Pop 'N Bounce. A crazy little game released on the Neo Geo. Also one that is quite uncommon. I persoanlly have not seen an original copy of this game yet, every copy has had EPROMs, but I digress.

   Pop 'N Bounce is very similar to Arkanoid. In the MVS setup screen, you an even set the controller type to paddle, but that does not seem to do anything yet (if anyone knows any different, let me know!). Basically, in one player mode, the object is to clear each screen. A feature that Pop 'N Bounce has that Arkanoid lacks is that the puzzles you go through are not always the same, there is some element of randomness added.

   Each screen, or world as it is setup in the game, features an enemy, which is usually an animal. Instead of clearing blocks, you clear out that enemy. Some of these enemies take one hit to clear, some take more. Also, when similar colors are nearby in certain arrangements, they bond. The larger enemies will drop pills that will will give special powers like the ability to shoot, or to lengthen the paddle, etc.

   My thoughts on this game is that it is a welcomed change from the normal fighter climate of the Neo Geo. I have had some people sit down with the game, and get instantly addicted. Unfortunately, it does not limit your gameplay, so, if you are playing it on the Neo Geo home console, you can play til you reach the end. On the MVS, you can limit your playing by the number of credits you feed the machine!

   The history of this game is kind of cloudy. It was never 'officially' released some say, which is the reason why almost all copies are bootlegs. So, it must have slipped out of the back door over at Video System. Whether it is official or not, it is a great puzzle game, and any fan of Arkanoid should like this game.

   Locating this game is not too easy. I was lucky enough to get the MVS cart from Hong Kong for about $85. And with my love for this game, I also created an art pack for it for anyone who decides to convert it to a home cartridge (or if we ever see MVS boxes!). That artwork can be found online soon hopefully.

Pop 'N Bounce MVS Cart            $90
Home Cart Sac (WH2 or FFS)      $45
Conversion Labor                      $70
New Style Box                          $30
Insert Printing                          $5
Sticker Printing                         $5
Manual Printing                         $10
--------------------------      ------
Total                                     $255

   About the cost of a new cart in SNK-USA days.

   If someone is interested in getting a conversion of Pop 'N Bounce done, I would recomment Jeff Kurtz (jmkurtz@macola.com) for the job. He does an EXCELLENT job, and the labor price quoted above is what he is currently charging.

   For the curious, the Japanese name of this game is Gapporin. And, this game was only released as an MVS cart, no home or CD release from SNK. :(