Bubble Bobble - The Perfect Game?

[the_hawk]

I've always had the theory & probably mentioned it on here before, but hell, It's pretty quiet these days so here goes:

Bubble Bobble is the ultimate videogame.

* Easy to play, just 4 commands: left, right, jump & fire.
* Difficult to master; ruddy LOADS of levels.
* The graphics are cute as hell with a great cast of characters.
* The music is jaunty & addictive.
* Can be played co-cooperatively OR competitively.
* Has had absolutely fantastic conversions to home computers & consoles.
* Suitable for all ages and abilities, a 5 year old and their gran could play it together!

But more than all of the above...it is bloody fun to play.

Can anyone name a more quintessential videogame that has such a broad appeal & is so perfect in every way?

[paranoid marvin]

I agree with much of what you have to say, but the jumping to 'spike' bubbles can be a bit annoying when getting stuck on the platforms . Tbh I prefer the C64 version to the arcade! Great music, great graphics and just as much fun single player as co-op.

Perfect game? Not for me, that would be Outrun 2 SP in the arcade, dual hydraulic cabs.

[ncf1]

for a long time, for me it was the game closest to 100%. Its still a game from the 8-bit (and 16-bit era - I love the Amiga version) that I will play and at least dig in for a while, its still a great game with 1 player but really you need 2 players for the later levels, or I'm just not that good 30 or so levels go by so quickly because its so brilliantly designed.

The remarkable thing is its depth, how they put so much stuff into it, combinations, secrets, all sorts of things as if they knew it was a game for the ages.

Its certainly one of the games with the best playability, and perhaps indeed it tops them all in this regard.

[bensonrad]

I think it could be, I play it loads on the GBA, when I first started getting into arcade collecting, someone offered me the PCB for free, I foolishly turned it down having never played it prior to that point....how I kick myself now!

Keeps me occupied for a whole commute on the train sometimes.

[Bluce_Ree]

Interesting topic.

It’s not a game that I truly love but you might be right. It’s very immediate and yet gets very difficult later on. The coop is great. I think Rainbow Islands and Rodland maybe improved on it but it had the biggest impact.

[JamesC]

I like Bubble Bobble (always been rubbish at it though) but my favourite game of this type is Snow Bros. which I really love.

In terms of quitessential video-gameness I'd go for Ms Pac-Man (a bit more variety than the original and doesn't have the bug). Okay, you can't play it cooperatively (unless you have the Megadrive version) but it ticks every other box and is even-more simple to play. In fact, my girlfriend likes Ms Pac Man but won't play Bubble Bobble as she doesn't like negotiating platforms (and tends to get stuck) or having to aim in the right direction.

[Clockwork Hippo]

Bubble Bobble was one of those games I liked but really really sucked at. I bought the Amiga version so I wouldn't be so embarassing in the arcades and still I sucked at it. And don't get me started on Rainbow Islands. I was even worse at that.
What annoys me now is how people look at cute games and think they are easy. I'm making a game called Nest Lander: Eggwards Adventures which is super cute and based on Lunar Lander/Asteroids flight mechanics and people think it's a kids game. I'm probably going to re theme it as a space game for more sales after Nest Lander releases...
What's wrong with cute? I mean come on, Bub and Bob were baby dragons in nappies!

[NorthWay]

I can think of two that beats it: Pac-Man and Tetris. Both which had appeal among all ages and sexes.

But it is a very nice game.

[The Laird]

You make some great points and it's certainly up there with my favourite games of all-time!

[the_hawk]

Reassuring to see it being highly regarded. Good shouts for Pac man & Tetris too!

I think the older I get the more I appreciate pick up & play games that you don't have to waste a lot of time learning new moves so you can just dive right in.

I love Parasol Stars too, but it wasn't as widely ported.

I don't think I've ever played Rodland, will have to give that a spin.

[Matt_B]

I don't know about perfect, but it's certainly a great game.

As well as the above, it also avoids a few major failings common in a lot of classic arcade games which are that you aren't presented with a lot of situations where prior knowledge of the game is the only thing that'll save you; yes, arcade games were ultimately out to make money, but that's a pretty cheap way of doing it. Similarly, you don't run into a difficulty brick wall to say that you've had your money's worth and it's time to give someone else a go. Thirdly, it's not a game where the random number generator will eventually throw you an impossible situation.

Rather it gets hard in ways that great twitch skills and knowledge of the basic game mechanics can get you out of, and deeper insight into how the game works is rewarded by being able to play with greater finesse and to scoop up bonuses that'll let you survive longer. It's probably not the only game of that era that does those things, but for 1986 it was certainly well ahead of the curve.

[psj3809]

Near perfect for me. Some of the later levels seem impossible if its just one player though

But the graphics, the sound, all the items you can get. An amazing game and one of my favourites by far. Great fun to play at Arcade Club 2 player, got to about level 95 or something (was only a few from the end) but was totally stuck.

Speccy version was decent back then, loved the Amiga version and happy as hell i have Bubble Bobble on my bartop. Epic game

[Sephiroth81]

There is little to fault, but the "perfect" game suggests its one of the best....and I can't agree to that! I just haven't played it enough perhaps to have the adoration for it as others on this thread have.

[ncf1]

So which do people think is the ultimate version? The arcade? Amiga version? C64? Any others?

The arcade version I found just a tad too difficult, for me, of the ones I have played, the Amiga version played best, was slightly slower and that suited me fine.

[The Laird]

I still think the ST version is superb.

The later Saturn version is arcade perfect.