Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

The ultimate edition or plain old balls?
Version
 Wii		Developer
Sega		Publisher
Sega		Genre
Action



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After picking the monkey you would like to play with (each has different abilities such as jump height and ball size) you start the main game faced with eight worlds to choose from. Each world consists of eight levels, a bonus level, and a boss. The further you progress through each world, the harder the levels you'll come across. By the 4th world you'll be sweating; by the 7th and 8th levels you will be shaking with frustration. Incidentally, the Wii remotes pick this up, so you'll have to practice those yoga 'Ommmmmm's to calm your soul and achieve spiritual nirvana through the path of the golden banana.

The bosses at the end of each world are your usual 3D platforming gigantic evil creature affair; each has a weak spot you must slam your ball against repeatedly. Once you figure out the best way to do this, they're not very difficult. Alongside your monkey's new found jump ability, the bosses make Banana Blitz a much more platform-y feeling game than previous games. Although it still features the puzzle tracks through the worlds, having the bosses at the end of each was a bit of a let down for me. Each monkey's roll and jump is the limit of their abilities; this really limit's the danger of each boss. Once you work out how they move and time your attack, you will finish them off in no time.

"Finish each world without using a continue to unlock Swamp world, complete that and the last world in the game is yours..."

Save games and infinite continues allows steady progress through these eight worlds, and after some Uber-frustrating levels, finish the game. Have a rest, pat yourself on the back and then cry in floods of tears when you realise that to truly complete Banana Blitz, you must finish each world without using a continue. While I managed that feat on the first world first time, by worlds seven and eight you'll find yourself using several continues on each level. Should you manage that, you will unlock Swamp world, and if you complete that without using any continues, the last world in the game will be yours to fall to death from an infinite number of times. Bonus points to Sega here for sticking to their guns and keeping this "kiddie-friendly" game as bad-ass difficult as anything else out there (I'm talking to you, Ninja Gaiden!).

The original Super Monkey Ball mini-games are guaranteed multiplayer hilarity. Banana Blitz follows up with more of the same, although the balance between quality and quantity has shifted frighteningly quickly to the latter.

With over 50 mini-games for you and your friends' enjoyment this looks like a sure fire winner all the way. Unfortunately the controls for these are awkward, irritating and many of the games themselves are not worth the 'hassle' of loading. The majority of these are not worth playing beyond an initial game to see how good they aren't. A few are good fun for a while, however you can't help but think the developers should have concentrated on these and binned the rest.

Classics, such as Monkey Target, have been simplified far too much. Monkey Bowling, Golf and Baseball retain some of the feel of the originals, however with Wii Sports coming free with each Wii purchased they should have been banished. Even monkeys as cute as Baby and MeeMee can't compete with Mii's!

Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz is a mixed bag. The one player is certainly good enough (once you get used to the controls) and will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the main game on previous outings. If it's the multi-player experience you use your Wii for there is already a glut of fun, simple games to play such as Wii Play, Wii Sports and WarioWarez without adding this to your collection.











Graphics Sound Gameplay Depth Presentation OVERALL
7.0 8.0 7.0 7.5 7.0 7.2


THE VERDICT: Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz provides enough new elements and levels to keep fans of the main game happy. For most people though, Super Monkey Ball was all about the multi-player mini-games, something the Wii already has in overdose quantity. The poor quality of the once renowned mini-games found here detracts rather than adds to the overall package.

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Video Coverage
(See Latest Videos & Video FAQ Here)
PLEASE DO NOT DIRECT LINK TO ANY MEDIA FILE ON KIKIZO
DescriptionDur.SizeDetails
Toshihiro Nahoshi Sega Video Interview November 2006 5:44 102MB ED, 16:9
856x480/60p
4Mbps
Toshihiro Nagoshi Interview June 2006
Video interview highlights		 6:22 112MB ED, 16:9
856x480p60
2.5Mbps