Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii, 2006)

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is the latest entry in the Super Monkey Ball series following Super Monkey Ball Adventure. It is a Wii exclusive and was released before the system on November 14, 2006 in North America.

Features
The Wii controller is held parallel to the ground. The monkey character rolls based on the slope of the game world, directly corresponding with the relative tilt of the Wii controller. The analog stick on the nunchuck attachment can control the camera but does not have to be connected to the Wii remote to play the game.

For the first time in a Super Monkey Ball game, players are able to jump by quickly flicking controller up or by pressing the A button.

There are around 100 main game levels.

There are approximately 50 mini-games that each use the controller in a different way, e.g. the mini-game "Darts", where players 'throw' the Wii Remote like a dart.

All characters featured in past games are playable according to IGN's interview with the producer of the game.

Unlike previous games in the Super Monkey Ball series, this new game will feature boss battles.

This is the first game in the Super Monkey Ball series to feature character-specific abilities and stats in the single player mode (although character specific stats have featured previously in minigames, such as Monkey Bowling).

Characters will be able to save a total of 30 replays on their Wii, according to the official manual.

The Good: Single-player game makes intuitive use of Wii Remote; incredible variety of multiplayer minigames; gameplay initially more approachable, but can still present a potent challenge; gives series much-needed visual makeover.

The Bad: Lack of camera control can be frustrating in some boss battles; quality of multiplayer minigames wildly inconsistent; single-player game a little short.

Okay, first off I wanted to say that I bought this game based on an above average set of reviews I read that said it was really fun and intuitive. I thought my son (8 years old) and I (34 year old Dad) would really have a blast playing it together. According to the description it has a ton of mulitplayer games and single player games. I really enjoyed playing marble madness and other table tilting type of games, but this one has not taken me by storm.

When you start your first world you will be looking at some nice new shiny fly by, but when you start moving the wii-mote around you will notice that the whole table / world is moving, not the monkey in the ball. That is when the nauseating feeling kicked in. Especially when you are not the one playing and you are watching someone else.

After a bit of getting used to tilting the table and using the "A" button or flicking the controller up to jump, you start to get through each of the many worlds the game has. But even then, I am wondering how many people actually make it past the first few complete worlds as the difficulty really starts to increase dramatically.

That is when the frustration level really started to kick in. So, my son and I tried to play the multiplayer games, and I can't say there weren't a ton to choose from, but because of that, each one had it's own complete set of controls. This made it a challenge each time you started a new mini-game to get used to how to control the thing. My son said to me, he loved the monkey ball games on his gamecube and could control them easily with his gamecube controller, but he had an extremely hard time gathering the bananas, let alone getting to the end of the world in the time allotted.

Don't get me wrong, the game can be a nice diversion from Epic adventures like Zelda, but it doesn't seem to be geared toward a casual non-stressful type of game. It gets very frustrating and nauseating and that is why my son and I decided to trade it in for Rayman: Raving Rabbids. It is another Mini-game type of playing. I couldnt' be happier, as that game has been a lot easier to control and a lot easier on the eyes and stress level.

If you are a long time Monkey Ball Fan, I am sure you will enjoy this game, but for a parent or child who has little patience and are looking for a fun set of mini-games, this is not the game for you. My honest opinion is that this game may have been originally designed for the cube, and at the last minute adapted to the Wii and it's control scheme.

I hope this review helps any other parent out there looking for a new game for their child, and for anyone else who may be thinking about buying this Wii game. Thanks for reading.

The actuall Super Monkey Ball game is not for everyone. I loved it but no once else I have encountered got into it. It's difficult/challenging to get used to the controlls. However I dont think that anyone cares about the actuall SMB game because it also comes with 50 party games.

The party games are great! My kids (6-10) love to play them. I payed about $15 with shipping for this game and it is easily worth $25-30. Of the 50 party games there are only really 10-15 great ones and about 12 more that you will want to play occasionally. The bowling is much better than Wii Sports bowling. The darts are really cool. The hover craft games are challenging. The snowboarding game is a family favorite. The hammer throw, ring toss, frog race, and stop and go get played alot. Really if for no other reason I recomend this for the 50 party games because they are way better then Wii Play and a fair competition to the Carnival games and at a much better price. Many games support 4 player action which is nice too. But there are a few real duds like the herd game which is imposible to play 2 player, the paraglide game that makes no sence. So if u can get it for less than $25 I would deffinately buy it. -austrailianfrenchkiss@yahoo.c​om

They're back and with more puzzling levels than before! Join AiAi, MeeMee, GonGon, and Baby in they're next adventure for the Wii!

Some awesome features have been added to the game with the help of the "Wii-Mote".

Some examples are:

Tilting the maze: using the wii-mote's accelometer you will be able to tilt the Super Monkey Ball universe. Just move the Wii-mote and the world will tilt.
Levels can remain flat (Alleluya!): tilted forward, backward, and side to side using the wii-mote's motion sensing capabilities

Jumping: for the first time in the Super Monkey Ball franchise, players will be able to make their monkeys jump. Just flick the Wii-mote upwards and your monkey will do a huge jump.

Boss Battles: when finishing a level you will face a boss. They will usually be the hardest enemy of the stage and they will surely be hard to beat. You'll need to use all your monkey-rolling abilities to beat these bosses!

There are also new Mini-Games like Whac-a-Mole, Jump Rope, High-Wire Act, and many, many more. As you guys may know from playing other Super Monkey Ball games, the mini-games are what adds a lot of its replay value. They're addictive. No online mode has been announced, though.

I hope I convinced you that Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is a must-buy for the Wii.

Pros
+ Addictive experience & great for parties.
+ 50 mini games to choose from & a variety of levels to play.
+ Controls can be innovative when they are used properly.

Cons
- Frustrating when trying to control your monkey even with the nice tilt feature.
- A lot of the mini games have impossible controls or not enough innovation.
- No online play plus don't break your TV.

Comments
This game is no where near perfect but there are so many modes to choose from. And when you find a fun one it is usually fun enough to play over and over. Most are plagued by terrible controls or a lack of options to control the game. If you could only control the monkey ball with your joystick most of the game would be fixed. But the wii remote has been selected as the true controller and that's where the frustration begins and never ends.

Verdict
Nice if you plan on having a lot of parties. If not only a rental. 3.5/5