bust-a-move
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TUAW's Daily App: Captain Puzzle
Captain Puzzle is a colorful puzzle game in the vein of Bust a Move (which itself is on the App Store, by the way) and Snood (ditto). As Captain Puzzle, you throw little colored balls at similarly colored villains; when you are able to get three of the same color touching, they'll disappear and give you points. The 50 levels are set up Angry Birds-style, with each level requiring you to chase down three stars, challenging you to collect them all as you play along. The game offers both OpenFeint and Game Center integration, but unfortunately, there's just the one mode to play through; it'd be nice to see an endless mode or even a multiplayer mode added in eventually. But the basic gameplay is there, with some fun objective-based twists on the old Snood gameplay. The superhero theme makes for some fun graphics and nice music. Captain Puzzle is available on the App Store now, on the iPhone for US$0.99.
Bust a Move goes 3D with 'gimmick bubbles' on 3DS
Following Nintendo's announcement of Japanese launch details for the 3DS, Square Enix announced a new version of its venerable Bust a Move/Puzzle Bobble franchise, called Tobidasu! Puzzle Bobble 3D ("Jump Out! Puzzle Bobble 3D") In addition to the normal match-three gameplay, the 3DS puzzler includes "gimmick bubbles," which will involve the third dimension in some way. How that will work has yet to be announced, but we suspect the "gimmick" label will prove quite accurate. Puzzle Bobble 3D will jump into Japanese retail this spring.
Taito iPhone games on sale for the holidays
Taito is celebrating the success of its iPhone games in the best possible way: by making some of them cheaper. The Square Enix-owned publisher announced that its lineup of iPhone games appeared in Apple's "Rewind 2009" lists for 65 different regional App Stores, and that it's temporarily discounting Cooking Mama and Bust-a-Move to mark the occasion. Cooking Mama is $3.99 for the first 50,000 people who download it, or until January 4 (whichever comes first). Bust-a-Move is just $2.99 from now until January 4. Taito also alerted us to new in-app purchases for that game, consisting of a new two-player cooperative mode and four additional 50-stage packs.
Puzzle Bobble Live busts a move onto XBLA in Japan
We knew that an Xbox Live Arcade Bust-a-Move/Puzzle Bobble game was coming -- both from an ESRB rating and the fact that the WiiWare version is already out -- but today, Taito officially revealed Puzzle Bobble Live for XBLA. It looks identical to the Wii's Bust-a-Move Plus, with the exception of online play, and the use of Avatars in Endless Mode. The game will have the same extra DLC; three stage packs containing stages from previous Puzzle Bobble games.Puzzle Bobble Live will be out September 30 in Japan for 800. Taito had no comment about North American or European releases.%Gallery-71701%
Space Invaders, Bust-a-Move headed to Blackberry
We won't feign ignorance to the fact that the iPhone isn't the only mobile device on the market with a growing game library. Taito seems to agree, refusing to leave Blackberry users in the dark for new gaming content. The classic game dev has revealed two of its prized licenses -- Space Invaders and Bust-a-Move -- are now available for the working man/woman's mobile device. Each title is available for $4.99 and features two control schemes: Touch screen control and using the device's keys. So, the next time you spot a frustrated business person in public eyeballing a Blackberry, just assume they're trying to beat a high score and not doing real work.
Snood Redood coming to the iPhone
Fortunately, World of Warcraft didn't exist while I was in school, otherwise I might not have finished my venerable BS degree at the storied Ithaca College at all. But if there was one game that almost kept me from finishing all of those essays and homework... well, it was Civ. But if there were two games, the second was Snood. And now that game is due in iPhone form soon as well. It features the same creature-matching gameplay (with both new and old graphics, as you can see above), which means it probably has the same addictive quality that kept me playing long after I was supposed to have read those excerpts the professor gave to us in English class, and three gameplay modes, including Story, Classic, and even a Time Attack mode. "Coming soon" is the word on when it'll be out, though the main webpage actually says "play now," so it probably isn't that far off. It's not the only "Bust a Move" style game out on the App Store, but it is Snood, and that itself is enough to take me back to the days of pizza and beer in the dorm room.
Bust-a-Move Live! pops onto ESRB
Good news, puzzle poppers, an Xbox 360 listing for a new Bust-a-Move title has been spotted on the ESRB database by Siliconera. The new entry in the bubble-popping puzzle series is entitled Bust-a-Move Live! and ... we don't know much else about it. Given that it's on Xbox (probably Xbox Live Arcade), we would certainly hope it contains Xbox Live play. Siliconera notes that the WiiWare release, Bust-a-Move Plus, has downloadable puzzles, so it's possible we'll see them in the Xbox release as well.Even without downloadable puzzles, Bust-a-Move is one of the better puzzle series out there, and we're glad to see it heading to Xbox 360.
Potpourrii to win the Wii pun arms race
Studio Walljump may have just announced a WiiWare puzzler with "ii" in the title, but Abstraction Games is totally going to beat them to WiiWare with their own Wii-pun-named puzzle game, Potpourrii. Potpourrii appears to be a sort of rotating Bust a Move (a new genre that we are officially naming "Gyruss-t a Move"), but with the very important addition of a crowd of garden gnomes in the periphery of the screen.According to a statement given to IGN by Abstraction, Potpourrii is set to launch this Monday, September 15. Of course, this is assuming that Nintendo allows it. Hey, pun or not, we happen to like puzzle games, and we like paying small amounts for them, so bring the WiiWare puzzlers on.
Majesco sales drop in second quarter, re-confirms DS focus
Publisher Majesco has returned from the kitchen with a piping hot plate of second quarter results. However, unlike the previous quarter's delectably sweet increases in both sales and profits, the company's second course of financials proved to be much less appetizing. For the period, Majesco announced second quarter sales of $12.8 million, down from last year's $14.6 million as well as the previous quarter's $18.7 million. Much of this decline, admits Majesco, can be blamed on the lack of key releases from company during the period, particularly from cash cows Cooking Mama and Bust-a-Move, both of which were key ingredients in Majesco's success during 2007's second quarter. However, even with a lighter wallet, the company noted that it expects to report between $53 and $58 million in revenue for fiscal 2008. The company also took the opportunity to blow kisses at Nintendo, confirming that of its upcoming lineup this year some 59 percent will be released for the DS with the remainder "almost entirely" coming to the Wii. Jeeze, guys, get a room.
ESRB rates Peggle, Bust-a-Move and Bliss Island for Xbox 360
Get ready to experience Joystiq's #8 game of the year Peggle on your Xbox 360. A search of the latest ESRB ratings revealed that casual games Peggle, Ultra Bust-a-Move and Bliss Island were all rated for Xbox 360. Now one could infer that this means the games will be XBLA titles, but they could very well be retail products and Ultra Bust-a-Move may be an Xbox Original. There is currently no release information, just that the games have been rated M ... no, kidding, they were rated E. Although that gives us the horrible idea for Peggle with adult themes and noises, perhaps with the orange pegs being cherries -- think about it.[Update: Peggle has been confirmed for XBLA.]
Are the criteria for good games changing with the audience?
GameSetWatch had an interesting discussion post up today about review scores and their utility for mainstream gamers. This especially applies to Wii games, for which the "mainstream" is significantly more mainstream, consisting of a lot of new gamers with totally different expectations for a good game.Reviews tend to be written by jerks like me who have been playing games every day for 20+ years and expect not only innovation, but quality relative to that whole history of gaming. We may require a lot more out of our games: replayability, novelty, graphics, etc. More casual gamers, on the other hand, don't care about the same things we do. They just want a fun game, whether it's nice looking, short, or even licensed. Easily-understood controls and goals seem to be of utmost importance. Seemingly, so does a basis in real-world activities, like, for example, Carnival Games. So do our reviews, written as they are from our own perspectives, really serve the expanded Wii audience? And how do we tailor our impressions to their needs? What is even more interesting to us than that aspect of the discussion is that even within "casual" games, what we see as a bad game often becomes very popular. The balancing act for reviewers is to make sure we judge casual games accurately as casual games, and try to realistically gauge whether the problems we have with them would be problems for, say, Grandma. Long-standing series are an interesting issue, as brought up by Simon Carless in regards to Bust-a-Move Bash! Is it a bad game because it fails to improve upon previous games? If so, that realistically would not matter to someone who just got their first game system. The Wii was the highest-reviewed console of the year according to customer reviews aggregated by Reevoo. Compare that to every games-of-the-year list you've seen on any multiplatform site to get an idea of the disconnect between reviewer and fan opinions.
Minigames strike again: Taito's Furufuru Park
Wii players in Japan will have a shot at another minigame collection this April, when Taito releases their Furufuru Park. It will feature scaled-down dating games, adventure games, 3D fighting, and even a mech game set in the year 20XX. If the idea of yet another disc of minigames doesn't grab you, then the cast of characters, pulled from Taito classics like Bubble Bobble, Arkanoid, Sonic Blast Man, and even the recent DS release Mawasunda!! might. And if the mention of Sonic Blast Man actually piqued your interest, then we are very concerned about the apparent theft of our identities. Check after the post break to see some mini-screens of the minigames in mini-action, and check the homepage to see... the box art and not much else. [Via GAME Watch]
Eye-popping Bust-A-Move Bash! screens
By that, we mean they're bright. And colorful. And all sort of the same. But hey, that's the downfall of all puzzle games -- not a lot of variety when it comes to the screens. When it comes to gameplay, however, all that matters is the sweet, sweet puzzle action -- and the Bust-A-Move franchise promises to deliver that to the Wii next year.There are a few more screens, complete with the beautiful IGN watermark, tucked away after the jump.
Majesco bursts onto Wii with Bust-a-Move Bash!
If ever there was an appropriate time to usher in another Bust-a-Move sequel, it's now -- or rather, early next year.Killer app this is not, but Majesco's Bust-A-Move Bash! should be perfectly suited for Wii's motion-controlled simplicity. Toss in an 8-player every Bub n' Bob for itself mode -- we assume this means online compatibility -- and Blast has got the fixin's for a worthwhile diversion. Fingers crossed for a budget price.
Deal of the Day: Bust-A-Move Deluxe $10 at Circuit City
I've had a soft spot for the Bust-A-Move series ever since I fell in love with it on the Sega Saturn, so it really made my day when I saw that Circuit City is selling Bust-A-Move Deluxe for only $10.The deal is good in-store or at Circuitcity.com, however, it's currently showing out of stock on the website.Deluxe has a 73 percent Gamerankings score and includes new characters, a new Ghost mode and has more than 1,000 puzzles. I haven't had a chance to play it, but with this amazing deal, it's just too good to pass up.[Via Cheapassgamer - Registration required]
Majesco plays it COOL with Wii support
Amidst their not-as-dismal-as-last-year's Q3 earnings report, Edison, NJ-based Majesco announced their intentions to support Nintendo's Wii console, which they consider in line with their revamped strategy to give up the glitz and glamor of AAA titles in favor of budget software publishing. Following last year's Q3 loss of $37.5mln, this Q3's net loss of $724,000 barely registers on the meter. So the question Majesco has to answer is, if people won't buy Advent Rising or Psychonauts, what will they buy? How about Bust-a-Move Revolution, an update of the popular bubble popping series coming to the Wii early 2007. They've been buying it for years, what's to stop them for doing so again (now with more bubbles!)How's their revised strategy working out thus far? In his analysis of Majesco's earnings report, Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter writes, "Although the results posted the last three quarters show significant progress, Majesco still is short of cash and may face an uphill battle in its return to profitability. We believe that there is potential for further improvement in revenues, and should the company be able to maintain its current cost structure, we believe it is possible that it will return to profitability sometime next year." Just so long as they don't release any more JAWS Unleashed games. We don't care if it did experience stronger than expected sales.The Majesco affair: Majesco on ropes, investor threatens hostile takeover Majesco sells off The Darkness and Ghost Rider licenses Majesco cancels Taxi Driver and Demonik; moves to only sell budget and handheld games in the future More on Majesco's fall from grace Majesco may not go belly up after all!
