Not what I expected...
I ask myself ... Why do I love Monkey Ball, but dislike this game?
For starters, the controls are somewhat wonky and weird. And Monkey Ball is a game of precision; therefore, wonky controls don't cut it. Also, the "birds blowing you off the track" addition genuinely sucks as it is hard enough getting used to controller as it is. I lost all 11 of my Monkeys to Fallout on one track (thanks to the birds in one particular spot). Sorry, but even as an experienced Monkey Ball player, that is more frustrating than challenging or fun.
Furthermore, the party games are simply not as much fun. I remember the first time I played Monkey Ball on a Gamecube at EB. I bought the Gamecube on the spot, based on Monkey Bowling and Monkey Target alone. And I must say, I would still much rather play the original or MB2 than this version. Sorry, but I am generally disappointed. Maybe it's a personal choice ... some people may really like this version. For me, I put it aside for now, maybe I will come back to it ... or maybe not. Regardless, I truly believe that there are many better games to spend my time with.