Bust A Move Bash has the potential to be great but the controls and lack of effort put into the game ruin the fun.
How could anyone screw up Bust a Move? I mean, the gameplay is so simple that one would assume any new edition would be a slam dunk for your house. I borrowed Bust a Move Bash from my friend Justin, thinking the same thing. I was so disappointed when I realized that this game isn't as great as it could've been.
Features
.Puzzle Mode with over 500 levels
.Shooting Mode
.Endless Mode
.Versus Mode supporting up to eight players
If you haven't played bust a move before, you basically shoot bubbles across a screen. Hitting the same colors will make them disappear, and there's a possibility for a chain reaction.
When I fired up Bust a Move Bash, I figured I was in for a treat. I was craving fast, simple puzzle action with crazy eye candy. In both figures, however, my bubbles burst. What I saw was confusing gameplay combined with bland, uninspired graphics. For one thing, you use MOTION CONTROL IN A PUZZLE GAME AS YOUR DEFAULT!!! What was Majesco thinking? The nun chuck controller is the same thing. I'm told the classic controller is the best use, but when it comes to that, you have to wonder what Majesco was on.
Speaking of control, it sucks. The motion control is sensitive and makes the games pace very slow. Why the d pad isn't used at all for controlling your arrow makes no sense.
Now for the features. The puzzle mode offers 500 different levels, which is a steal for Bust a Move fans. It's decent enough, but the controls will kill you, and it's missing a Story Mode, a key feature in most Puzzle games. The shooting mode offers a variation of colors, but it's a big mess. Surprisingly, the endless mode is the most fun. It works well, and it's easy to get in a groove. The game also supports eight player multiplayer, but having more than two players is a mess. And why do you get to use additional characters if they all offer the SAME gameplay? At least in Dr. Mario 64, it had a story mode and different enemies to keep things satisfying.
It's not all bad, though. The music is good, and the puzzle modes 500 levels will keep the BAM fan busy for a while. When you use the classic control, it makes the game much better to play, although not exactly fun. I also like the look of the cute bam characters.
The graphics suck. The characters look good, but the backgrounds look dull and plain. They do look like Kirbys Epic Yarn, but that game is FUN, and the graphics had a charm. This doesn't. The music is good, but the sound effects are goofy and hearing "Uncle!" when you lose is weird.
In conclusion, Bust A Move Bash has the potential to be great, but the controls and lack of effort put into the game ruin the fun. I was wondering why I heard so little about this game, especially since it supports eight players, but now I know. It's not garbage, but I doubt people will be entertained much by it. Good for a quick rent, but that's it.
Gameplay: 5/10: Poor controls bring down the fun
Graphics: 4/10: Characters look good, everything else doesn't.
Sound: 8/10: Music is pretty good. Sound effects are average.
Replay Value: 4/10: A few modes and eight player matchup are confusing and aren't enough to redeem Bust A Move Bash's mediocre gameplay.