If you're looking for a good game to pass the time between now and the big fall push, this is certainly a good place to start. Yeah, it could have been better, but what's here is well worth the price of $29.99, and puzzle fan or no, you'll have a blast with this one. When all is said and done, Bust-a-Move 4 is just a whole lot of fun. The characters themselves are also all really well done, despite the presence of a flaming Jar-Jar Binks wanna-be, and even the cutesy music helps get you in the mood. Each bubble has its own effect, and despite some slowdown (which almost seem intentional), the individual character effects when clearing a group of bubbles can be really awesome. That is a promise.), this game truly is a visual treat. Visually, despite the fact that the game is still basically the same title it has always been, there are lots of bells and whistles in this year's rendition, and despite having to do a swap to enjoy them on my VGA box ( Damnit Acclaim, if you ship F355 without support, we will rise up and unleash the fury of hell.

That frustrating point aside, Taito seemed to get the presentation down pat. Acclaim, give me a four player, 'Net friendly version in time for the Holidays and I promise not to take you off my Christmas card list. For such a fun multi-player game, I have to say the Mutli-player set-up in BAM4 is extremely lacking when you look at what could have been. Not only that, but a game like this is begging for Online play, and alas, we get no such love (Thank you, SegaNet.*Sigh*). I mean, it isn't like the Dreamcast is sweating this level of detail, or anything, and with four controller ports, this sort of omission is really kind of foolish. Multi-player is also a heap of fun, though I have to say that I am pretty friggin' amazed that after enjoying a four-player version on the Nintendo 64 that this year's rendition is limited to a 2-player affair.

We could have stood to see some analog support on or DC pad, but it hardly takes away from the experience. Mastering moves such as the 'bank shot,' chains, and last-minute saves can prove tyo be incredibly rewarding, and with all the game play modes they've included (man, there is a ton to do here), this is a puzzle fan's dream. Each character has their own set of combos, and different special pieces that they can throw at you, which really helps add to the game's replay value and level of strategy, as each game is a totally different experience. In the versus game, as you drop bubbles, you throw 'combos' at your opponent, and that is when the fun really starts.Īs usual, the gameplay is incredible. Anything below this chain that isn't touching something else will come crashing down when you bust a chain. In case you don't know, Bust-a-Move 4 is the latest in a long line of super-cute puzzlers that focus on popping a dropping a sequence of random colored bubbles that burst when three or more of the same color are touching.

Bust a move 4 lore