nice1 sega
I've never been a super fan of really off the wall games. That's not to say I'd never give them a chance, but most times, these sort of off the wall games tend to be hollow and gimmicky to the point where the game feels absolutely stale and ridiculous. I've seen it with games such as Luigi's Mansion and Pikmin. They're not bad, but their one trick pony falls far short of captivating. Needless to say, I avoided Super Monkey Ball on the cube as it just didn't seem too interesting. However, when the a new entry to the series was announced for Wii, my heart stopped because suddenly, the series I never gave a dang about was giving me the goosebumps as to how well it might play under the right control method. Well, SMBBB (S-M, triple B) is absolutely intuitive and an additively entertaining good time!
The moment you grasp the Wii Remote and beginning tilting your wrist to control the pitch and angle of the course where your poor Monkey in a ball is thrown erratically throughout it, it just feels right and plays exceptionally well. Light twists and tilts of your Wii Remote makes the course churn in direct correlation with the angle of the controller. This with the help of the game's gravity, pushes the ball encased monkeys down vertical terrains and ultimately through traps, obstacles and so forth. At the end of every course is a goal which allows you to advance if you can get your monkey through the arch. Along with tilts and wrist twists, you'll also have access to a jump button which allows your monkey to leap. I've heard that past Monkey Ball games have never incorporated such a mechanic and after playing this game, I feel a game without a jump button would feel almost unplayable. It's hilariously fun to see if you can accomplish monster sized leaps at the press of an A button. There are a total of 8 worlds with a couple bonus ones to boot and with an old Nintendo philosophy, "Easy to play, hard to master" flowing through the game's veins... It feels perfect from start to finish! Each area you travel to increases in difficulty ever so slightly until you're at the point where you're literally making leaps of faith and prayers to the gallows as your monkey plummets into his or her wrist controlled destiny. Now, I know many may think, "doesn't this game tire out your wrist and/or arm?" And the answer is a resounding nadda. I never had to worry about fatigue and by all means this game pumps enough action to keep you so occupied that you probably wouldn't even notice the ache even if it were there.
Now the gameplay isn't perfect in one aspect not related to anything I've explained above. There's a mini-game option you can choose from that allows you to play Wii Remote mini-games that are rather lacking in control and design. Some mini-games are simply unplayable and other's are mediocre. You can't bash Ubi for trying but you'd think they'd spend a little more time working out the 45 buggy mini-games a little more. There are a small handful of fun ones, I must say. For the main game at least, it's the most fun you can have with your Wii.
The audio and visual presentations are very bubblegum like in that everything has a bouncy, colorful and exciting feel to it. You'll never find yourself bored to death with the scenery and the massively beautiful courses you'll be throwing your monkey through. The music is always banging along with heart pounding techno rave themes and with each world having its own unique style, I hail this sort of title a walloping success! Those stupid monkey screams of joy though can get on your nerves... Yaaaaay!! *high pitched squeek*
All considering, the replay value can be high. I'm sure the main adventure will engage the player for 10 hours or so. The mini-games are a bit of a mixed effort and with the help of a friend, there may be hope for those willing to look for it. Ultimately, SMBBB is excellent! It has a few tarnished spots but those can be easily overlooked and even ignored entirely! This is a game for if you enjoy puzzle like action and/or have an odd affection towards enslaved monkeys in balls. Get your Monkey Ball on now!