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- Date:
- Monday , June 12, 2006
- Author:
- Steve Lynch
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
Marble Blast Ultra
Marble Blast Ultra is the latest in the classic Marble Blast series. Get ready for an arcade action masterpiece with stay-up-all-night gameplay and an insane level of visual polish.
Marble Blast Ultra is the latest in the classic Marble Blast series. Get ready for an arcade action masterpiece with stay-up-all-night gameplay and an insane level of visual polish. Suitable for players of any age, Marble Blast Ultra transports you to a futuristic 'astrolab' arena suspended high in the clouds. Compete against each other by navigating your marbles through moving platforms and dangerous hazards, while collecting rare gems and power-up enhancements, in an effort to complete each course in record time. Compete head to head in Xbox Live® ultra blast multiplayer mode!
GarageGames is changing the gaming world. How they're made. How they're played. How they're marketed. Our mission is simple: to create truly innovative, feature-rich, yet affordable, tools and resources for developers at any level - and on any platform. It's this technical expertise, front-line experience, and commitment to originality that already reinvented the industry with our revolutionary Torque gaming platform and the one and only Indie Games Conference.
If you want to know more about GarageGames and the award winning Torque Game Engine, I highly recommend you read our interview with the president of GarageGames, Mark Frohnmayer.
Introduction
If you would have told me six months ago that I would be writing a review of a game where you assume the roll of a marble, I would have laughed in your face. To be brutally honest, we still get a good laugh every time we imagine how the meeting between Microsoft and GarageGames must’ve gone when the idea for this game was pitched:
So, you’re a marble...
Yup
...and you roll around
Yes, that is correct
Does the marble have guns or lasers?
Not that I am aware of
Can the marble change into other things?
Not really
So, you’re just a marble…
Yup
You’ve got yourself a deal!
I have no idea who would green-light a project like this but let me tell you something, whoever it was, we are sure glad they did. I know some of you are still thinking “how fun could rolling around as a marble actually be?” Well, if you’ll pardon the pun, it’s a blast.
Initial Impressions
As you can imagine, we were more than a little surprised at just how much fun a simple concept like rolling a marble around collecting gems could actually be. Not only is it fun, it is terribly addicting as well. The game has a very small learning curve and requires little to no effort to become proficient at controlling your marble.
The single player portion of Marble Blast Ultra has three difficulty levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced) each with 20 maps. The first few maps serve as a “tutorial” where you learn basic marble control and how to use the various power ups found in the game.
The game is visually impressive and does a great job showing off the power of the Torque Shader Engine. The sound effects and overall sound quality is equally impressive. The music is adequate for the game type but most users will take advantage of the games built in support for custom soundtracks. Level design is extremely good and shows a great deal of creativity.
Controls
Marble Blast Ultra controls are extremely basic and very well laid out. The left thumbstick controls your movement and the right thumbstick controls the camera. To perform a small jump, press A. The right shoulder button controls your “blasting” ability that can be used in conjunction with your jump button for higher jumps or as an offensive weapon in multiplayer matches. Your ability to blast is governed by a small meter in the lower left hand portion of your screen that slowly recharges after each use. The right trigger is used to activate the various power ups found throughout the game. Power ups are single use only but do respawn after a few seconds.