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70If you’re looking for just a single player experience, knock off [10 points] on the final score. If you’re looking for both a single and multiplayer experience, then this is the game for you.
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60As much as novelty value can be a good thing during the launch of a new console, the unavoidable conclusion is that Super Monkey Ball is more fun on a joypad on the GameCube than in this flawed experiment.
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86A number of excellent minigames keep the game enjoyable long after finishing the main game.
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84If you've been on the fence about the Wii controls, put those fears to rest. True, there is a different technique involved, but once you get the hang of it you will be flying through levels with precision and speed. Now that I've played through Banana Blitz, I would not want to go back to the older control configurations.
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84A great launch title for the Wii. It demonstrates the Wii’s controls perfectly, even though it goes a bit over the top in the mini-games.
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83Still about as good as Super Monkey Ball has ever been, and it serves as a great example of how the Wii's uniqueness can be put to good use.
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80If you want a game to show off the number of different control options available with the Wiimote this is a good game for that chore. Play the single-player game up until the boss battles and then let out your frustrations in the mini game.
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You might not find yourself drawn to playing it for hours on end (ala Zelda) but it will be one of those you go back too often, just to try it again.
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80The new boss battles, massive number of mini-games and intuitive controls make this one a winner -- in spite of its short single-player experience and half of the mini-games sucking in the first place.
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Banana Blitz is not only a great way to show off the funky new controls of the Nintendo Wii, it’s just a fun game for the entire family, and one you won’t be finishing anytime soon.
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It’s interesting, as the main game is very well suited to the more traditional gaming crowd, while the mini-games are a great distraction for casual gamers.
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Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz was a solid launch title that would stand up to most third-party games released now, some two years after the title was launched.
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This is a fairly decent example of some of the things that can be done with the Wii’s controls, but a more focused all-around title would be easier to recommend.
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72The infrastructure stands and the game is fun, which is most important. But the additions can grate, and most of the minigames strike out, though multiplayer anything that requires people to make foolish gestures has some merit.
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70Come for the intricate and frequently difficult single-player mode; stay for the entertainingly goofy minigames guaranteed to hook your most obstinate nongaming loved ones.
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There isn’t anything to say about the multiplayer mode apart from “avoid”. Single player though is still good fun, and perhaps more importantly it is simple, which should help it appeal to the masses who can look past the sickeningly cute graphics and sounds.
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Ultimately I came the realization that, at the end of the day, I would have been happier playing this game with a conventional analog stick.
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63It’s a big improvement over the previous game in the series, the ill-conceived “Super Monkey Ball Adventure,” and it’s another solid showcase for the Wii.
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Had this game been packaged with the system instead of Wii sports, there would be many confused owners. At least developers will know how not to use the Wii remote's features in the future.
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80I can't help feeling that the Super Monkey Ball franchise was made for the Nintendo Wii. The tilt control feels far more intuitive than using analog sticks to direct the motion of your little encapsulated simians, and it works wonderfully.
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50Between odd design choices, forced motion control and a number of questionable mini-games, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz doesn't exactly live up to the series' standards. However, some of the mini-games are pretty cool, if a bit shallow.
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80With a control scheme that feels so perfectly right, beautiful visuals and a delightfully simple premise, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is certainly worth both your time and money.
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80No monkey business this time around, as Sega deliver a fun puzzler that taps perfectly into the unique Wii remote. One of the better launch titles for the Wii.
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80The visuals are clean and smooth, the music's right on target and the motion controls generally function well (we had a few hiccups with slowing and stopping the ball).
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The rethink has inspired some of the most cunning, least arbitrary Monkey Ball level designs since the first game, and though Banana Blitz is the model of accessibility, it’s also plenty tough enough. [Christmas 2006, p.85]
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70Rolling about collecting bananas and teetering along slender ledges is as daft and fun as ever. Whilst it may lack the challenge of its predecessors, the novelty of the Wii's well suited tilt controls - coupled with some lovely level designs - make this an entertaining launch title.
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70The Wii Remote is so responsive that you'd notice little difference if you wired electrodes to your cerebellum and played the game through force of will alone. [Christmas 2006, p.136]
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70It presents a good learning curve for those unaccustomed to the Wiimote, and stays true to the tried-and-tested Monkey Ball formula.
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60The problem is that such controls aren’t finely tuned enough for the task at hand; the sluggish response times, awkward camera angles, and limited movements kill much of the potential fun.
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60The standard tilting-world stages are fun, although they'd arguably work better with a standard GameCube controller, but the mini-games only really serve as something else to put on the back of the box.