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»Marble Madness
"Playing this game with a D-Pad, it's MADNESS!"
Let me be honest with you, dear readers: Marble Madness
was one of the first video games I ever played. Granted, I never really
had any experience with this version, but the incarnation on the
Nintendo Entertainment System and I go back a bit. It was pretty fun,
despite the fact that getting past the second level was nigh-impossible
for me at age 4. Unfortunately, the Game Gear version doesn’t exactly
make the best impression. That doesn’t mean that Tengen didn’t try its
hardest to make this version work though.
Marble Madness
was first released in the Arcades back in 1984. Since then, the game
saw many home ports, ranging from home computers such as the Commodore
64 and Apple II to dedicated video game systems, like the Master
System, Genesis and the aforementioned NES. Few of these ports were
able to completely recreate the arcade experience, due to the arcade
version’s trackball control method. Few of the systems MM was ported to had trackball peripherals which forced them to use less functional alternatives, be it the arrow keys or a D-Pad.
The game’s objective is simple: navigate a blue
marble through an obstacle course filled with pitfalls, marble-eating
slinky-like creatures, animated marble-corroding acid puddles, enemy
marbles that try to knock the playable one off the course and many
others. There is a time limit, so players have to make it through each
course as quickly as possible, considering the fact that the time limit
follows through onto the next stage, with only a minor addition of time
at the end of each stage. When time runs out, the game ends and starts
back from the beginning of the game.
Shoddy controls are the downfall of the game gear
version. It is to be expected though; as I mentioned earlier, the
original arcade version used a trackball. Due to the 3D aspects of the
game’s design, the D-Pad’s implementation is a little wonky. While most
would think that the controls would simply move “up, down, left and
right”, they actually move in various diagonals which can be hard to
discern when one’s at the edge of the stage with only a few seconds
left and the goal within my grasp. The fact that everything moves in
diagonals doesn’t help matters much either. At least the NES had a
trackball accessory. In this (and any other portable) version, players
are stuck with the unreliable D-Pad.
The graphics have both good and bad qualities.
Considering the game’s age (not to mention its hardware), the pseudo-3D
look of the arcade (and various other console) versions is pulled off
decently on the Game Gear incarnation. Everything is visible and
navigable. On the downside, the choices of color in this game aren’t
chosen as well as they could have been, but at least they vary from
stage to stage. Still, I wish they had stuck to a less varied and more
generic look as some stages look much better than others.
The sound’s decent too. A few of the tracks are
actually pretty good and the overall soundtrack fits with the varying
difficulties of the courses. Oddly enough, there’s an almost Game Boy
Color sound to the music. That is, in the songs’ instrumentation. While
I’ve never really cared for that particular system’s sound card, it
fits. Sound effects, on the other hand, are pretty standard. A few of
them (such as the falling sound) are kind of annoying.
All things considered, this game has decent replay. Marble Madness
is a pretty fun game, which is a prime factor in replay. Also, there’s
not much hassle in the start-up which adds to its
pick-up-and-playability. Unfortunately, there are a few flaws that
detract from the game’s replay value. First and foremost, there are
shoddy controls. This is compounded by the difficulty of the later
levels which add both new obstacles and less enjoyable stage designs.
Finally, there’s the fact that there’s really no staying power
regarding this game. The point is to get a marble from one side of a
course to the other! It gets tedious. So, if you’re looking for a
version of Marble Madness to play on the road, you might want
to look at the Game Boy (heck, or the Game Boy Color) version. It’ll
probably be similar in terms of flaws, but at least those systems will
have longer battery lives.
Article by: Wolfdogg
Posted on: Jul. 25th, 2007 |
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Review Recap |
| Gameplay |
| The game’s pretty much the same as it ever was: simple fun. Unfortunately, a D-Pad is not a suitable replacement for the Trackball. |
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Graphics |
| The pseudo-3D look is actually carried out well here. The colors aren’t pleasing to the eye, though. |
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Sound |
| Meh, it’s got decent replay, but it’s not exactly world-shatteringly fun. Stick with any version with a trackball. |
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Replay Value |
| The game’s tracks range from good to okay, although they have a bit of a skanky GBC tone to them. |
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