Monkey Balls goin' platforming

When gamers think of Super Monkey Ball, they think of rolling monkeys around stages. And golf, tennis, hang gliding, billiards, baseball, bowling, and whatever minigames Sega has thrown into the series' many releases.

Gamers can now add platform-style gameplay to the ever-expanding list, as Sega today announced Super Monkey Ball Adventures for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and PSP (a first for the series). The game is being developed by Traveller's Tales (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) and will be available in Q3 2006.

The main monkeys--Aiai, Meemee, Gongon, and Baby--will now ape around five Monkey Ball kingdoms to help a prince and princess peacefully reunite their world. The gang will have new abilities, including the power to stick to walls, hover, and turn invisible.

When saving kingdoms seems a bit too much, gamers can relax with six minigames, three of which are brand new. The PSP version will feature Wi-Fi multiplayer and an exclusive card-trading game.

Sega has not yet announced pricing or rating information for Super Monkey Ball Adventures.