Great game.
The game offers good old classic gameplay from the first and second games with some new stuff thanks to what the Wii can do. Like the new control scheme. And also, the ability to jump. So the game offers alot of obstacles making you have to jump too. The new control scheme can take some time getting used to. But then you eventually get used to it and have a blast. Not many glitches are present. But the difficulty can be pretty high in some levels thanks to the control scheme. There are also boss battles in this game. That makes you ask, "But the monkeys can't attack! How do you do the bosses?" Why, most of them include jumping on the boss. They are pretty good.
The gameplay would've gotten a nine but what blocks it is the party mode. Most mini games aren't that fun really. They aren't fun cause the controls are really frustrating. Alot of times, the controls won't respond making this mode a really bad mode to avoid. Good thing the mode wasn't a game by itself. It would've gotten really bad ratings. Ask Sonic Team SEGA. They made the Party Mode in the Sonic game a successful try. But some games are good.
Don't let the screenshots fool you. The graphics are really good. They almost utilize the Wii's full graphical power. Not as good as the graphics in Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2, but they are still very impressive. The graphics aren't a surprise. You can expect real good graphics from SEGA.
The music is better then ever in my opinion. The soundtrack is excellent. Your good old monkey ball music. It fits the games' theme quite well and it's well done. Expected from SEGA also, was a perfect soundtrack. The sound effects are good too.
Overall, despite the Party Mode and the dumb controls and the short story mode, the game is a nice start to get the series back on track. Good job SEGA. Good start bringing the series back like you did with Sonic.