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Game Debate to the Death!<br>Paperboy VS Bubble Bobble photo

Last week I started a new vein for these debates to draw blood from as we discussed two highly appreciated, yet entirely different, retro games. The support for both NES games was tremendous, but the votes were often cast with apologies to one side of the fence. The comments show a heated debate that lasted many rounds, but the voting results show a clear TKO winner:

  • Punch-Out!! (44 votes) -- Winner!
  • Excitebike (18 votes)

This week, the retro debates continue with two more titles that are completely different from each other, yet deserve to be compared and contrasted just as much as any other NES couple of games. Both should be games you know well, so it shouldn't be hard to consider all the pros and cons of each game when making your decision.

The point of these odd debates is not to just vote with your gut -- it forces us to be more analytical and think like a game designer. It's my opinion that you should be able to compare any two games to each other no matter how drastically different they are in their nature.

Which game do you think is better, and why? Give it some serious thought, get some NES friends to share their opinions as well, and check back next week for the winner and an even odder retro debate matchup.

Bonus Question: What non-NES retro games would you like to see fight to the death in a debate?


Continue: More retro stories





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90 comments | showing # 51 to 90

mistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 06:10
mistic
Bubble Bobble!


I still play that regularly :-)
Schmo0zle's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 06:29
Schmo0zle
I do not remember much of either, but Paperboy being here made me go "HEY! THAT GAME RULES!" while Bubble Bobble made me go, "Oh, I played that too."

So, Paperboy wins.
Demtor's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 06:31
Demtor
Bubble Bobble

Paperboy was one of those games you played and then felt bad for the game because you had these great memories growing up with it... but it really is a horribly controlled experience thats not exactly fair or graphically appealing in the slightest.

Retro goggles are absolutely necessary for Paperboy where their are none needed for the Bub and Bob.
nilcam's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 06:45
nilcam
Bubble Bobble. I first got to know Bub and Bob in Bust-A-Move and I love them to this day.

As for non-NES retro debates:
Battle of the Street Fighter clones - World Heroes vs. Fighter's History.

Chrono Trigger vs. Earthbound would be great.
foxhound009's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 06:47
foxhound009
Bubble Bobble ofcourse... :)
great game..
OddSock's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 07:05
OddSock
Bubble bobble, most certainly!

As for the bonus :
New Zealand Story vs Bombjack
Pixel Blue's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 07:24
Pixel Blue
Bubble Bobble, no contest.

If it was Bubble Bobble vs. Trog then maybe I'd have a problem.
Trevsweb's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 07:27
Trevsweb
Bubble Bobble. just gave me so much more enjoyment back in the day :) 2 player with my older brother was jsut so much fun :)
parrothead's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 07:38
parrothead
paper Boy!!!
Alex's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 07:46
Alex
PAPER BOY.

what i want to see?
Sonic vs Sonic 2 vs Sonic 3 (and knuckles maybe, but thats the best.. so well, leave knuckels alone!)
bioshocked's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 07:53
bioshocked
Bubble Bobble. Though I only played Paper Boy once or twice (and I actually played neither of both games on the nes, but on the commodore 64), this is really a no-brainer.

Bubble Bobble is a school book example of allmost perfect game and level design. Though the distribution of bonuses and power ups might seem random at first glance, there's really nothing random about it. There are simple rules that govern, when which kind of bonus item will turn up and a skilled player can plan his playthrough of a level accordingly.

The difficulty curve is great, allmost anybody can pick it up and play right away. The levels are varied and challenging, but never unfair, the art is beautifull and still looks good today. Actually, none of the graphical "improvements" later versions added have aged quite as well as the original.

Bubble Bobble is a timeless classic and it's design still stands head and shoulders above even most modern games.
Mr Wilson's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 07:58
Mr Wilson
BUBBLE BOBBLE. Its the first NES game I ever beat
sylphx's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 08:10
sylphx
seriously its Bubble Bobble.

Anyone who votes for paperboy obviously hasn't played bubble bobble
Weighted Companion Cube's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 08:17
Weighted Companion Cube
Bubble Bobble. Of course.


And not just because of the adorable dragons, either.
galagabug 's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 08:26
galagabug
bubble bobble.

semi-retro battle:
tetris vs. puzzle fighter
KratosX's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 08:42
KratosX
bubble bobble ftw!!!
kn1ghtl0rd's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 08:42
kn1ghtl0rd
Bubble Bobble = winsauce

bonus Duke Nukem 3D vs Diablo
welkstar's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 08:50
welkstar
Bubble Bobble, no reason needed. Seriously, ef Paperboy.
Superfluous Moniker's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 08:50
Superfluous Moniker
Bubble Bobble. There's just way more game there.
brandon85's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 08:58
brandon85
Bubble Bobble fuckin' rules. The music was awesome. Much better design and better looking. plus, your a God damned dinosaur that spits bubbles! What's not to love?
xe-cute's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 09:11
xe-cute
It's simply not even a contest, it's bubble bobble without a doubt.
necrozen's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 09:23
necrozen
Bubble Bobble

Bonus Question: Earthworm Jim Vs. Donkey Kong Country
10BobMarleys's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 09:41
10BobMarleys
Never in doubt, Bubble Bobble wins by a landslide. Hell, I'd vote the green one into public office, given a chance.
ejamer's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 09:47
ejamer
Bubble Bobble

Reasoning: Played (and enjoyed!) Bubble Bobble this week, while Paperboy has long been relegated to nostalgic memories. Actually, even back in the day Bubble Bobble would've won out for it's cool randomness, multiplayer action, and seemingly endless levels.
TheRemedy's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 10:14
TheRemedy
I think Paperboy was the first game I ever destroyed a controller for... so my vote goes to Bubble Bobble.
F Whipple's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 10:35
F Whipple
Paperboy
SuperD1984's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 11:14
SuperD1984
Bubble Bobble :)
Wghj55's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 11:29
Wghj55
Bubble Bobble.

That game is so addicting...the music, the multiplayer, the massive amounts of levels.

Bonus: Tetris Attack vs. Yoshi's Cookie(the SNES version)
sporelink's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 11:47
sporelink
Definitely Bubble Bobble. One of my favorite NES games. Nothing against Paperboy but Bubble Bobble is much better.
not-very-retro-at-all battle: Spyro vs Crash Bandicoot.
NukaCola's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 11:50
NukaCola
Bubble Bobble.. Paperboy is too hard and gets annoying after awhile. And Bubble Bobble's music, though repetitive, is super enjoyable and catchy.
Norgor's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 13:03
Norgor
In this match-up, I will have to go with Bubble Bobble.

While Paperboy is a classic arcade-style game that made punishing difficulty so much fun, Bubble Bobble was basically everything to everyone.

The game was easy to pick up and play but also boasted some rather challenging stages. Don't even get me started on the how difficult it was to obtain the "good" ending. Bubble Bobble's graphic design was unique and inviting to children and early female gamers while still maintaining a slight creepiness factor such as when the enemies start to go into evil mode when timer for a stage starts to run down.

In addition, Bubble Bobble's two player gameplay rewarded teamwork while also providing a competitive environment to see who could "pop" the most enemies. Paperboy had two-player gameplay as well but more along the lines of switching turns rather than actual coop play. Hands down, Bubble Bobble for the win.

Here's an interesting non-Nintendo battle for you: Shining Force vs. Phantasy Star. Two classic Sega RPGs with wildly different gameplay aspects.
WutDaHeckMan's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 13:45
WutDaHeckMan
The fact that shining force vs. phantasy star now has 2 votes

should clinch it.

:)
mix's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 13:53
mix
Bubble Bobble by far, I hated the game play in paper boy and my mom and I loved Bubble Bobble and played it a lot when I was young.
Druid 01's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 14:22
Druid 01
bubble bobble no contest
Little Mac's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 16:57
Little Mac
Bubble Bobble by leaps and bounds
DaedHead8's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 18:08
DaedHead8
It's a tough choice but I gotta go with paperboy on this one.
Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 20:13
Dexter345
No question, I vote Bubble Bobble. Paperboy was too hard for me to get into when I was a kid, and Bubble Bobble let me play co-op with my sister.
smurfee mcgee's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2008 21:06
smurfee mcgee
Absolutely Bubble Bobble. The 2-player adds a lot of points for BB. Also it's super cute.
Paperboy's gameplay was fun but somehow kind of annoying. The arcade is funner, but still not better than Bubble Bobble. It might have been harder, but BB has tons of levels and is just straight up funner.
If anyone owns a Wii and doesn't have Bubble Bobble, they're crazy.

Bonus Answer: Phantasy Star VS Mystic Quest. idk
No; semi-retro arcade battle: Turtles in Time VS X-men! (6-player baby)
Purringturtle's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/29/2008 00:17
Purringturtle
Bubble Bobble.

Bonus Sierra Adventures vs Lucas Arts Adventures.
Fronz's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/02/2008 21:57
Fronz
Ok, voting is closed. The winner will be posted soon.
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