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Too hard for the kids - too dumb for the adults

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have loved all the Wii games so far, so we were excited to get this one for this kids. Most of the kids (ages 4-8) found it too hard and frustrating, and when I played it, it made me half motion-sick trying to roll the characters all over the place. I guess we just didn't understand the premise of the game. I've never played the original, so if you have, you'll have a different frame of reference. At any rate, the six-year old, who figured it out better than the rest of us, still has only played it a couple of times since we got the Wii. Not worth $49, to be sure.

Great main game, party games not so great.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The controls in the main game are simplicity itself. You roll the remote left, right, forward, and backward to control the rolling of your monkey, who rolls around inside a ball. You can also jump using the "A" button. That is the extent of the controls. There are 5 monkeys to choose from, each of which has different abilities, so some monkeys are better at some screens than others. The physics of the game is perfect as far as I can tell, the reaction of the ball to surfaces is just as you would expect, for example a larger ball will roll over slight bumps easier than a small ball. The ball never slips on a surface; it just rolls. If you hit a surface with enough velocity, you will bounce. Even centripetal acceleration is handled properly -- there is one screen where this is crucial because the ramps themselves a spiral configuration and they are spinning; you need to keep moving against the spin otherwise you will be pulled to the outside. There is quite a variety of different obstacles and features, such as swinging bridges, swinging ramps, pinball type bumpers (which one of the five monkeys can destroy and gather points), two or three different creatures that roam around and get in your way, rotating poles trying to knock you off, surfaces that rotate perpendicular and parallel to your direction of motion, rolling balls that will knock you off if you don't avoid them, and acceleration arrows which push you forward very fast. You need to clear all the screens and the boss in each world before you qualify to try the next one. There are 8 worlds, each of which has 8 screens, plus a boss. Almost all the screens all well designed, a good variety. Internet sites says there are also worlds 9 and 10, available if you clear each of the other worlds without getting a "continue" (meaning you have to clear the 8 screens without using up too many lives); I have gotten crowns on the first four worlds, but doubt I will ever get a crown on some of the words, because some of the screens are quite difficult. I've cleared the first 7 worlds and half the screens on the 8th world. Even when you've finished, you can go back and play the worlds again, trying to improve on your score. If you play for points, then speed and the number of bananas you pick up get you a higher score. Each screen gives you from 30 seconds to 120 seconds; on only a few screens are under much time pressure; mostly you fail because you make mistakes and fall out. The great thing about this game is that it is almost pure skill. If you cannot clear a screen, it's not bad luck, it's because you are not good enough. As for the party games, many of them are not very good, although the racing game is excellent.

Single player review only.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I don't know about the quality of the Multiplayer games, as I haven't played them, but the Single Player is terrific. When I first bought this game I was very disappointed and just kept going back to Rayman, but I kept messing with this and eventually I got suckered in. After a few days it went from a mediocre game that was not worth fifty buck, to one of my favorite games ever. It is easily one of the hardest games I have ever played. I cuss more at this little kids game than in all the time I spent on Grand Theft Autos. The thing is each level is usually less than a minute. So if you screw up, you're right back in it. I really think if the levels had been another thirty seconds long I'd have quit long ago. You get a feel as you go along that you are improving and as soon as you feel like you've got it down there's newer harder levels to challenge you. With the addition of the two hidden worlds, there is hours and hours of replay. And I usually never replay a game for hidden content. This is probably the most challenging game out there right now for the Wii, easily more so than Zelda, Red steel,rayman, or Trauma Center.

Fun but hard to master

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: November 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is my first SMB title so I had no idea what to expect. Also first Nintendo Console I bought since the SNES. I saw the commercials for SMB on TV and just had to get it for my 4 year old son. He loves monkeys and the way the game is controlled looked fantastically easy to control for a 4 year old small hands. Boy was I wrong. The game is VERY difficult to control and the end monsters are very difficult (for me anyway). I've been trying to kill the second level guy for 3 days now (total of about 3 hours), and still no luck getting the bad guy down half way. As for my son playing he started crying because he can't control the monkey. He just can't comprehend holding the controller forward to go forward. I guess he will get it eventually? He does love watching me play which is good I guess. The mini games are nice, but right now all extra controllers are sold out, so I don't mess with them to much. All and all I do like the game, graphics are bright and colorful.

Good :)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I just got my Wii and I bought Zelda which was a given, and I also purchased Monkey Ball because of the great reviews and rating. The main game is very addicting and very challenging, but I also thought Monkey Ball would be mainly great for mini games and I was wrong. Although I did read that on the IGN review they said if they would have done 15 goood mini games instead of 50, it would have been smarter. Overall, the main game makes this game a worth while purchase while the mini game just adds a little feature so if you are buying this game for the sole purpose of mini games, try Rayman! And yes, the controls are horrible on a lot of the mini games.

But I'm still glad I got it, me and my friend take turns playing the main game and it gets really challenging!

Attention Sega: Learn to use the Wii Remote!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: December 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game had a lot of potential, but didn't live up to it. The one player game is like other Super Monkey Ball games and uses the Wii remote fairly well to control it. Nothing special, but not bad.

The multi-player games all look fun, but the controls are AWFUL! Completely awful! After playing Wii Sports we all know the Wii can do so much better (for example, a better multiplayer party game, Raving Rayman Rabbids, has absolutely no control problems). Just as bad, the pre-game explanation of how to use the Wii controls are unclear at best.

This game is best avoided. Maybe rent it sometime, but save your $50 for a good game (RRR, Zelda, Trauma Center, etc.).

Nice concept but horrible execution

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Like the Nintendo DS, the Wii's gameplay mechanic can allow for some differing kind of control options. From the targeting reticule like Twilight Princess to operating in Trauma Center, the Wii-mote is used in a different kind of way as well in Super Monkey Ball. However, either this was rushed or bad design, but this is one of those Wii titles that you want to try out since it was a launch title but you're disappointed in how off it feels. Which is too bad because buried under here is a solid game but this is just...I don't know, bad?

Story: Heh heh, yeah right. Basically you're a monkey in a ball and have to get around mazes in the sky to get bananas before reaching the goal. Like the old Sonic the Hedgehog or Super Mario games which were basically beat a bunch of levels to get to the end, there's nothing ultimately that deep here. It's strictly gameplay.

Graphics: The Gamecube could've handled this game probably. A lot of Wii games look like more cleaner versions of a Gamecube title. But luckily SMB has a warm, inviting feel to its graphics which makes it kid-friendly and helps with the overall feel of the game which is basically have fun.

Sound/Music: To be honest, this is a stereo game. Meaning you mute the game and just turn something on in your stereo. It's not that the music is bad, it's just the music almost seems secondary to the experience whereas in some games the music enhances it.

Gameplay: This is where it falls completely flat on its face. Essentially, to control your monkey you lean the Wii-mote forward to speed him up and tilt it side to side to turn. Ever play that game Labyrinth with the marble? Same idea except you're the marble.. Problem is the monkey is so hyper-sensitive that he either turns too fast or he's unbelievably sluggish. Jumps done by the A button are hard to time since you have to hold the controller steady lest you fall off. At one point I literally couldn't get past one stage because he kept falling off. Some games such as the recent TMNT have decent controls which you put up with the whole game. This on the other hand is just needlessly frustrating.

Should you get this? Well, sometimes I recommend a game despite its flaws (Trauma Center for all its strengths, is unbelievably challenging). This, I wouldn't. Unless you've just bought a Wii and do what I do which is just rent all the games and see what ones are good. I'd rent Twilight Princess, Trauma Center or something else over this.

Did not like this game.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: November 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I dont have much to say other than I did not like this game. I was hoping that it was going to be like Fusion Frenzy for the Xbox but it was not nearly as fun. The controls were difficult to use and the gameplay was not very good. Some people may like it but I didn't.

Quantity but little Quality

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: December 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The main game is decent but relatively short. The big selling point for me were all the multi-player mini-games. I knew that there would be a few throw aways but with 50 choices there had to be something worth playing with friends. Boy was I wrong, all of the games are pretty bad. Many are boring (landing a space ship?), some are limited by graphics (rock, paper, scissors), and nearly all have a truly wretched control scheme (Whack-a-Monkey).

If I hadn't played Wii Sports and Rayman first I would have regretted buying a Wii based on how poorly the Wiimotes function with this piece of software. There have been several times when I swore my Wiimote was broken, only to switch back to Wii Sports and see everything acting perfectly. Overall this is a disappointing launch title that not only doesn't do the Wii's unique control scheme justice it actually makes you think its bad (which it isn't)

Spend your money on Rayman, its a blast. As for SMB:BB, I'll be trading my copy in.

it's a great old fart game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: April 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game so my younger cousins would have a fun game they could play with me. None of them wanted to play it however when I turned it on my parents went crazy about it. Wii sports is still their favorite but they enjoy some of the mini games SMB has to offer like the jigsaw puzzle.

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