Overall 7.7 Graphics 8.8 Sound 9 Addictive 9 Story 4.3 Depth 7 Difficulty 7.4
8.3
Marble Madness Zircron Swift
There is a game out there that is quite beyond our world. A world were marbles are hated and are put in mazes to test their intelligences as well as their observation skills. Little do the marbles know that there is no freedom, no escape, no purpose in this crazy world of worms that eat glass and conveniently placed vacuums of oddness. Why it exists, what the mazes purposes are, and what the hell is that are questions you'll ask yourself in this game, but for the most part, you'll just won't ask a thing in pure bewilderment. Lets have a look in to the madness that is Marble Madness.
Now, normally I begin with the story, but this time, it'll be far more appropriate to begin with the game play. You have two different types of controls: 90 degrees, and 45 degrees. 90 degrees is were when you press left, you go left. Down is down and right-up is right-up. 45 degrees takes the controls of 90 degrees, but rotates how they work by 45 degrees, so left is down-left, down-left is down, and down is right-down. I prefer the 90 degrees option for the pure simplicity of it all. You begin at the practice race, where you just get to grips to your
controls and how the game works. It's very straight forward, almost
anyone can do it. When you get to the end, you get a bonus depending on how fast you complete the level
Don't celebrate just yet, you move on to the beginners race. This time there are black marbles trying to push you off, green worms trying to eat you, narrow passages, and other little do-dads to make things more complex. You move to the intermediate race, where your total time is the initial time is added to the time left over the race you finished. The faster you finish the last race, the more time you'll have on the later races. Although at random times, the game will freeze, while a magic wand flicks over you and you gain 10 seconds. How....thoughtful, I guess. This goes on for another 3 races, making a total of six, but it's hard to complete it, as you are rushed to get to the end. This results in you taking longer to complete the race. And then, when you get to the silly race with subtitles "everything you know is wrong", this widens the universe of this marble world by a lot. Things are crazier, the music is odder, everything makes you think there is more to this sad world of people bullying marbles.
The music is awesome, it gives you the sense one being on another planet, yet giving a good tune for you to listen to. It's very fitting with both the game and the environment you are in. The graphics are very mystical. I hate it when they add black backgrounds, as they feel like they re hiding something and not giving me the full picture. Yet, in this game, they match really well with the game play and music. It almost gives me the sense that there are mad scientists behind that black curtain, experimenting with biological marbles that can think for themselves, and planting odd creatures in a vortex of the space-time continuum....
The first time you play, it's quite a challenge, but as you play, you'll find what is the fastest route around the place, as the mazes remain the same. although the controls are a little fiddly to begin with, you get used to them after some time. You then find yourself making corners as high speeds, yet you may not have enough time. Well, the answer to this is you can roll faster. By holding down the A button, you go at a faster pace than normal, which can shave several seconds off.
The game, although short, has a lot to offer. The practice race is a prime example. It's possible to jump onto the edge near the end and gain some bonus points. I always wondered why those numbers were there. It's good to explore and see what you can find. it's fairly addictive, even when you get close to the end and fail. The music the game over screen gives makes you feel there is yet more to this world than it seems, and you want to get to the end just to see if there is anything. Does the marble get freed? Do we accurately get to know what the hell is happening here?
However, despite various setting, the mood it sets, the graphics it implies, the music it tells, it's just a game to get as many points as you can. Seriously, I was almost disappointed to beat the ultimate race (with a certain amount of satisfaction, I might add), just find a load of different coloured balls bouncing around the screen telling me how I got a score bonus for completing the game. So the silly was a lie? Or was the lie about the lie a lie? Maybe the lie wasn't a lie, yet the marble was a lie. Did any of this really happen? Was it all just a hallucination? If so, it's a pleasant one.
Overall, I give this game an 8.3/10 Once you get used to the controls, and the way the game plays with your mind, it's a very enjoyable game to play. Granted, it can get little boring after you complete it once, but it has that charm that allows you to play it with the same excitement once in a while. It's a game that certainly should be played again if you remember it and is defiantly worth a play if you got the time. If you like weird stuff that makes no sense, then you'll enjoy this game even if you hate the marble aspect of it. It's one of those forgotten classics that might have scared away some of the customers rather than draw them in, and I can see why. Caution when playing then game, as it contains some pretty bizarre stuff.
Graphics 8 Sound 9 Addictive 8 Story 5 Depth 8 Difficulty 7
Review Rating: 4.2/5
Submitted: 12-12-11
Review Replies: 3
10
Roll into Madness! Kevric
User Note:Playing marbles is something I'd never done before. I used to have a lot of those little glass marbles with exotic colorful patterns inside them, but dust mites paid more attention to them than I did. That is, until I decided to get
Marble Madness. I never knew playing marbles was so fun or I would've been playing them all my life.
Gameplay:With just a simple NES controller, you can take the controls of either a blue or red marble (depending on whether you play by yourself or with a friend) and maneuver it from the start and finish of seven different levels. The beginning race is just a short example of what this classic has to offer. You and your marble start at the top of what looks to be a 3-D maze with several midget slopes. After several seconds pop onto the clock at the top of the screen, it's time to get going! Rolling like a wheel through a few twists and turns will take you to the end of the first stage, making the time on the clock seem like an eternity. Man, that was easy! There wasn't any enemies, or really a challenge whatsoever! The marbles have an unlimited number of lives on hand. Whether you get harassed by an enemy or simply fall off the edge of a cliff, you'll be put back onto the maze in one piece almost instantly. Your biggest enemy in the world is time itself. Even though the time you have left over will be added to the amount of seconds that you'll receive after making it through each maze, it never seems to be enough for you to take in a deep breath and relax. Once you reach the second stage, you won't have the desire to rest anyway. Doing such things as guiding your marble at just the right angle down ramps in order to avoid falling into bottomless pits has a way of keeping your eyes glued to the television screen. Your concentration will be so sharp that tunnel vision will almost completely take you over.
Graphics:Once you beat the game, it'll always be fun to play over and over again. It's not just the engaging gameplay, but also, the graphics look perfect for this sort of game. The maze's environments have that polished 3D look to them, but they don't try to be overly flashy to where they deter your attention away from getting to the end as fast as you can. The enemies and marbles are the same way. I especially like how you can still see the textures of the floor through the living enemy puddles, and how the white patterns on the blue marble roll with your every move. Even if you couldn't see your marble but could see those patterns, you could tell which way you're traveling.
Sound Effects:Sound effects are just like they should be, such as the sound of banging against another marble, the "Ahhh" sound of falling off the edge, etc. The music
really adds to the atmosphere of whichever stage you're currently playing. The first two mazes aren't as difficult or as dangerous as the others, and the music has that sort of cheerful sound to it to mark that. Just wait until you hear the tune that accompanies the stage with red siding, which you'll spend nearly as much time flying through the air as you will rolling on the ground. It promotes the feeling that you're in the most dangerous part of the world, and YOU ARE!
"How's that for a review?" - Kruzer
Review Rating: 4.1/5
Submitted: 06-20-13
Updated: 03-03-15
Review Replies: 0
9.8
One Of The Hardest..? ObeseDaemon
Basic Thoughts:
Great game! although it is one of the most basic you could find it is clear to see that it's idea is just amazing, you play as a marble a great thing from childhood that im sure many remember along with games such as this one. the aim is to take your marble and guide it through many various levels and courses avoiding any of the hazards that may try and stop you, such as other marbles to knock you off the track, acid patches that move around and springs that try to jump on your marble. The overall idea and concept of the game would be to get through each level before the timer runs out and any leftover will be carried as bonus onto the next level completing each as fast as you can to beat the game.
Graphics:
The graphics of the game are rather on the good side of things when it comes to comparison with other games and such of the era and consoles, with great work done to make things look crisp and sharp overall just good imaging and design with much effort had been put into making this game look how it is. Overall this game's visual appearance for the time that the game was made is just up on top with other popular titles. So the basic yet great design's worked great for the game and gave it what was needed and the player's had a nice smooth game to look at as well as trying to figure out the best way to play it.
Controls:
The controls of the game would be fairly simple really, depending whether you're using a older console, if you ever had chance to get a hold of a coin and play it in a arcade or just as a ROM online or downloaded with an emulator, its all about just rolling the marble around in a great big balancing and timing game to try and get to where you want in the most efficient way. So its kinda like a gyro system to roll around changing speeds and angles, where any such little mistake could just cost you and cause valuable time loss or even just game over.
Conclusion:
As a result of playing this game many times i still personally have never completed it because it's just that challenging yet addictive and i come back to it all the time even if to only fail where i once have before, the game is a basic yet solid concept that many have loved over the years and will in the future gamers to come. i loved it and this is my review of the game i recommend all to give it a try if they get chance!
I give it a 9/10
Graphics 9 Sound 9 Addictive 10 Depth 8 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 4/5
Submitted: 07-23-14
Review Replies: 9
8
"Marble Madness" rightfootedglove
This is one of those games that you will remember for many years! It has that sort of nostalgia and excitement that is reminiscent of many of the old Original Nintendo games. This game in particular is an arcade style type game that, to be honest, really has no story. It also is rather shallow in terms of depth! You basically play as a marble that has to get from point A to point B whilst avoiding marble-crushing obstacles and maneuvering carefully through dangerous precipices that will quickly turn the game from fun to a dangerous cliff fall. The game is quite addictive with its re-playability and crisp graphics that took a step forward in the world of 3D gaming, even though all it really is, is just spinning around on a multi-planar surface. The audio is slightly peculiar, but also catchy at the same time. The music seems like the type that's likable, but only if you have an acquired taste. Getting down to business, though, I would have to say that the most noticeable aspect of this game is its difficulty. When I was younger, I could never beat it, and even when I got older and could get to the final level, I still couldn't actually finish to the end! Now, maybe that's just proof of my inability to be persistent, but even after many tries, this game still bested me. The first few levels are fairly easy and can be completed with time to spare. To be more specific, each level is virtually a race. You can fall off the edge or "die" as many times as you want, as long as you can get to the finish line in time. Starting at the top of the playing field and making your way down (although it's harder than it sounds), you'll find yourself re-spawning more times than one. Pretty much the only thing going for you as the player is that excess time carries over from one level to the next. So if you finish level one with an extra 15 seconds, then you'll have 15 more for the next level. What makes this game so difficult is twofold. If you do run out of time, that's it. You have to start over from the beginning. The other thing is that although the controls are as simple as can be, the traction on the marble can sometimes be misleading and turning while moving can be difficult to master. After enough practice, certain parts of the game can become second nature, but that doesn't seem very useful seeing as the game as a whole doesn't last much longer than a few minutes if you know what you're doing. At some points of the game, it seems like luck plays a larger role than skill. Even if you do "the exact same thing" at a certain point in a level, one time may result of failure whereas another may result in success. Also, sometimes a little magic wand appears and saves you from perilous danger! But apart from the difficulties of this game and the seemingly nonexistent story and depth, this game does very well for itself! When you take into consideration that it was really just an arcade game and wasn't meant to be long, it does seems to fit the bill. I give this game an 8 out of 10 for being addictive and fun, yet also managing to be simple and aggravatingly hard at the same time.
Graphics 9 Sound 8 Addictive 9 Story 3 Depth 4 Difficulty 9
Review Rating: 2.7/5
Submitted: 09-21-13
Review Replies: 1
9.5
Marble Madness NES Game Review ThunderCatsRevo..
Marble Madness. One of the arcade classics you'll be playing again and again and again. In the NES version it features your usual familiar 8-bit graphics, and the usual marbles. Game play is just like the arcade except you are using a d-pad which is kind of easier to control than using a track ball. The music is great and I find myself singing the beginner stage music. It’s a good stage theme and it’s very catchy. The game's difficulty is sort of hard but the first 2 levels of the game are quite easy. Marble Madness for the NES maybe hard but it’s still an enjoyable game.
Graphics 9 Sound 10 Addictive 9 Depth 7 Difficulty 5
Review Rating: 1/5
Submitted: 09-24-11
Review Replies: 0
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