PPCzone.net

“Bust'em by Digital Concepts was one of the best arkanoid/breakout kind of games made for the Pocket PC. It had great graphics, sound, and best of all, it was fun to play. Bust'em had unique powerups and the unforgettable falling debris from the blocks. Digital Concepts has decided to continue the success of the game with the soon to be released Bust'em 2.”

Click read more for the preview

Related Link: Digital Concepts

previewed by Ronald

ronald@ppczone.net

Bust'em by Digital Concepts was one of the best arkanoid/breakout kind of games made for the Pocket PC. It had great graphics, sound, and best of all, it was fun to play. Bust'em had unique powerups and the unforgettable falling debris from the blocks. Digital Concepts has decided to continue the success of the game with the soon to be released Bust'em 2.

Digital Concepts is the company behind many great games such as Motocross Stunt Racer, Warbirds, and Rocket Elite Gold. They recently have had 8 Pocket PC Magazine Best Software Nomations across both the Pocket PC and Smartphone platforms. With the soon to be released Bust'em 2, you can already expect another high quality release from Digital Concepts.

I had the chance to preview Bust'em 2 in a preview version containing the first ten levels.

Let's have a look at the new features of game:

The final version of the game will have another 100 new levels for you to play. If you are feeling creative, you will be able to create and share your own levels with the built in level editor.

There is an options menu that allows you to change the difficulty of the game. Although it defaults on the easy mode, it is still quite challenging. In addition, you can change the amount of debris as well as sound settings.

I was shocked to find out that the game has nearly 40 powerups. After playing several levels, you will not believe the unique new powerups in the game. Don't forget that powerups can either help or hurt you, but the powerups can be more beneficial if you know how to use them properly. I will not list all the new powerups in the game, but I will certainly tell some of the new ones that I commonly saw. One of my favorite new powerups is the missile. When you get the powerup, a missile will launch from your paddle. When it is launched, you can control it when you move your paddle left or right. The missile can clear away a large portion of blocks with its explosive power. One of the common annoyances in breakout type games is when you have several blocks left and you spend so much time just trying to clear away those leftover blocks. With another new powerup in Bust'em 2, you will able to know exactly how the ball will bounce off your paddle and where it will hit. I did mention that powerups can hurt you also. Watch out for the “brick wall” powerup! If you accidentally get one, then many blocks will come back and you'll have more work for yourself. One more major thing to expect in the game is that the ball will not always travel in a straight line. There are powerups that will make it travel in wacky curves which can help clear away more blocks, but keep in mind that it's not easy keeping the ball in play.

Combinations of powerups are the key to this game. I did notice that Bust'em 2 has a lot more powerups falling at the same time during play. Since there are so many powerups falling, you will constantly be tempted to either grab a powerup or to keep the ball in the playing field. If you get the right combination of powerups, they can work to your great advantage and help hasten the pace of the level.

Graphics wise, the game has not changed much. The blocks are colurful and large and they come in many different shapes like before. Although not many pay attention to the music, there is new music in this game which does keep the game entertaining.

Bust'em 2 so far looks like a fine addition to the Bust'em series. It brings the same original gameplay with new powerups and other minor quirks. Fans of Bust'em as well as newcomers to the series will find the game enjoyable and fun. Keep in mind that since there are more powerups falling, things can get pretty crazy at times.

I will update this preview when I get more details about when this game is released, etc.