Official Website

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Genre: Miscellaneous / Party

Number of Players: 1 - 4

The Super Monkey Ball series has been a smash success since its Japanese debut (as simply Monkey Ball) back in 2001. Since that time it has achieved near legendary status with eleven sequels and remakes on platforms such as Gamecube, PS2, XBOX, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nokia N-Gage, PSP and even three versions designed solely for cell phones. Now that is what I call a legacy! But before anyone could wonder when this series would burn out, the Nintendo Wii came along and brought with it a brand new version of this classic primate-based platform title: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz.

Not only does this new game continue in the proud and popular tradition of Super Monkey Ball games, but it actually revolutionizes it! This rebirth of the series is not only due to the Wii’s innovative motion sensitive control, but because Banana Blitz is the first game in the series which features bosses at the end of each world and also the first time in the franchise you can jump! If you are familiar with the series it should be obvious how important these changes are, but just in case you aren’t, let’s take a look at what all this is about.

As the name suggests, you play as a monkey...in a ball. Yeah, your little primate rolls around in his orb like a hamster on your kitchen floor, trying his hardest not to run into things that will cause him to fail. SMB is all about navigating your monkey through challenging floating levels filled with distractions, obstacles, time limits, and rewards...moving from a sole starting point to a fixed goal in the fastest amount of time possible. Fall or get knocked off your level and not only do you lose one of your lives, but you are going to be starting all over to try again! Return to levels you have already passed to beat your old time, and don’t forget to play the party games included when you want a break from the stressful action.

All your favorite playable monkeys are back for this installment: AiAi, the fast moving and spastic little dude; MeeMee, the friendly female who has a crush on him; Baby, their offspring which has come back from the future to help out; and GonGon, the muscle bound ape with little personality and loads of strength. But Banana Blitz has one other surprise for Wii owners...the addition of two brand new faces! YanYan is another female, and like MeeMee she has a crush on AiAi. While it isn’t clear how she will stir things up, Doctor is here to keep things on track. This wise old monkey is a little off his rocker, but the exploits of his past more than make up for it.

Each monkey has stats which separate their playability into strong points; each reflecting a value of speed, weight, jumping, acceleration and overall size. The faster monkeys will blaze through levels, but may fly off the path more; the heavier monkeys resist attempts to alter their path, but don’t jump as high or as far. Size of course is important when players are attempting to weave between obstacles and can even make it difficult to fit into some end goals. The addition of the two newest monkeys allows for a wider range of attributes and the ability to choose a little more appropriately how you want to navigate through the various levels.

Whether your monkey ball is barreling down a speedy luge track or you are winding it through a series of bridges and barrier poles, one thing is of the utmost importance...control! Until now, control has always been a matter of D-Pads or Analog Sticks, and while these were fairly successful methods, neither could compare with Wii’s motion controlled wireless remote and nunchuck. Players can simply hold the remote in their hand and lean it forward to get their ball rolling...the further the front dips, the faster the ball rolls. To turn, all one must do is roll the remote to the right or left...the more it is tilted, the tighter the turn. This completely fluid motion control allows for far easier steering of your primates as you can be tilted all the way forward AND all the way left at the same time; something not possible on an analog stick...

Then of course there is the new jumping. Levels now have gaps and holes which zooming monkey balls must leap over if they hope to survive. Not only missing bits of track require the jump function however, as all manner of fence, road block, boss weapons and step-ups call for your monkey to leap over them. Both a flick of the wrist and a press of a button will result in a jump, so players can pick the way which works best for them and their game play. This new angle to game play will delight and challenge even the most skilled monkey ball fans, and with two ways to make your monkey hop, everything remains intuitive to the Wii’s control setup. While the nunchuck is not required to play the game, it can be utilized to control the camera angle...ultimately a choice based solely on preference.

Over 100 game levels await all you adventurous monkey wranglers, spread through 10 “worlds” ranging from an Egyptian-like desert, to a dark underground cavern, to outer space and even an entire pirate themed world. Each world has 8 regular levels leading up to a main boss, with the ability to open up bonus levels depending on your performance. Each boss is quite varied and their difficulties range from very easy to really freaking hard! Huge birds, robotic dinosaurs, abominable snowmen and more must be overcome before facing off with the final baddie...a giant pirate who has stolen your golden bananas.

Unlike other games of this type, defeating the bad guy doesn’t mean your game play is over and this title is heading for trade in. Banana Blitz also hosts 50 mini games (more than any other SMB title by a long shot!) that can be played for fun, high scores or best time. Games such as snowboarding, jump-rope, bowling, racing, darts, sling-shot and many, many more are there for your enjoyment at a moments notice. You don’t have to unlock these levels or earn them in any other manner and can spend countless hours just trying to beat your or a friends best efforts. Many of these games are more ambitious then the control scheme allows, and there are quite a few of them which are almost unplayable. The Whack-A-Mole game and Disc Golf are just two of these that are more frustrating to attempt then they are worth.

Interestingly enough, this is the first time that I have encountered any instance where the Wii remote didn’t work effortlessly and feel completely natural. Whether it simply isn’t compatible with the glitchy games or whether they aren’t designed properly to utilize the controller...who knows. There are plenty of games still left that work brilliantly, and I don’t feel that I am missing out on anything with the handful that are unplayable.

Without a doubt, Banana Blitz is the best-rounded entry in the series; and given the new control interface, the most diverse and challenging. If you have enjoyed any of the previous games, you will no doubt be very pleased here...the extra characters and added game play features are quite a treat! If you haven’t played the SMB games before this is a great place to start...made even more fun through the controls of the Wii. With endless replay value and a fast paced, segmented offering that doesn’t take days to complete, Banana Blitz is highly recommended title to purchase early on for your system, and one which you will no doubt keep around for a long time.

-aaron-