I've talked a bit about Neo Geo to my family, and a really cool relative bought me a copy of Puzzle Bobble since they remembered I mentioned that game, since that was the game I remembered playing on an MVS in a small amusement park. He specifically looked for original cartridges, because yes I did also tell him about the fact bootlegs exist, and before buying it he asked the seller if it was original, which he assured him it was. I've looked at the ad, and yes, that is what it says. But the label, and the boards, raise my suspicions a bit, and I almost have the feeling he got duped into buying a bootleg.
The label, next to being kind of jacked up, lacks a serial number, Taito logo, Taito copyright date, and 'Made in Japan' writing. The MVS logo itself looks real, but the 'Multi Video System' looks to be in a different font. The font used for the game title looks a little bolder than the MVS Scan one, to me at least.
Click here for a high-res picture of the label.
After having seen that, I opened the case up. And again, it made me suspicious.
Board 1 has no windowed EPROMs, but has two weird ROM chips marked PV-4 and PG-3. The ROMs are also in a different layout than what I've seen on the MVS Scan ones.
Click here for a pic of board 1.
Board 2 however has two windowed EPROM chips instead of the usual one found in legit PB/BAM cartridges. And it has two ROM chips marked PC-1 and PC-2, in between the usual Toshiba mask ROMs.
Click here for a pic of board 2.
Something is icky about this. Is this a legit cart, or has the seller mistaken it for one?
EDIT: I just looked at the ad again, and the pictures are supposedly the exact same cart we should have received, but it's not. That one does have the original label (or at least a very good reproduction compared to this one), and has a few more windowed EPROMs on the boards, but none of these weird PC/PG/PV ROMs. It keeps getting worse, don't it?
Puzzle Bobble 2 Neo Geo 1995 Japanese Version neogeo rom from japan. PUZZLE BOBBLE Neo Geo CD SNK JAPAN Ref:310438. Shipping: + $19.00 shipping.
by Tibe (2011)
- Rom recommendations tailored to you (the more roms you rate or add to your collection, the better the recommendations become). Share your rom collection with friends To play Neo Geo CD roms, an emulator is required.
- In Japan, Game Machine listed the Neo Geo version of Puzzle Bobble on their February 15, 1995 issue as being the second most-successful arcade game of the year. Reviewing the Super NES version, Mike Weigand of Electronic Gaming Monthly called it 'a thoroughly enjoyable and incredibly addicting puzzle game'. He considered the two player mode the highlight, but also said that the one player mode.
The Neo Geo is of course, the undisputed queen of fighting games. But the machine has also brilliantly illustrated itself in the register of sports with its golfing, football, bowling, basketball games... obviously not to omit its beautiful shoot 'em up with masterpieces as essential as Blazing Star, Pulstar or Viewpoint. But SNK - and third-part editors on developing the machine - thought about the most cerebral players and also about the girls, as the system hosted a bunch of great puzzle games. After the one and only release of the modest Puzzled in 1990, the Neo Geo receives Puzzle Bobble in 1994 for its second puzzle game. And the least we can say is that Taito will make a strong impression with this new title, in the arcades around the world, but also through its many ports on popular home systems.
Unfortunately for fans of the Neo Geo AES, the soft was only released for the MVS, and later on Neo Geo CD. AES players had to wait the 'converts' a few years later to play on the home console. With only 32 megs to the counter, do not expect a riot of gorgeous graphics, nor extraordinary animations and special effects, nor overpowering sound effects. No, nothing like that! With Puzzle Bobble, it's the neurons of the players who will be solicited. The principle is simple: in single player mode, the player is facing tables on the top and sides of which are clumped balls of colors, in varying amounts and colors depending on the course. We're in control of a pivotal launcher located in the bottom of the screen, with which you throw balls of various colors, coming randomly. It's about completely cleaning the table: the balls are affected by gravity but attach to each other. To have these exploding, you must unite at least three of the same color. Those suspended below are destroyed as the spheres tumble, freeing up even more space.
Whether playing alone or against a friend, the gameplay is based strictly on the same concept, i.e destroying all the balls on the table, except that the fact to have suspended balls dropped in addition to these we blew (I hope everyone follows) is sending a penalty to the opponent who sees his game screen filling with balls from the enemy field. This little cruel interaction spices up the matches between humans and adds a lot of fun and strategy to the gameplay, with players battling to have their balls falling in cascades, in order to gcomplicate the opponent's task. Games are played in two or three winning sets, and competition is taking and exciting, but always very fun. The single games are long and brainstorming, with thirty tables varying in difficulty. In order to succeed, you'll have to totally master the principles of the game, but also show an accurate speed and important thinking ability... Warm up your neurons!
As I mentioned a little earlier in this review, you should not expect a spectacular realization like we're used to see on the Neo Geo. The graphics are simple but colorful, althought the variety is poor, while the animations are simply about a few explosions and some random effects. Regarding the muscial themes, they're cool and catchy but we quickly turns round, with two or three that recur repeatedly and a dozen sounds effects only. Anyway, what makes the strength of Taito game is more the hyper-addictive gameplay and excellent replay value, both playing alone or versus. This latter mode is the main feature of the game, as the games with friends are exhilarating! Whether you're an addict and want to play the hi-scores and wins, or you want to have an opposition game on the Neo Geo other than a VS fighting game, and Puzzle Bobble awaits you. Amazing jigsaw puzzle game, this Taito production known several sequels that have never made much more than this first installment. The simplest recipes are, indeed, sometimes simply the best.
Puzzle Bobble 2 Neo Geo Rom Download
| GRAPHICS | 68% | |
| Cute and colorful, but not very varied, graphics are not the big feat of the game. | ||
| ANIMATION | 79% | |
| Balls explode and show some reflections and effects, and to say the least, there's not much things to animate. This said, it's fast and fluid; | ||
| SOUND | 64% | |
| Effects and musics are cool and shows quality... but are quite repetitive, as they're pretty few. | ||
| REPLAY VALUE | 96% | |
| More than thirty stages to clear in single mode, while versus game is the most taking part of Puzzle Bobble, offering an almost infinite replay value. | ||
| GAMEPLAY | 95% | |
| Original and interesting, Puzzle Bobble's gameplay requests 100% of your brain and provides a great addiction! | ||
NEOGEOKULT Overall | 93% | |
| Here's a legendary puzzle game, first of a successful serie which stands as a timeless classic for any fanatic. | ||
VALUE FOR MONEY(2011)
Neo Geo Rom Puzzle Bobble Pop
Puzzle Bobble is only available in conversion for the AES. Expect to pay about 150 euros for a legitimate one, I mean a convert made with original SNK roms. That's a high-price for a puzzle game, but Taito's title is the best value/money rate on the system.