Hudson Entertainment knows how to properly do swag, so when a large box bearing the Bonk creator's name arrived at my doorstep this morning I was as happy as a man who sleeps with baby lambs. Can you imagine the look on my face when I opened the package and produced gigantic severed pig and cat heads? It was like that scene from The Godfather as interpreted by CuteOverload.
After standing there puzzled and silent for a few seconds with four little pointy ears in my face, I discovered a little note from John:
Hudson Entertainment has some cool bigs of swag for you! These giant plushy animals are characters, or rather marbles, of our new game Kororinpa: Marble Mania.
If you haven't already had a chance to play the game, it's based on the classic concept of rolling a marble through a labyrinth by tilting the base of the maze itself. Marble Mania takes this concept a step further by letting palyers tilt the entire world in order to get their marble through a complicated (and sometimes dizzying) 3D maze with the Wii controller. Through the 100 levels in the game players can collect 20 different marbles, each with their own unique attributes. These plus toys are just a sample of some of the ridiculously cute animal marbles that can be unlocked.
So go ahead and hug them, squish them, take them home for some much needed cuddle time, or even them away to your readers! Please make sure to give them plenty of attention, lots of pats on the head, and talk to them every once in awhile. They also like watching people play their game game so feel free to do that too.
PS. Don't feed the pig, he's on a strict dietary program...
Give away to my readers? But we just met! (Read: MINE! MINE! MINE!) A handful of photos, pig heads in the oven, and more details on this wacky Wii game follow. I have unfortunately not had the opportunity to play it yet, but I've heard that despite some camera problems the game will make your head explode with cute stages and catchy music. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some snorgling to do.
Marble Mania
Through the years, marble games have grown up quite a bit. Long before video games, kids used to play with real marbles on the playground. Later, the marble craze reached its peak as a tabletop game called Labyrinth came out. In the game, players had to tilt a board up, down, left, or right as they rolled a marble through a maze full of holes. This game was definitely the zenith of marble games, as it required careful planning, amazing hand-eye coordination, and nerves of steel. Then came video games, and marbles forgot about their past and have been brought into a vibrant virtual world. Now, marbles return to past labyrinth-inspired glory with Kororinpa: Marble Mania for the Nintendo Wii™!
Marble Mania features over 40 levels in which you twist and turn the world itself to make your marble roll, bounce, and fly from start to finish. The levels in Marble Mania are alive with color, kind of like your dream miniature golf course. You’ll roll through many different worlds, including a serene forest, a sugar-lover’s dream candyland, a city at night, and even outer space!
The best part of Marble Mania is the intuitive control scheme: all you have to do is move the Wiimote around and the world moves! For example, if you turn your hand to the right, like you’re turning a doorknob, the playing field tilts to the right, causing your marble to roll downhill. If there’s a gap you need your marble to jump, just turn your hand sharply to the left so the marble starts falling, then tilt it back so the marble lands on the other side. It’s just that easy!
Of course, the game’s not just about completing over 40 stages. As you go, you’ll collect new marbles, each with special attributes. You can collect a soccer ball, a basketball, a penguin, a cat, and dozens more! Some marbles roll faster, bounce more, make different sounds, or are stickier than others. With the new marbles, you can go back to levels you’ve already completed and try to beat your best time, or collect special crystals that unlock bonuses in the game!
You won’t be the only kid on the block playing marbles; with Marble Mania’s 2-player mode, you can race a friend to see who’s faster! In fact, the gameplay is so easy to learn, fun, and addicting, you might have friends lining up to test their skills!
Contest:
11:22 AM on 04.17.2007
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annyway, not having much to say, Kororinpa is a quite enjoyable game to play but I would rather hold the Wiimote sideways in stead of the "normal" way (wich you have to in Koroinpa) to play a ball roling game.
Did you notice there is a Dtiod robot in the background of the toyland themed levels?
What else do they like to watch!!!?????
this is a great loss!
A related game for the Wii that also got good reviews is Mercury Meltdown (pushed back from May 1st to June 12th per GameSpot). GameStop has nothing on it, so we'll see.