Super Monkey Ball

Console: Nintendo GameCube
Story line: Roll around as a money inside a ball. It's crazy!

Reviewed By TazedSoul

Super Monkey Ball appears as one of the first titles on the Nintendo GameCube, and one of the few first Sega titles. Super Monkey Ball may not appear as a game that most gamer's would choose these days, but behind it's wacked appearance, and weird theme there is a game with a lot of fun in it. When I first heard of the game it caught my eye. While I'm not sure it caught others eyes, I am sure if you give the game a chance you won't regret anything, but possibly the swear words that come out of your mouth when trying to beat Hard mode. Here is a list of features:

• Play as four different characters
• Choose from a total of 4 different difficulties
• Unlock many different secrets, and modes
• Great multiplayer game

Gameplay
The gameplay of Super Monkey Ball (smb) is pretty simple. You chose from different characters, you then choose the difficulty of the game, and proceed. There are three different difficulties to choose from in the beginning. Easy, which consists of 10 fairly easy tracks that you must control your monkey in a ball while rolling it around turns, up hills, or timing jumps to reach the stages goal while trying not to fall of the edge of the platform. Don't be fool as you start out on Easy's first stage. Even though the first stage you are most likely to see is basically pressing forward doesn't mean the game does not get harder. Infact the game does get harder. A lot harder. The next step up after easy mode is medium. Medium consists of 30 medium skilled stages. Each one with it's own tricks and obstacle for you to clear. And the highest you difficulty you can to is Advanced (hard) without unlocking stuff. In advanced mode you must wiggle your little monkey in a ball accross 50 different stages. Ones you can do this it's safe to say you have mastered the game, or that you were ridiculously addicted to the game.

There are also many different multiplayer modes, such as, boxing, and a couple that you must un lock to get.

Graphics
The graphics in SMB are nothing to impressive to say the least. But what would you expect from a game where you roll a monkey around in a ball wiggling the floor, and trying to keep him from falling? The graphics aren't terrible, but they and the music could be improved by the next time the next Super Monkey Ball rolls around.
But many of your who are going to enjoy this game aren't probably buying it for the appearance, now are you? As you probably could have figured out. This game is all about fun, addictive gameplay.

My First Impressions, and thoughts
When I first turned on Super Monkey Ball, I quickly plugged in some of my friends controllers and challenged them to a multiplayer game. One of the two friends ended up hating the boxing mode, which I was playing, and quit playing. The other friend and I played that mode for a while.
We soon decided to play easy mode, and we did. At first we thought your oponet controlled the floor trying to shake you off, but we were wrong. [Laughs]. .... Soon I had unlocked several special modes, and started having more fun with the game, but the one thing that was bad about the game was it had good replay, but could easily become boring to play 50 hard levels that you have already cleared. If it wasn't for the multiplayer modes, I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed the game as much.

Pros:

• Great Gameplay
• Good Replay Value
• Great Multiplayer game
• Lot's of extras

Cons:

• Gets a bit repetitive
• Gets old kind of fast

- by TazedSoul

Ratings (1-5)