Bust-A-Move 4

"No dancing here."

The games market has been polluted with clones since its birth, ever since Space War became Computer Space. Cashing in on proven success is what it’s all about, and the fact that it requires much less work than creating an original idea from the ground up. The first sets the stones in place; the second waltzes through and reshapes them, calls it their own and reaps the benefits from it. I like to see genres evolve, but this tends to stunt them. This mitosis continues to dilute until none of the games are fun. Every “new” game becomes the last one or the one that came before that: a perpetual déjà vu. Part of enjoying games is experiencing something brand new and exciting. To put it another way, going to the movies wouldn’t be that enjoyable if every other film was the Matrix.

One of the most notorious subjects for diabolical cloning experiments has been Tetris. Even at the very beginning, everyone saw the potential of and wanted a piece of Tetris, resulting in a number of versions and legal battles over its rights. Columns and similar projects shortly followed. But no matter what was used to replace the blocks - gels, pills, gems, ghosts (irony of ironies, a Pac-Man inspired knock off) - or how slightly the game was tweaked to make it new again, the game was basically the same; the same rectangular field, the same “square” pieces. And none of them ever matched the sheer brilliance of Pajitnov’s perfect creation.

The Puzzle Bobble series, unscrupulously renamed Bust a Move (which can create quite a confusion with the other Bust a Move - genius, Acclaim), was Taito’s answer to the phenomenon. They wanted a piece of the Tetris pie just like Tengen, Sega, and countless others. Taito already had an ace in the hole with their Bubble Bobble franchise. They probably thought the series had run its course, and it was time to steer it in a more profitable direction.

A lot of people who recognize Bub and Bob, the small green and blue dinosaurs, recall with fondness their bubble-blowing journey through the mysterious cave of monsters. With that I was successfully snared in Taito’s net, always a sucker for nostalgia. In a way, it's like seeing Bub and Bob holding signs up with ''out of work, need food'' scrawled over them in crayon. How could I say no? Adding to the roster is a unique batch of characters, new and recognizable, like the cartoon-like purple whale from Bubble Bobble: Monsta. The others are even more soaked in cute juice than Bub and Bob could ever hope to be. They sprinkle cute battle cries and whimpers while winning and losing, adding more personal touch to the matches and levels than a dainty little graphic at the bottom of the screen.

In the rectangular confines (sometimes double wide), color bubbles sprout from the top of the screen like paint-splattered bubble wrap. The bubbles must be cleared as quickly as possible, lest the bulbous mass reach the bottom of the slowly sinking screen. To make them disappear, you must connect a few like-colored bubbles with well-placed shots. Usually the pieces to clear in games of the type are at the bottom of the screen and pieces fall from the top, guided by your hand. Instead, with character of choice manning the bubble cannon, you move it left and right to shoot it in a straight line or using the walls to bank shots into hard to reach nooks, reversing the procedure.

While the pieces are usually stuck at the top of the screen, some of the level designs in the arcade mode and similar single player challenges are more intricate to test your puzzle solving skills. There could be an extended string of zigzagging bubbles hanging from the roof where the requirement would be to whittle away at the top so the entire pillar goes down with it. Others can get much more complicated and difficult with special pieces like the type that change color depending on the combination matched near it. Comparing it to Puzzle Bubble, it has done a bit to diversify the formula, but that’s a three game leap and to be expected. Honestly, not much has significantly changed from one game to the next to not warrant a Capcom reputation.

Even more of an alteration than the new specialty bubbles are the pulleys on some of the more hair pulling levels. These pulleys maintain an intricate balance with the weight of bubble on each side. Toss one excess bubble on one side and it might come crashing down past the dreaded border of doom at the bottom of the screen. Their actions seem often unpredictable and with the burden of trying to knock bubbles off of each side while maintaining the precious balance, I see them as more trouble than it’s worth. It flaws aren’t just conceptual either. Sometimes the “wrong” side would lower upon placing a solitary bubble.

Another problem with the mission-oriented levels is that they require you to get the perfect draw of colored bubbles. Say you need the gray bubble to bust the bottom layer open, and you don’t get it for four or five turns. The bad luck could potentially spoil a good winning streak.

The arcade and competition modes are the main attraction for the single player, and I hate to say, but they don’t provide much lasting enjoyment. It suffers from “Tekken Syndrome,” which means the game loses it’s luster when the characters and secrets have been unlocked. The later levels are just annoying to anyone not smitten with Bust a Move, which includes myself and of course there are the horrible luck and pulley problems. Similarly, other modes like the create a level are simply throwaway additions if you aren’t in love with the game. I mean, who wants to tinker with self-made puzzles anyways?

The versus mode can make up for the single player deficiency, if you don’t already have some form of Bust a Move in your possession already. If you don’t, Bust a Move 4 is a clear winner in player-to-player combat with its introduction of chains, which toss up any extra bubbles to any like-colored exposed clusters. This can get massive clearance for you and clutter for your opponent. The “garbage blocks” are nothing new, but the excitement is unparalleled.

Like the other clones, Bust a Move never does quite match Tetris. It just doesn’t have a “marathon” type mode that Tetris has, to make it forever playable. No scores to go for, and it’s derived from that which values score over everything else! Sure, you can go for high scores in the arcade mode, but if luck of the draw isn’t on your side, that can single-handedly screw your game. In Tetris, you can deal with your “bad luck” with craftiness and a lot less hassle than Bust a Move. You can rarely smart your way out of a situation in this game. It’s as simple as getting the right pieces or watching them continue to pile up. A marksman’s aim doesn’t hurt either.

As with many of the PlayStation games ported to the Dreamcast, you won’t see much visually to get excited about. Especially seeing how this is a Tetris clone, with a few scenic pictures supplying the interior decorating and sloshing spheres overlapping it. When the characters get into a frenzy, it can get quite animated, but that also tends to slow the action down, which isn’t an equal trade-off. Not just the basics, but the presentation is seriously lacking in parts. The intermission screens look cheap, quickly thrown together and generally overlooked, where high quality character animation should be. The music evokes a similar feeling of mild indifference, with an occasional catchy melody, but overall as exciting as the level wallpaper.

In the end, this is basically Puzzle Bubble with a tweaked roster and slightly tweaked ingredients. I did get a few weeks of joy from this title, so if you still have a soft spot for the little dinosaurs and a stomach for Tetris clones, maybe you can too.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/02, Updated 02/01/02