Bust-A-Move-4

by Natsume

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000034DD1
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: December 4, 1998
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,834 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

Fans of the Bust-A-Move puzzle series can look forward to more sleepless months with Natsume's release of Bust-A-Move 4 exclusively for the PlayStation. Once more, the rotund dragons from Taito's Bubble Bobble series find themselves having to restore the color in their monochrome world and return for another round of manic bubble-bursting mayhem. The general premise of Bust-A-Move has remained the same since the game's inception on the Neo Geo back in 1993. In single-player mode, you shoot colored bubbles up into clusters of other bubbles. When a bubble makes contact with two or more bubbles of the same color, they pop. The object of each stage is to pop all bubbles before the timer reaches zero. There is a total of 640 single-player levels, which includes both the arcade and puzzle mode stages. In two-player mode, the game stacks up against the best Puzzle Fighter battles out there with both players clamoring to send patterned attacks across the screen. Since the biggest draw of the Bust-A-Move series has always been the multiplayer aspect, it's good to know that Taito has kept this portion essentially unchanged from previous installments. The dueling matches still capture the frenetic pace set by previous Bust-A-Moves. As a sequel, Bust-A-Move 4 improves on just about every aspect of the game. Returning to the kaleidoscopic spectacle are old-timers Bub and Bob, along with nine totally new characters. Similar to versus modes in other puzzle games, each character has its own strengths and weaknesses based on the type of bubble pattern the character uses to beset opponents. New devices such as pulleys and antigravity blocks have also been added to the puzzle mode and make the single-player experience much more compelling. Pulleys, for instance, add a new dimension of lovable frustration. A pulley consists of two bubble-laden anchor blocks attached to a rope; popping bubbles attached to each anchor block will cause the heavier side to fall and the lighter side to rise. The goal is to get rid of all the bubbles without having one side or the other hit the bottom. As with most puzzle games, Bust-A-Move 4 starts off tame but soon rears its rather difficult head. Other notable twists include antigravity blocks, which tug dropped bubbles back up to the cluster - you'll want to avoid them if possible. Most importantly, Bust-A-Move 4's versus engine is now equipped with the "chain reaction" system. Dropped bubbles will actually home in on other spheres of the same color and pop them, which in turn may drop other bubbles and prolong the chain reaction. With this new system, you can stage devastating combos or quickly turn the tide of victory. For those unfamiliar with chain reactions, you can disable the system. Finally, to prolong the value of Bust-A-Move 4, Taito has implemented a long-overdue level editor to be used in both single- and multiplayer fun. Levels can be transported via memory cards so you can easily bring the challenge with you. Keeping in the tradition of previous games in the series, Bust-A-Move 4 sports the same saccharine-sweet anime graphics and likeable character designs. Most of the illustrations and dialogue spoken before and after rounds of bubble battles are mind-boggling, strange, and irresistible. Bub and Bob shift between diametrically opposed emotions so that one minute they're gleeful, and the very next frame of animation finds them doleful and sad. The combination of character design and quirky characterization pushes Bub and Bob into dangerous Pikachu territory - for anyone who's slightly soft for eccentricity, be prepared to fall in love. The in-game graphics themselves are also bright and enthusiastic. Like previous Bust-A-Moves, there's graphical detail to be reaped if you take the time out to look at anything other than where the next bubble's gonna fly. The chain-reaction system also bedazzles the eyes with its impressive display of 2D love as clumps of bubbles scurry back and forth across the screen. Sound effects in Bust-A-Move 4 also match the visual charm of the game. Each character has a distinct voice - some freakier than others . The music is delightfully odd. Most of it rattles with excitement and builds up perfectly for a puzzle game. There's one song that features a chorus of prattling angelic-sounding children who repeat a chorus as tantalizing as it is hypnotic. Then again, if you've seen Bust-A-Move 3, none of this should be of any surprise. Bust-A-Move 4 is a great diversion from the serious and morose action titles so in vogue as of late. The single-player game has enough characters to achieve a high volume of replay, and for puzzle battles, the multiplayer mode stands among one of the best. Bust-A-Move 4 will be the type of game you play with your non-gaming friends, because it's got so much character and because puzzle games are always respectable. Be warned, however, Bust-A-Move 4 is also extremely addictive... ah, what the heck, indulge yourself.--Staff--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive is hardly the word, January 8, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Bust-A-Move-4 (Video Game)

Let me put it this way... I have wasted hours and hours of valuable life playing this game. Once you get the hang of it you can't stop. I don't know what it is, but once you start, you'll be playing for hours. Sometimes I have dream about those balls. The more you play, the more you'll love it. My advice: If you have better things to do (like eating or taking showers), do NOT start playing this game. You'll get hooked in no time.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addicting as ever!, December 28, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Bust-A-Move-4 (Video Game)

Bust-A-Move 4 has expanded game play over previous versions of Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble, including "Bust-A-Move '99" which is really #3 released late. In head to head mode, BAM4 has chain reactions which lets you send even more bubbles over to your opponents field. Different characters have different attack patterns (of bubbles that are sent over). Other new features are pulleys where you must balance bubbles at both ends of a rope while you get rid of bubbles; anchors which disappear after you get rid of all the bubbles stuck to it. There is a puzzle mode with plenty of regular and wide layouts. There is also a skill level mode where you do 5 screens for each level of 5 levels and you are rated on speed and skill and get a final rank. This is a great game if you like Bust-A-Move 2 but now need more variety and different characters.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars dangerously, painfully addictive, November 28, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Bust-A-Move-4 (Video Game)

the addition of chain reactions to the two-player games turns it into a whole new game. lots of familiar characters from super bubble bobble, some cool new ones too. challenge mode is great for ranking your abilities. must-have for anyone who liked any of the previous incarnations of puzzle bobble.