GDN:
It's interesting to note that with a few exceptions, the Xbox Live Arcade hasn't been adding many, you know, arcade games to its catalog lately. Yet Bubble Bobble Neo is a decent port of the original Bubble Bobble, with several new stages added to those you're already familiar with from the 80s classic. For those who never got to play the original, the idea behind Bubble Bobble is you control a cute, cartoon-style mini-dragon who can blow bubbles and jump from platform to platform.
Another classic arcade game receives a 21st century makeover on XBox Live with Bub and Bob returning in Bubble Bobble Neo. Paying homage to the original game, it's hard to believe that this franchise is over 23-years old and best of all the quirky nature of the original still remains intake in this modern remake as colourful dragons shoot bubbles out of their mouths.
GameFocus writes: "I honestly tried to keep my expectations low but for a while now, I've become more and more dubious about the whole retro-remake trend.
Time and again, the value-added content in retro-remakes is dwindling and they're beginning to feel more and more like cheap cash grabs. Take an existing IP, or hell, just take the existing 8 bit or 16 bit version of an IP, slap a new coat of paint on it and call it a remake. But when the new content doesn't pan out or the new paint isn't so slick, it just feels like game companies think we're stupid."
James Joell-Ireland from wedotech.net writes "Taito's 1986 classic is back but this time on XBLA arcade. The bubble burping dragons are once again on a 100 staged frenzy to trap their foes and pop them into oblivion. Question is, is this the best iteration out there? Let's find out."
