"The joys of the puzzle genre"

Here's a weird fact. Apparently, the arcade version of the original Bust-A-Move doesn't exist in the GameFAQs database. It was in a Neo-Geo MVS system. This doesn't go under the Neo-Geo section, because it is coin operated. It goes in the coin-op section. I see that I've bored you with my irrelevant chatter. Onto the review......

Game Play-9/10

I would've , only because it was in a Neo-Geo Multi-video system. I put a quarter in it and I pushed start, and somehow I ended up playing Metal Slug 2. The game play is simple. YOu have a marble of a particular color. You shoot it at other marbles of the same color. There are many colors of marbles on the screen at the same time. If you shoot a marble at a group of two marbles or more of the same color, the marbles pop. You must get rid of all the marbles in one level before the ceiling caves in on you. And yes, I've been really far in the game. Level 63 to be exact. The game itself has numerous amounts of puzzles to beat, eliminating every single trace of boredom to be found. Only problem is that the game is so hard, once you insert another quarter, you lose your score. And getting the high score is the main point of playing an arcade game. Street Fighter II didn't have that particuar problem.

Graphics-10/10

The graphics in this game were fluid and lively. The color in the marbles is really good. The backgrounds are great also. The detail in this game is really good. They even put reflections on the marbles.

Music-5/10

I HATE that tune. It is this already annoying tune, having played the hell out of the Super Nintendo version. This version's music is much worse. Much, much, much, much, MUCH worse.

Overall-10/10 (Not An Average)

As popular an arcade game this is, I'm very surprised that there have been no clones of Bust-A-Move yet. Except, Taito and Acclaim had to do sequel after sequel after sequel of Bust-A-Move games. The Super Nintendo, Game Gear, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Neo-Geo, Neo-Geo Pocket Color, 3DO, Playstation, Playstation 2, Nintendo 64, Saturn, Dreamcast, Wonderswan, Arcade, and Computer. This game has been done to death, buried in the ground, and has been sent to gaming heaven (The place where overeleased games go), along with Defender, Joust, Street Fighter, Shanghai, Mega Man, Double Dragon, and Shanghai.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/26/01, Updated 05/20/02