Marble Madness (GB) (Marble Madness (GB))

Member Name: thole09

Product:	Marble Madness (GB)
Date:	18/04/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Accurate soundtrack to original

Disadvantages: "Stiff" gameplay

"Marble Madness" is a video game released for the Gameboy Color console in 1999 by Midway Games. It is a part of a long standing video game series of the same name. In the United States, the game received a rating of "E" by the ESRB panel which deemed it suitable for all ages.

The gameplay of this title keeps from the popular mid 1980s release. The player controls a small marble and must guide it through a series of puzzles in the fastest possible time. There are numerous obstacles which must be avoided throughout the process. All stages are timed and any time remaining on the player's clock will be carried over to the next stage. A total of six stages are featured in this release and should the player complete the six circuits with time to spare then he or she will win the game. It is a very simple game to complete and comes across as being slightly rushed in development. The controls are slightly awkward in moments where precision is required. I found them to be very "stiff" and unresponsive when requiring a specifically timed movement.

The graphics of this game are acceptable and make a good use of a wider range of colours. There is some element of pixelation in this title, especially against the marble in motion. There is almost a sense of "blockiness" when looking at the marble as it rolls around the various tunnels and platforms. Some colours featured are also blatantly bright and make looking at the display difficult, and this is most obviously seen in the yellow circuit features. The sound is also of a comparable standard with the Gameboy Color version retaining original music scores and sound effects. Some effects come across as being lower in quality, especially when guiding a marble against a wall which results in an odd "boop" sound.

Overall, I would not recommend this title to prospective buyers. It is a very short game to complete and once done would not likely be played again.

Summary: Thumbs down