Super Monkey Ball GameCube Review

Looking at this game in magazines and video clips you would expect it to be a boring easy children’s game. But under the cute graphics lays a mature game, which is developing into something of a cult game. And in my and many other peoples view the best of the games available on release date.

This game is carved from the same stone as the retro marble madness.

Gameplay

Although this isn’t obvious in super monkey ball you are actually moving the floor instead of the actual monkey. This fits so well with monkey ball you wont even realise until hours of play that this is actually the case. Hey some people never did realise.

The whole aim of this game is to get your little monkey friend in his large ball to the end of the course before the time runs out .At first its just a straight forward dash, but as the game progresses you are made to negotiate tougher courses with less margin for error, some being little but a stone throw away from impossibility.

Like Mario party on super monkey ball to get the best out of the game you need to invite some friends over, for a good old social gaming session. And dive into one of the 6 mini games available. Monkey golf a golf game with a twist guess who’s the ball. You’re the ball, possible the blandest of the mini games due to the difficulty of it.

Monkey target a flying game where the aim is to land on the islands, which have different scores on the like a dartboard. Try to get the highest possible to add to your score total at the end. Also this game has a nifty way of using the monkey’s ball as a flying device. It spreads the ball into and uses them as gliders. When ever you wish to land you just close up your ball, which in turn sends you pummelling down to the island floor (hopefully).

Monkey bowling a bowling game, where you are used as the bowl to knock down pins. After you have aimed your self up, press A to launch your self at the pins. And R and L to add swerve’s simple as that well that’s what monkey ball is based on simplicity.

Monkey race the best mini game of the all where you use your monkey in a ball as a racecar and try to beat the other 8 competitors. Also Mario Kart fashion there are power ups and weapons e.g. turn your opposition’s ball into a square. There are a number of different levels to complete.

Monkey fighting your armed with a large boxing glove on a spring like thing attached to your ball. The idea of the game is to knock your opponents of the platform the player who has the best ratio of knockouts wins. In the game you can get power ups, which enlarge you glove, extend the spring or give your glove that extra power. All these help dramatically in your winning. There are 3 platforms to choose from. Beginner, advanced, expert. Obviously the later being the hardest to stay on with out getting knocked of the platform by a cheeky monkey.

And finally monkey billiards this game is set on the same rules as nine ball. Work your way threw a set of balls in the right order and the first person to pot the nine balls wins. This is possibly the nicest looking part of the game, and if you’ve still not had enough there is also a huge 1 player section which can also be played through in 2 player consisting of:
BEGINER 10+ LEVELS
ADVANCE 30+LEVELS
EXPERT 50+ LEVELS
You earn the extra levels by competing the sets of levels under certain conditions. E.g. complete expert without losing a continue and get the master levels. And the best thing about this game is that at least 90% of the game time is used using the fabulous game cube analogue stick.

Graphics

Lush graphics with shiny surfaces, and it looses none of this in 2-player mode where many games do. You see monkey ball was a port from a Sega arcade game. And apart from the mini game the only other things that where updated where the graphics if memory serves me right. So the graphics are bound to be nice. Don’t get me wrong the graphics won’t blow you away but there considerable better than the arcade version I have been told. As I have noted above the graphics in the billiards mini game are probably the best aspect of the game with detailed scenery. Although the water and sky are life like when participating in the monkey target. Its not got the graphical splendour Resident Evil, but it’s way above the likes of doshin.

Sound

Amazing to think the effort that went into all the different music in this game. Now music is something that more often than not is forgotten in the gaming industry. A lot of the levels in smb have their own music to them and usually fits in well with what’s happening and what the level looks like. But sometimes the incessant wailing and screaming of the monkeys when falling to their sadistic death really quite frankly annoys you but very rarely. There’s not much else to say about the sounds. Really what else can I say?

Lifespan

Well when there’s as much to do as there is you can’t get bored. Well this is only my opinion and you have to remember reviews are very opinion orientated things. But I would say that this is a very global opinion, It ahs to be one of the most long lasting games on a par with the godly p.e.s (pro evolution soccer) tell me how can you possible get bored of monkeys. The longest I have been without a 2-hour period on this game is 3 days. Which isn’t bad for a game that Is 6 months old. In fact it’s excellent. If you have friends its unlimited amounts of game ply if not the there’s still a very long period of time before you will get bored.

Overall

Sega have created another master peace its wrong to call this a game it’s a peace of art painted marvellously on a simple canvas. With monkey ball 2 on the horizon and monkey ball Jr, there is even more reason to get excited about monkeys…

9 out of 10