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Marbles! Balance Challenge

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What would you do if this game was actually a spin-off from Tales of Symphonia, dealing with the exciting life of Marble, the old woman who dies early on?

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This thread is going to want a title change, the game is now called Marbles! Balance Challenge in Europe.

Here's the PAL box art:

 

mbcboxart.jpg

 

Not sure why they've decided to drop the Kororinpa name. ::shrug:

Not sure if I'm liking that box art either. :hmm: On the one hand it looks a little bit plain/boring, but on the other it kind of has a nice retro vibe to it.

 

Anyway, the game is clearly going to rock whatever the hell it's called or the box looks like. And I can't wait! :yay:

Edited by RedShell

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I like the impossible to say name Kororinpa :(

 

Whens it due out?

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I like the impossible to say name Kororinpa :(
Me too! :hehe:

 

Whens it due out?
In a couple of days time for America, (:angry:) where it's being released as Marble Saga: Kororinpa.

Here's their box art for comparison:

mskboxart.jpg

Don't think a European date has been 100% confirmed yet, but last I heard it was scheduled for the 24th of April.

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I prefer the PAL boxart to the US one, which is cluttered and doesn't do as good a job at letting you know what the game's about.

 

In terms of benefitting sales, the PAL name change and placing a much greater emphasis on the balance board is definately the way to go. Putting balance in the title will also make the casual market see this more as a fitness test/co-ordination type game which will help it sell.

Surprised they didn't make this change to the US version!

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Don't like the Boxart and don't like the name change.

 

I would have opted for something like Kororinpa 2 Balance Test . Did anyone pick up Hard working people? It's really quirky and fun.

 

In fact I don't really like either of the boxarts. They both just don't seem right.

Edited by Gentleben

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I prefer the American box art. Pays a slight homage to the first title's box art. Still haven't played the first one yet as it is a little hard to track down. Gonna be one of those collectors' titles in the years to come because of it being hard to find so best try and get one now while the prices are low-ish.

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I think I prefer the PAL boxart. The American is creepy. The pig and panda look like they're going to violate you and the puppy has a wishful look on his face as if he's thinking "I want to be at home, but you're making me roll around :("

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Just found out the reason why the US boxart is lacking the "Balance Challenge" wording.

 

According to Hudson then the US version has only 30 Balance board levels but with an extra 10 bonus levels per world , but the UK/Europe/Japan versions have 100 Balance board levels.

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I have just read the preview in ONM and it doesn't sound good. Apparently the controls need alot of work, they better have not knacked this up as I have been looking forward to it!

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I have just read the preview in ONM and it doesn't sound good. Apparently the controls need alot of work, they better have not knacked this up as I have been looking forward to it!
If they're buggered up in the way the seem to be in that latest Comic-Con video I posted on page 1, I will not be pleased!

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Not sure why they've decided to drop the Kororinpa name. ::shrug:
In terms of benefitting sales, the PAL name change and placing a much greater emphasis on the balance board is definately the way to go.
Yeah I think you're right, that must be the reason behind it.

Just been researching the sales of the original Kororinpa and it sold really poorly by the looks of it. :nono:

Man, it's an absolute miracle that we're getting a sequel at all! :hehe:

 

Just found out the reason why the US boxart is lacking the "Balance Challenge" wording.

 

According to Hudson then the US version has only 30 Balance board levels but with an extra 10 bonus levels per world , but the UK/Europe/Japan versions have 100 Balance board levels.

That's pretty interesting.

 

I have just read the preview in ONM and it doesn't sound good. Apparently the controls need alot of work, they better have not knacked this up as I have been looking forward to it!
Really!? :shakehead

Is that referring to the Balance Board or the Wii Remote controls?

Here's hoping it's just ONM getting the wrong end of the stick, as seems to be so often the case with them. :heh:

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The Wii Remote controls were perfect in the first game.

 

And the US version sounds better. I'd rather have more Wii Remote levels (the crazy 3D levels don't really sound possible with the Balance Board).

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Looking very sweet indeed :smile::

 

 

Great that you can hold the Wii Remote sideways now too, icon14.gif as having to hold it forward was my only real (and very minor) complaint with the first game.

 

Can't wait to see edit mode! :bouncy:

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Looking very sweet indeed :smile::

 

 

Can't wait to see edit mode! :bouncy:

 

 

 

The Candy land level shown is a direct copy of the Sweet World level from the first Kororinpa. The city Level is almost a direct copy but with the bumper thrown in for good measure.

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The Candy land level shown is a direct copy of the Sweet World level from the first Kororinpa. The city Level is almost a direct copy but with the bumper thrown in for good measure.
Well it is a sequel, there's bound to be some regurgitation of assets thrown in. :heh:

 

But there are also completely new worlds/stages and Balance Board stuff, plus edit mode/C24 should extend the re-play value of the game immensely.

 

The video shows the controls to be just as good as the first game, (better if you ask me, now that you can hold the Wii Remote sideways) and what appears to be true 16:9 widescreen, (something that was lacking in Kororinpa) plus an overall improvement of the visuals.

 

I'm just praying that edit mode will be a well made and substantial mode.

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I'm just praying that edit mode will be a well made and substantial mode.

 

 

Edit more will be fun, but it's a shame you can't create your own Balance Board levels due to safety issues.

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GoNintendo posted their impressions/review of the game.

 

When Kororinpa: Marble Mania hit the Wii, I was all over it. One of my favorite games is Marble Madness, and anything that even remotely resembles that game will find a very welcome spot in my library. While I didn’t expect much from the game, the end result actually left me extremely happy. K:MM actually won over a few of my very hard-to-please friends…I’m looking at you, Deux! There was indeed much love for the game, but I never expected to see a sequel get made. I mean, come on…how many others really had an interest in rolling a panda-shaped marble around a dessert kingdom?

 

Well, I guess a hell of a lot of you liked the premise! Hudson has said that the first game actually did really well for them, which is why they jumped on development of a sequel. That puts us where we are now, with the recent release of Marble Saga: Kororinpa. Sure, the title may be confusing when compared to the last game, but who the hell cares?! We get more wacky marbles, more nonsensical landscapes to traverse, and even Balance Board support! Good to have you back, Kororinpa.

 

What Works

 

Marble physics - There’s literally one thing to do in this game, and that’s roll a marble around various levels. If the marble didn’t control well, the whole game would be shot. Lucky for us, the marble physics have been tweaked this time around to make for an even better experience. While you may think the marbles are a bit ’sticky’ at first, that’s only because you have a small selection of marbles to work with. Once you unlock other marbles (with different difficultly levels), you’ll find a marble that works well for you. Some slip, some slide, some seem like they’re stuck in mud. No matter how skilled you are in marble-rolling, there’s a marble that’s just right for you.

 

Controls - The Kororinpa series is still one of the best uses of the Wiimote to date. Hudson got it so right when SEGA got it arguably wrong with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz. While I thought the wand-style grip from the first Kororinpa was just fine, this time around they’ve added a horizontal grip. So basically, you hold the Wiimote in NES-style positioning, and then twist/tilt/turn to navigate the levels. Seriously, between these two modes you should be perfectly fine. I have absolutely zero gripes about controls…and in this type of game, that’s a very good thing.

 

Level design - This time around, Hudson really went all-out on the level construction. About halfway through the first world, you’ll end up seeing a bunch of variety in the way levels are constructed. While each world retains a theme (desert, spooky, arts/crafts, ect.), the actual level layouts and paths are really planned out well. You’ll definitely find yourself both entertained and challenged. Not only do you have to make it to the goal, but you’ll need to grab gems along the way. Add to that special green gems and another item to collect, and you’ll be twisting the Wiimote in all sorts of directions to hunt down your objectives.

 

Music - While not as good as the first game’s soundtrack, MS:K still has a lot of great tunes. You’ll definitely find yourself humming along with level tunes. You might even hum them through your teeth, as you fall to your death over and over. The soundtrack is fun, perky, and nicely matches the different locations. I wouldn’t mind having this collection on my iPod.

 

Modes and features - All the modes that were in the original Kororinpa are back, plus some new ones. Multiplayer has gotten the jump from two to four players, there are time trials charts to challenge yourself with, a very workable stage builder, user-created level sharing, online rankings, download levels created by Hudson, and there’s even exclusive Balance Board levels. Sure, the design of these balance board missions may not be up the snuff with the main game, but it’s definitely an extra worth checking out. Just seeing effort put into all the extra goodies is a plus in my book.

 

What Doesn’t Work

 

Map - As I said above, each level features multiple items to pick up. There are main gems that need to be collected in order to open the goal. Finding these is never a problem. The issue comes up with the secondary items. These are well hidden, especially when you get later into the game. Other than slowly navigating levels to find these items, you can pause the game an access a scrollable map to hunt them down. Unfortunately, the map doesn’t really let you look at the levels as you’d like to…you have to work around the available options. I found myself really studying the opening level preview, which rotates the entire playspace once again. It’s definitely doable, but it’s not optimal.

 

Camera - The game’s camera does a good job of keeping up with the action, but when you play a game where you’re constantly worried about flying off of edges, I’d sure like to have some more control. There really aren’t any camera controls to speak of. You have to leave the direction up to the game itself. Like I said, it does do a good job, but I like to have a set of free camera controls just incase things get dicey.

 

Frustration - You will indeed find yourself ready to whip the Wiimote across the room from time to time. It’s the same type of feeling you get from all games of this style. Monkey Ball, Marble Madness, Kororinpa…they can drive you to the point of insanity when you can’t navigate a level after the 50th try. It’s not really a downside for me, because I know that element exists in this genre. For others, it might be quite a painful experience.

 

Quick and Dirty

 

Marble Saga: Kororinpa is a fantastic follow-up to the original. I’d say it even manages to best what Kororinpa: Marble Mania pulled off. There are some minor complaints that might nag at you once or twice, but overall this is an extremely solid title. A game built perfectly for Wii controls, and a franchise that I hope to see continue on for the console’s lifespan.

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Got my copy today. :hehe:

Had a quick go on it this morning (first few stages) seems to be the perfect sequel to Kororinpa. Certainly a nice improvement visually, while still retaining the vibe of the original. And the new horizontal Wii Remote control scheme is also great!

Looking forward to trying out the Balance Board stages and edit mode tonight. :bouncy:

 

Any other N-E peeps pick this one up?

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What? This is out? I was in in HMV, 2 GAMEs and a Gamestation today and none of them had it in. If I knew it was out this week I would have snapped it up. Gameplay had it down as next week! GITS!

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Well, I've fallen in love... :love: with Marbles! Balance Challenge!

 

The game has got everything that was awesome about Kororinpa, but with a whole lot more. And most importantly, all of the additions are superb. I've played the first 20 or so Balance Board stages now and although they start out being very simple in terms of design/difficulty, things do pick up quite a bit the more you progress. And control using the BB is absolutely spot on.

 

Edit mode is also a complete gem, giving you access to all of the parts/options to make pretty much any kind of stage you can imagine, lots of additional stuff to be unlocked for it too. Plus it is super easy to use. icon14.gif

 

The presentation is great and puts a lot of other recent 3rd party efforts to shame *cough MADWORLD cough*, here we've got true 16:9, 480p and DPLII. Perfect!

 

So yeah, I'd definitely recommend this game to anyone that owns a Wii. It makes fantastic use of the system in pretty much every single way, and it's just loads of fun to play, really an absolute blast! :yay:

 

What? This is out? I was in in HMV, 2 GAMEs and a Gamestation today and none of them had it in. If I knew it was out this week I would have snapped it up. Gameplay had it down as next week! GITS!
Now that is strange. :hmm: I hope this isn't going to be another case of yet another great Wii game being given a really muted release and not getting a chance to achieve good sales. :nono:

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