One of the best party game on the Gamecube!
Main Game
Story Mode- You play as AiAi as he and his monkey friends venture through 10 huge worlds each filled with a total of 10 mind bottling puzzles ranging from easy to hard, your objective is to tilt the stage so AiAi can roll from his starting position to the goal without falling off the stage, also you have only 60 second/1 minute to get to the goal so don't take too long, once you complete 10 puzzles you'll advance to the next world and so on. Note: You have unlimited lives so don't worry about falling off the stage too much, the faster you get to the goal the more points you get, also each stage have a few bananas you can pick up for some added points.
Challenge Mode- Here you will play through all 100 of the puzzles you completed in Story Mode as well as a few extra puzzles thrown into the mix, on top of that you can also play this mode up to 4 players taking turn with your friends/families to see who can get the farthest in each of the 3 challenge levels Beginner(10 Stage), Advanced(30 Stage), and Expert(50 Stage), If you manage to get through each puzzles in the desire level you pick without losing a continue(lose 3 lives and you'll use up a continue)you'll be granted access to Bonus Puzzles, also if you lose all your lives and continues you're out of the game and must wait until everyone else either make it to the end or fail to reach the end, if that happen whoever made it the farthest win. Note: Just like in Story Mode there a 60 second/1 minute timer, the faster you get to the goal the more points you get, so try to get there quicker than your friends/families if you hope to beat them.
Practice- Use this mode to practice on any of the stages you previously play in Story or Challenge Mode, this is really helpful for whenever you get stuck on a stage and want to practice on it(without worrying about the lives and continues restriction found in Challenge Mode)until you get good enough to pass it in the other two modes.
Party Games
Monkey Race 2- Like the name suggest this party game is all about racing your favorite monkey in a ball to the finish line first in 6 fast pace racing tracks, along the race you'll pick up power ups which can help you get in the lead whether it Speed Boost, Air Missiles, Ball Enhancement(you're thinking dirty thought aren't you if so get your mind out of the gutters lol), and some other. There 3 modes of choice here: One Course Race for those of who want to choose a track to race on or just want to do a quick race, Grand Prix good for people who want to experience racing in the styIe of Mario Kart or F-Zero, where you go from race track to race track and depending on what place you finish you'll be awarded with a certain number of points, the monkey with the most points at the end of all 6 race track is the winner, last but not least is Time Attack where you just race to beat your previous lap time record, also you don't race around endlessly like in other racing games here you have a preset number of laps you go around for each tracks. Note: Both One Course Race and Grand Prix can be play up to 4 players while Time Attack is of course strictly 1 player(Nah Duh).
Monkey Fight 2- In this party game the monkeys decide to attach a spring to their ball(I'm guess you're thinking dirty again)with a boxing glove at the end of it for some monkey fighting action, the goal is to punch the other monkey off one of the 3 stages you can choose from, during the fight power ups will appear on the stage that you can pick up and use on the other monkey to knock them off the stage, for every knockout you'll be awarded points, the monkey with the most points at the end of the 60 second session will win that round. There 2 mode to choose from Normal which I just descript and Survival just like in Normal the goal is to punch the other monkey off one of the same 3 stage as before but this time around as the 60 second timer run down pieces of the stage will start falling apart the last person to remain on the stage win. Note: Both modes can be play with up to 4 players, also if you get knockout once in Survival Mode your out for good and have wait for the next round.
Monkey Target 2- This game have you in the middle of the ocean rolling your monkey in a ball down a giant slide with the bottom curve up to launch you into the air, the goal is to go down the giant slide as you fly off of it you have to press A to open the ball so you can glide to one of the nearest target mat, when you're above a target mat you must press A again to close the ball and try to land on it, depending on where you land you'll be awarded a certain number of points it similar to playing darts at the local bar, you can play this with up to 4 players as well whoever have the most points at the end of 3 or 6 rounds(which ever you choose)wins, also you can collect bananas for added points as well. Note: If you have items on, you'll be able to pick up power up during flight that can multiply your landing score or help you from rolling off the target mat.
Monkey Billiards 2- Here you can select from two game modes Vs. or Tournament, Vs. Mode consist of 4 game type US 9 Ball, JPN 9 Ball, Rotation, and 8 Ball, US 9 is all about hitting the ball with the lowest number on it, your goal is to sink the ball in one of the six holes on the pool table or hit the lowest number ball into the 9 ball in hope of sinking it in for the win, in JPN 9 everyone start out with 20 points just like in US 9 you must hit the ball with the lowest number, the objective here is to pocket the 3,5,7, and 9 ball when that happen you'll take away 1 point from the other monkey which will than be added to your score(2 points from everyone if you sink in the 9 ball)but to sink those balls in you have to pocket the balls with the number below them first(example: 1,2, then 3, 4, then 5 and so on), the monkey with most points win the round, Rotation is slightly different there 15 ball instead of 9 the rule are the same pocket the lowest number ball first, though this time around when you sink a ball depending on the number that on it you'll be granted some points(Example: pocket the number 2 ball you'll get 2 points, sink the number 11 ball you'll get 11 points and so on), the goal is to get over 60 points to win the game, in 8 Ball you've got 15 ball some are plain(ball 1-7)other have stripes(ball 9-15)to start the game someone must pocket a ball(anyone you like except the 8 ball), If you sink a ball under 8 than all of the one you have to pocket afterward will be the plain balls(if you sink a ball over 8 than all your balls are stripes), the objective is to pocket all the ball in your group first then sink in the 8 ball to win, in Tournament like the name suggest you'll play multiple games each using one of the 4 match type if you pass all of the games you'll be the tournament champion. Note: Only JPN has support for up to 4 player, while the other 3 match types are up to 2 players only and Tournament is only for one player, also in all the match types if you hit/pocket the wrong ball or fall in any of the 6 holes it a foul, if that occur the next person will get the chance to reposition their monkey ball to just about where ever they choose to on the pool table.
Monkey Bowling 2- Here you can choose from Normal, Special, or Challenge Mode, Normal let you play bowling under 3 different game types Normal Rule which is a standard 10 round bowling match, 9 Pin Rule is just like normal rule except you've got 9 pins to knock down instead of the usual 10 pins, Strike Rule is a 20 round game where the objective is to knock down all 10 pins you only have one shot per round so make it count, Special shake things up a bit by implementing creative bowling lanes that will either curve a certain way, have big lumps, or have moving lanes, the goal is to knock down some if not all 10 pins under this condition, Challenge have you testing your bowling skills with 10 crazy setups where the pins are stack up in different way(example: one setup have you trying to knock over 4 pins that are line up on the left side like so / though leaning the other way, another has 3 pins all line up on the last row like this ooo-), the objective is to knock over all the pins in the setup to clear it and move on to the next one, you have only 15 chances to complete all 10 setups so this will take some practice in order to complete them. Note: Both Normal and Special Mode has 4 player support while Challenge is only 1 player.
Monkey Golf 2- In this party game you got 2 modes of select Stroke or Match play, Stroke is your regular styIe golf game where you have to get your monkey ball in the hole under a set number to score(Eagle, Birdie, Par you know the drill), as for Match the objective is to clear the golf course before the other player does, get your monkey ball in the hole first and you'll win that hole. Note: Stroke support 4 player action while Match is a 2 player affair, both modes give you the choice to play on the Inner 9, Outer 9. or All 18 Holes.
Options- Change various game setting, View the current record standing on some of the modes, Watch your save Replays Video, etc. Note: While playing Story or Challenge Mode(must be 1 player)you'll be award with play points for every puzzle you complete which can than be use to buy 6 more party games from the option screen.
Presentation- A game about monkeys rolling around in a ball what not to love, also the cinematic cut-scenes are done really well.
Graphic- Some of the best looking graphic in a game from the background to the stages as well as the characters, though what else would you expect from Amusement Vision the same guys who work with Nintendo on F-Zero GX.
Sound- A great variety of tunes to listen to as you play the game, hearing the announcer guide you through the menu and during the gameplay, listening to your monkey make noise every time you bump into something or fall of the stages, etc.
Gameplay- Fun, Addictive, and Really Simple as most of the game modes require mostly the Analog Stick and the A button.
Likes
Great variety of stages to play on
Ton of party games with multiple option to play around with
Story Mode I just love the cool cut-scenes
Dislikes
Some of the party game could've been a bit better
Closing Comment
Super Monkey Ball 2 is a great improvement over the first game, it also one of the best party game on the Gamecube, if you enjoy games like WiiSports, Mario Party, or Katamari you'll truly love this game so go pick it up you won't be disappointed.