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This thread has been linked to the game 'Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz'.
You can’t really write a review of a Super Monkey Ball game without alluding to the fact that it features such a bizarre concept of Monkeys in Balls. The fact that the games have been so successful and have captured the hearts of millions is no small thanks to the cute monkeys in their spherical vehicles.
And, luckily for us, Sega have wisely chosen not to mess with the idea. Instead they took a long, hard look at how the Wii Remote could be used to keep the simians a-rolling. Actually, I don’t think it was that difficult a concept to grasp. The tilting of the remote is perfect for a game where you’re basically tilting the scenery to let the little monkeys roll to the end. But instead of leaving it at that, they’ve included a couple of new features as well, just to make it feel like a whole new ball game…
Just in case you’re not familiar with the Super Monkey Ball concept, the idea is simple. You have a Monkey in a Ball and a maze-like level. Tilting the level will roll the ball one way or another and faster or slower. The levels are interspersed with obstacles and Banana pickups and the exits are sometimes fiendishly difficult to get to on later levels.
The first of the new Wii additions comes in the form of a jump function which can either be triggered by the B button or by flicking the remote for a second. The flick takes a bit of getting used to though and controlling the monkey when it lands can be quite difficult at first, but after a while it becomes second nature. This really adds another level to the game, with hard to reach bonuses and high obstacles being put in your path to tempt and torment you respectively.
The second, and biggest, change is that at the end of a set of levels you will come up against a big boss creature. This usually involves hitting a marked spot on the creature several times in a Mario style to defeat it. They’re quite easy to kill, but make a nice alternative to the rolling levels.
As with other Monkey Ball games, there are loads of mini-games to play if you get bored of the main game. In single player mode these are fun at first, but many can get boring quickly. Gather some friends around, though, and the fun begins. Games such as Whack a Mole and the Snowboard racing game are great, but others are a bit of a waste of space. Still, with 50 games to play, you’ll find at least a few that you can keep coming back to.
Even considering the duff mini-games, though, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is, in my mind, the best Super Monkey Ball game to date. The main game was built for Wii Remote control and the whole thing works so well as a party game as well as a single player experience. It’s an essential Wii release that everyone should have in their collection.
And, luckily for us, Sega have wisely chosen not to mess with the idea. Instead they took a long, hard look at how the Wii Remote could be used to keep the simians a-rolling. Actually, I don’t think it was that difficult a concept to grasp. The tilting of the remote is perfect for a game where you’re basically tilting the scenery to let the little monkeys roll to the end. But instead of leaving it at that, they’ve included a couple of new features as well, just to make it feel like a whole new ball game…
Just in case you’re not familiar with the Super Monkey Ball concept, the idea is simple. You have a Monkey in a Ball and a maze-like level. Tilting the level will roll the ball one way or another and faster or slower. The levels are interspersed with obstacles and Banana pickups and the exits are sometimes fiendishly difficult to get to on later levels.
The first of the new Wii additions comes in the form of a jump function which can either be triggered by the B button or by flicking the remote for a second. The flick takes a bit of getting used to though and controlling the monkey when it lands can be quite difficult at first, but after a while it becomes second nature. This really adds another level to the game, with hard to reach bonuses and high obstacles being put in your path to tempt and torment you respectively.
The second, and biggest, change is that at the end of a set of levels you will come up against a big boss creature. This usually involves hitting a marked spot on the creature several times in a Mario style to defeat it. They’re quite easy to kill, but make a nice alternative to the rolling levels.
As with other Monkey Ball games, there are loads of mini-games to play if you get bored of the main game. In single player mode these are fun at first, but many can get boring quickly. Gather some friends around, though, and the fun begins. Games such as Whack a Mole and the Snowboard racing game are great, but others are a bit of a waste of space. Still, with 50 games to play, you’ll find at least a few that you can keep coming back to.
Even considering the duff mini-games, though, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is, in my mind, the best Super Monkey Ball game to date. The main game was built for Wii Remote control and the whole thing works so well as a party game as well as a single player experience. It’s an essential Wii release that everyone should have in their collection.
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You can’t really write a review of a Super Monkey Ball game without alluding to the fact that it features such a bizarre concept of Monkeys in Balls. The fact that the games have been so successful and have captured the hearts of millions is no small thanks to the cute monkeys in their spherical vehicles.
And, luckily for us, Sega have wisely chosen not to mess with the idea. Instead they took a long, hard look at how the Wii Remote could be used to keep the simians a-rolling. Actually, I don’t think it was that difficult a concept to grasp. The tilting of the remote is perfect for a game where you’re basically tilting the scenery to let the little monkeys roll to the end. But instead of leaving it at that, they’ve included a couple of new features as well, just to make it feel like a whole new ball game…
Just in case you’re not familiar with the Super Monkey Ball concept, the idea is simple. You have a Monkey in a Ball and a maze-like level. Tilting the level will roll the ball one way or another and faster or slower. The levels are interspersed with obstacles and Banana pickups and the exits are sometimes fiendishly difficult to get to on later levels.
The first of the new Wii additions comes in the form of a jump function which can either be triggered by the B button or by flicking the remote for a second. The flick takes a bit of getting used to though and controlling the monkey when it lands can be quite difficult at first, but after a while it becomes second nature. This really adds another level to the game, with hard to reach bonuses and high obstacles being put in your path to tempt and torment you respectively.
The second, and biggest, change is that at the end of a set of levels you will come up against a big boss creature. This usually involves hitting a marked spot on the creature several times in a Mario style to defeat it. They’re quite easy to kill, but make a nice alternative to the rolling levels.
As with other Monkey Ball games, there are loads of mini-games to play if you get bored of the main game. In single player mode these are fun at first, but many can get boring quickly. Gather some friends around, though, and the fun begins. Games such as Whack a Mole and the Snowboard racing game are great, but others are a bit of a waste of space. Still, with 50 games to play, you’ll find at least a few that you can keep coming back to.
Even considering the duff mini-games, though, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is, in my mind, the best Super Monkey Ball game to date. The main game was built for Wii Remote control and the whole thing works so well as a party game as well as a single player experience. It’s an essential Wii release that everyone should have in their collection.
And, luckily for us, Sega have wisely chosen not to mess with the idea. Instead they took a long, hard look at how the Wii Remote could be used to keep the simians a-rolling. Actually, I don’t think it was that difficult a concept to grasp. The tilting of the remote is perfect for a game where you’re basically tilting the scenery to let the little monkeys roll to the end. But instead of leaving it at that, they’ve included a couple of new features as well, just to make it feel like a whole new ball game…
Just in case you’re not familiar with the Super Monkey Ball concept, the idea is simple. You have a Monkey in a Ball and a maze-like level. Tilting the level will roll the ball one way or another and faster or slower. The levels are interspersed with obstacles and Banana pickups and the exits are sometimes fiendishly difficult to get to on later levels.
The first of the new Wii additions comes in the form of a jump function which can either be triggered by the B button or by flicking the remote for a second. The flick takes a bit of getting used to though and controlling the monkey when it lands can be quite difficult at first, but after a while it becomes second nature. This really adds another level to the game, with hard to reach bonuses and high obstacles being put in your path to tempt and torment you respectively.
The second, and biggest, change is that at the end of a set of levels you will come up against a big boss creature. This usually involves hitting a marked spot on the creature several times in a Mario style to defeat it. They’re quite easy to kill, but make a nice alternative to the rolling levels.
As with other Monkey Ball games, there are loads of mini-games to play if you get bored of the main game. In single player mode these are fun at first, but many can get boring quickly. Gather some friends around, though, and the fun begins. Games such as Whack a Mole and the Snowboard racing game are great, but others are a bit of a waste of space. Still, with 50 games to play, you’ll find at least a few that you can keep coming back to.
Even considering the duff mini-games, though, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is, in my mind, the best Super Monkey Ball game to date. The main game was built for Wii Remote control and the whole thing works so well as a party game as well as a single player experience. It’s an essential Wii release that everyone should have in their collection.