Presentation: 7 out of 10
Marble Blast Ultra has a unique style to it and actually seems to use some of the more advanced graphical abilities of the hardware. Once you sit down to play, you will be greeted with a bright and vibrant world where every stage takes on a different style that fits well with the play mechanics of the stage. The most outstanding aspect of the graphics is the environments of the stages. The floors glisten with amazing textures while the backgrounds are on par with any imaginative painting you would find in a museum. The sound side of the presentation however, is somewhat average. You will find upbeat and funky music that does complement the play but will in no way find itself inside your head at school or work.

Gameplay: 6 out of 10
MBU is a throw back to the classic style of play found in titles like Marble Madness and Monkey Ball. Once the gamer selects a stage, they will be presented with a maze where the key to winning is to locate the exit. To do this, the player may have to activate lifts, perform jumps, scale cliffs, or even rotate the playing field. Control is very tight and when using the right stick to adjust the camera angle the flow of the game becomes second nature. However, many gamers will find the difficulty curve to be uneven and may perhaps not even find a challenge until the last ten percent of the stages where it can suddenly become an uneven and confusing affair. It must also be noted that although the online play is solid technically, the gamer is faced with mostly only one objective and that is to collect the most crystals.


Overall: 6 out of 10
MBU is without a doubt one of the standout titles of the Xbox Live arcade. Its graphics shine with bright textures and imaginative backgrounds that will make the gamer enjoy watching the game as much as playing it. However, the forgettable music leaves a bad taste in any music aficionado’s mouth and the technically solid yet very simple online mode could have benefited from a little more time and effort. Overall, MBU is a worthy title for any arcade fans library and shouldn’t be overlooked over its shortcomings.