Bubble Bobble was a fantastic game on NES. It introduced a creative blend of puzzle solving mixed with a touch of action. The co-op feature was also ahead of its time. But throughout the years, spin offs (Bust-A-Move) and sequels have been produced for other gaming systems ever since its NES debut. The newest version, Bubble Bobble Revolution on DS, is actually one of the worst remakes of Bubble Bobble ever.
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Revolution actually has two forms of gameplay, an Updated Version and the Classic version. Before the Updated version can be understood, it is probably best to describe the Classic version.
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In the classic mode, the NES version of Bubble Bobble has been ported over to the DS. The goal of the game is simple: trap enemies in bubbles, then pop them. The player takes control of a small brightly colored dinosaur, Bub or Bob. What makes these dinos unique is the ability to shoot bubbles out of their mouth. This functions as both a form of attack and a mode of transportation. These tiny dinos can then bounce on their spherical saliva to reach new heights.
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The truth is, Classic Mode is the best part of Revolution. It is the same game that you grew up playing on NES. But at the same time, it is also quite lacking because it lacks features that other remakes have. The biggest disappointment is the multiplayer function. Bubble Bobble is best played with two players. Yes, this DS version supports two player co-op, but each player needs a copy of the game. There is absolutely no reason why a single card function was not included. The remake on GBA had a single pak link mode. It was rather limiting, letting only two players to play through a handful of levels, but there was a single pak mode nonetheless. The DS has a lot more processing power and RAM than the GBA, so not having at least a trial single card link mode is entirely unacceptable.
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If you are feeling brave enough, players will want to see what this new Updated version of Bubble Bobble is all about. Unfortunately, by the end of level 1, it is not hard to see why this updated version should never have been created.
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The Updated version looks and plays like the classic version, but the game is spread through both the top and bottom screens of the DS. Unfortunately, this causes an awkward transition when traveling between the two screens. Just about every enemy now shoots projectiles, which highly increases the game’s difficulty. But it would not be so bad if the enemies were not constantly shooting one projectile after another. And to make matters even more frustrating, these bullets bounce off the side of the screen several times before they magically disappear. Not only will the player get shot from off screen, there is also no way to judge or anticipate an incoming projectile, partially due to the fact that the screen is closely zoomed in. If there is one video game flaw that should have died in the 80s, it would be the unfairness of getting shot from off screen in a 2D platformer, a feature that this game has in spades.
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New to the Updated version, the player now has health bar in addition to multiple lives. But because the game’s difficulty is entirely unfair, I guarantee the average player will not complete more than three levels without continuing.
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Adding something slightly new to the updated version is the ability to hold down the bubble button to make a big super bubble. While making a big bubble sounds cool and seems like it could add a lot to the simplistic gameplay, it really does not. In fact, it doesn’t add anything at all. You shoot a big bubble. Big deal. It still has the same effect as a normal bubble. The only difference being if you shoot it when you are standing right next to a wall, you will get trapped in your own mouth waste, which sends you rolling like a snowball down an avalanche, killing any enemies that happen to cross your path. But because many levels have bumps and vertical walls, the usefulness of this feature is minimal.
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The only other gameplay element that is new to the updated version is the ability to make a ghost dino to swap places with. Once a specific bubble is popped, an alter ego will appear on the opposite screen. If a shoulder button is tapped, the player instantly trades places with this ghost dino. Instead of making the game cooler, this feature is actually more awkward than anything. This is due to the fact that when the player jumps from the bottom screen to the top screen, so does the ghost dino. It just doesn’t look right and will actually confuse the player as to which character is the real one.
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Unlike in the classic mode, the player can essentially take as much time as they want to complete each level. In classic mode, if you take too much time, an unbeatable enemy will appear and eventually hunt you down. This is not the case in the updated mode. When too much time has been taken, the enemies just get madder, turn red and move faster. Due to some level design, it is very possible to hide in a corner forever, never coming close to danger. This also throws off the entire balance of the game.
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Not to beat around the bush, but the Updated mode totally sucks. If this mode’s horribly unbalanced gameplay was not enough incentive to put the game away forever, then I promise the first boss battle will. This boss battle is so frustratingly hard, players will never want to put this game near their DS system again.
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The Updated version contains no co-op function! It only has some crappy Vs mode that no one cares about. And just like the Classic mode, all players will need a copy of the game to play Vs mode in the updated version. Again, the game does not exactly push the boundaries of the DS to the limit, so there is no reason why a single card link function was not included.
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A simple Balloon Bubble mini game can be unlocked, but most players will sell this game back to GameStop before it even comes close to being unlocked.
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The graphics in the updated version will only confuse the player. The background contains a fair about of the detail, but often blends too much with the elements in the foreground. And when playing classic mode, there is absolutely no use of the top screen. It just displays the Bubble Bobble logo, incase you forgot what game you were playing. The game’s musical theme is catchy and stands out today as one of the more recognizable video game tunes, but it is repeated much too often, especially in the updated version. The sound will be turned off by level 3.
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But one feature that I want to specifically highlight and make fun of, is the intro movie when the game first boots up. This is probably the worst intro I have ever seen in gaming. I was actually laughing out loud the first time I saw it. From this first impression of the game, it is not hard to see the low production values.
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Bubble Bobble Revolution is not a good game by any means. The updated version is horribly unbalanced and way too difficult to be enjoyed. The Classic mode is the best part of this game, but the lack of single card link is a major disappointment. Even gamers who are big fans of the series should stay away from this game.
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But this game is better than the pseudo sequel, Rainbow Islands Revolution DS, which isn’t exactly saying much.