Review #600: 64 Memories - Buck Bumble

 A bee game.

Part 1: The Flashback
 Flying Dragon 64 was one of my most wanted N64 games ever, but Buck Bumble was my most wanted game ever, so it's only fitting that it's my big #600. Something about the character and so much yellow(I love yellow.) instantly captured my eye, and every screenshot, every description only fueled my need. I longed for the game so much so that even mediocre reviews couldn't deter me. I needed this game.
 But alas, it was not meant to be, I couldn't even find a copy to rent. Until now.

Part 2: The Review
 By now I've already accepted the harsh reality: Nintendo 64 games haven't aged very well. Poor framerates and bad control design are very prevalent, and Buck Bumble is not exception.... but it's still fun. This is a third person shooter in which you play as a cyborg bumble bee, armed to the teeth with various fire arms, from machine guns to rocket launchers, ready to lay waste on other cybernetic insects and arachnids.

 You play as the eponymous hero Buck Bumble as he is sent out by the powers that be to stop a herd of cybernetic insects. The game is 19 stages long, most which are fairly short, in which you have to fulfill different objectives: Defeat a boss, destroy something, collect something, etc etc. The game is played entirely in third person, with the camera situated firmly upon Buck's back. Stages can be tough... until you learn that unless you really need to, it's better to avoid enemies and move forwards rather than killing everything in your path. A few stages will have you searching for keys, which enemies might be carrying, or doors that require exterminating every enemy in the room, save for those instances, you're better off just avoiding enemies and finding whatever you need to destroy in order to progress.... which, could be enemies, but I digress.

 Moving around takes a bit to get used to, but once you get the hang of it... it feels really nice. Buck flies forward by default, and you can hold A to accelerate or B to hover on the spot. As long as you don't hit any slope you'll be fine, and if you do... well, Buck seems to have a few issues getting out of them. But, believe me, once you get the hang of it zooming around the stage becomes a blast. The game desperately needed the ability to strafe, avoiding incoming damage and retaliating is needlessly complicated due to the lack of it. That said, spread throughout every level are multiple flowers with healing nectar droplets hanging from them that will restore your life, so it never feels too overwhelming.

 The worst part about the game is its horribly outdated life system. Levels don't have checkpoints, so if you die it's back to the beginning of the stage.... which begs the question, why have lives at all? And, if you run out of lives... it's game over. Your life bar doesn't replenish between levels either. Let me let you in on a little secret... if you lose a life, just pause the game, select quit and reload your savefile. That's why the life system is dumb, bypassing it is so simple. The other biggest hurdle is trying to gain altitude without moving forwards, which is easy once you learn that you can just hold A+B+Up and gain altitude.




 While I wished for this game when I was younger, I kept my expectations at bay when I gave the game a try. But boy, oh boy, was the game a surprising delight. Mind you, the game is nothing to write home about, but there's quite a bit of fun to be had with this cart. A nice amount of weapons, decent amount of stages, a very original premise and decent, but aged, game mechanics.... I approve of this game. Past Me would've liked this one.
 7.0 out of 10