Bust-A-Move Bash! Review - Wii

Bust-a-Move Bash! transforms the solitary puzzle play of Puzzle Bobble into a eight-player free-for-all. And, since it's a game for the Wii, this update of the classic game introduces a bit of motion control to the mix. The good news for the friendless among us is that there's a substantial solo element to Bust-a-Move Bash! -- literally hundreds of levels of bubble-blasting goodness. The are some new wrinkles as well. A handful of power ups help freshen up a game that, let's be honest, has been around the block more than a couple times.

The Billion Bubble Machine

If you're a gamer, the urge to match three like objects and make them disappear has been burned into your muscle memory. Bust-a-Move Bash! doesn't do much to change the time-tested formula. There are a couple new power ups that change the behavior of your bubbles, swap colors or demolish the orbs in bunches at a time. A few features take unique advantage of the Wii. The bubble cannon aims with a tilt of the Wii remote. This control works fine in most circumstances, but gets a little janky when attempting to tilt the muzzle all the way to the left or the right. These instances usually crop up when the bubbles are getting dangerous low, so they're particularly troublesome. There's also a point and shoot mini-game that pops up ever so often, but it's paper thin. The attempt to provide a change of pace is appreciated, even if it is sort of half-assed.

Fire At Will

Adding a second player fundamentally changes the way the Bust-a-Move mechanic works. Typically a player carefully lines up shots, trying to create color matches and eventually clear the screen. Head-to-head games are a case of shoot first, ask questions later. There are so many power-ups on screen that there's never a risk of the bubbles hitting the danger zone. Instead, players rack up points for destroying jewel bubbles and compete for the largest score. The onscreen action gets really hectic when eight players start unloading their bubble ammo, but there's so little strategy involved that the outcome of every match is pretty much up in the air. This is great for casual gamers who might get a boost from haplessly winning a round, but serious types (you know who you are) are likely to find the anyone-can-win contests unappealing.

Party Foul

For a game with a name that screams “party”, Bust-a-Move Bash! Doesn't offer much to keep the gang occupied. The multi-player offering comes in just one flavor. A wider variety of games, with different goals or play styles would have gone a long way towards making it the kind of diversion that a crowd could spend the night mastering. As it stands Bust-a-Move Bash! delivers plenty of puzzle fun for the solo gamer, but just scratches the surface of the kind of depth or variety that it takes to keep a living room full of Wii-wagglers happy. Don't expect the gang to latch onto this one. Best case scenario: Bust-a-Move Bash! makes a decent palate cleanser between rounds of Wii Sports and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves.

Article by: Gus Mastrapa
Video produced by: Jonathan Solin