Mario Pinball Land
Encyclopedia
, released as Mario Pinball Land in North America
, is a pinball
video game that was developed by Fuse Games
and published by Nintendo
for the Game Boy Advance
and released in 2004. It is a spin-off
of the Mario
series that began on the Nintendo Entertainment System
. It is the ninth Mario game for the Game Boy Advance
.
visit a funfair, Peach steps into a cannon, but the cannon is operated by Goombas. The Goombas shoot Peach from the cannon into Bowser's castle, and Mario must save her. He does this by using a machine that makes him a spherical ball, allowing for the pinball action of the game.
. There are 35 stars to collect. In typical Mario fashion, Mario must explore different areas to reach his aim of saving the princess. There are five different worlds, each guarded by a boss.
Most reviews praised the excellent graphics
, but criticized the game for being pointlessly difficult and having overall poor gameplay. IGN
's review in particular criticized the gameplay for having "bad table layouts with an overwhelmingly annoying 'playfield reset' element". The review concluded that "the gameplay itself is far more flawed and annoying than it is fun to play" and rated it 5/10.
Not all reviews were negative; GameDaily.com said that the game "...may irk you on occasion, but it's definitely worth checking out," giving it 6/10. GameSpot
gave the game 7.5 out of 10, saying that the game "combines Mario with pinball to create an interesting kind of adventure game". In one of its highest scoring reviews, The Video Game Critic
gave the game an A- and said it's "hard to put down."
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, is a pinball
Pinball
Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...
video game that was developed by Fuse Games
Fuse Games
Silverball Studios, formerly known as Fuse Games is a Cotswold, Burford based video game developer best known for developing pinball games for Nintendo....
and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
and released in 2004. It is a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of the Mario
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
series that began on the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. It is the ninth Mario game for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
.
Plot summary
When Mario and Princess PeachPrincess Peach
is a character in Nintendo's Mario series of video games. She is the Princess of the fictitious Mushroom Kingdom, and often plays the damsel in distress role within the adventure series. In 2007, Princess Peach landed on Forbes magazine's Wealthiest Fictional People list, with a fortune upwards of...
visit a funfair, Peach steps into a cannon, but the cannon is operated by Goombas. The Goombas shoot Peach from the cannon into Bowser's castle, and Mario must save her. He does this by using a machine that makes him a spherical ball, allowing for the pinball action of the game.
Gameplay
To proceed, Mario must collect enough stars to open specific doors, a gameplay element borrowed from Super Mario 64Super Mario 64
is a platform game, published by Nintendo and developed by its EAD division, for the Nintendo 64. Along with Pilotwings 64, it was one of the launch titles for the console. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, and later in North America, Europe, and Australia. Super Mario 64 has sold over...
. There are 35 stars to collect. In typical Mario fashion, Mario must explore different areas to reach his aim of saving the princess. There are five different worlds, each guarded by a boss.
Reception
Super Mario Ball received average to poor reviews. The review collation site GameRankings gave a score of 63% with a large amount of overall review scores lower than 72%.Most reviews praised the excellent graphics
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
, but criticized the game for being pointlessly difficult and having overall poor gameplay. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's review in particular criticized the gameplay for having "bad table layouts with an overwhelmingly annoying 'playfield reset' element". The review concluded that "the gameplay itself is far more flawed and annoying than it is fun to play" and rated it 5/10.
Not all reviews were negative; GameDaily.com said that the game "...may irk you on occasion, but it's definitely worth checking out," giving it 6/10. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game 7.5 out of 10, saying that the game "combines Mario with pinball to create an interesting kind of adventure game". In one of its highest scoring reviews, The Video Game Critic
The Video Game Critic
The Video Game Critic is a website focused on video-game reviews and run by David Mrozek. It was established in 1999, and is known for featuring comprehensive reviews on many early gaming platforms.-History:...
gave the game an A- and said it's "hard to put down."