Marble Blast Ultra
{{Short description|2006 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Marble Blast Ultra
|image = Marbleblastcover.jpg
|developer = GarageGames
|publisher = GarageGames
|designer = Alex Swanson
|artist = Alex Swanson
|composer = Tim Clarke
|engine = Torque Shader Engine
|platforms = Xbox 360 (XBLA)
Windows
|released = Xbox 360
January 25, 2006{{cite web |date=January 25, 2006 |url=http://xbox360.gamezone.com/news/01_25_06_09_01PM.htm |title=Marble Blast Ultra Available on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade |website=GameZone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203074508/http://xbox360.gamezone.com/news/01_25_06_09_01PM.htm |archive-date=February 3, 2006 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 12, 2023}}
Windows
June 13, 2015
|genre = Puzzle-platformer
|modes = Single-player, multiplayer
}}
Marble Blast Ultra is a platform game developed by GarageGames. It was released on January 25, 2006 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. It is the sequel to Marble Blast Gold. It features 60 levels, enhanced graphics, 2 new power-ups and a multiplayer mode. A browser port of the game under the title Marble Blast Online was released on March 7, 2008, and was available at InstantAction until the website was shut down.
Gameplay
Image:MarbleBlastUltra screenshot.png
In the single-player mode, the player has the main goal of reaching the finish pad of the level as fast as possible. Obstacles will hinder the player's progress, but powerups are also provided to help the player finish the level. There are sixty single player levels that can be completed by the player. They are divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Levels, each category containing twenty levels. Many of these levels (such as 'Survival of the Fittest', 'Natural Selection', and 'Ordeal') are recycled from Marble Blast Gold.
There is a par time set for each of the levels, and if the player beats the level under par time, the player will earn achievements based on how many levels they successfully completed under par time. Additionally, if the player has an Xbox Live connection, their best time will show on a leaderboard where players worldwide can compare their best times. The leaderboard is updated whenever a player gets a new record time.
The game makes use of two new power-ups:
- Ultra Blast - instantly increases the blast meter, and adds more power. The marble can jump much higher than it can with a normal blast.
- Mega Marble - makes the marble bigger, allowing it to knock other marbles off-course. The power-up lasts at least 10 seconds before the marble shrinks back to normal.
Another added feature is the introduction of Easter Eggs, which are found in hidden locations in 20 of the game's 60 levels. After finding one Easter Egg, the game will award the achievement "Egg Seeker". After finding all 20 Easter Eggs, the game will award the "Egg Basket" achievement.
=Multiplayer=
Multiplayer mode contains 20 levels and supports up to 8 simultaneous players. There is only one mode which consists of collecting gems within a certain time limit (three to six minutes), which depends on the level. After a group of 2-6 gems are collected entirely, another set of gems appear elsewhere on the board. Players race to these gems and use power-ups to navigate across the level quicker and interfere with other players.
There are three types of gems: red, yellow, and blue. Red gems are worth one point, while yellows are worth two and blues are worth five. Most likely, blue and yellow gems are much harder to get than the red ones. The player at the end of the round with the most points wins. Players can change their marble's appearance by choosing from a variety of patterns and pictures in the main menu, such as a globe marble or a tiger marble as well as adding several different effects to use online. Ranked matches and player matches are supported along with an overall multiplayer leaderboard for ranked and player matches. Users can create a game or join one and filter parameters such as level, players, and gamer zone. Private games are also supported.
Development and marketing
Early in the development of the Xbox 360, Microsoft approached GarageGames to help with developing games for Xbox Live Arcade. After receiving pre-release Alpha hardware, GarageGames quickly ported Torque Shader Engine to the platform. The developers of Marble Blast Ultra also began working on the PC to bring the core game over to the new engine, taking six months to develop the game in total.{{cite web |url=http://www.garagegames.com/solutions/games/ |title=Case Study: Marble Blast Ultra on the Xbox 360 |website=GarageGames |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211193343/http://www.garagegames.com/solutions/games/ |archive-date=December 11, 2006 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 14, 2025}}
In December 2007, Marble Blast Ultra had its price lowered. In 2008, three new achievements totaling 50 gamerscore were added to Marble Blast Ultra on Xbox.com.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} Three DLC packs were released for the game during that year. On October 29, a DLC pack contained a new multiplayer level "Marble It Up". In December, the Marble-Fu map pack and Agoraphobia pack were released.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} Each pack contained five maps and was available on InstantAction prior to their Xbox 360 release.
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| MC = 79/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/marble-blast-ultra/ |title=Marble Blast Ultra (X360) |website=Metacritic |publisher=Fandom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920181622/https://www.metacritic.com/game/marble-blast-ultra/ |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
| EuroG = 8/10{{cite web |last=Reed |first=Kristan |date=February 14, 2006 |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/r-marbleblastultra-x360 |title=Marble Blast Ultra |website=Eurogamer |publisher=Gamer Network |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116013935/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_marbleblastultra_x360 |archive-date=January 16, 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
| GSpot = 6.8/10{{cite web |last=Gerstmann |first=Jeff |date=January 27, 2006 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/marble-blast-ultra-review/1900-6143253/ |title=Marble Blast Ultra Review |website=GameSpot |publisher=Fandom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215194759/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/marble-blast-ultra-review/1900-6143253/ |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
| IGN = 6.9/10{{cite web |last=Onyett |first=Charles |date=December 21, 2005 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/12/22/marble-blast-ultra |title=Marble Blast Ultra |website=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731022742/https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/12/22/marble-blast-ultra |archive-date=July 31, 2016 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
| JXV = 15/20{{cite web |author=chinaski2 |date=January 14, 2010 |url=https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00012082-marble-blast-ultra-test.htm |title=Test: Marble Blast Ultra |language=fr |website=Jeuxvideo.com |publisher=Webedia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812105029/https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00012082-marble-blast-ultra-test.htm |archive-date=August 12, 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
| OXM = 8.5/10{{cite magazine |title=Marble Blast Ultra |magazine=Official Xbox Magazine |publisher=Future US |date=June 2006 |page=60}}
| Retro = 91%{{cite magazine |last=Jones |first=Darran |title=Marble Blast Ultra |magazine=Retro Gamer |publisher=Imagine Publishing |issue=22 |date=March 2, 2006}}
| TX = 8.7/10{{cite web |last=Nardozzi |first=Dale |date=January 31, 2006 |url=http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1116/Marble-Blast-Ultra/p1/ |title=Marble Blast Ultra Review (Xbox 360) |website=TeamXbox |publisher=IGN Entertainment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306183945/http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1116/Marble-Blast-Ultra/p1/ |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
| rev1 = Detroit Free Press
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|4}}{{cite news |last=Huschka |first=Ryan |date=June 18, 2006 |url=http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060618/ENT06/606180558/1044 |title=Cheap fun for Xbox 360 |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |publisher=Gannett Company |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060627065709/http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060618/ENT06/606180558/1044 |archive-date=June 27, 2006 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
}}
The Xbox 360 version received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. IGN gave it an average review over a month before its worldwide release date.
Since its release, the game sold 756,178 units worldwide by January 2011.{{cite web |last=Langley |first=Ryan |date=January 27, 2011 |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/in-depth-xbox-live-arcade-s-2010-sales-revealed |title=In-Depth: Xbox Live Arcade's 2010 Sales Revealed |website=Game Developer |publisher=Informa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727003213/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/in-depth-xbox-live-arcade-s-2010-sales-revealed |archive-date=July 27, 2024 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
{{clear}}
Legacy
Marble Blast Ultra was delisted from the Xbox Live Arcade service in February 2011. Despite this, a Microsoft Windows version was released in 2015. GarageGames, now a subsidiary of Graham Software Development, retained the rights to the Torque Engine which powers Marble Blast Ultra, but not the rights to the game. Game rights are property of InstantAction Holdings. GarageGames CEO Eric Preisz said that it was "unlikely" that the studio would reacquire the rights to its games.{{cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Richard |date=April 13, 2011 |url=https://www.engadget.com/2011-04-13-marble-blast-ultra-rolls-right-off-of-xbla.html |title=Marble Blast Ultra rolls right off of XBLA |website=Engadget (Joystiq) |publisher=Yahoo! Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110417033044/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/13/marble-blast-ultra-rolls-right-off-of-xbla/ |archive-date=April 17, 2011 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
The members of the development team later worked on a spiritual successor, Marble It Up!, which was released for the Nintendo Switch in September 2018{{cite web |last=Winslow |first=Jeremy |date=August 27, 2018 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-switch-game-isnt-super-monkey-ball-but-might-j/1100-6461403/ |title=New Switch Game Isn't Super Monkey Ball, But Might Just Scratch That Itch |website=GameSpot |publisher=Fandom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827183613/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-switch-game-isnt-super-monkey-ball-but-might-j/1100-6461403/ |archive-date=August 27, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2024}} and subsequently for Windows{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} and Apple Arcade.{{cite web |last=Madnani |first=Mikhail |date=November 8, 2019 |url=https://toucharcade.com/2019/11/08/apple-arcade-november-2019-guildlings-ufo-on-tape-marble-it-up-and-more/ |title=New Apple Arcade Game Releases: 'Discolored', 'Guildlings', 'Marble It Up: Mayhem!', 'Sociable Soccer', 'UFO on Tape: First Contact' and 'Takeshi and Hiroshi' |website=TouchArcade |publisher=TouchArcade.com, LLC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010002212/https://toucharcade.com/2019/11/08/apple-arcade-november-2019-guildlings-ufo-on-tape-marble-it-up-and-more/ |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2024}}
A sequel to Marble It Up!, Marble It Up! Ultra was released for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, Linux, and Xbox One in July 2023.{{cite web | last=Cichacki | first=Shaun | title=The Greatest Xbox 360 Game Has a Spiritual Successor, and I'm Upset Nobody Told Me | website=VICE | date=2024-10-30 | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-greatest-xbox-360-game-has-a-spiritual-successor-and-im-upset-nobody-told-me/ | access-date=2025-03-09}}
See also
{{Portal|Video games}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.openmbu.com/ Official website for the open source remake]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110325213254/http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Marble-Blast-Ultra/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584107d7 Marble Blast Ultra on the Xbox Live Marketplace] (archive link)
- {{moby game|id=/31327/marble-blast-ultra/}}
{{GarageGames}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marble Blast Ultra}}
Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games