#10: Bubble Bobble (1988)
Platform: NES
Developer/Publisher: Taito
In a Nutshell: Two bubble-blowing dinosaurs embark on a "fantastic journey" that turns out to be a hellish rescue trek through a sub-aquatic dystopia.
Brian A. says: I'm going to boldly and triumphantly throw out the following statement: Bubble Bobble is the greatest two-player co-op videogame ever made. It's simply the perfect balance of cooperative and competitive elements, sewn together seamlessly to create one fluid and frantic experience. You grow to loathe your teammates as they steal power-ups and item drops from right under your nose, and abandon you in a sea of monsters just to collect some extra points. Yet, moments later, you'll both be high-fiving in victory as you revel in the great feat of harmonious synergy you both just partook in. It's this beautiful cacophony of chaos that keeps me returning and keeps each game from feeling familiar or redundant.
Bubble Bobble starts off innocently, and it's safe to assume a large majority of players won't even realize that they're on a mission to rescue a pair of kidnapped girlfriends until they actually appear on-stage after a boss fight on the 100th stage. Yes, that's right -- the 100th stage. More, if you count the cryptic unlockable bonus stages that appear afterward. Luckily, helpful game-changing items are randomly scattered throughout, like a cross that envelops the screen in the wrath of whatever assumed dino-deity these little travelers worship when they're not busy encasing enemies in globules of air (or eating the cheeseburgers and apples that drop from them). The most welcome power-up, though, is the umbrella: Grab one, and you'll watch a slideshow of stages fly past as you warp further through the game.
It's tempting to kill your enemies as soon as you bubble them, but don't: The game rewards players who manage to gather a whole assemblage of enemies and pop them in unison. Successfully pull that off, and you'll start to see letters float around the screen, inviting you to spell the word "EXTEND" to earn extra lives. But in reality, your co-op partner is right there next to you, and out to do the same at whatever cost -- so, good luck with any of that.
