Bust-a-Move ’99 is the follow up to Bust-a-Move 2. Much like that game, Bust-a-Move ’99 was released in the arcades a few years before the N64 port. What is interesting is that the N64 version of the game was released in Europe first, and then went to North America and Japan.
Taito and Acclaim were doing some odd things with this series. So far, these games were released in the arcades in 1995 and 1996, and then were ported to the home console. Two to four years later, they were brought to the N64. It is just one of those odd things you see when looking up the games in this series.
I know what I’m getting into with this game, which is a nice feeling. Since this is a sequel, I’m expecting a slight upgrade and maybe some new features. I don’t think that is too much to ask from a game like this.
This is an arcade puzzle game, so it should be easy to play. There is one thing that I thought was odd, and I hadn’t encountered before. The game wouldn’t let me play until I made some space on my memory card. Anyway, let’s get into the game and see what it has to offer.
TLDR: Another fun puzzle game that is easy to pick up and play.
Narrative
Bust-a-Move 99 has a short story in the manual. This is something that I thought was missing from the previous game, so I’m glad to see it here. It is pretty short, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
In the manual (Link), we’re told that Bubble World’s magical master of mischief, DUNK, cast a spell. This wizard(?) summoned eight characters from other game worlds to Bubble World. Your goal is to send them back. The way you do this is by playing Puzzle Bobble. Makes about as much sense as anything else going on in a video game.
The story is pretty good for what it is. I’m not sure if anyone bought this game for an amazing story, and if you did, then I have some questions for you. Bust-a-Move ’99’s story gets the job done, which is what you want from an arcade game’s story.
Gameplay
Bust-a-Move ’99 kept the same gameplay as the previous game in the series. There is nothing wrong with this because the gameplay is still very good. A few new game modes were added, but that is about it in terms of the gameplay.
Much like the previous game, you have to match colored balls. These are shot up from the bottom of the screen. The more you pop, the higher your score is. Once all of them are gone from the screen, you move on to the next level.
There are more game modes in this. It is nice to see that the developers did something to add value to the game. Most of them are just different spins on the core gameplay, so don’t expect anything crazy.
I’m still not a fan of the time limit on the levels. I get why they’re in the game because having them makes things more challenging, and it normally means it is more fun. I feel like it would be better in multiplayer than in the single player mode.
There are more boss characters and other characters in this game. It is pretty cool to see stuff like that. They don’t play into the game all that much. It is one of those things that is really cool to see, but isn’t needed as much as it could be.
Overall, I like the gameplay quite a bit. It is mostly unchanged from the previous game, which isn’t all that surprising. These games are fun puzzle games that can be picked up and understood right away.
Visuals
Bust-a-Move ’99 is a slight upgrade when it comes to the visuals. There really isn’t too much to add here. Like many arcade sequels, this was released a year after the previous game, and the graphics reflect that.
There are a few more characters in this game, and they look good. While the two dinosaurs from Bubble Bobble are the main characters, there are a few human characters in the game. They all look good and don’t really have an impact on the game.
The playfield is largely unchanged. It looks good, and you can easily see everything. The background images on the playfield are a little better, but not by much.
Overall, the graphics are good. They’re a little better than the previous game in the series, but not by much. This game was a few years old by the time it reached the N64. Over time, these graphics held up much better than other N64 games because Taito kept it 2D. While it didn’t help the game with reviewers, it made it much better in the long run.
Reviews for Bust-a-Move ’99 at the Time
Bust-a-Move ’99 received positive reviews for the time it was released. No one really trashed the game, which is fun to see. I looked at three publications for this.
GameSpot gave the game a 6.9/10. The reviewer liked the game even if it wasn’t a “revolutionary take on puzzle games,” on its “own series.” They pointed out that the N64 doesn’t have a lot of multiplayer puzzle games, and you “can’t go wrong picking this one up.”
IGN gave this game an 8.2/10. They liked the game, but called the sound and graphics “terribly outdated.” The reviewer did call this an “addictive game.”
N64 Magazine’s review isn’t too different from what IGN said. They gave the game an 82/100. The reviewer didn’t like the sound and graphics, but called it the “finest bubbling money can buy.” I’m not totally sure what that means, but this person liked the game.
No matter how many times I encounter this, I still can’t figure out why these reviewers from the late 90s cared so much about 3D graphics. I am looking at this in retrospect, and not everyone is going to agree on everything. For me, the graphics in the Bust-a-Move games are very good. It is nice to see that they didn’t put too much weight on graphics, though. This is reflected in the scores this game received.
8/10. Bust-a-Move ’99 isn’t all that different from the previous game in the series. There are a few more ways to play, it has a story, and the gameplay is great. It simply doesn’t have enough to make me put this above Bust-a-Move 2: The Arcade Edition.
Pros
- Bright and Colorful graphics
- Good controls
- Easy to learn
- Fun Gameplay
Cons
- A little repetitive
- Time Limit can be frustrating
Conclusion
Bust-a-Move ’99 is a fun game to pick up and play. It is easy to understand what is going on and what you need to do. It isn’t all that different from what you were doing in the previous game. I do like it, but it is something that I’ve done before.
There isn’t much separation between this and Bust-a-Move 2: The Arcade Edition. It has several little things that are better, but these are minor upgrades. I didn’t come across anything that I could say is bad or worse than the previous game.
Much like the previous game, I like the graphics much more than some of the reviewers. I honestly don’t know what they were looking at. These graphics are much better than other N64 games, especially those that were in 3D. Bust-a-Move ’99 looks much better than other puzzle games, like Wetrix.
At some point, I’m going to write up a ranking list for the N64 puzzle games. I have to see if there are any more, because I feel like I’ve missed one. I’m going to leave things here for now. I’ll be getting into some horror games since it is going to be October soon.
If you liked this post, check out some of my other posts on N64 Puzzle games. Such as Bust-a-Move 2 or Dr. Mario 64.