The 90s was filled to the brim with attitude and an interesting perspective on what us youths wanted. Super Bust-a-Move 2 was released in the 2000s so apparently they got that memo late. Check out GeekWithThat's premier article on The Backlog Odyssey with a Judging a Book analyzing this masterpiece of modern art!
I remember the days of shopping with my parents at a retail store. I would get a bit irritable with how boring it was, so my father would take me to the electronics section so I would window shop the video games they had for sale. I was always in awe of the cover art. Some really had me intrigued, in either a good way or a bad way. Let us take for example, the game, Super Bust a Move for PlayStation 2.
For argument sake, let us just say you have never played a Bust a Move game before. Looking at that cover, what could you decipher from just the artwork alone? My first impression is that someone slipped this innocent baby some rather illicit recreational pharmaceuticals and then drew on the baby’s forehead like it was a frat party. None of that is okay!
As it turns out, Bust a Move is not a child endangerment simulator, but rather a long running puzzle game series. In Japan, it is known as Puzzle Bobble, which is a spin off of the arcade classic hit, Bubble Bobble.
I look at the cover of the game and feel it is very representative of the “extreme edgy attitude era” style which was prominent in the 90s. However, this game was released in 2000 and just late enough to the party for the cover to be quite lame.
Further research into the Bust a Move series indicates that this isn’t the only questionable box art in the series. You also have “Bust a Move 2 Arcade Edition” for Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn.
Ah! This is some good old fashioned nightmare fuel! The cover explains that this game should be illegal, and I find it hard to disagree based on the cover alone.
The truth is, Bust a Move is truly a fun puzzle game series. The box art here does not do these games any justice. Much like its peers in the genre such as Dr Mario, Puyo Puyo, or Columns, it is an insanely addictive puzzle game that a lot of audiences, casual or hardcore, would appreciate in that they are easy to pick up, but takes practice to master.
