Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
| Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Toshihiro Nagoshi |
| Platform(s) | Wii |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Party |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) |
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| Media/distribution | 1 × Wii Optical Disc |
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is an entry in the Super Monkey Ball series, following Super Monkey Ball Adventure.[1] It is a Wii exclusive and was released as a launch title for the system on November 14, 2006 in North America.
Contents |
[edit] Story
Banana Blitz introduces a new pirate-like villain, previously confused to be Dr. Bad-Boon. He has stolen the Golden Banana Bunch and it's up to AiAi and his friends to recover the scattered pieces of it.
[edit] Features
- The game spans a total of 100 main game levels, and 50 mini-games that each use the controller in a different way (e.g. "Monkey Darts" has players simulate the action of throwing a dart using the Wii Remote) as well as the appearance of all major characters featured in past games.[2]
- Unlike previous games in the Super Monkey Ball series, this game features 8 boss battles, a feature new to the franchise.[3]
- The Wii controller is held parallel to the ground, with the monkey character rolling based on the slope of the game world, directly corresponding with the relative tilt of the Wii controller. The analog stick on the nunchuck attachment can control the camera but is entirely optional.
- For the first time in a Super Monkey Ball game, players are able to jump by quickly flicking controller up while holding B, or by simply pressing the A button. The game also features character-specific abilities and stats for the puzzle stages, previously unseen in any other game in the series.
There are a total of ten worlds:
- Monkey Island
- Jumble Jungle
- Smooth Sherbet
- Detritus Desert
- Pirates Ocean
- Cobalt Caverns
- Volcanic Pools
- Space Case
- Sinking Swamp
- Ultra Heaven
[edit] Mini-Games
There are 50 mini-games in total in Banana Blitz.[4] There is also a "party" mode whereby players can choose tournament-type gameplay, selecting mini-games in an attempt to accumulate the most points. Recurring mini-games from previous titles include Monkey Target, Monkey Race, Monkey Bowling and Monkey Wars.
[edit] Reception
EGM awarded the game a 6.2, stating that the new Wii Remote-based control scheme made the game excessively difficult but enjoyed the large number of games even if a few were not fun, whereas IGN said the controls simply had a relatively steep learning curve, and once the player is used to them, are superior to control using an analog stick. GameSpot also praised the controls but criticized the single player game for its brevity. All three found the new cel-shaded visuals a little simplistic, although noting that it was well-suited to the tone of the game. Noteworthy, too, is the comment made by GameSpot that Banana Blitz was one of the "best in the series". Hyper's Kosta Andreadis commends the game for its "standout party games, great use of Wii-mote for main game and its multiplayer mode". However, he criticises it saying, "boss battles can get tedious [and] certain party games are atrocious".[5] Consumers have rated one particular level from World 7, Volcano Pools number 5, to be exceptionally hard. Renowned Youtube gamer "Overhazard" writes, "This level is beyond hard. It became a stopping point for many people."
Ratings:
- 8.5 by Nintendo Power [1]
- 8.4 by IGN
- 8.3 by GameSpot
- 7.2 out of 10 by GameTrailers [2]
- 4 out of 5 by GameSpy [3]
- 8.0 by Games Radar [4]
- 8.0 by Digital Entertainment News [5]
- B by Underground Online [6]
- 6.75 out of 10 by Game Informer [7]
- 2.75 out of 5 by GamePro [8]
- 5.5 out of 10 by Nintendo World Report [9]
- 6.2 average by EGM
- 81% by Official Nintendo Magazine
- 84% by NGamer
- 74 out of 100 by Metacritic [10]
- 73% by GameRankings [11]
The game also achieved a high fanbase, ranking as one of the top best sellers for the Nintendo Wii and selling over 300,000 units in the United States region. [12][13]
[edit] References
- ^ "SEGA ANNOUNCES SUPER MONKEY BALL: BANANA BLITZ FOR NINTENDO'S REVOLUTION CONSOLE". Sega. http://www.sega.com/e3/2006/announcements_tp.php?item=pr_20060426a. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
- ^ Matt Casmassina. "IGN: Wii Interview: Super Monkey Ball". IGN. http://wii.ign.com/articles/703/703834p1.html. Retrieved 2006-09-24.
- ^ "Screens: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Gaming-Age)". n-sider.com. http://www.n-sider.com/newsview.php?type=story&storyid=2115. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
- ^ Matt Casmassina. "E3 2006: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz". IGN. http://revolution.ign.com/articles/708/708207p1.html. Retrieved 2006-09-17.
- ^ Andreadis, Kosta (January 2007). "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz". Hyper (Next Media) (159): 56, 57. ISSN 1320-7458.
[edit] External links
- Official Links
- Official website (JP)
- Official website (US)
- Articles
- Interview with Toshihiro Nagoshi at 1UP.com
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Reviews at Metacritic.com
- Wii Preview at IGN
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