Super Monkey Ball: Bad dates

[TomChick]

Those bastards killed Super Monkey Ball. (http://www.quartertothree.com/inhouse/news/305/)

[Jonathan Blow]

So 3 stars out of 5 means "above average", right?

[RedTide]

3 out of 5 stars is a dud?

[jfletch]

If I read that review without a score attached I would've guessed one star. The same old singleplayer and broken, overcooked multiplayer. What makes it a three star? One tenth of the minigames?

[BobJustBob]

As usual in the Super Monkey Ball games, the single player gets tedious fast.

Blasphemer!

[TomChick]

I have very little to do with the ratings at Yahoo, even on my own reviews. They seem to want to use the 5-star equivalent of a 7-9 scale.

-Tom

[Fugitive]

Aw, that's disappointing. I was introduced to the SMB series after enjoying Marble Blast Ultra, but the version I found for the PS2 suffers from horrible jaggies and swimming textures. I was thus hoping that the Wii one would be a big improvement, but apparently it isn't in the ways that count.

[Coca Cola Zero]

Blasphemer!

Quoted for truth! Super Monkey Ball main game is awesome.


Aw, that's disappointing. I was introduced to the SMB series after enjoying Marble Blast Ultra, but the version I found for the PS2 suffers from horrible jaggies and swimming textures. I was thus hoping that the Wii one would be a big improvement, but apparently it isn't in the ways that count.


Well, if you got into SMB from playing Marble Blast, presumably you're a fan of the single player mode. The single player mode is fun on the Wii, most of the negative reviews are from posers who think Super Monkey Ball is all about the minigames, which it isn't... though Sega does suck for screwing up Monkey Target. In any case, on the Wii you can at least play the Gamecube versions of Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2, either of which is better than the PS2 version of Deluxe.

[Dave Long]

If you get a Wii, just get Super Monkey Ball 1 or 2 for the Gamecube.

[Rorschach]

Did you not like the concept of the crappy minigames or was it purely control issues?

[BobJustBob]

Did you not like the concept of the crappy minigames or was it purely control issues?

In most cases, it's both. 3d whack-a-mole wouldn't make a terribly fun game even if the controls worked, which they don't.

[Angrycoder]

So 3 stars out of 5 means "above average", right?

It means it's as good as Age of Empires III ;)

[roguefrog]

Loved the original Super Monkey Ball single player. How does the Wii compare?

[Khelavaster]

Shouldn't the title read "substitutes quality for quantity"?

Just curious.

[Enduro_Man]

I tried to think of another movie that featured the prominent death of a monkey, but drew a blank. I'd say King Kong, but then the primatologists would be all over me like raped apes.

[Matthew Gallant]

Come on, guys. Raiders of the Lost Ark.

[Jason McMaster]

Yeah, seriously, if you can't pick the Raiders quote out, then you need some help.

[ducker]

yea I was thinking the same thing... for such a stinker why 3/5?? I was thinking 2.5/5 at best!

[Robert Sharp]

This reminds me...how is the DS version of Monkey Ball?

[BDGE]

Tom you are dead-on. The minigames are mostly garbage, many barely capable of keeping player and spectator interest past the 15 second mark. The only upside being you have 50 total to test out, move on until one sticks for a few minutes versus a few seconds.

In a strange twist, Monkey fencing re-incited my party group to further lament Zelda's lack of motion-implemented sword strikes, "See this dumb minigame does it!"

Lucasarts will make a killing doing 'Jedi knight 4: Use the wii remote to swing a lightsaber!' Everyone wanted Zelda to immitate sword gestures that has playtested it on my console.

I generally -like- the main game though. Having not played Monkey Ball since the first GC experience, I sort of forgot how silly and addictive the obstacle course runs can be. The remote simulates the analog stick nicely, but doesn't really go beyond doing just that in any fashion, which lends a more tacked-on feel moreso than Zelda IMO. The experience isn't richer for it, whereas I particularly love bow aiming in Zelda. Regardless, I'm engaged.

[Coca Cola Zero]

This reminds me...how is the DS version of Monkey Ball?

Dreadful, IMO, because the control system sucks. Using the digital pad works better than using the touch screen, but the digital pad is so much worse than an analog pad that the whole game feels wrong.

[tromik]

Blasphemer!
It should be noted that BobJustBob hates Half-Life 2, Halo, God of War, Metal Gear Solid, and basically any other game gamers here enjoy.

[roguefrog]

I'd probably agree with him on Halo and Metal Gear Solid...

[Coca Cola Zero]

I'd agree with him on God of War and Metal Gear Solid and halfway on Halo in that Halo is not a very good pure single player experience, but the co-op campaign and multiplayer LAN are so great that I still play it frequently with friends.

[BobJustBob]

It should be noted that BobJustBob hates Half-Life 2, Halo, God of War, Metal Gear Solid, and basically any other game gamers here enjoy.

Pfft, that's not me at all. I love Halo and MGS2. Never played God of War. I do hate HL2 a whole lot.

And even if I did hate those games, what does that have to do with... Look, it's Tom Chick! He hates Deus Ex! Disregard his opinion immediately!

[Wobbo]

Hating Half Life 2 or Metal Gear Solid does not make me disregard your opinion.

Hating Deus Ex does.

Anyhow, its absolutely disgusting that Yahoo wont allow the Reviewer who actually played the game to interfere with their payola rating system.

[Destin Bales]

I agree 100% regarding the mini-games. There are only two or three that I had a desire to play more than once.

I love the main single player game however. For me personally, the Wii control scheme makes all the difference in the world. I played a few of the older Monkey Ball games on both Gamecube and GBA, and generally got bored after a few hours. I'm finding that my interest in Banana Blitz is much stronger. Also, I'm pleased with the new graphical look.

So for anyone on the fence, I'd suggest Monkey Ball on the Wii only if you find pleasure in the main gameplay. For mini game fun, direct your gaming $$ over to Rayman.

[Adam B]

The boss battles really killed the single-player for me. Gawd those were frustrating and stupid.

And yeah, the minigames are horrid. R.I.P. Monkey Bowling/Target; your contributions to many entertaining evenings will be missed.