Bust-A-Move / Puzzle Bobble - Why no AES release?

[Vulpine]

I suppose the real question here is, who decided whether a third-party Neo-Geo game would get a home-console release - SNK or the third-party? It seems odd that Bust-A-Move, which saw home console releases on other platforms and which did get a CD release, never had an official homecart.

On a related note, does the MVS cart still have the usual home menus if booted in AES mode?

 

[Pasky]

What the fuck is up with this furry shit?

 

[team_andromeda]

What the fuck is up with this furry shit?

^^^

 

[unofficialitguy]

Where were you 20 years ago when this would have been a valid question?

You know why it wasn't on the AES? Because Taito was making bank keeping it in the arcades and expanding that with cheep home console ports instead of porting this simple (yet wonderful) game to anything with a d-pad and a button. Lower price of entry = more sales = more profit. Bust-A-Move SNES sold way better than AES would have.

 

[Vulpine]

Where were you 20 years ago when this would have been a valid question?

You know why it wasn't on the AES? Because Taito was making bank keeping it in the arcades and expanding that with cheep home console ports instead of porting this simple (yet wonderful) game to anything with a d-pad and a button. Lower price of entry = more sales = more profit. Bust-A-Move SNES sold way better than AES would have.

Sorry, I forgot how bleeding edge General Discussion was.

That doesn't make too much sense though given it got a Neo-Geo CD release, and presumably the MVS cart already contains the home code like most Neo games.

 

[Thunderblaze16]

Where were you 20 years ago when this would have been a valid question?

You know why it wasn't on the AES? Because Taito was making bank keeping it in the arcades and expanding that with cheep home console ports instead of porting this simple (yet wonderful) game to anything with a d-pad and a button. Lower price of entry = more sales = more profit. Bust-A-Move SNES sold way better than AES would have.

That's the thing, the game was just too simple, didn't really push the system in any way. It's like porting Tetris, it's a good game but wasn't worth the cost. It was good to just leave it ported to the snes, I mean think about it.
Back then, would you have prefer the $200 AES arcade port or the $60 16-bit port that was honestly just as good?
It would have been a waste.

 

[unofficialitguy]

That doesn't make too much sense though given it got a Neo-Geo CD release, and presumably the MVS cart already contains the home code like most Neo games.

Back then, would you have prefer the $200 AES arcade port or the $60 16-bit port that was honestly just as good?
It would have been a waste.

(You beat me to it)

 

[Ray]

Surprisingly, Puzzled did get an AES release and that is the smallest game(22 megs) which could easily fit on a mid-late era SNES/Mega Drive cartridge. That was in 1991 though, and released by SNK. Taito has, if I recall correctly, never released an AES cartridge.

 

[wyo]

ITT: Salty noobs.

 

[Vulpine]

That's the thing, the game was just too simple, didn't really push the system in any way. It's like porting Tetris, it's a good game but wasn't worth the cost. It was good to just leave it ported to the snes, I mean think about it.
Back then, would you have prefer the $200 AES arcade port or the $60 16-bit port that was honestly just as good?
It would have been a waste.

That does make sense. Fair enough!

 

[Bar81]

This is like asking a Neo collector why he has three copies of MS1. Stop trying to apply logic - it's fucking SNK.

 

[kuk]

yes but this third-party Neo-Geo game had get home-console release XD

 

[city41]

I heard somewhere that SNK made a deal with Taito to only release on the Neo CD to try and increase interest in the then two month old system.

 

[ChopstickSamurai]

Sorry, I forgot how bleeding edge General Discussion was.

This made me laugh, thanks for that. I do love Bust A Move quite a bit too. I always liked the NGPC port quite a bit. But as others pointed out it wasn't meant to be on AES.

 

[SuperGun]

Where were you 20 years ago when this would have been a valid question?

You know why it wasn't on the AES? Because Taito was making bank keeping it in the arcades and expanding that with cheep home console ports instead of porting this simple (yet wonderful) game to anything with a d-pad and a button. Lower price of entry = more sales = more profit. Bust-A-Move SNES sold way better than AES would have.

Yes, the above here is mostly true & accurate.
In addition, In 1994 I complained to Chad about us not getting this home cart & he told me the background story. SNK & Taito got into a HUGE argument & battle over this little gem of a game & the rights of distribution over it. They had a huge falling out, and as a result the Taito Cybercore (aka F-3) system was born. It was the platform used for its sequel, and the reason for the huge gap from 1995 to 1999 regarding the sequel finally getting its version on the neogeo console. Things had finally simmered down.

I will also say, I love Bust A Move, but I also love Puzzle de Pon; and even more in fact. (which btw gives Taito credit on the title screen) But I have always called Puzzle de Pon i"Bust A Move with a purpose" just like I call Puzzled "Tetris with a purpose". All of these games are great however, if you love puzzle games as much as I do!

 

[Black_Tiger]

Yes, the above here is mostly true & accurate.
In addition, In 1994 I complained to Chad about us not getting this home cart & he told me the background story. SNK & Taito got into a HUGE argument & battle over this little gem of a game & the rights of distribution over it. They had a huge falling out, and as a result the Taito Cybercore (aka F-3) system was born. It was the platform used for its sequel, and the reason for the huge gap from 1995 to 1999 regarding the sequel finally getting its version on the neogeo console. Things had finally simmered down.

I will also say, I love Bust A Move, but I also love Puzzle de Pon; and even more in fact. (which btw gives Taito credit on the title screen) But I have always called Puzzle de Pon i"Bust A Move with a purpose" just like I call Puzzled "Tetris with a purpose". All of these games are great however, if you love puzzle games as much as I do!

Wow, it would be even more disappointing if the reason that Neo Geo didn't get Bubble Symphony is because of a petty squable. :/

 

[itsofrustratin]

Where were you 20 years ago when this would have been a valid question?

You know why it wasn't on the AES? Because Taito was making bank keeping it in the arcades and expanding that with cheep home console ports instead of porting this simple (yet wonderful) game to anything with a d-pad and a button. Lower price of entry = more sales = more profit. Bust-A-Move SNES sold way better than AES would have.

alot of the smaller neo geo games including bust a move ported pretty well to the SNES. I was playing the SNES of port of 2020 baseball and it was pretty much perfect.

 

[Electric Grave]

Let's not get to lenient with the SNES ports, although very good ports the pixel count pales in comparison, other than that the games play excellent, hell some prefer World Heroes 2 on the SNES over the Neo...myself included but only 'cause of the seesaw lifebar on regular matches and the speed increase. Fatal Fury 2 on the Genesis/MD had a speed option and for what I hear (ASID) it also had some mean canceling system which wasn't even heard of back then during those days.

As for Puzzled; It's sad that's the only Tetris form we got on the Neo, the game could have been so much better.

 

[madman]

alot of the smaller neo geo games including bust a move ported pretty well to the SNES. I was playing the SNES of port of 2020 baseball and it was pretty much perfect.

The SNES 2020 is a good game, but if you compare it side by side to the Neo you'll notice differences. Most obvious is the music, but the SNES has far less frames of animation than the Neo version. It's good, but it's far from "pretty much perfect."

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

SNES has a much lower resolution than the Neo Geo, that alone ruins ports.

 

[Xian Xi]

Random fact. I lost an auction for the IP rights of the bubble bobble characters back in 2004 or something. If I won...

 

[Electric Grave]

Oh man, BB NATION X...

 

[shadowkn55]

Random fact. I lost an auction for the IP rights of the bubble bobble characters back in 2004 or something. If I won...

What did it end up selling for?

 

[unofficialitguy]

As for Puzzled; It's sad that's the only Tetris form we got on the Neo, the game could have been so much better.

This is why I'm looking at getting a Mickey's Magical Tetris JAMMA board for my candy cab at some point. I love me a decent Tetris game