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By Lonnie on November 28th, 2001
Introduction Ever seen a kids game that can make a grown man cry? If your answer is no chances are you haven’t seen Super Monkey Ball. Sega’s first outing on long time rival, Nintendo’s new machine is one of the most fun games I have seen in several years. What more can you expect when the two best game companies join up? Remember this is no childrens game.Presentation Originally an arcade game in Japan super monkey ball is fairly simple. Besides the "Main Game" there are several other games to play. Super Monkey Ball includes two modes of play other than the main. The party games are very fun for up to four players. Think of Mario Party with monkeys. The party games include Monkey Race, Monkey Fight, and Monkey Target. The mini games are similar to party games however are designed more towards the solo player. The three mini games you can play are Monkey Bowling, Monkey Billiards, and Monkey Golf.Graphics & Sound If checkerboards are not your bag neither is the look of this game. But don’t let looks fool you. The monkey is small well animated and rolls along in its transparent ball. The textures and colors remind me of the days of the Sega Saturn. While this game isn’t as impressive as, oh lets say, Star Wars Rogue Leader, or Luigis Mansion It does add to the arcade like feel. Music is the trademark Sega feel, which being a fan of Sega really adds to the moment. The monkey voices are very funny to boot. Gameplay So you want to know exactly how a game with a monkey in a ball is played? Well, have you ever wanted to put your pet hamster in its ball and make it go through a crazy maze? Ok I guess you haven’t, but, I’m sure you remember those boxes with marbles in them where you had to avoid the holes and get through the maze. That’s what SMB is like, only without the marbles and pet hamsters. You make your way through 90+ stages collecting bananas as you rotate the ground below you causing the ball to move through the course. As you progress through the game you earn play points. These points can in turn be exchanged to unlock one mini game at a time (once you have 2500 pts.). Think you have what it takes to finish the game on expert or extreme mode? This is where SMB has the strongest of men cry’n and throwing their controllers down. Imagine trying to navigate a marble down a guitar string or a rotating floor. I haven’t seen gameplay so addictive and interesting since NiGHTS into Dreams on the Saturn.Lasting Appeal If your a Sega fan you will definitely go nostalgic when you pop this minidisk into your cube. This game will teach children the harsh facts of Physics and keep the older crowd occupied for some time from now.Conclusion Sega couldn’t have chose a better game to launch on the game cube, giving Mario Party a good run for its money. Definitely worth picking up. | 
