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..."
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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.
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| Video Coverage (Latest Videos & Video FAQ) | |||
| PLEASE DO NOT DIRECT LINK TO ANY MEDIA FILE ON KIKIZO | |||
| Description | Dur. | Size | Details |
| Toshihiro Nahoshi Sega Video Interview November 2006 | 5:44 | 102MB | ED, 16:9 856x480/60p 4Mbps |
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Toshihiro Nagoshi Interview June 2006 Video interview highlights |
6:22 | 112MB | ED, 16:9 856x480p60 2.5Mbps |
Satoru Iwata Video Interview - the late Nintendo president spoke with Kikizo in 2004 as 'Nintendo Revolution' loomed.
Kaz Hirai Video Interview - the first of Kikizo's interviews with the man who went on to become global head of Sony.
Ed Fries Video Interview - one of Xbox's founders discusses an epic journey from Excel to Xbox.
Yu Suzuki, the Kikizo Interview - we spend time with one of gaming's most revered creators.
Tetris - The Making of an Icon: Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers reveal the fascinating story behind Tetris
Rare founders, Chris and Tim Stamper - their only interview? Genuinely 'rare' sit down with founders of the legendary studio.
The History of First-Person Shooters - a retrospective, from Maze War to Modern Warfare