It's a bit of a surprise to see how well the Bust a Move game series has come along. Originally introduced as an offshoot to Taito's popular Bubble Bobble series, Bust a Move has grown into one of the better puzzle series out there, coming around each year with another new edition and more puzzles to complete. Now, the series shifts in a new direction, allowing players to compete online via Xbox Live. It's just too bad that this fresh start on the Xbox had to come with a presentation that's rather hard to stomach.

The gameplay essentially remains the same. In the Bust a Move tradition, you take control of one of many characters as they man this bubble cannon at the bottom of the screen. Your job is to shoot bubbles at an array of existing bubbles at the top, clearing them out by connecting three in a row. You can either take straight shots or use the walls for rebound shots, allowing your targets to reach otherwise unreachable points to clear away the troublesome bubbly debris. As the game proceeds, the screen starts to close down on you, making it that much harder to get precision shots on the bubbles. If you can't clear them out in time and they cross a certain point on the screen, your game is over.

Ultra Bust a Move is a delight to play, and it has a couple of new twists that add greatly to the formula. Along with the enjoyable Classic Mode, the game has some new single player challenges that are rather provocative. First up is Blind Mode, which gives you a field of unrecognizable bubbles that you must clear away. The colors aren't revealed until you make contact with other bubbles. Then there is Shot Mode, where you're given a solo shot to clear a pre-set screen. If you miss, your game is over. This teaches you to make precision shots and really works well. Finally, there's Seesaw Mode, a great new mode where your screen tilts depending on the weight of the bubbles on the play field. If it tilts too much one way or another your game is over. It's nice to see that Taito's bringing some innovative ideas to their formula without spoiling the gameplay that the series is known for.

But the real attractive appeal of Ultra Bust a Move lies within its online play. The game embraces Xbox Live play, allowing you to challenge a friend in a number of match-ups to prove who is the ultimate bubble-popping champion. OK, so the game doesn't have the most comprehensive lobby in the world, and it probably won't even find the traffic to challenge the likes of Halo 2 or the recently released Mechassault 2: Lone Wolf. But Ultra Bust a Move offers surprisingly smooth play, and it's a nice little alternative if online destruction just isn't on your agenda for the day. For those stuck without Xbox Live, not to worry: there's two-player action that will fit your needs. All this comes at you for the bargain price of $20, which is a nice touch.

So with all that, Ultra Bust a Move doesn't seem to have any flaws thus far, right? Well, here we go. Those of you who are fans of the series know that, over the years, Taito has taken steps closer and closer to J-Pop status in terms of the game's design. With this year's edition, they simply go bonkers on it, and it may be a bit too much for some. The backgrounds are way too cartoony, looking like some sort of psychedelic dream in Ronald McDonald's mind after he's had a run-in with some McWhiskey. Worse yet, the character designs are a bit too weird for their own good, with not much difference between them. It would've been nice to see something a bit more comprehensive in their detail and back story, instead of just making them so downright cuddly that even Barney the dinosaur would get creeped out. The design isn't flawed. It's just a bit too cuddly-wuddly.

Worse yet, the game contains (I swear), one of the worst soundtracks I have ever heard in my life. The series is usually known for enjoyable little techno beats or even simple little piano ditties, but this time around it dwells into a calypso-ish territory that becomes downright annoying. You keep thinking it's going to get better in the next stage, but then a song in the same league comes around and adds to the misery. I think Taito should have thrown in the option to use customized soundtracks with the game, which would have made it light years more entertaining than this junk they figured would be good background music. But they didn't, and the best thing I can recommend is a mute button and blaring something- ANYTHING.

Aside from the exorbitant downpour of everything sugary-sweet, Ultra Bust a Move is a justified purchase for puzzle fans and those who can't get enough bubble popping. Its additional modes and online play more than justify the $20 price tag. I just hope that the next edition tones it down big-time before the series finds itself so over-the-top that even the box art will send people screaming and running out of the video game store, demanding anything to remind them of their maturity.

Our Final ScoreMediocre

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