|
Review
Game Type: 2D Action
Your character blasts bouncing bubbles with his harpoon gun. Large
bubbles break into smaller and smaller bubbles when hit. Movement is
pretty much restricted to the ground, but some stages have ladders to
climb. There are three kinds of weapons, and other special items can be
collected.
Gameplay: 95/100
Cross Asteroids with Galaga and you wind up with one hell of an
addictive game. Buster Bros. does an excellent job of keeping the pressure
on. You spend a lot of the time retreating from an advancing tidal wave
of bubbles, only to run into a wall of them advancing from the other
direction. Then it's a moment of sheer madness as you dodge back and forth,
bubbles bouncing on both sides of you, blasting away with your harpoons and
praying you clear a path in time...
Two modes of play are available - a stage mode with different obstacle
layouts each round for those who like to explore, and panic mode (my
favorite), which simply throws wave after wave of bubbles at you without
ever letting up. This game is all tension and adrenaline.
Graphics: 80/100
The overall look of the game couldn't be much more simplistic, but it's
quite appealing. Every couple of stages you're treated to one of dozens of
backdrops depicting famous landmarks. The foreground is occupied by simple
blocks and of course the bubbles. I don't entirely like the character design
or animation but that's my only complaint. Colorful and semi-cute.
Sound: 50/100
The tunes are merely average and there aren't enough of them. The sound
effects consist entirely of high-pitched clinks and the popping sound of
the bubbles. The audio isn't annoying but it's hardly inspiring. It's a
minor gripe when the rest of the game's this good.
Overall: 90/100
Let me make it perfectly clear that this game is not for everyone. If
you can't stand cute graphics or are appalled at the fact that the
playfield doesn't even scroll, you should avoid this title. Super Buster
Bros. is for the dying breed of gamer more concerned about the adrenaline
rush than the package it's delivered in. "Non-Stop Action" has become the
marketing boys' cliche, but this game is one of the few that truly lives up
to such a description.
| 
