2002 Sega
Last year, the original Super Monkey Ball was released along side the Nintendo GameCube itself. This year, the sequel to the game is releasing next to Nintendo's largest franchise title. Coincidence? Maybe. It doesn't really matter now though, because the important thing is that our favorite monkeys are back in full force. Let's see what is packed in this new primate-packed game.
One of the major additions to the game is the mini-game. There are now 12 party games to choose from. Some are upgrades from games in the previous title, such as Monkey Bowling and Monkey Target. Others however, are completely new to the series like Monkey Soccer and Monkey Baseball.
The base game for Super Monkey Ball 2 is navigating a monkey in a ball to the finish line on an obstacle course of sorts. As you progress through the game the levels get very challenging to point of being almost ridiculous. Super Monkey Ball 2 has roughly 150 stages to play in the main story mode, and even has new elements within them to keep things interesting. For instance, you will sometimes need to hit a button to make something move in a level, so that you may ultimately make it to the finish line. This game seems to be the perfect party game on paper, but how did it fair with the N-Council?
Features
- 150 stages for story mode.
- 12 party games.
- Souped up graphics.
- Balls that contain monkeys.
Jason Nuyens: This is the sequel to the popular party game from last year. Naturally, whether or not you like the first Super Monkey Ball is actually a very good indication of how much you will enjoy this follow-up. There is much more to do this time in terms of mini games, and the single player had a marginal amount of change thrown in.
Heres where it gets sketchy though. Not only does the game boast a story mode that is extremely cheesy, but the levels for the single player experience are now nowhere near as fun. The difficulty has been bumped up, but in very silly ways. I dont have a problem with the play, pause, or even the fast-forward buttons. What I do have a problem with, are the levels that require trial and error to finish, almost as if it requires you to play a level over and over to finally understand the trick to it. The levels are so difficult (a different kind of challenge as I just mentioned) that I dont see how anyone could humanly finish even advanced mode without dying. In the first game, I had completed both beginner and advanced mode without dying, and was well on my way to completing hard mode in one life too. Now, I think I will be lucky if I ever beat advanced without dying. The problem is that the levels arent the same kind of skill-based ones as in the first game. They now concentrate on insane amounts of timing, trial and error, and yes, even luck. Not something I would expect after the amazing single player levels in the first game.
However, where the single player lacks, the multiplayer takes over. If you love having people over to play games together, you cannot be without this game. Theres just so much variety, that even if you get tired of one game, you can move on to another. Essentially its like 12 games in one. Some of the new additions for the party games are just brilliant as well. Games like Monkey Dogfight and Monkey Boat are a blast to play, and dont get tiring as fast as I thought they would. The old games are still a lot of fun to play as well. Classics such as Monkey Target and Monkey Bowling have been refitted with new fan dangled features like split screen and wacky courses. Absolutely excellent as a party game, the games almost never get old as there is always something to play around with.
The graphics in Super Monkey Ball 2 are very detailed and rich in color. The backgrounds seem alive with huge models and lots of animation. There are a bunch of interesting special effects like sparks, embers flying in the air, and rippling transporters are a handful of the pleasing effects. Although you arent going to be playing this sort of game for the graphics, its nice to know that at least a decent amount of work went into making your play time aesthetically appealing.
If you really enjoyed the first Super Monkey Ball, you will almost assuredly enjoy the sequel. However, if you were a big fan of the single player as well, then you may be a bit disappointed. Its the only thing in this game that really feels as if its a step back. If you have lots of friends over, then by all means pick this game up stat. Overall its a nice package, with a few small problems in the single player area. I look forward to many months of monkeying around.