In opposite to traditional trends, Bubble Bobble Double Shot has already been released in Europe and Australia - way back in March actually - but hasn’t yet been given a firm launch date for North America. Given this, developer Dreams and publisher Rising Star Games is still intent on ‘updating’ us on details of the title until they decide when to ship it. So, we’ve got information on the types of items you’ll encounter below, as well as a few screenshots to ogle over.

Bubble Bobble Double Shot is a re-make of the original arcade title, and includes the following items:

Star Bubbles

Star bubbles appear around the levels of Bubble Bobble Double Shot. They have magical powers that our heroes can use to gain the advantage! If you burst a Star bubble normally, it will cause all of the bubbles currently in play to burst - even those with trapped enemies inside! You can add a color to the Star bubble simply by blowing another bubble at it. When this newly colored bubble is burst all Color enemies will change to the selected color! This will make it easier to get rid of them all without having to change your character.

Elemental Bubbles:

Elemental bubbles have special effects when you burst them. They’re usually a lot of help when it comes to dealing with enemies and leave behind high-value bonus items! Elemental bubbles are made up of water, fire and thunder and create a lot of havoc for the enemies!

Extend Bubbles

The EXTEND bubbles are very mysterious, but collecting all the letters will grant you an extra life! To make EXTEND letters, a Star bubble must have two colors added to it. This is done by blowing a bubble at it, changing character and then blowing another bubble to change the color of the Star bubble twice. Different combinations of colors result in different letters. Experiment to find out which ones produce which letters!

Jumping with bubbles:

Any bubble can be used as a platform. Simply press the B Button to jump towards a balloon and keep the button held down. If you land on top of a bubble, you will keep bouncing on it until either you release the B Button or the bubble bursts.

If you’re wondering why we’re being so dismissive of Bubble Bobble Double Shot, it’s because, well… it’s a bit rubbish. It’ll arrive in North America some time in the first quarter of 2008, but we’d avoid it if we were you.