Buster Bros
Encyclopedia
Buster Bros, also called and , is a cooperative two-player arcade
video game released in 1989 by Capcom
. The Buster brothers must finish a round-the-world quest to destroy bouncing balloon
s that are terrorizing several of Earth’s landmark
s and cities. The fight to save the Earth
begins on Mt. Fuji, Japan
where the brothers must pass all three stages before moving on to the next location.
Conversions for home systems were produced by Ocean Software
in 1990 for the ZX Spectrum
, Commodore 64
, Amstrad CPC
, Commodore Amiga, MS-DOS
and Atari ST
. It is the same as "Buster Bros" except for the opening title.
The basic gameplay in Buster Bros/Pang is identical to a much earlier 1983 MSX
computer game called Cannon Ball (also released in 1983 on the ZX Spectrum as Bubble Buster). Cannon Ball was made by Japanese publishers Hudson Soft, and possibly inspired Mitchell Corp. to make Buster Bros six years later.
There are 50 stages at 17 locations: Mt. Fuji, Mt. Keirin, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Angkor Wat
, Ayers Rock, the Taj Mahal
, Leningrad
, Paris
, London
, Barcelona
, Athens
, Egypt
, Kenya
, New York
, Maya
ruins, Antarctica, and finally Easter Island
.
Each location has a unique background
that shows the area’s most famous landmarks. The stages
contain a different layout of blocks, some that disappear after being shot, others that do not, and still others that are hidden and can reveal bonuses.
The stages start with differing numbers and sizes of balloons. The largest balloon divides for the first three times it is popped; after the fourth and smallest balloon is popped it vanishes. Each player starts with a single harpoon
. When a balloon is popped, special weapons may drop down. The other weapons include:
There is no ammunition
limit to any weapon. The names of the weapons differ from the monitor bezel (given above) and the game’s attract mode
. Other bonuses include:-
At a certain point in the stage, a food item will drop down that is worth several thousand bonus points.
If a player touches a balloon of any size, the player dies and both players must start the stage again.
When both players touch a balloon at the same time, only Player 1 will lose a life but this is somewhat offset because when both players reach a bonus or weapon simultaneously only Player 1 will get it.
Players start with 3-5 lives depending on the dip switch
setting. Extra lives are also given when certain point totals have been accumulated. The stage ends when all of the balloons are successfully cleared. The game ends after all stages have been completed and our heroic duo ride their jeep
into the sunset
on an Easter Island beach.
In some later versions, there are more than 17 locations.
's multi-load
system. The Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC+/GX4000 conversion was available on cartridge only.
The ZX Spectrum version was awarded 94% in the February 1991 issue of Your Sinclair
and was placed at number 74 in the Your Sinclair official top 100. Amiga Power
were even more enthusiastic, listing it as the 11th best game ever in their initial Top 100 list, published with Amiga Format
in April 1991 as a preview of the magazine.
in 2007.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
video game released in 1989 by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
. The Buster brothers must finish a round-the-world quest to destroy bouncing balloon
Balloon
A balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
s that are terrorizing several of Earth’s landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
s and cities. The fight to save the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
begins on Mt. Fuji, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
where the brothers must pass all three stages before moving on to the next location.
Conversions for home systems were produced by Ocean Software
Ocean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
in 1990 for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Commodore Amiga, MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
. It is the same as "Buster Bros" except for the opening title.
The basic gameplay in Buster Bros/Pang is identical to a much earlier 1983 MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
computer game called Cannon Ball (also released in 1983 on the ZX Spectrum as Bubble Buster). Cannon Ball was made by Japanese publishers Hudson Soft, and possibly inspired Mitchell Corp. to make Buster Bros six years later.
Game scenario
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu,...
, Ayers Rock, the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
, Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
ruins, Antarctica, and finally Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
.
Each location has a unique background
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
that shows the area’s most famous landmarks. The stages
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
contain a different layout of blocks, some that disappear after being shot, others that do not, and still others that are hidden and can reveal bonuses.
The stages start with differing numbers and sizes of balloons. The largest balloon divides for the first three times it is popped; after the fourth and smallest balloon is popped it vanishes. Each player starts with a single harpoon
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal...
. When a balloon is popped, special weapons may drop down. The other weapons include:
- A twin harpoon that will allow two shots at once.
- A grappling hookGrappling hookA grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
that will stay attached to the ceiling or block for a short period of time. - A hi-caliber gun that works much like a machine gunMachine gunA machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
allowing rapid shots.
There is no ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
limit to any weapon. The names of the weapons differ from the monitor bezel (given above) and the game’s attract mode
Attract mode
Attract mode is an arcade game's screen display shown when no one is playing the game. The main purpose of the attract mode is to attract passers-by to play the game, although it might also have the side effect to act like a screensaver.-Summary:...
. Other bonuses include:-
- A force field
- An hourglassHourglassAn hourglass measures the passage of a few minutes or an hour of time. It has two connected vertical glass bulbs allowing a regulated trickle of material from the top to the bottom. Once the top bulb is empty, it can be inverted to begin timing again. The name hourglass comes from historically...
that slows the balls down - A clockClockA clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
which stops the balls for a short time - An extra life
- DynamiteDynamiteDynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
that will pop all of the balloons down to their smallest size simultaneously.
At a certain point in the stage, a food item will drop down that is worth several thousand bonus points.
If a player touches a balloon of any size, the player dies and both players must start the stage again.
When both players touch a balloon at the same time, only Player 1 will lose a life but this is somewhat offset because when both players reach a bonus or weapon simultaneously only Player 1 will get it.
Players start with 3-5 lives depending on the dip switch
DIP switch
DIP switches are manual electric switches that are packaged in a group in a standard dual in-line package...
setting. Extra lives are also given when certain point totals have been accumulated. The stage ends when all of the balloons are successfully cleared. The game ends after all stages have been completed and our heroic duo ride their jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
into the sunset
Sunset
Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
on an Easter Island beach.
In some later versions, there are more than 17 locations.
Reception
The original, and the conversions, were all critically acclaimed, although minor complaints were made about the ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
's multi-load
Multi-load
Multi-load is a term used to describe multi-part games that were developed for 8-bit computers, such as the ZX Spectrum, Atari and Commodore 64....
system. The Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC+/GX4000 conversion was available on cartridge only.
The ZX Spectrum version was awarded 94% in the February 1991 issue of Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated, was a British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum.-History:...
and was placed at number 74 in the Your Sinclair official top 100. Amiga Power
Amiga Power
Amiga Power was a monthly magazine about Amiga computer games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996....
were even more enthusiastic, listing it as the 11th best game ever in their initial Top 100 list, published with Amiga Format
Amiga Format
Amiga Format was a British computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future Publishing. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when, in the wake of selling ACE to EMAP, Future split the dual-format title ST/Amiga Format into two separate publications...
in April 1991 as a preview of the magazine.
Sequels
This game has several sequels:-- Super Buster Bros. (aka Super Pang, 1990)
- Buster Buddies (aka Pang 3, 1995)
- Mighty! Pang (2000).
- Pang: Magical MichaelPang: Magical MichaelPANG: Magical Michael is a video game released on September 17, 2010 for Nintendo DS that was created by Mitchell Corporation and published in Europe and Australia by Rising Star Games...
(Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, 2010)
Compilation
The first three versions of the game were released as a compilation on the PlayStation under the name of Buster Bros Collection (Super Pang Collection in Europe) in 1997. Buster Bros and Super Buster Bros were also included in the PSP game Capcom Puzzle WorldCapcom Puzzle World
Capcom Puzzle World is a compilation of puzzle games created by Capcom for the Sony PSP. Puzzle World contains 5 puzzle games:*Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo*Buster Bros. / Pang*Super Buster Bros. / Super Pang*Buster Buddies / Pang 3*Block Block...
in 2007.