We have been busting to tell you about how awesome this game is for the last few weeks! If there was no embargo period, you would’ve all known weeks ago!
Since we have already given away what we think of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends (or BB4F for short), let us tell you why we reckon this iteration of Taito’s brilliant arcade game is darn awesome.
Firstly, it’s Bubble Bobble on a new Nintendo console! And everyone loves little dragons, especially Bub and Bob! What else is good about this game? Well, you can play it solo, 2 player co-op or with up to 4 friends co-operating either at home or while you are out and about.
But wait, there is more! As the titles suggests, not only do you get the arcade game, which you can play by yourself or with a mate, you also get the new take on Bub and Bob’s adventures with 100 new stages, 5 new bosses and a new unique skills upgrade system, like the Thunder Bubble that attacks enemies in a horizontal line when the bubble bursts. This new skills upgrade features adds considerable depth to the strategy of playing the game and also its replayability.
We naturally played the heck out of the original coin-op version, which is a blast. It looks, feels and plays great. We did find it a tad hard to play while on the go (we may need better glasses!), but playing it on a large screen TV was an intoxicating nostalgic trip. The new part of the game (the ‘4 Friends‘) is also fun and innovative, clearing stages with chain reactions from multiple burst bubbles with captured enemies to generate more and higher quality food is extremely satisfying. Special bubbles, such as bomb or lightning bubbles, provide new aspects to the game and add tactical angles that provide enough challenge to keep you hooked. Where this game shines is in co-operating with other players, giving you a sense of teamwork and accomplishment.
No game is perfect, so there a a few niggles that we must point out. Firstly, there are no online leaderboards, which does detract from those that love seeing their name at the top. The other niggle is that BB4F does not have competitive modes. We guess they couldn’t cater for every type of player, but there is enough in this package to satisfy the bulk of players around the world.
There is a reason why Bubble Bobble has endured and remains a cult classic – it is just so much darn fun! The fact that Taito’s game has been ported to more than 20 different platforms since it’s original arcade release in 1986, speaks volumes. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends on the Nintendo Switch is a welcome addition which gives you the best of both worlds – the original arcade game and of course, the new take on the formula that takes advantage of its host platform. We love it!
Disclosure: Bubble Bobble 4 Friends [Nintendo Switch eShop code] was kindly provided by PR Hound for this review.
Pew, pew, pew! Listen to (well, read) this…… New Line Cinema is working on a 
image source: 
We have said this a few times now, we are very very choosy what we back (and promote) on 
image source: 
We have always wanted to attend an amusement (trade) expo, and it doesn’t get any bigger than the Japan Amusement Expo (JAEPO), which was held over the last weekend.
image source: megarage_mizo
Let’s reflect and gloat for one second – it was great to be alive during the Golden Age of Arcade video games and experience arcade joints first-hand; from the clean franchised ones to the decrepit dark and scary independent ones – we loved them all.
source: 
source: A-1 Arcade Gaming
Special occasions like anniversaries usually come about a few times in a lifetime, so what better way to commemorate and remember a special anniversary than a beautiful and awesome memento to mark the occasion!
image source: NZ Mint
Gotta share this video that was posted by video game history guy, 
Oh My Gosh! Micah Moore, the cool peep that explores the strange and wonderful as part of his Legend of Micah Facebook page has done exactly that – explored the strange, wonderful and incredible arcade in Kawasaki, Japan, modelled after the Kowloon Walled City – an infamous slum in Hong Kong. The Amusement Game Park Kawasaki (Anata No) Warehouse has narrow alleys, flickering lights and the sounds of an underground marketplace that create a maze filled with 80’s and 90’s arcade games.