Customer Reviews

Bust-A-Move Bash!

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I decided to pick up the Wii's bust-a-move bash, here's a quick review of the pros and cons. It offers some new control layouts, thanks to the wiimote. Most importantly, the controls work well and enhance the gameplay. The gameplay is the usual bust-a-move goodness, with some added flying saucers that offer special powers, pretty cool stuff. If you don't know the bust-a-move formula, it's an action puzzle game like tetris, where you shoot different colored bubbles upward, trying to connect 3 or more to make them disappear. It's been around for a long time, and that's because it's genuinely fun. But what i'm noticing in bust-a-move bash is how bare and empty this game feels. Even the main menu will give you an empty feeling inside, i've seen cooler menus on the nes. But the menus don't matter, it's the lack of depth to the game modes which is hurting this title. There are less then a handful of modes- the regular puzzle mode, which has tons of stages, so that's a plus. Endless mode is exactly what it sounds like, and it's always fun. Shooting mode is a super simple shooting gallery game, it really isn't very good, especially compared to the shooting games on wiiplay, wariowarez, super paper mario (all of which are vastly more enjoyable). Multiplayer is fun, but there really aren't many options to change the experience. Except for being able to determine how long you'll play against your friends, you can't really change or tweak anything, so you're left with the same experience over and over. The mutiplayer is enjoyable, don't get me wrong, it's just a bit too shallow though. You would've thought the developer could have easily added a couple extra modes, but apparently they didn't have the spare week it would have taken them. Basically to sum it up, this game is good, but it's shallow. If you're a bust-a-move fan or you want another casual game to add to your growing wii collection then go out and buy this. This is a perfect title for the wii, because it will really appeal to the non-gamers out there. For more avid gamers, you're probably better off waiting for this game to drop in price, which i'm sure will happen by years end.

Presentation - 4
If you get a 4 out of 10 on a test then your parents should spank you. This presentation pretty much sucks.
Graphics - 6
The graphics are fine considering this is bust-a-move, expect simplicity and you won't be disappointed.
Sound - 5
The music is pretty annoying, but i tend to think that about most games. May appeal to very young gamers.
Gameplay - 9
I'm gonna add a little extra umph to my gameplay score, because this really is an enjoyable experience, especially with the wiimote. Good for non-gamers too.
Lasting Appeal - 6
The gameplay itself has lots of lasting appeal, simply because it's bust-a-move. But where we should have tons of modes and options, instead we have a nearly empty desert.

OVERALL SCORE - 6.5
I would especially recommend this title for non-gamers, children, and seniors.

Sometimes, one of the most addictive ganmes for video game owners is the puzzle games. No matter how far you can get within the game, you always feel like the game has beaten you. Although it isn't a bad thing, it is absolutely fun and wild. Nevertheless, there just hasn't been as much variety lately with puzzle games. That has made it quite a drought for anyone who owns the Nintendo Wii. Although the sytem came out just last year, there are some gamers who just want more of the action on there new system. Now, a classic popping game has returned on the Wii, but can it actually stick with die hard gamers?

Bust A Move Bash! for the Nintendo Wii brings one of the most classic arcade puzzle games to new console. The game of course is as simple as it was before. You have to manuver your cannons and launch colored bubbles and drop them down to the floor. The gameplay is nothing new, as you control the directin of the launch of the bubbles with either your Wii remote, or the classic controller for the virtual console. The gameplay brings as many as 8 players to the challenge, and over 500 different levels of action. The graphics of course stand out well, but the gameplay isn't as exciting to longtime Bust A Move gamers, as you've played from other renditions of the game. Although there are some exciting challenges with the challenge of having as many eight players face-off, there really isn't anything new from the other games.

All in all, Bust A Move Bash! for the Nintendo Wii isn't a bad game, but it just doesn't feel as exciting as it was before with those who've played the earlier versions of the game. This game does feel more like it is a rental than a must buy for your Wii library. If you haven't played the game before, than you should try it out first before you've felt like popping your game away.

Graphics: B

Sound: C+

Control: B for classic controller: C+ for the Wii Remote

Fun & Enjoyment: C for solo players: C 1/2+ for multiplaer action

Overall: C 1/2+

I used to play the arcade version of Bust-a-Move for hours in the student union of my university. I played the PS2 version at a friends hours for days on end. After getting a Wii and hearing it was coming out, I immediately preordered it and waited anxiously for it to arrive.
Right out of the box I wanted to play 2 player vs. against my fiancee and we were hugely dissappointed that the 2 player game was vastly different from the previous versions, and not in a good way. The new vs system is harder to follow because all the action is taking place on one screen instead of the previous split screen. Also, there are tons of distracting UFO's flying around, giving each player different advantages.
The single player game was good and I enjoyed using the Wii controller to shoot. The control was quite intuitive but a little quirky when aiming far to either side on 'wide' boards. Occasionally, when aiming far left or right the pointer would jerk back to the center of the screen.
Overall, I'd recommend this game only if you're a die-hard Bust-a-Move fan like myself. I enjoyed playing through the 250 levels offered in about a week. But if you're looking for the intense 2-player vs of previous versions, wait until the next edition comes out.

Our family has very much enjoyed this game. It's not perfect, that's for sure, but we have found it to be highly addicting and fun for us and our two oldest kids.

First off, it's not a high end game and is probably over priced for what it is. However, it has been worth the money we've spent on it. We like to have some games for unwinding, and this is perfect for that. It doesn't require a ton of mental energy or long hours of play in order to progress somewhere. It's simply a game to plink around on and relax while doing so. My husband has enjoyed the endless, I enjoy the puzzles, and the kids enjoy the competition. It's easy enough for our 5 year to play, but challenging enough for my 9 year old to stay interested. We all agree, the shooting section is a wasted option. It's pretty much pointless.

Bust a Move does need some modifications though. If you're in the middle of a set of puzzles, there is no option to exit to the main menu without loosing a puzzle. The competitive screen is so busy it's virtually impossible to have any real strategy. It's pretty much just a shoot and see where it lands. Lastly, there seems to be some problems with the control when the bubbles are in the warning zone. It's kinda hit or miss as to whether you'll be able to aim the controls to pop the bubbles on the side. This problem seems to get worse the lower the batteries get, but will happen within 5 minutes on newly charged batteries.

It still needs some programming work, but over all, we've found it to be an addicting little game that we've all enjoyed.

We loved the N-64 version of Bust-a-Move because of the multiplayer aspect. The multiplayer in this version doesn't even come close to as much fun. The screens don't change, you only have a limited amount of time, and there are too many gimmicky space ships and special bubbles. It feels like they have reduced the playablity to throw in too much flash bang. We have found it to be fun on puzzle mode since the flash bang is reduced but you can't use the classic controller which is just annoying.

This game can be entertaining but the fun does fade quickly. We have this game and have played it a few times with both friends and in single player. The single player mode is fun and can be addictive but unfortunately there is no depth to the game play, it is exactly what it is, a ball shooting puzzle game.

When it comes to multi-player though let me tell you one thing, it's fast paced and though it can be fun there is no real skill involved. We have found that in multi-player you can get get first place half the time by just shooting randomly at the screen and no we don't just suck, we've tested this many times with many people. If you really are into games like this I say purchase if only for the single player puzzles.

One warning though, if you are "colorblind" pass this one over you'll only frustrate yourself. Though I do play this game from time to time I am colorblind and though I can do decently most of the time I get a headache because I have to concentrate a little too hard, or ask my wife what color I'm shooting =P

This game, as mentioned above, is entertaining, but it has its flaws. It is pretty much what you would expect from a Bust a Move game, shooting bubbles and blowing apart the mess of bubbles above. It's got the simple fun, and can easily be picked up and put down at any time.

However, as mentioned in previous comments, the game feels a bit shallow- it will get a bit dull pretty quickly. There is a lack of change of scenery, for one- the same background music is used level after level, as is the background for a while. Multiplayer becomes less of a "play like you'd play puzzle" and more of a "shoot all the UFOs with special items" type of game. That can be fun anyway, with all the stuff going on, especially with lots of people/computers (In other words, lots of chaos). The shooting mode is also very underdone- it's very short and doesnt have any depth to it. They could have also implemented some sort of storyline as well- it'd help to tie it all together at least a little bit, while breaking some of the monotony that builds up.

My main complaint is that of the lack of support for Gamecube controllers. It can't be that hard to program that in- ESPECIALLY since the classic controller had been implemented... So that leaves me unable to play with the family for the moment, only computers- until I get another wii mote or classic control.

At this price, it's ok, though I'd say its worth about five bucks less. I definitely wouldn't pay $50, as other games are priced. If you've got some spare cash and feel like messing around with this, sure. But don't get all eager about it, either.

This game is nothing like the arcade version. You can win with no strategy and just about by aiming at anything you want. It goes on forever, it's boring!!!

My wife and I loved playing Bust-a-Move for the Nintendo DS. We loved playing against each other. The two-player (2P) for the DS is quite awesome and very addictive.

So we had super-high hopes for Bust-A-Move on the Wii. We instantly headed straight for the 2P mode. Unfortunately we were very disappointed with the 2P action since you're both sharing the same screen. It's not the usual split-screen that nearly every other 2P game utilizes. There is just too much going on for the one screen to handle. There is little to no skill involved anymore compared to the DS version. If it were just up to the 2P version, I'd have given this game a one-star review.

However, the one-player (1P) version is actually enjoyable. Having been hugely let down by the 2P, I wasn't expecting much from the 1P. But the 1P actually delivers. It's VERY addictive. There are a TON of levels. I definitely put in a lot of hours trying to pass all of the levels. The levels are not too difficult either to the point where they become frustrating.

So overall, they got Bust-A-Move for the Wii only half-right. Had they incorporated the normal "battle" mode for the 2P, this would be a five-star game. Maybe they'll fix it for the next version, but for now, I'd say this isn't worth more than maybe 20 bucks.

This is a cute little puzzle game. It's a shame it doesn't utilize the Miis you have created on your Wii. Instead you choose from their little assortment of cute cartoon characters. It's a very minor issue. If you're playing by yourself, the game is fairly addictive and keeps you going until all you see is bubbles in your vision. The point of the game is to match the bubble colors by aiming a stationary canon back and forth and shooting colored bubbles into an array of bubbles overhead. Get 3 or more bubbles of the same color together and they disappear, giving you points. Some pool-playing bank shots off the wall come in handy to get the hard to reach bubbles. Adding to the fun are the random flying saucers that buzz by with power-ups to help you.

As fun as the solo play is, I was disappointed by the multiplayer capabilities of the game. You can only have more than one player by choosing "Versus" mode. This allows up to 8 players to simultaneous shoot bubbles and try to get the higher score. I've only played with two at once, but it's already disorienting enough. The number of power-ups seem to be more than tripled. Normally this is a good thing, but when you have more than one person shooting and causing things to happen, it gets confusing. Various power-ups cause multiple bubbles to disappear, explode or change color. There were times where there was so much going on, I wasn't sure what just happened. I kept losing because I was aiming carefully and being strategic in where I shot my bubble. When I adopted my opponent's approach of wildly shooting bubbles everywhere, I finally won a game. There's not much strategy or skill needed here, and I didn't find it all that fun. Just because you can have as many as 8 people play at once doesn't mean the game gets more fun. If it's this wild (and I mean that in a random way, not in the fun way) with just 2 players, I can't imagine more.

Another annoyance that happens a lot is the remotes seem to be unresponsive sometimes. Re-synching the remotes doesn't seem to help. I've never had this happen with any of the other games.

My conclusion? It's a fun 1-player game, especially for those who love puzzle games, but if you want a party game, this is not the right choice to make.