| Introduction
Arcade classics are generally a safe bet for conversion
to the GBA, and 'Bubble Bobble' is another in an ever-growing
list of titles to appear in handheld format. 'Bubble
Bobble' also came from Taito, who developed some of
the all-time classic games like 'Space Invaders' and
'Super Bust-A-Move'. However, the gaming community as
a whole doesn't always embrace retro, with some believing
that 'old classic' simply translates to 'tired formula'.
So are there enough cobweb-covered gamers out there
to justify this game? And will the newbies discover
for themselves just why players all over the world spent
so much time and money on this?
GamePlay
Set over 100 increasingly difficult levels, Bubble
Bobble has one of those incredibly simple game concepts:
negotiate a series of platforms, capture monsters in
a balloon and hit them with your spiky back in order
to clear each stage--yes, that's all there is to it.
The objective is to save the obligatory beautiful damsel
in distress, although just why a tiny multicolored dragon
has romantic intentions with said damsel is never completely
explained.
Anyone who's familiar with the original arcade game
will be delighted by the developer's decision to include
a two-player cooperative version. This was always the
best way to enjoy Bubble Bobble in the arcade where
you would hear a constant dialogue of 'you get that
red one at the top and I'll get this one', or words
to that effect. Even more remarkable is that it's one
of those 'boot titles' that let you to enjoy a two-player
experience from a single copy of the game. I should
also point out that those nice people at Empire actually
included a free link cable with this title in Europe
so you can jump into multi-player action almost instantly.
Controls
You can't imagine how simple the control in Bubble
Bobble is and, as a result, much of the GBA's layout
is rendered completely redundant. It's all about jumping
and firing off bubbles and simple gameplay doesn't require
complicated controls. One major difference from the
original is the inclusion of an item library, letting
you save those all-important power ups for when you
really need them, and you will in the later levels.
Graphics
Obviously this is one of the major areas where the
new version of Bubble Bobble differs significantly from
the original, and while I'd like to say it's an improvement,
various people who tried it were very split in their
opinions between the 'old' and 'new' versions. The 'old'
features visuals that were typical of the time with
large areas of black mostly due to the significantly
less powerful processors available at the time. This
presented a great opportunity to update the graphics
for the 'new' and it does appear that the developers
have built everything from the ground up. Almost every
element from the various monsters to the backgrounds
has been given a new coat of digital paint.
On the more technical side of things, the game no
longer scrolls as it did on the GBC version and the
developers have also utilized the GBA's more powerful
capabilities to produce some nice scaling effects. Overall,
there are some very pleasing enhancements, but the beauty
of 'Bubble Bobble Old & New' is if the 'new' style
isn't your thing, then keeping things just how they
were all those years ago is still an option.
Sound & Music
Although the various audio elements have been enhanced
for the 'new' version you never really played Bubble
Bobble to immerse yourself in its sound effects, and
as with most arcade titles, it's generally there as
a purely practical element to indicate a happening of
some description. The sound here is by no means poor,
but it's more functional than a game selling point.
Final Comments
Fortunately this game is just as entertaining as
you remember it and the visual enhancements do nothing
to hurt the playability. Some gamers may prefer the
'new' look, but at least you have a choice. It's also
from a time when simplicity was all-important, and games
had to be truly user-friendly to tempt an unsuspecting
public to spend lots of money in a single arcade cabinet.
Definitely a title for all those gamers who relish a
regular slice of retro heaven; it also proves to new
gamers that good ideas do indeed stand the test of time.
Arcade freaks should grab a copy today.
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