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Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

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5.8 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 53 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 47 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega Studios

Genre(s): Action, Party

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: November 14, 2006

Summary

The single-player puzzle levels in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz have been designed to challenge gamers' skills like never before. For the first time in the Super Monkey Ball franchise, AiAi and his friends have the ability to jump when players flick the Nintendo Wii controller in an upward motion. The ability to jump has given game designers another dimension in which to expand the Super Monkey Ball gameplay experience and allows gamers a whole new way to interact with the franchise; this time in true three-dimensional fashion. The Party Games return with more variety than ever. An abundance of new Party Games have been designed to take advantage of the Wii controller in a multitude of ways. Gamers find themselves competing in a traditional game of ring toss, or even smacking pesky moles in a game of "Whack-a-Mole." [Sega]

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameSpot Hints & Cheats

Also On The Web: GameSpot Preview(s) Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Games Master UK

Top single-player action, and multi-player that exploits the Wii controller brilliantly. [Christmas 2006, p.72]

PGNx Media

It’s a great showcase for the unique capabilities of the Wii and an undoubtedly fun game on its own.

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eToychest

Although not all aspects of the game are as well developed as others, Banana Blitz's lively atmosphere, combined with its tight controls, challenging gameplay, and tons of replay value make it an easily recommendable title for any Wii owner looking for an original experience on their new console.

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netjak

A number of excellent minigames keep the game enjoyable long after finishing the main game.

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Nintendo Power

All in all, Banana Blitz is an amazingly robust package and a fantastic showcase for the hardware. [Jan. 2007, p.112]

IGN

If 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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NGamer UK

A party game that does a lot more than most to show off the possibilities of the controller, and a set of one-player levels that will enthrall, frustrate and capture your attention every bit as much as the previous Monkey Ball games did. [January 2007, p.47]

N-Insanity

A 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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GameSpot

Still 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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Game Over Online

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is one of the most fun Wii titles out there, and makes the best use of the controls.

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AtomicGamer

If you found great fun and challenge in past Super Monkey Ball games, then Banana Blitz will certainly keep you going for a while with its new set of puzzles and tons of stuff to do on the side.

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Kombo

A truly fun, challenging and completely satisfying Wii title that demonstrates why the Wii controller rocks.

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Official Nintendo Magazine UK

While the single-player experience can be shallow, this game really shines in multiplayer. [Christmas 2006, p.82]

DailyGame

The 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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Cheat Code Central

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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3DAvenue

Super Monkey Ball is one of, if not the best value for money games for the Wii launch.

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DarkStation

No 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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Games Radar (in-house)

The 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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Digital Entertainment News

Intuitive controls and a fun assortment of mini-games.

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GameZone

If 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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GameSpy

I 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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Play Magazine

Moreover, Sega's done a fine job translating the control scheme for a game that demands precise movements to a controller that is, at best, imprecise. [Dec. 2006, p.58]

Nintendojo

It uses the system's capabilities, but doesn't stray too far from established norms.

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Console Gameworld

Fans of the series will no doubt find exactly what they are looking for, while some will struggle with the hard-to-master controls.

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Da Gameboyz

With easy to pick up and play controls, some pretty stylish graphics, good sound, challenging single player and an enjoyable multiplayer experience, you really can’t go wrong with it.

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AceGamez

With 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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Game Chronicles

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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GameBrink

I challenge you to keep a straight face while playing Monkey Boxing... Which is what SMB:BB is all about, delivering a load of insane fun to keep you and your friends happy for hours and hours.

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Worth Playing

Those looking for a challenging adventure that involves rolling primates around themed stages should look no further – Banana Blitz can fulfill your needs. However, those who are intrigued by the prospect of a heap of party games should skip the title entirely.

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Game Almighty

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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Armchair Empire

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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Gaming Target

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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GameTrailers

The 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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games(TM)

The 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]

Gamestyle

Rolling 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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PALGN

There isn't anything particularly new here, but using the Wii controller feels so intuitive that Banana Blitz quickly becomes a highly enjoyable experience.

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Edge Magazine

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]

1UP

Come 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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Jolt Online Gaming UK

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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Nintendic

If 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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Boomtown

It 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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Game Informer

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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Electronic Gaming Monthly

So long as you stick with the multiplayer, this game is a decent monkey-filled ball. [Dec. 2006, p.116]

WHAM! Gaming

It’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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VideoGamer

The 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.

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Deeko

While the multiplayer party games are fairly fun, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz's single player mode suffers from a serious imbalance teetering between average and mediocre, which results in a title that is hardly a rightful heir to the successful simian puzzle/platformer series.

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Eurogamer

As 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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Yahoo! Games

It's disappointing that the few effective minigames are piled under a heap of mediocrity.

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Thunderbolt

The 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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GamePro

Sega should seriously consider monkeying around with the formula because it's starting to feel incredibly stale.

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NintendoWorldReport

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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GameCritics

There is simply no way to play this game comfortably while turning and moving forward.

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Gaming Age

Between 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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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 5.8 (out of 10) based on 47 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Natalie S. gave it a4:
Between the eye scorching colours, annoying sound fx, inadequate controls, strange games and unoriginal, sonic-like feel, the game proved to be a big disappointment for me. Sega tried to make a sonic-like game and it feels just as such, except without the fun platform games, adventures and good controls. Its level-games strive to resemble Mario Galaxy but when the controls fail to respond to the user's attempts and the screen spins out at a nauseating speed, you can see just how, well, out of control it is.

Lexington D. gave it a2:
The controls are absolutely awful, and range from unresponsive to oversensitive. We kept losing our on-screen positions and could not recover. The games were either too short or too long, and the single-player mode was tired after the first few levels. This game has a very overt feel as having been developed for use with the Gamecube controller with the motion controls tacked on afterwards. This was a free rental for which I am going to pursue a refund or exchange. Just plain terrible.

Shawn P. gave it an8:
The single player isn't great, but the mini games are fantastic. Great fun for multiple players.

Joe C. gave it an8:
Fun game, with lots of variety in mini games.

Total J. gave it a7:
I would recommend this game to rent and have fun with, or as a cheap used buy only. The game was fun when the Wii first came out because it was a chance to try out the new control scheme and see what it could do. About a year later, it's clear the game has little replay value. The main game is kind of fun until it becomes too hard and frustrating. The mini games are mostly badly executed and hard to control. There are a few fun ones like the monkey target game.

It'san awesomegame gave it a10:
Everything is great about this game controls, graphics, stages, gameplay, replay-value! Buy this game!!!

Simon G. gave it a7:
I only played this game a few minutes. A friend brought it over to my place and never played the game again, which is a shame because I really enjoyed it. The main adventure mode is great and feels right at home on the Wii. Tilting the maze feels totally natural in the Super Monkey Ball universe. I would pick this game over Mercury Meltdown or Marble Mania at any time. It’s also sad that so much emphasis is put on the mini-games; only a handful is really fun. The main mode is where it’s at! Try it. It’s totally worth a rental and I’m sure can already be found in bargain bins.

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Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

Game Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

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