Buck Bumble
Buck Bumble — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Buck Bumble on?
- Buck Bumble was released on Nintendo 64.
- When did Buck Bumble release?
- Buck Bumble was first released on September 30, 1998.
About Buck Bumble
A chemical spill somewhere in rural England has mutated an army of bees into killer insects! Led by their queen, they are out to destroy everything living thing on the planet, including all insects that dare stop them. Only Buck Bumble, the only bee not to be turned evil by the ways of the queen, can save the world, and his fellow insects, from total destruction. Shoot down swarms of enemy bees, while flying and avoiding the hazards bellow or land on the ground and attack the enemies on foot with various weapons. Also included are a handful of two-player split-screen modes, including Buzz Ball, a unique soccer style game.
Summary via IGDB.
Buck Bumble on Wikipedia
Buck Bumble is a 3D third-person shooter video game developed by Argonaut Software, that was published in 1998 by UbiSoft for the Nintendo 64. The game's premise centers around a war of two factions of anthropomorphic insects, created as a result of a chemical spill in London. The game received lukewarm reviews at release, even positive ones mentioning technical shortcomings. However the soundtrack and its main theme, both composed by Justin Scharvona, were praised after release, and it's enjoyed a modern resurgence of popularity, despite the game's otherwise relative obscurity.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Nintendo 64
- Developer
- Argonaut Games
- Publisher
- Gradiente
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Split screen
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Collector value & authenticity
Nintendo 64 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-22
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAL release | $16 | $67 | $114 |
| Japanese release | $25 | $85 | $175 |
How often it sells
- Loose: about 3 times a week
- Complete: about 2 times a month
- Sealed: about 3 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-22.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $3.99 in Jan 2007, $30 five years ago, and $50 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2007 | $3.99 | — |
| Jan 2008 | $2.94 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $4.25 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $3.99 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $2.75 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $2.50 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $4.25 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $5.89 | $28 |
| Jan 2015 | $7.45 | $39 |
| Jan 2016 | $9.79 | $40 |
| Jan 2017 | $10.78 | $9.72 |
| Jan 2018 | $10.58 | $50 |
| Jan 2019 | $10.73 | $52 |
| Jan 2020 | $12.12 | $47 |
| Jan 2021 | $16.49 | $82 |
| Jan 2022 | $30 | $121 |
| Jan 2023 | $24 | $100 |
| Jan 2024 | $30 | $83 |
| Jan 2025 | $30 | $150 |
| Jan 2026 | $35 | $131 |
| Oct 2026 | $50 | $139 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Cartridge serial | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 20 November 1998 | NUS-NBLE-USA | NUS-01A-02 |
| Europe / PAL | 4 December 1998 | NUS-NBLP-EUR | — |
| Japan | 18 December 1998 | NUS-NBLJ-JPN | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1998
- Authenticity
- Low
A flying insect shooter with a well-liked soundtrack and rough edges, now one of the pricier carts for its era.
Buck Bumble is a third-person shooter from Argonaut Software, published by Ubi Soft, in which you play Buck, a bee, in a war between two insect factions. Its premise is that a chemical spill in London created the warring insects. It reached North America in November 1998, Europe in December 1998 and Japan later that month.
Reviews were lukewarm even when positive. Next Generation, in its December 1998 issue, judged the flight engine serviceable but wanted more freedom and called the game a diamond in the rough. Outlets including IGN and N64 Gamer criticized its heavy reliance on distance fog and low-resolution textures to save performance, along with a sub-par frame rate, and thought it too easy, although it liked the flight controls and the Buzz Ball multiplayer mode. The soundtrack by Justin Scharvona, including the main theme, was praised.
What the press said at the time
| GameRankings (aggregate) | 70.12% | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6.62/10 | |
| GamePro | 4/5 | |
| GameSpot | 5.2/10 | |
| IGN | 7.2/10 | |
| N64 Magazine | 8.5/10 | |
| Next Generation | 3/5 | |
| Nintendo Power | 8.2/10 | |
| Official Nintendo Magazine | 84% | |
| 64 Magazine | 9.2/10 | |
| Q64 (magazine) | 8/10 | |
| Total 64 | 9.0/10 |
“It is a very good game, and there's nothing else like it on N64, but it could have been so much better.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Nintendo 64 version.
Before you buy
The North American cartridge is one of the pricier carts in the library, and the PAL and Japanese releases both cost much less. Fake risk is low. A modern licensed Buck Bumble cartridge from ModRetro has also been released, so if you want an original 1998 cart, check which one you are getting before you pay. A complete copy costs several times the loose price, and sealed copies cost more again.
Buck Bumble screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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