THE FACTS: Pop
WiiWare | Nnooo | Wifi High Scores | Single screen multiplayer / co-op 1-4 | Message Board Interaction | Out Now | 700 Wii Points (£4.90/$7.00 Online)
Controller compatability: Wii remote (Pointer)
Reviewer: Billy White
Pop was always one of my most looked-forward-to games when thinking of WiiWare. The premise was simple: you had to burst bubbles, yet the depth was quite interesting: getting chains, dodging certain bubbles etc. That is why when this was released, it seemed like an instant buy to me. When I did finally get round to playing it though (with no thanks to the late European release), I then realised that it wasn't going to be as great as I had first anticipated. Oh dear.
As stated above, the aim of Pop is to pop bubbles by aiming and firing with the Wii remote. It's quite simple, and so you can probably see how this could have the possibility to be the most addictive WiiWare title available. The reason it isn't though, is because there aren't enough different gameplay modes to fulfill my wishes. There are three options, all of which can be played with up to three friends (competitively or co-operatively, however you decide), but are basically the same thing. In the first one, you burst bubbles to try and complete 16 unknown objectives which make the game steadily more difficult as you go through them. In the second one (Advanced mode), you do the same, but in a harder difficulty as you aim to get 9,999,999 points in the fastest time possible (we had trouble getting a quarter of that score). The final mode of the three choices on offer (not including training mode) is simply a no-score, no-lose, bubble popping free for all, where you can take the game at your own pace without any time limits or high scores to reach.  Sure, it may sound like there are quite a few options (as well as a flawed trophy system which builds up awards as you complete different targets), but it would be a nice little game if there was some more variety, or maybe a mode where you get two minutes to pop all the bubbles you want and get a high score that way rather than going through the different levels in the main mode (which doesn't have a save option to carry on later). As well as this, the multiplayer is flawed, since everybody runs off the same timer. This means that one player could realise that they are winning, and so shoot across the screen, missing the bubbles, and making the game end for everyone, leaving that one player as the victor. This is a particularly unfair option, and even if everyone was still playing on the same screen (an idea that we actually quite like), it would have been more sensible to keep everyone on seperate timers. Basically, if you're looking for a good non-violent shooting game for the Wii, this is where you should look. If you don't, and just like the sound of the game as a whole, or it's multiplayer options, this could keep you happy for a while, but after an hour the enjoyment will quickly start to fade away.
Final Score
22/30
Good
Gameplay 7
Simple fun for a while, but more options would have made it better
Presentation 9
The sound and graphics are very well suited
Enjoyment 3
Good with a few equal ability non-cheating friends, but otherwise the fun goes after an hour
Other 3
Trophy system, high scores and co-op are good additions but not quite enough | 
