Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Highly addictive"

Pop
Nintendo Wii Ware

Nintendo's Wii Ware service was launched on May 12, 2008. A service in which small budget developers can make an unique and original game for the Wii.

Australian developer Nnooo's Pop game was one of the Launch Titles for the Wii Ware Service. Pop is an easy to learn but hard to put down Puzzle game.

Graphics --- There's not much to say about the graphics, what I can say is the back ground colors to not compromise the game play.

Sound --- Pop offer a very tranquil music. The "bubble popping" and "bonb exploding" doesn't over power the background music and fits the tranquil setting.

Controls --- After a few Waves of Bubbles you finger will get tired from mashing the "A" button, and thats when you switch to the "B".

Game Play --- The only objective of this game is to pop bubbles to earn points and add time to the clock. The easiest way to get the most point is to pop the same color bubble over and over, this is called a chain, the more bubbles in the chain the more points.

Pop's unique power ups will help you in the beginning of the game and cause you to lose the game towards the end.

Power Ups:
Pump Up – You grab and hold a bubble with the "A" button and shake the Wii-mote up and down until the bubble reaches it's max, then release the "A" button and the bubble pops and pops ala the bubbles of the same color forming a chain.
Nuke Bubble – Works the same way as the pump, but with out pumping the bubble.
Grow Bubble – Makes your cursor larger, thus making the smaller bubbles easier to pop.
Warp Bubble – The warp bubble slows down time and makes the bubbles move slow. This power up will stun your opponent in co-op mode
Shock bubble – Electrifies your cursor and stuns your opponent if you or if they touch your cursor
Torch Bubble – The screen will turn black and lights up your cusor.
Skull Bubble – This is the only power Down in the game, and it works the same way if you miss, you will break any chain you have and lose three seconds off the clock.

The way points and time is distributed is brilliant (little bubble give you more points but less time, big bubbles give you less points but more time), and will make players choose a strategy for the beginning and an entirely new strategy towards the end of the game.

There is a co-op mode for Pop. The co-op mode offers two new power ups that will effect your opponent. While in the co-op mode You and your opponent share the timer.

You will want to keep playing Pop because of the On-Line score board because you'll be fighting for the number one position.

My Opinion --- The one complaint I have with this game is the co-op. You share the same screen and the same timer, this means when your opponent misses you too will lose the three seconds. After two or three rounds of co-op it gets boring.

If your looking for a long lasting puzzle game for a great value then download Pop.