It brings back the monkey ball series to how it should be but it does not achieve the greatness of the original ones.
For those that don't know well how monkey ball plays well it's pretty simple. You must roll a monkey in a ball through 3-d maze levels. You don't actually control the balls; instead you are tilting around the maze so the ball moves to the direction you want. Well actually the player will be tilting the controller to any direction to move the maze. In Banana Blitz however they add it a new welcome feature, jumping with the A button. The jumping makes things a bit easier before but you still need to know when you should use it and when you must not. The objective of the game is to reach the goal of each stage and then proceed to the next stage. Has mentioned before the stages will get more challenging has you progress.
Another new feature is when you finish all the mazes on that world you will confront with a big boss. Bosses are pretty easy since in the beginning they tell you what his weak point is so you can attack it. Yet it suffers some camera issues because you fight him on a circle form floor and the camera can get really crazy still it doesn't make it impossible to play. That's the main game that features 8 worlds each of them with 10 mazes. Plus there are 2 more unlockable worlds that make a total of 100 mazes. There is not a big amount of characters but at least they added a few more characters then previous games.
Many get scare at the game when they say it's really challenging but that's in just half of the game later that it may seem impossible and still this game the way you lose and fall can sometimes make you feel dumb and make you laugh at yourself. The mazes also feature a pair of shortcuts just harder then the normal path. You can speed off ledges, bounce down pathways, etc. A great new feature is being able to save a replay video so any crazy stunt you did you can simply save it so you can see it has many times you like or show it to you're friends.
But the game doesn't only feature a main game; it also has 50 minigames to play with. Most of them are pretty original using the controller in many different ways and even some of them require the nunchuk controller. Not all of them are really deep some are just putted in just to be there but others truly bring some really great ideas with the Wii remote. For example one of the minigames has a monkey counting on a tree and you have to run to him by making the movement of running but when he looks again to the players you must stop moving or else you will have to start over. Yet there is also a pair of simple minigames that are pretty boring for example landing a spaceship is way too short and copies monkey target which is a minigames from the first 2 games that returns that consisted of flying through the waterways and land on target points. Other simple minigames like shooting meteors have you targeting similar to using a bow on Zelda TP. Hitting with hammers up, down, left and right. Using a spaceship to destroy enemies around was one the most hard because the combination with Wii remote and nunchuk controller was pretty confusing. The golf was pretty unresponsive and strange.
In total they are many minigames but only a few of them truly shine. Developers spent too much time on these minigames that they could have make more puzzles to the main game instead that is more fun. Yet these minigames also show that a Mario party style of game for the monkey ball series doesn't sound to be a bad idea they just need to make the minigames more deep. The main game isn't a big difference from the first monkey ball games but the Wii remote feeling is different and more fun plus other additions like jumping and bosses also keep things fresh.
On the visuals the game has gotten quite a change. Before it was more of a realistic touch and suddenly they change it to a more cartoonish look that some would criticize because they were expecting an even more real look with the Wii's power over the Gamecube. However the look is actually really great and makes it feel like the series was meant to be done in this style. The graphics are clean, sparkly, crisp textures and smooth particle effects. The visuals like this give more energy to the game with a much more colorful style then before. Still the graphics can still be considered very simple and might not be appreciated by many. Possibly some may consider them really kiddy but is actually more stylish and more energetic.
When it comes to the soundtrack Banana Blitz has possibly the best from the entire series. The tunes are really danceable and catchy and give you a lot of energy when playing the game. You might sometimes find yourself dancing instead of looking at the course before you start. For sound effects well there is not much special to say, but all of them fit properly to each action. Although one sound effect that can annoy is the time limit when you are running out of time it can give you stress and make you fail more easily the maze. But that's basically part of the challenge so it really is meant to be there. There really isn't voiceovers just hear monkeys in a game that it doesn't sound annoying. Unlike a dungeon with monkeys in another great Wii launch title Zelda Twilight Princess.
The main game itself may not sound really long with 100 mazes but they can take quite a lot of time because not every maze is a piece of cake. This is a game in which the challenge makes things longer and more fun. Plus there is also 50 minigames that even tough not many are great they can all still be a lot of fun when playing with 2 or 4 players to bring some serious competition. Banana Blitz will seriously last you a month or more.
Overall Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz brings back the great gameplay from the first 2 Gamecube titles with new controls that make it even more fun. The new graphics work well and the soundtrack is the best from the series. If you have friends or family to play with you need to pick up this game right now. If you enjoyed the Gamecube titles (excluding super monkey ball adventure) you need to get this game because it's the steps back to the right direction. Well basically Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz is a must pick up for Wii owners because is definitely one of the best launch titles.