ngo, George "Eggo" (December 2000). "Super Puzzle Bobble [Import] (PS2)". GameFan. Vol. 8, no. 12. BPA International. p. 26. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  20. Human Tornado (December 4, 2000). "Super Bust-A-Move Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 17, 2005. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  21. Provo, Frank (November 26, 2001). "Super Bust-A-Move Review (GBA) [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  22. Davis, Ryan (April 21, 2003). "Bust-A-Move 3000 Review". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  23. Davis, Ryan (November 30, 2000). "Super Bust-A-Move Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  24. Bedigian, Louis (December 14, 2001). "Suuper Bust-A-Move (GBA)". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 1, 2005. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  25. Snackdawg (February 6, 2001). "Super Bust-A-Move (PS2)". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 4, 2005. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  26. Harris, Craig (December 4, 2001). "Super Bust-A-Move (GBA)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  27. Perry, Douglass C. (December 6, 2000). "Super Bust-A-Move (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  28. Russo, Tom (December 2000). "Super Puzzle Bobble (PS2; JP Import)". Next Generation. No. 72. Imagine Media. p. 105.
  29. "Super Bust-A-Move". Nintendo Power. Vol. 154. Nintendo of America. March 2002. p. 137.
  30. "Bust-A-Move 3000". Nintendo Power. Vol. 165. Nintendo of America. February 2003. p. 156.
  31. Kennedy, Sam (February 2001). "Super Bust-A-Move". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 41. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 18, 2001. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  32. IGN staff (January 29, 2001). "Best of 2000 Awards: Puzzle Game of 2000 (PS2)". IGN. Snowball.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2001. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
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