Bust'em Review #2
.: By: Shaun Beane :: Device used: iPAQ H3630 :: April 16, 2002 :.
When certain game developers release titles, everybody notices. In the Pocket PC Gaming community, one of those developers is Douglas Beck. He is, of course, the mastermind behind the smash hit, RocketElite. I've been waiting for him to release another title ever since I finished my review of RocketElite. From what I've read in discussion forums, I'm not the only one.
I was, however, disappointed when I found out that Doug's next release would be a Breakout-style game. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the Breakout genre, but how many of these exist? Needless to say, I was anxious to see if the uniqueness of RocketElite's controls and animation could somehow rejuvenate the overdone Breakout game style. After many hours of gameplay, I'm convinced that Doug could even make a Tetris clone sound exciting!
 
One pleasant surprise was the ease of registration. After the mind boggling RocketElite registration, I was thankful I just had to enter a registration code - even if it was eighteen characters long using a wacky keyboard.
Bust'em can be installed to either main memory or a storage card. I opted to install it to a storage card and had not problems with either the installation or performance. The game took ten seconds to load on my iPAQ H3630 with no other programs running. This is the only delay. Once the game is loaded, you're off and running.
The main menu is as follows: new game, options, game info, high scores and quit game. Options enable the user to toggle the helpful hints, configure the controls, select a difficulty level, and adjust the volume for both music and sound effects. Bust'em comes with it's own built in screen capture utility - nice for game reviewers! Game info lists all the power ups available during the game. Definitely something you want to take a quick look at because some of the power ups are more like power downs. Game info also illustrates the stylus control and lists the game's credits.
If you have played any Breakout style game before, then you'll be comfortable right away with Bust'em. The object is to destroy all of the suspended blocks with your paddle and ball. Sounds easy and it is... for the first few levels, after which you'll be pleasantly surprised with some not so friendly power ups.
The big question I had before playing this game is: how will Bust'em stand out from the other break out games? Well, there are really two big features (obstacles) that accomplish this. First of all, your movement is restricted by a horizontal bar, restricting just how high you can move your paddle; this doesn't sound so bad until you hear about the second "feature". Every time you destroy a block, its particles pile up at the bottom of the screen. The particle dust continues to build and will eventually start to inhibit your movement. Your paddle will eventually get trapped between the horizontal bar and the particle dust if you don't finish the level first.
The power ups are what really make this game. There are so many different power ups, I think I was on level twenty before I had seen all of them. As I mentioned before, you'll definitely want to review the power ups list before you start. Some of them will shrink your paddle, some will freeze your paddle, some lower the horizontal bar, and others just simply kill your ball. With all the nasty power ups, there are just as many nice power ups: the atomic splitter, snack time, smart bomb, time warp and the most powerful - Nuke! Each has its own sound effects and unique animations.
The graphics and animation for Bust'em are just as good as RocketElite. Sharp, smooth ... just downright stunning. If you have played RocketElite, then you should already be familiar with the smoothness (high frame rate) of Doug's work. Using the stylus to control the paddle is very easy. There was no getting-used-to-the-controls time for me. It acts just like you think it would.
 
Bust'em has 100 levels, which should keep you busy for quite a while. Thankfully, after using all of your lives (six), you can select the last level you completed to restart on. No need to start all over. Half the fun is just seeing what the next level looks like. When you finish all 100 levels, you'll be treated to some cheats! I could tell you where they are but I don't want to spoil the fun. If you really must have them and are too lazy to finish all 100 levels, there are several sites that explain how to unlock them. Just search for other reviews for Bust'em.
As with RocketElite, Bust'em comes with a level editor, so once you have completed the game, build your own levels!
You won't be disappointed with this game. Personally, I honestly couldn't find anything wrong with it. Compared to the other Breakout-style games on the market, Bust'em is simply the best. Doug has done it again and continues to dominate Pocket PC games development.
Bust'em is available for all Pocket PC devices except the Casio BE-300, Jornada 525, and Jornada 54x, and is also available for the desktop. ActiveSync reports that the game takes up about 2.8 MB of storage. If you want to spend hours playing an addictive Breakout-style title, then Bust'em is for you. Yet another title to make your Palm friends drool! Now, how much longer until Doug releases another title...?
Pros:
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100 levels = Replayability
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Level designer
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Absolutely amazing graphics and sound effects
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Smooth animation
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Numerous power ups
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Cheats!
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Easy controls and built in screen capture
Cons:
Shaun's score:  |
