Bust-A-Move Deluxe (PSP)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.4 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ryan Davis
• Reviewed on: 04/21/2006
• Released on: 04/04/2006
• Originally published on GameSpot: Bust-A-Move Deluxe (PSP) Review

It would seem that Taito has resigned itself to the fact that there's basically nothing left to do with its classic Bust-A-Move puzzle series than just bring the battle-tested formula of bouncy, colored bubbles and high-level guesstimation to as many platforms as humanly possible. Bust-A-Move Deluxe for the PSP is fully competent, with a fun selection of modes and a clean, straightforward look. At a point, though, there's only so much Bust-A-Move you can play, and if you've already had your fill, this isn't going to whet your appetite all over again.

Bust-A-Move has always been one of the more flamboyant, upbeat puzzle games out there. This comes in part from its cute cast of characters and a generally sunny disposition. And though there's not a whole lot to the 2D graphics, it all looks pretty nice on the PSP's widescreen display. Bust-A-Move's aesthetic went through an intensely weird style shift a few years ago, introducing lots of unsettling characters (the chronically peptic Pukadon, anyone?), but things seem to have since settled down a bit in Deluxe, which returns to a more classic, approachable look. The soundtrack matches the optimistic tone with a handful of cheery loops, and employs the classic nerve-racking technique of speeding up the music as you push toward the edge of defeat.

A lot of Bust-A-Move's funster charm comes directly from the gameplay itself, which, since the mid-'90s, has challenged players to launch brightly colored bubbles at other brightly colored bubbles, ricocheting them off the walls of the playfield and eliminating them by landing them in groups of three or more. It has always required a lot more "feel" than most other puzzle games, and it can turn tough quickly. There are plenty of modes to play in Bust-A-Move Deluxe, either by yourself, against an AI opponent, or against a flesh-and-blood opponent with his or her own copy of the game.

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Bust-A-Move Deluxe (PSP): $10.00

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