January 11, 2010February 1, 2010

Coming to PSN this Week: Magic Orbz Winter Pack

Hi everyone! It’s Scott Hyman, back yet again with news about more fun content from TikGames–Creat Studios. I hope everyone enjoyed a great holiday season.

First off, we’re making a change. The coolest brick-breaker on PlayStation Network has a new name, and some great new content to go along with it.

What was once Magic Ball is now MAGIC ORBZ!

So, I know what you’re thinking: “That is the greatest name that I’ve ever heard in the history of gaming, and I wish that I thought of it myself.” No, that’s not it? OK, then it’s, “I am so impressed. Everything really does sound much better if you just add a ‘z’ at the end.” Not that, either? How about, “Well, now that it’s called Magic Orbz, I simply have to play it. How could I possibly pass that up?” See…that IS what you’re thinking. You just don’t know it yet.

But seriously, we like the sound of it, and we like to play it even more. And to make you really love the name, we made a new Add-On Pack so you can stay up super-late trying to beat every new level and lose even more sleep while singing the praises of Magic Orbz.

For those of you not familiar, Magic Orbz presents a fresh spin on classic brick-breaking gameplay, enabling players to bust apart bright, colorful 3D environments, piece by piece. Using realistic physics and a super-high-tech system of object destruction, Magic Orbz is presented in stunning 1080p with Multiplayer Online and in-game live voice communication.

The new Winter Theme Add-On Pack is filled with penguins, igloos, polar bears, and lots and lots of snow and ice, featuring 25 new levels to creatively destroy, and new trophies to discover. The Winter Theme Pack will be available for $2.99 this Thursday, January 14th in North America.

For those that have already enjoyed the wonder of Magic B… err, Magic Orbz, a patch is available to properly rename your favorite PSN game!

As always, everyone at TikGames–Creat Studios thanks you all for your support, your feedback, and your purchase. We all work very hard to bring you great games, and we make sure to read everything that comes our way from our fans. We can’t do what we love without you!

Comments are closed.

40 Comments

30 Author Replies

Berae
January 11, 2010 at 11:09 am PST

Nice! Thats what i asked for, last time, a Christmas/winter add on. I bought every packs so far so i wont stop now. I’m getting this. Thanks
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:11 am PST
  
  Thanks, Berae! It means a lot to everyone at Tik-Creat to have such loyal fans. I\’m sure you will enjoy the Winter Pack!
nYcFrEeWiLL82
January 11, 2010 at 11:13 am PST

ok…SINCE YOU STARTED THE ARTICAL WITH QUESTIONS WE WOULD ASK..I GOT ANOTHER GOOD ONE FOR YOU ..WHY..OOH WHY..WONT YOU LET US CHANGE THE BALL?..A SOCCER BALL DOESNT CUT OUT TO BE A “MAJIC BALL” OR A “ORBZ”..IT LOOKS RIDICULOUS IMO..PLEASE COME OUT WITH AN UPDATE TO GIVE US THAT OPTION..AND ONE MORE THING..HOW ABOUT U LET US HAVE REPLAYS AND UPLOAD IT TO YOUTUBE ..THAT WOULD BE KOOL TO SHOW OFF ON FACEBOOK OR SUMTHING..AAH MAYBE THATS ALIL TOO MUCH TO ASK ..BUT ISNT THAT WHAT BLAGS ARE ABOUT ;P ANYWHO..THIS GAMEIS FUN..ME AND MY FAMILY HAVE A BLAST ON IT..KEEP UP THE GOOD WERK!
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:19 am PST
  
  nYCFrEeWiLL82, thanks for all the suggestions! I\’ll be sure that the Magic Orbz team checks them out. I think that they\’re all very cool ideas, and cool ideas usually find their way into our games.
  
  So glad that you\’ve enjoyed Magic Orbz, and I know that you will have a great time with the new Winter Pack!
depward
January 11, 2010 at 11:18 am PST

Love Magic B-, err, Orbz. Really fantastic. And awesome to see this pack AND with an awesome price too.
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:19 am PST
  
  See… depward\’s getting the hang of the new name. Orbz, baby, Orbz!!! Thanks for the kind words.
nYcFrEeWiLL82
January 11, 2010 at 11:18 am PST

CORRECTIONS ON MY LAST COMMENT-IM AT WERK..IM RISKING MY JOB TO COMMENT ON THIS BLOG SO CUT ME SOME SLACK ;P…BLOGS*..GAME IS*…I ALSO FOR GOT TO ADD THAT 3 BUKS FOR THIS IS GOOD PRICE..THANKS AGAIN AND KEEP THE ADD-ONS COMING! :)
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:20 am PST
  
  You keep buying, nYc, and we\’ll keep making \’em!
hoofrog
January 11, 2010 at 11:23 am PST

Is this a first? A released game gets a name change after release. Interesting. Mind if I ask why? I almost didn’t read this post because I did not own Magic Orbz… but something made me think it was Magic Ball so I jumped in. Glad I did, now off to the PS3 for my “title” update…. see what I did there?
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:26 am PST
  
  C\’mon, hoofrog, doesn\’t Magic Orbz sound sooooo much cooler than Magic Ball? Pinnall, Baseball, Football, Dodgeball… we were just part of the pack. But, now, we have ORBZ! Rejoice in all that is Orbz!
JetSetFuture
January 11, 2010 at 11:30 am PST

This was one of the first PSN games I purchased, and it remains one of my favorite. Looking forward to grabbing the Winter Theme on Thursday (my birthday – great timing!).
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:32 am PST
  
  OK, everybody… join in!
  
  Happy Birthday to you!
  Happy Birthday to you!
  Happy Birthday dearJetSet Future!
  Happy Birthday to you!
  
  Just so you know, JetSet, we picked the date for the release because it\’s your birthday. OK, we actually had no idea. But enjoy!
Ghost_Shrimp
January 11, 2010 at 11:32 am PST

I still need to buy this game. Maybe you guys should celebrate the name change with a sale…?
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:33 am PST
  
  There\’s a bundle in the works, too, Ghost_Shrimp. More info to come…
BigRon3400
January 11, 2010 at 11:39 am PST

No matter what the name , I love this game. Its so fun and addicting I can’t wait for the new pack! I hope you guys continue to make packs for Magic Orbz.
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:41 am PST
  
  We\’re go glad you enjoy them, BigRon3400! As I said, if you keep playing, we\’ll keep making more. Any ideas for the next Add-On pack?
Scodo_Thope
January 11, 2010 at 11:41 am PST

Reviewing my trophies this past weekend, I noticed that I have MAGIC ORBZ, trophies.

Looks like another pack I’ll have to pick up.

So what is an ORBZ?
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:44 am PST
  
  Time for a snooty grammar lesson, Scodo_Thorpe. The question should be either \”What ARE orbz?\” or \”What IS an orb?\” \”Orbz\” is the plural of \”orb\”.
  
  The answer, of course, doesn\’t matter. It\’s fun, that\’s what it is!!!! We\’re very happy that you\’ll be picking up the Add-On Pack.
BigRon3400
January 11, 2010 at 11:46 am PST

I think the idea mentioned earlier of different orbz to play with would be cool. Mabe a pack of those as DLC? I vote for a yellow smiley face one!
Tr3p1dat10n
January 11, 2010 at 11:47 am PST

I will not support the potential injuring of fake penguins :(
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:50 am PST
  
  C\’mon, now Tr3p1dat10n, don\’t make us have to hurt REAL penguins for your amusement! We worked very, very hard to create fake penguins and protect our Antarctic water foul.
Scodo_Thope
January 11, 2010 at 11:51 am PST

Balls!
JKC31
January 11, 2010 at 11:53 am PST

So it’s an orb that turns into balls. Soccer balls, Cannon balls, Screw balls, big balls, spike balls, and Slow balls.
DaWolf619
January 11, 2010 at 11:53 am PST

Let me guess. Someone decided there would be more sales if it was changed from Magic Ball to Magic Orbz? Gotta love PR people. lol
Look forward to the Winter pack, though. The Witches Pack was a blast.
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 11:58 am PST
  
  DaWolf619, while that wasn\’t the case, would it be a bad thing? If changing the game to Magic Giraffes or Magic Staplers would sell 10 times for copies, and everyone who played Magic Giraffes or Magic Staplers really enjoyed it, is that wrong?
  
  We\’re happy that you\’re looking forward to the Winter Pack. It\’s a lot of fun!
AssassinHD
January 11, 2010 at 11:56 am PST

I will definitely buy this. If you are taking suggestions for future projects I would like to see an oriental pack. Pirates are represented already, but ninjas are nowhere to be seen (pun fully intended).
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:00 pm PST
  
  Ninjas!!! Sa-weet! Who doesn\’t love Ninjas?
  
  Of course, leave it to a guy with a handle like AssassinHD to suggest Ninjas.
TheMissingLink
January 11, 2010 at 12:00 pm PST

Magic Orbz deserves some love. Really addictive game.

Fun trophies, too! Although I need to get that one with the latest DLC with the high score…
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:03 pm PST
  
  Thanks, TheMissingLink. We love you too. And we\’re not just saying that. Really, we do.
  
  Thanks for playing, and enjoy the new DLC.
Elebumm
January 11, 2010 at 12:02 pm PST

I noticed that when I was comparing trophies with my friend that it was called Magic Orbz. Is there any reason why you changed this? Was there another game on the market that had the same name or did you think magic orbz sound better?
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:09 pm PST
  
  See post #5, Elebumm. We liked the name, so we changed it. And we hope you enjoy it, too!
Elebumm
January 11, 2010 at 12:03 pm PST

Oh ya and by the way I can’t wait for this!
dragonmagician
January 11, 2010 at 12:10 pm PST

Love these packs. Inexpensive, more trophies, and cool things to hit with my orbz(?).

And thank you for not making a trophy that requires me to play all of the levels all over again. (I’m looking at you “Complete 50 Levels in a Row”)
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:14 pm PST
  
  Hmmm… that gives me an idea. How about a \”Complete all levels from the original game and both DLC packs with just one ball\” trophy?
  
  Just kidding.
  
  Enjoy the new pack!
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:15 pm PST
  
  Oops… I mean one ORB!
  
  See, I\’m adjusting to our cool new name, too!
T3mpr1x
January 11, 2010 at 12:10 pm PST

Love this game, it is a more traditional Arkanoid-like game than Shatter. I play both games for different reasons. Oh and this is a great birthday present to me! :) Though I’m turning 21 that day I might not be playing the new pack until later hahaha!!!
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:13 pm PST
  
  OK, here we go again…
  
  Happy Birthday to you!
  Happy Birthday to you!
  Happy Birthday dear T3mpr1x!
  Happy Birthday to you!
  
  I would tell you that we released the game for your birthday, but I already confessed to JetSetFuture above. So, enjoy it anyway.
poodude
January 11, 2010 at 12:13 pm PST

Yes! I love this game and when I heard about this a few weeks back I was so excited. I’m kinda dissapointed that you changed the name, but it’s still fun nonetheless. Also, thanks for continuing to support the game! Too bad I can’t buy it because my PS3 got the yellow light, but it’ll be the first thing I buy as soon as I get it back.
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:16 pm PST
  
  Sorry to disappoint you, poodude, but I hope that 25 new levels will help cheer you up.
tearsofash
January 11, 2010 at 12:15 pm PST

Glad to have an official word on this weeks after the initial story broke out!
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:16 pm PST
  
  Glad to give you the official word! Have fun!
T3mpr1x
January 11, 2010 at 12:16 pm PST

LOL yeah I saw that, thank you very much Mr. Hyman. Also I gotta say a perfect price for the add-on! I’m just gonna pretend you guys released it to celebrate my birthday anyway. :)
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:24 pm PST
  
  Sounds good to me, T3mpr1x. Just be sure to celebrate responsibly! And by responsibly, I mean by playing as many Tik-Creat PSN games as possible.
Tezasaurus
January 11, 2010 at 12:34 pm PST

It’s a fantastic game, and I love the new levels/trophies for such a low price! One of my favorite PSN titles, right up there with Super Stardust and Wipeout.

But what’s the REAL reason for the name change?
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:41 pm PST
  
  OK, the real story…
  
  Our CEO was visited in the middle of the night by a giant, mysterious, glowing orb that felt disrespected by our choice of…
  
  Sorry, that\’s not fooling anybody, is it?
  
  What else can I say? We like the name! :-)
acerazer1
January 11, 2010 at 12:40 pm PST

Haha, I’ll definitely be picking this up, it’s a really fun game. Still don’t really understand the name change, but it does give the game more of it’s own identity, which is a good thing, it deserves it.

P.S. I second the motion for a ninja add-on pack in the future, keep up the good work guys
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:43 pm PST
  
  Thanks, acerazer1! Embrace the new identity of Magic Orbz!
  
  So that\’s two votes for ninjas next time around. The European blog suggested vikings. Maybe we can make viking ninjas?
ode2code
January 11, 2010 at 12:41 pm PST

I am very impressed you responded to almost every post, the video looks pretty cool, and orbs do fit better with magic. But I’m still not sold – Can you tell us anything more about the “bundle in the works”?
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:45 pm PST
  
  Not sold? How can you not be sold when Magic Orbz is the most fun that you will ever have on your PS3? Play just once, and everything else around you will magically fade away as you frantically obssess to beat every level!
  
  Seriously, though, more specifics on the bundle are coming. But, the idea is that we\’ll be packing some variation of the original game and one or two of the packs together. But I don\’t want to say more until I know all the facts.
GGCAN
January 11, 2010 at 12:44 pm PST

Thanks Scott.

I’ll be picking this up…still play the game every so often and love it.
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:46 pm PST
  
  Thanks, GGCCAN. We\’re thrilled to know that you enjoy the game.
Jetup
January 11, 2010 at 12:46 pm PST

~ Oh Magic Orbz, Magic Orbz, Magic Orbz you are really great!

Oh Magic Orbz, Magic Orbz, Magic Orbz you want to be played!

Oh Magic Orbz, Magic Orbz, Magic Orbz Im getting you after my birthday! ~

The great old “Magic Orbz” song is really nice. Now I’m getting this game after my birthday. You guys could not just release it on the 13th? Just for me? That’s ok, I will wait for the awesomeness of Magic Orbz.

The name alone is awesome. Come’on! It has a Z in it! Z! The awesomeness of the letter Z cant be handled!
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:54 pm PST
  
  POST OF THE DAY!
  
  Jetup has fully embraced and harnessed the power of Magic Orbz!
Figroti
January 11, 2010 at 12:49 pm PST

I’m going to be honest, I think the word “orb” is incredibly misleading based on the context of the game. When I think of orb, I think of a crystal-type ball with mystical properties or powers.

If you guys change the name, I think a new ball should seriously be considered. Possibly a glass ball which leaves a trail of swirly blue smoke? Something along the lines of magical, mystical-ness.

As a future graduate of Art Institute with a BA in Game Design, I think that this change would make the most sense, and fit the name (as well as the game) even more.

When the Game Design Document was submitted, what did the publisher think of the soccer ball anyways? =p

Again, just my honest opinions! You guys do your job the way you want! :D
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 12:55 pm PST
  
  Hey Figroti, thanks for the suggestions. I would have to check with the Magic Orbz team to find out about the evolution of the game design, but we\’ll be sure to consider your ideas.
Figroti
January 11, 2010 at 12:51 pm PST

Also, I forgot to say how much I love the game. This is a game I vowed to purchase all of the DLC for, because it’s so fun!

Though I still hate those luck based trophies! >=O
UDFLYER20
January 11, 2010 at 12:59 pm PST

This game is awesome. One of the few games I can convince my gf to play. :) Day 1 purchase for me!
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 1:11 pm PST
  
  Go glad that you and your girlfriend are enjoying the game. Have fun with the Winter Pack!
xXAirForceOne
January 11, 2010 at 1:00 pm PST

Hey, we need more trophies for this awesome game please! I love it. <3
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 1:10 pm PST
  
  The new DLC does have new trophies. Enjoy!
SOOPERGOOMAN187
January 11, 2010 at 1:11 pm PST

Where I live, “Magic Orbs” is a Drink that I can buy at a store. It’s clear with little magic “orbs” floating around inside. These “Orbs” are lemon flavored. Bet you didn’t know about that.

This looks like a rather interesting take on ARKNOID but with a twist. If Payday allows it, I might buy this. Is there a Demo in the store in which I can try this out before I commit to buying it?
xXAirForceOne
January 11, 2010 at 1:12 pm PST

I have all 22 trophies of this game. So we need more DLC with trophies please. What is there release date of the new dlc? :)
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 1:19 pm PST
  
  See above, xXAirForceOne. You get your wish on Thursday. More content, more trophies!
xXAirForceOne
January 11, 2010 at 1:14 pm PST

That you announced in the game, not the winter dlc.
dragonmagician
January 11, 2010 at 1:15 pm PST

Here are some ideas for next pack.
1. Orbz…in space.
2. Zombies (imagine a level with only a hundred zombies)
3. A zoo pack, with hundreds of colourful animals.

Make it happen, and my money is yours.
- Scott Hyman
  January 11, 2010 at 1:20 pm PST
  
  Thanks for the suggestions, dragonmagician! I\’ll be sure to pass them along to the Magic Orbz team.
pasufarin
January 11, 2010 at 1:26 pm PST

I enjoyed the original game and the first DLC pack and will be picking this one up, too. Like dragonmagician, I was relieved to see no “Complete 75 levels in a Row” or “Score 3,000,000 points” in the list. It was not so much because they were especially hard, but because I was always a bit concerned I would press the wrong button when continuing and have to start all over (not that would be a terrible thing, given how fun the game is). When playing I really liked the imaginative objectives like “Through the Fire and Flames” and “Evening Exorcist” and was glad to see more of those.

I look forward to more packs in the future. The ninja one suggested above sounds interesting, as there could be all sorts of neat Japanese items and designs in there.
AlphaTribe2007
January 11, 2010 at 1:37 pm PST

I also would like to see ninjas and vikings in a pack?

The power of the orb is strong in this one…

Great game.
akiratech
January 11, 2010 at 1:55 pm PST

i say you guys give us a japanese theme next ninjas included
hush404
January 11, 2010 at 2:05 pm PST

HOLY CRAP!!!! PANCAKES RAWK :)
Stedeo
January 11, 2010 at 2:08 pm PST

Wow this game looks pretty awesome, how come I haven’t heard of it until now? I’m definitely going to check this out
plaztiksyke
January 11, 2010 at 2:25 pm PST

My husband and I loved playing Magic **** together! Now that we’re almost done with Trine and PixelJunk Shooter, this will fill the gap nicely :)

While I do like the idea of Ninjas, the Zombie and ghosts suggestion sounds even better to me. Hit them once, their eye falls out; hit them twice, their jaw drops off, etc.

I also suggested cowboys and aliens/UFOs in the last post about the previous DLC pack. I meant separately, but putting them together would be pretty funny — aliens trying to kidnap cows, cowboys fighting the aliens…

Some questions:
1. Did you guys fix the volume of the XMB preview? Magic Orbz is one of the loudest, and every time I select it, it scares the crap out of us. I actually deleted the game in order to avoid this issue.

2. How many “spoken” lines are in the new DLC? More variations/takes (and better audio quality) would be a nice value proposition.
Anubis80
January 11, 2010 at 2:38 pm PST

I have this game and all of the add ons for it. Its really fun. I will buy this add on once I have the money but it will be another purchase for me. Keep making good games and supporting them. Then I can keep supporting you guys.
SilverPR
January 11, 2010 at 2:59 pm PST

It’s amazing how someone out of the Blog editors could be more social and answering questions and comments more that those that when they make a store update they just silence on our cries. They should follow your example and at least when We ask some content been overseas they give us a honest answer like “maybe” or “we are trying to”.

Don’t have the game yet but if this people don’t release Hustle King (that is making me p**** off bot having) by next week I could by your game. Plyted it on PC but it’s more fun when you do it in a HDTV of 32″.
Darth-Krayt
January 11, 2010 at 3:27 pm PST

g
Darth-Krayt
January 11, 2010 at 3:40 pm PST

God it is such a time consuming hastle to do the exxploit to be able to post here from the PS3 browser. But I’m glad I got it to work so I could reply to this post.

Magic Ball (I’m sorry, for me it will always be Magic Ball) is by far my favorite Brick Breaker of all time. High praise indeed from someone who’s been a fan of the genre since the Atari days and in arcades. You guys did a great job with the game, and it’s nice supporting a local company….well, I’m from Rhode Island, so you’re fairly local. We all have the same wierd accent.

Anyway, I really hope you guys continue to support Magic B…..fine….ORBz, and bring out more expansions for this game Please, not another long wait like this one. The 2 expansion themes I most want are an Aliens/UFOs theme, and an Egyptian theme. The idea of different Orbz would be nice too.

As for a patch request. I thank you SO much for adding custom soundtracks. It makes it much easier to keep playing over and over. But when playing online, sometimes the custom tracks work, somethines they don’t. Could you make it so they work all the time?
Kchow23
January 11, 2010 at 4:06 pm PST

Will there be 3D support and Motion control support of any way?
SpyDudeFX
January 11, 2010 at 4:16 pm PST

I’ll buy this pack, looks very cool. I noticed the name change a week ago when I saw the trophy page. Magic Orbz is a cool name, great fun game and love the online support.
Petra_Kalbrain
January 11, 2010 at 4:35 pm PST

How about some film/TV/game franchise themed add-on content for future releases?

Star Trek, Alien, Uncharted, God Of War, any or all superheroes, Nightmare On Elm Street, James Bond, LittleBigPlanet, Metal Gear Solid, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Matrix, etc.

I could understand a hesitation because of having to pay for the rights to use said material. However, I’d be willing to pay upwards of $5.99 for 25 levels based on such content. That should help cover any fees for the content rights.
Darth-Krayt
January 11, 2010 at 5:12 pm PST

Well, licensed packs would be nice, but it would really cost too much for those rights to be honest. I doubt enough people would buy the packs to justify the cost. Besides, the only franchise that I’d be interested in for a Magic B….Orbz pack would be The Simpsons or maybe Marvel Comics. Simpsons would be the best though with all the little quick catch phrases like “D’oh”, a Marge moan/grumble, “HaHa”, “Eeeexelent”, “Buuurrrrp”, “a quick saxaphone tune” “twuck twuck” and perhaps a couple of others.

The only one you mentioned that I could see fitting sound wise would be Star Trek, but I don’t see how it would fit the game visually, style or content wise.