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Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii)
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21 Customer Reviews
RRP: £39.99
Amazon Price: £14.98
You Save: £25.01 (63%)
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Publisher: Sega
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Editorial: In a nutshell:
The monkeys are back to put the Wii Remote though its pacing, with more puzzles, more features, more party games and, most importantly, more fun (and bananas).The lowdown:
They're monkeys, they're trapped in giant hamster balls and, unlike the recent Super Monkey Ball Adventure, they're super. This is Super Monkey Ball 3 in all but name, with the same mix of single player puzzles and party games as the original two games. As before the puzzle levels simply have you trying to navigate your monkey through a maze without falling off, except you don't control the ball itself but tilt the whole game world around it. The big difference now of course is that get to use the Wii Remote, which is perfect for the extremely subtle movements necessary for game. New features include a jump command (either the 'A' button or by actually flicking the controller upwards) and a number of boss battles that will test your monkey-in-a-ball controlling skills to the limit. Most exciting moment:
As well as seeing the return of party game favourites such as Monkey Target and Monkey Race, Banana Blitz also features brand new concepts such as Monkey Fencing (where you jab into the screen with your remote) and Monkey Hurdles (where you have to pump the Remote up and down as if you were running). There are 50 party games in total and all use the Remote in a different way. Since you ask:
Sega have said that all the characters from the previous games will make an appearance in the new game. There are also new ones planned too, including a female monkey named YaYa and a new simian scientist character. The bottom line:
Super monkeys return to form in their biggest game yet. -HARRISON DENT
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"A nice Monkey game from Sega." - 28 December 2006
A follow up to super monkey ball adventure, and it's on of my top 3 wii games at the moment. Super Monkey Ball:Banana Blitz is great. The first world is plain easy. Then Sega cuts the barriers down to size, making them smaller [and to mention easier to bounce, tumble off the 'tray'], and making you laugh at yourself for no reason. Then punch yourself. With 8 worlds and 8 levels [complete with bonus and boss levels], to keep you going. The level design is a more cartoony look now, which I noticed after a few terrifying leaps of FALL OUT!s. The music is kinda amusing. If not that tiny bit anoying. [Example:Turn the Wii on. Go to disc channal, pop the disc in, and there's do do do, do do do, do do do do doo! and repeat.] Some of it is plain catchy.
The minigames are... Great! Some have got ideas from other games, [Hammer throw is related to Rayman's Cow throw, but not with a cow.] Hammer throw will have you coming back for more. In my opinion, that is. The minigames are set at the 8 differnet worlds. For some evil reason. Any way it is still good. No unlockables, which is a shame. But with 50 big ones, next morning you will be giddy with sore arms, legs you name it.
Charaters are the same. Mind the've gone into the cartoon machine and changend. They now own houses. You don't see them. Oh well. Here are the charaters:
Aiai,
MeeMee,
Baby- CAME FROM THE FUTURE!,
GonGon,
And there's 2 more. 2 new ones that is.
YanYan and
Doctor.
Strange thing is YanYan is the only one that has a tail. Sega's gone bonkers.
Gameplay 10/10
Fun Facter:9/10
Last for: as long as your laugh box doesn't break.
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"Should of just kept the old mini games" - 8 May 2007
The Dissapointing thing about Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz are the mini games. It is obvious that what they were trying to do was pack in loads of choice in the games. However i think that by doing this they have essentially ruined one of the best parts of the previous super Monkey Ball games, such as they Monkey Gliding and Monkey Racing.
Dispite this the main game is very good and works well with the remote, just gets a bit of getting used to. With this new version your Monkey can jump by pressing A and there are obstacles along they way, which makes it very hard in the later levels. This game is worth getting if you enjoy mini games and a challenge, but other wise i would opt for something else.
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"Good, Monkey-Based Fun..." - 12 February 2008
If you've ever played a "Super Monkey Ball" game - you'll know exactly what to expect here. You pick a monkey, they get put in a ball, you roll the ball to the goal - simple. Except - as you'll know if you've played a game in the series - there'll be an all manner of increasingly devilish things thrown at you.
Picking up "Banana Blitz" for the first time, you'll noticed the controls are a little awkward (holding the remote on you palm and tilting it around), and not as responsive as earlier "Monkey Ball" games, and as such, the levels have been made a tad chunkier and easier. Still, once you've progressed through the game and reached the later levels, they won't stop you tearing your hair out in frustration. But, if you do get a bit angry, there's a MASSIVE selection of minigames for play, all using the remote in a unique way, and it's a great multiplayer experience.
VERDICT: Great fun, and there's no better thrill than mastering those tougher levels.
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"Brilliant" - 30 March 2008
I was nearly put off this game because I read the other reviews. But because I saw it in the sale and my sister said it was good I bought it and I am so glad I did. There are 50 mini games to choose from and some are harder or last longer than others but then it means my children of 3 and 6 years can join in. But this doesn't mean that adults won't enjoy it too. Definately worth the money.
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"Hard To Control, But Good For A Few Laughs" - 4 May 2007
Looking for a game that'll keep you busy for a few weeks? Buy Zelda: Twilight Princess. But if it's a party game you're looking for that'll give a large group a few laughs, then Super Monkey Ball is what you want. Just don't expect too much of it.
Broken down into several mini-games, Monkey Ball will give you some laughs, but mostly you'll get a lot of shouting as the controls don't act as expected. The novelty of the Wii is the sensor remotes and the ability to jump about to control the game, however Monkey Ball tends to react in unexpected ways to certain movements which can get annoying in a tight race or battle.
Its a good little game for passing the time, but not as a long term gaming investment.
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"Banana Blitz" - 23 December 2006
If you thought the prospect of monkeys trapped in airtight balls throwing themselves around platforms in the sky wasn't the best idea since sliced bread then you haven't played `Monkey Ball', one of Sega's latest triumphs in home console arcade game perfection (sat beside Crazy Taxi and Sega Base Fishing). It was the reason you had to own the Gamecube at launch and this latest outing with the Wii shows that not much is going to change.
It's a close resemblance to the classic Marble Madness where players are required to tilt the level to lead the monkeys from start to the finish ring. But stopping you at your tracks is anything twisting, shaking, shooting and turning to get in your way. Levels begin so easy you think this would take just a 4 year old to complete but soon you'll be noticing the bags under your eyes evident of the hours long early morning games you played where you just HAD to complete that last level before bed.
Earlier Monkey Ball games where straight forward where you simply needed timing more than anything else to get you to the end but this time, thanks to without doubt the best level designs in the series so far, and the added feature of allowing your Monkey Ball to jump for the first time, adds more strategy and puzzles, where the solution to the end is sometimes what you least expected.
There are 8 worlds to conquer (or maybe there's more...?), featuring 8 levels, special banana stages and an end of world boss, an all new extra. As you progress, Sega have incorporated a number of new ideas to make levels clever and original and requiring ever more skill. What's greatest about this is, as you progress forward, the game slowly teaches more and more of what is required to become a Monkey Ball veteran. You'll learn that sometimes going fast isn't always the approach and even that sometimes you just have to take unexpected, incredible leaps of faith to conquer the hardest of levels. The best is, you won't notice until you look go back to previous worlds and realise just how well you've advanced since. Those once tricky 90 degree turns are nothing to the slim, twisted, moving platforms you've now effortlessly mastered.
Controls are simply by tilting the wiimote 360 degrees and the A button to jump but mastering requires quick reflexes and timing. If you, like me, have been looking for that game to get your parents hooked onto then look no further. In fact, I can tell you that after much examination it's those who've never played computer games before that have enjoyed Banana Blitz most.
Further more strategy to controls are that now each different monkey has their different specialities and weaknesses. Whilst in earlier games it was possible to pass just about any level with any monkey, some of your least favourites you may find may be the best to pass certain worlds. You will notice some jump, run and turn at different paces (so don't always choose your favourite!).
For those looking for family entertainment, it doesn't just finish at Monkey Ball. There are more minigames than ever. Some require the Nunchuck, but most don't. Granted, there are a number that you may play once and decide never again but others you will be secretly playing behind friend and families' backs to master for the next mini tournament later that night.
Graphics are outstanding. For doubters that the wii can't compare against other systems, eat your heart out! Levels have a friendly atmosphere matched to that of Mario Sunshine but sharper. This game is not a rush job like most other launch titles. Sega has ceased what the Wii is capable of.
Greater still is the soundtrack. Most games have a habit of providing a few great tunes for the first few levels then turning into almost torturous, dull looping. As a person whom spent many hours ready to tear their hair out on the more outrageous last levels, Banana Blitz's music was catchy and relaxing enough to make the whole experience that bit more bareable.
Banana Blitz isn't without it flaws. Possibly most disappointing was that, unlike the original, the main game can no longer be played multiplayer. Neither can levels be individually played for practice.
Many minigames are quite terrible. It's obvious that, as one of the first titles to the Wii scene, Sega wanted to test and show what the wiimote and nun-chuck was capable of before anyone else and has suffered by spending too much time thinking up as many games as possible but most being little more than shallow 2 minute games where the original game's mini games allowed a number of options and levels that could have players spend as much if not more time on them than the main game itself.
However, this is all room for improvement for Banana Blitz 2 which I'm sure Sega is already hard at work at as gamers are no where near tiring of the concept.
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"Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Nintendo Wii)" - 15 January 2007
I recently purchased a nintendo wii and super monkey ball banana blitz was one of the games i purchased along with it. This game does not disappoint. The levels on the main game are fantastic and as you progress through the game they become longer and very challenging. At the end of each world you will encounter a boss battle and although these can be fun and a challenge they kind of distract from the flow of the game but thats only a minor complaint and i actually like the boss battles.
I spent many hours playing multiplayer on the main game with friends on the original gamecube version so i was very disappointed to find out that the main game no longer offers multiplayer however taking it in turns isnt too much bother and the levels are so good that i forgive sega.
The party gams are a lot of fun and theres a lot of them. 50 is the total number although there are a few which arent great, most of them are fun and will keep you coming back. My favs are Monkey race and monkey wars although there are others which i cant remember right now that are also fun and addictive. A lot of reviews hav been saying that most are not worth playing and i disagree. A few of the games are a bit bland and lack any replay value however most of them are a lot of fun in multiplayer. I was, however, disappointed that monkey fight from the original gc version wasn't there but i can EASILY just insert the gc version into my wii and play it from there so im not too fussed.
Overall I am glad to have super monkey ball banana blitz as part of my wii collection, The game is brilliant fun in both single player and multiplayer although i rate this 4/5 because there is no multiplayer in the main game. This is something i hope they bring back if a sequal comes out, however the huge variety of partygames and fantastic single player make up for it in my view.
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"Super Monkey Ball Banna Blitz review" - 9 January 2007
As a great fan of the first two games on the Gamecube, I immediately bought this game with my Wii, hoping for it to match up with its predecessors in its quirky fun single player, and simply fantastic multiplayer. Yet it appears that the transaction from controller to Wii remote has been a challenge for the game, and weather or not the game has gained out of it is questionable.
The single player game is very fun to play, the new `tilt-Wii remote-to-move' control works, it isn't overly sensitive, and is challenging yet not frustrating. The new boss battles work well, and I'm sure there's at least a little re-play value here to try and beat your old top scores.
Yet the multi-player was a let down. Yes, there are fifty different games, yet I think the phrase `quantity over quality' summarises the situation perfectly. An over-use of the motion sensors in the Wii has left the mini-games average to mildly amusing at best, and simply unplayable at worst. The classic monkey targets has been changed dramatically, and I can see myself re-using my monkey ball 2 disk because of it, (thank god for the Wii's backwards compatibility,) and games such as monkey golf are simply awful: most of the time I brought the Wii remote back to swing, the game didn't recognise the action, and the distance of my shots seemed completely random, a failed attempt to compete with the excellent game on the Wii Sports disk. I would agree with my brother when he said "did they not test these games to see if they work? Because they clearly don't." Monkey Bowling is another example of the motion sensor failing: the ball seems to spin randomly to the left or right, and me and my friends could find no apparent way of controlling this, as you can in Wii sports, for instance. The controls and objective of each game is summarised by one screen shown before each game loads up, and with no practise rounds or further explanation this proves inappropriate for the complexity of some of the games.
This games rating comes from its single player and perhaps seven or eight of its fifty mini-games alone, expect no more all nighters with your mates playing this game as you did with Monkey Ball 1 or 2.
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"A very good old game presented once more." - 2 January 2007
The main game is exactly what all the other Monkey ball games have been... and I mean exactly, the sounds, the graphics, the level design it's all good but no different (at all) from every other monkey in a ball game you have ever played. The only bit they have put any effort into changing is the mini games, which have been completely massacred with quantity being sought over quality; even classics from the series have been shortened and dumbed down. I cried when I played the new 'Monkey Target' mini game.
It is still monkey ball though and the controller works very well with this gameplay.
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"Almost Super Monkey Balls" - 25 May 2007
This was one of the first games I purchased for the wii and rather enjoyed the single player game, although, in my opinion, over time the novelty has worn off a little since the (better) outings on gamecube. The controls and everything handle nigh-on perfectly, but I found the whole experience a little 'soulless', which I think describes the dire minigames pretty accurately. There may be a wealth of minigames to choose from, but I recall only half a dozen that provide any type of fun (one of which was Monkey Baseball, which is not on par with the excellent Wii Sports baseball). The whole process just felt a little rushed and unimaginative. You may enjoy this game for a week or two, but I think eventually your interest will wane and you'll trade it in for something far more varied and absorbing. Very average.
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