Ashwin Hary
Edward 1
Still Got Time for Old-School Action
October 17th 2006 07:25
You may have read a review I posted a few days ago on Marble Blast Ultra for the Xbox Live Arcade. Well, guess what? Last night I finally finished the damn thing. I had to complete the final level in under three and a half minutes, and I spent hours over the course of the last week or do trying to whittle down my time. It frustrated the life out of me. I yelled. I screamed. I may even have stomped my feet a couple of times, but you better keep that quiet.
Perseverance did win out though, and I finally got the job done. With glorious satisfaction too, I might add. In the final level you must navigate over a series of very, very thin planks, whilst small moving objects race up and down the length of each plank. You’ve got to hop, skip and bounce your way from one side to the other, all the while keeping an eye on the clock, and trying not to look down. Eternity sweeps below, and if you fall, you start over.
Despite the incredible difficulty though, I have to hand it to the developers, Garage Games, for crafting such an intelligent level. I was constantly trialing new, quicker paths to take, working on combinations of approaches to each separate section of the map. It was addictive, satisfying, and ridiculously frustrating. A lot like the games of old.
Remember Mario, Sonic, Turok, Zelda? The considerable challenges placed before you all those years ago took a lot of meticulous planning to develop. Instead of spending time on crazy graphics and glorious sound, developers put their time into making smart, simple, and addictive games. There’s still a place for games like that in my collection, as my experience with Marble Blast Ultra will attest.
It almost makes me want to buy a Nintendo Wii come December, as it offers a huge selection of classic titles via direct download. As a matter of fact, I think I will.
Perseverance did win out though, and I finally got the job done. With glorious satisfaction too, I might add. In the final level you must navigate over a series of very, very thin planks, whilst small moving objects race up and down the length of each plank. You’ve got to hop, skip and bounce your way from one side to the other, all the while keeping an eye on the clock, and trying not to look down. Eternity sweeps below, and if you fall, you start over.
Despite the incredible difficulty though, I have to hand it to the developers, Garage Games, for crafting such an intelligent level. I was constantly trialing new, quicker paths to take, working on combinations of approaches to each separate section of the map. It was addictive, satisfying, and ridiculously frustrating. A lot like the games of old.
Remember Mario, Sonic, Turok, Zelda? The considerable challenges placed before you all those years ago took a lot of meticulous planning to develop. Instead of spending time on crazy graphics and glorious sound, developers put their time into making smart, simple, and addictive games. There’s still a place for games like that in my collection, as my experience with Marble Blast Ultra will attest.
It almost makes me want to buy a Nintendo Wii come December, as it offers a huge selection of classic titles via direct download. As a matter of fact, I think I will.
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