Game Details

Title: Puzzle Bobble Live! or Bust a Move Live!
Cost: 800 MS Points
Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito
Website: Xbox.com Page
Game Type: Puzzle
Multi-player: Local and Online 2 player Versus
Length: N/A

My Impressions

The original Puzzle Bobble (Bust a Move in the US & Canada) is now over 15 years old having been originally released in June 1994 and is generally regarded as a classic puzzle game. The question is does Puzzle Bobble still have what it takes to compete with the likes of Peggle and Zuma?

For anyone unfamiliar with the gameplay in Puzzle Bobble Live! it can be thought of as a cross between Peggle and Bejewelled where the aim is to shoot bubbles and when 3 (or more) bubbles of the same type match as a result they burst. In the single player game the aim is to clear  a level of all bubbles and to add to the challenge the bubbles are gradually moving down the screen and if they get too far down the screen you fail the level.

After playing the game for a short time it quickly became clear that the designers of Peggle and Zuma where probably inspired by this game, sadly for Puzzle Bobble the students have surpassed the teacher, as I found Puzzle Bobble’s gameplay to be slightly primitive in comparison to these offerings.

I also had numerous other minor complaints with the gameplay with my main one being the guide line option.  My complaint is not that it is there, but rather that if it is switched on you only have it on the first level and after you fail to clear a level in the standard single player mode.  I would have preferred to have the option to have the guide line on permanently even if it disabled some achievements as it is the type of feature that is useful when just starting out in this type of game. Another problem with the standard single player game, is that as far as I am aware there is no save or continue option meaning you have to complete a path or lose all your progress.

My frustration with the game also carried through to the CPU battle mode which seemed to lack any difficulty settings and for me winning matches was often more a matter of luck than skill. Unlike in online multiplayer where luck could play a part but I did feel that skill was a factor.

Well I would have though that except the multipalyer game has an awful “glitch” which occurs when the opponent appears to have lost the game. Rather than losing the game your opponent stays in the game with nothing happening on their screen. This then causes you to eventually lose despite being in a position where you should have won. I checked on some message boards, and this seems to be a widespread issue which I hope they fix, since at the moment it makes multiplayer pointless in terms of judging how good you are at the game

This is not the only issue with the game as one of the achievements has the wrong description which is the same as another achievement, and some of the multiplayer ones unlock early (after 3 games not 30 for the games played) or late (5 games won). These are little things but they all serve to diminish my impression of the game.

Despite this I did enjoy playing the game, and thought it worth the 800 Microsoft Points. However, Puzzle Bobble Live! is definitely a game that you should try before you buy.

My Recommendation

Consider

While a decent update of a classic game, there are now better puzzle games with a similar mechanic out there. The game also suffers from a lack of polish and a “glitch” that can render multiplayer games meaningless causing it to be a 2 star rather than a 3 star game

Screenshots

Puzzle Bobble Live!