A compilation with great potential, but horrible execution. At least Klax survived!
Klax was, and still is, a brilliant puzzle game. Thankfully this title has aged well and the gameplay has survived the port. Sadly, the same thing can't be said about Marble Madness. As the spiritual godfather of games like Super Monkey Ball and Archer Maclean's Mercury, Marble Madness has a special place in many gamer's hearts. Unfortunate for us, the horrendous physics in this port absolutely ruin the experience. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, Marble Madness places you in control of a marble at the top of a structure that you must race to the bottom before the time runs out. The original arcade game was controlled with a trackball, and as such, any port of the game is likely to pale in comparison. Still, there have been numerous ports over the years, and sadly, most of them handle far better than this one. This port makes it feel like the marble is rolling through peanut butter. The frenzied speed and uncontrallablility that put the "madness" in Marble Madness just aren't there, making for a thoroughly disappointing experience.
Visually speaking, both titles are picture perfect ports of their arcade originals. However, this doesn't mean that Marble Madness' graphics aren't showing signs of age. Luckily, Klax came out a few years after Marble Madness and didn't use a lot of razzle dazzle in it's graphics to begin with. I guess the lesson here is that the more you dress up a game, the more dated it will look down the road. Sadly, Marble Madness' look is about as dated as you can get.
I can't say enough good things about the music in both of these games, it's absolutely fantastic. Collectors of video game music take note - the soundtracks to these games are an absolute treat - they're a hidden treasure that you don't want to be without. In both titles, they capture the mood and environment perfectly. I'd be hard pressed to find other arcade title's of this era who's music impressed me as much.
Being a great puzzle game, the replay value of Klax is through the roof. Marble Madness on the other hand suffers in this department more than in any other. One of the worst things about this game, in all it's versions, is the lack of a continue option. In Marble Madness, regardless of how many courses you've completed, or how long you've been playing, if you fail to complete a course you have to start over from the very beginning. There may have been a time when people actually enjoyed gaming like this, but I assure you, I wasn't around for it.
Klax is still as brilliant today as it was 15 years ago. Any fan of the puzzle game genre would be doing themselves a great disservice by not picking up this compilation solely for that game. However, if you're picking this up to relive Marble Madness' glory days, I'd avoid this title at all costs. Your memories of Marble Madness will serve you far better than this compilation ever will.