Kororinpa: Marble Mania (Wii, 2007)

Similar to Atari's 1984 classic Marble Madness and Sega's recent Wii offering, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Kororinpa: Marble Mania challenges people to maneuver a marble through an environment, dodging hazards and making hairpin turns en route to a goal, except in this case, with 360 degrees of control. It'll appeal to those looking to show off the Wii's motion sensing abilities, but lack of challenge and modes make it a short-lived experience.


Unlike the aforementioned games, Konami's Marble Mania allows players to tilt 3-D boards in any direction, even upside down. Each of the game's boards offer a different type of challenge. Some lack bumpers, others feature sticky goo and others sport nifty magnets that allow people to navigate chasms. Furthermore, gamers can unlock 20 marbles as they complete these stages and some of them have different properties. The cat marble, while especially cute, meows and has superb handling, while the Candy marble rolls faster. None of them differ drastically from the others, but this gives Marble Mania some depth.


The same cannot be said for the rest of the game. While rolling marbles proves enjoyable, most people probably could beat the game in less than two hours. Don't attempt to locate bonus modes. The game has none, other than a limited multiplayer mode in which two people race via split screen. Konami encourages people to replay the stages to beat their high scores, but there's only so much of that gamers can stand. Before long, Marble Mania grows tedious; a shame, considering its $39.99 MSRP.


Kids will no doubt love the game, as it follows a simple premise and packs a cute appearance. Adults with adequate motor skills, however, should rent it or wait for a price drop. Had Konami pumped over 100 unique levels into the game and programmed some mini challenges, Marble Mania would've been one of the Wii's best games instead of just being decent.

This is a fun game for 1 or 2 players. I would like to have seen some mini games with this. The music is pretty good, and the graphics are good. You can use different marbles that you unlock to offer a different and unique challenge. My 6 year old son has made it through the whole game with the Cat marble.

I had great hopes for this game as it seemed like super monkey ball but with complete 3D control of the level.

It seemed very fun at the start and I genuinely enjoyed it, but it is SO short!!!! I finished it in under 2 hours (that includes going to make myself a tea and getting some grub) and was left thinking 'IS THAT IT?!'.

Well, it was good while it lasted (not long). Dont bother buying it, just rent it for a day and you have plenty of time to finish this one, not much replay value either.

2/5

dunno what the other bozo is talking about but this game rocks

its alot of fun -- and the replay value is in the 2 player, AND trying to beat the game with the TONS of other types of marbles you get

its real easy with a standard marble, but try beating it as a pig that rolls awkwardly!!!!!!

I am not a puzzle person but everyone else in the family is. I had more fun cheerinf for them than actually playing the game. Lots of twists and turns as you get higher levels to play. You have to have a cool hand and patients. This is not a game for young kids, they will not be able to play it.

Received the game quickly and my son loved it. The game was a great condition.
I would buy from this seller again.

This game is a fun play because each time you play it, it is not like your previous experience. The wii controllers make is challenging on every level. One could sit for hours playing this game. Great for all ages, as long as you have a steady hand and patience.

One of the best games for the Wii, my daughter and I rented this from Block Buster Video once and loved it. We have been looking for it ever since. Found it on EBay, glad to have it again.

Quick delivery. Very pleased about that. Don't be afraid to buy something from this person. Thank You.

Great price for a very rare game that I've looked up and down for, for a reasonable price. Great Seller, very quick shipper, and flawless transaction/new item.

Played this at my cousins and loved it.Hours of fun for the family(or by yourself).The levels are laid out very well and gives one the sense of playing in the real world.
Unlike other action games this one needs a little bit of patience,but people of varied skills can enjoy too.The ball is customisable(easy ,super easy,normal etc).

It was exactly what I was looking for! I do not like having to write 100 words or more -- this is a waste of my precious time!!!! Please fix this problem.

I was interested in this game because it looked a lot like Marble Madness which was a fun game. Kororinpa is an excellent game in which you guide your marble throughout maze-like levels. The levels are all well designed and are consistently challenging. Completing levels in a certain amount of time awards you certain medals: gold medals earn you new marbles or levels. In addition to the normal levels, there is also a mirror world and a secret world which adds a lot of substance to the game. Kororinpa makes great use of the Wii’s remote which works surprisingly well. I would highly recommend this game to anyone who owns a Wii as long as you are willing to pay around $40 for it. Although it hasn’t come out yet, I would recommend the sequel to this game as well.

Pros:
- Unique marble game
- Makes great use of the Wii remote
- Fun and challenging levels

Cons:
- None

So glad we purchased this for the kids from "Santa." Even Mom and Dad are having fun with it. It works great and is in good condition.

What i liked about the gamw was the level design, different marbles and challenges. The difficulty I disliked the most. Game came in excellent condition just as advertised. Been seraching for this game for a long time. I am getting the sequel to complement my wii collection. Hope everone who has this game enjoyed it as much as I do. Happy Holidays and Great ebay shopping.

Kids love the game. Tried to find the game at local stores to no avail. Went to ebay and found multiple sellers. Great game for kids.

Being a senior citizen, I like the eye/hand coordination. To bad it still does not sell at stores. I asked a game store rep. and was told it did not go well with the younger generation.
Thank goodness for ebay.

great game with puzzles and awsome fantasy great color very good conditon, will probably play it till i have it finshes, love being able to pic your race of your charter and pictures. dislike the small print makes it very hard to read maybe next they make a game like this they will make the writing so you can read it better from a further distance,

This is a great game to play with people around, to see who can roll the marble through the mazes the fastest. It's not a game you can sit and play for hours on end, but in shot spirts it is quite fun. I would recommend this to just about any, or any age group for that matter.

We rented the game and loved it as a game for everyone in the family. We liked it so much we looked to purchase it. It was really hard to find but we found it here.

When I saw this game I had to have it. As an old school gamer it brought back memories of Marble Madness and that game was a lot of fun. I got my Wii after they stopped making this game so I had to get it here on ebay.Luckily I found a copy for a great price that was like new and it's nearly impossible to stop playing once you start. I often find myself saying "just one more board then I'll quit for a while",which never happens. The only thing I don't like about it is the animal marble sounds can get very irritating and distracting after a while. Because of that I find myself using other marbles. But other than that this game hands down logs the most playing time in my family.

Game was in great shape and was brand new like stated. Very fun game. Only shipping on Saturdays is kind of discouraging if you wanted an item quick but other then that everything was great!!

I like the balance skills that it develops, and how it takes advantage of the mechanics of the Wii remote. I've learned a lot about how the Wii remote works. The graphics make my wife seasick, which means we can't play together. Overall, a good game.

I bought the game for my Mother's Birthday. She loved playing the one my brother had. It is very intense. Can be a little stressful on the people watching, they really get into the game too. Don't drop the marble!