Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Wii, 2006)

Okay, first off I wanted to say that I bought this game based on an above average set of reviews I read that said it was really fun and intuitive. I thought my son (8 years old) and I (34 year old Dad) would really have a blast playing it together. According to the description it has a ton of mulitplayer games and single player games. I really enjoyed playing marble madness and other table tilting type of games, but this one has not taken me by storm.

When you start your first world you will be looking at some nice new shiny fly by, but when you start moving the wii-mote around you will notice that the whole table / world is moving, not the monkey in the ball. That is when the nauseating feeling kicked in. Especially when you are not the one playing and you are watching someone else.

After a bit of getting used to tilting the table and using the "A" button or flicking the controller up to jump, you start to get through each of the many worlds the game has. But even then, I am wondering how many people actually make it past the first few complete worlds as the difficulty really starts to increase dramatically.

That is when the frustration level really started to kick in. So, my son and I tried to play the multiplayer games, and I can't say there weren't a ton to choose from, but because of that, each one had it's own complete set of controls. This made it a challenge each time you started a new mini-game to get used to how to control the thing. My son said to me, he loved the monkey ball games on his gamecube and could control them easily with his gamecube controller, but he had an extremely hard time gathering the bananas, let alone getting to the end of the world in the time allotted.

Don't get me wrong, the game can be a nice diversion from Epic adventures like Zelda, but it doesn't seem to be geared toward a casual non-stressful type of game. It gets very frustrating and nauseating and that is why my son and I decided to trade it in for Rayman: Raving Rabbids. It is another Mini-game type of playing. I couldnt' be happier, as that game has been a lot easier to control and a lot easier on the eyes and stress level.

If you are a long time Monkey Ball Fan, I am sure you will enjoy this game, but for a parent or child who has little patience and are looking for a fun set of mini-games, this is not the game for you. My honest opinion is that this game may have been originally designed for the cube, and at the last minute adapted to the Wii and it's control scheme.

I hope this review helps any other parent out there looking for a new game for their child, and for anyone else who may be thinking about buying this Wii game. Thanks for reading.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is the latest entry in the Super Monkey Ball series following Super Monkey Ball Adventure. It is a Wii exclusive and was released before the system on November 14, 2006 in North America.

Features
The Wii controller is held parallel to the ground. The monkey character rolls 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 does not have to be connected to the Wii remote to play the game.

For the first time in a Super Monkey Ball game, players are able to jump by quickly flicking controller up or by pressing the A button.

There are around 100 main game levels.

There are approximately 50 mini-games that each use the controller in a different way, e.g. the mini-game "Darts", where players 'throw' the Wii Remote like a dart.

All characters featured in past games are playable according to IGN's interview with the producer of the game.

Unlike previous games in the Super Monkey Ball series, this new game will feature boss battles.

This is the first game in the Super Monkey Ball series to feature character-specific abilities and stats in the single player mode (although character specific stats have featured previously in minigames, such as Monkey Bowling).

Characters will be able to save a total of 30 replays on their Wii, according to the official manual.

The Good: Single-player game makes intuitive use of Wii Remote; incredible variety of multiplayer minigames; gameplay initially more approachable, but can still present a potent challenge; gives series much-needed visual makeover.

The Bad: Lack of camera control can be frustrating in some boss battles; quality of multiplayer minigames wildly inconsistent; single-player game a little short.

This was the first game I got addicted to on the Wii (after Wii Sports of course) because it was clear that Monkey Ball was a game meant for the Wii. The motions of the wrist and vertical / horizontal speeds make it very dizzying, very active and very exciting.

I am not a fan of the mini games and consider them throw-ins on top of the actual one-player mode.

The game is really challenging and progresses quite rapidly - giving it hours and hours of active game play. My only complaint is that as you advance towards the final couple levels - its damn hard and I can't beat one of the shipwreck levels... meaning I'll never see the last stage!

you'll play so much that youll find yourself trying to tip your own house instead of walking around... and good luck with that! the main game is amazing, and with 50 party games how can you go wrong! disc golf is the best of those, but any game where you're a sheeo dog barking at your flock is tops in my books too. run out and get this one today!

I like that it got here fast. We love playing the game. there's nothing we disliked. we bought it for a christmas gift.

This game is worth all the hype....it ROX on the Wii..Keeps you busy. It is even more fun , the more players that you get involved in it with.Definitely fun for the whole family..you will be jumping around everywhere.

Banana Blitz is a good game for the Nintendo Wii. The story mode makes good use of the wii-mote. You simply tilt the remote forward, back, and side to side to make your monkey roll through the course. A new addition to the series is your ability to make the monkey jump, which is an interesting twist. The graphics are colorful and cartoon-like. In general, this round of Monkey Ball seems geared towards a younger generation. Not only because of the graphics, but the difficulty has stepped down a notch. Towards the end of the story mode, some of the levels will make you sweat, but nothing compared to previous (just-short-of-impossible) Monkey Ball installments. The party game collection here is a bit of a let down. There are a whopping 50 games, but most aren't really very good. This is too bad because Monkey Ball is usually known for some awesome party games. The problem here is that most of the controls just don't work in party game mode. You might find a few games that you like, but the majority won't stick. Overall, this is a great game for Monkey Ball newcomers, but only a good game for Monkey Ball enthusiasts. It's one of the best among the early Wii games, but there's room for improvements in the next wave of games.

Even though the graphics suggest that it's a kids game, the party games are fun for children of all ages. Most of these games are fairly short, which helps to make sure that everyone will get their turn. If you have 4 remotes, some of these games will let 4 people play at the same time. Among my favorites are the hammer throw (which has appeared in Wii commercials) and tightrope, but there are a few lackluster games (e.g., boxing, bowling are best left to Wii Sports, the controls to the whack-a-mole game are confusing).

Pros
+ Addictive experience & great for parties.
+ 50 mini games to choose from & a variety of levels to play.
+ Controls can be innovative when they are used properly.

Cons
- Frustrating when trying to control your monkey even with the nice tilt feature.
- A lot of the mini games have impossible controls or not enough innovation.
- No online play plus don't break your TV.

Comments
This game is no where near perfect but there are so many modes to choose from. And when you find a fun one it is usually fun enough to play over and over. Most are plagued by terrible controls or a lack of options to control the game. If you could only control the monkey ball with your joystick most of the game would be fixed. But the wii remote has been selected as the true controller and that's where the frustration begins and never ends.

Verdict
Nice if you plan on having a lot of parties. If not only a rental. 3.5/5

this has lots of games with varying degrees of difficulty. Loads of fun for the kids and fun for the adults too!Plenty of choices of what to play. even the littlest ones can play this one. A little difficult to aim sometimes but other than that I liked it alot.

When I saw this game up for sell I just had to get it. My daughter loved playing this game at her friends home, now we have our own copy of it. We are all excited to play it!
-M

I was expecting more of an adventure game, like Sonic type games. It was more like "mini" tracks (can't explain it better.... sorry). I have only made it through the first level, but I was expecting something more. The mini games are OK, but you have to figure out how to move the controller for each of them... they all seem to be different, Some use the Nunchuck. Like I said, it's OK... but not what I was expecting. On the bright side there are a lot of different things to do with the game... could keep you busy for hours.

Awesome game! Easy to play,makes you laugh even when you can't achieve the goals!I heard about the game from a friend, and through the Nintendo Wii "channel", and decided to buy it and see what all the excitement was about. Well worth it! Enjoyable game.

Purchased this game for our new Wii we received for Christmas and thought my 5 yr. old granddaughter might like it. I think it is too hard for her age...and pretty difficult for me!! However, I have not played with a Wii before or have not played with this game very much either. I do think it is hard for a small child starting out. But they have LOTS of games on this disc so I am sure we will enjoy it eventually.

Fun game, good multi-player. The many different mini games are fun for just a single player as well. Overall the game doesn't differ much from the Monkey Ball Gamecube games. It is rather challenging to get used to the controls. For the price this game sells for I would reccommend it to others.

MY KIDS LOVED IT AND ITS FUN FOR ME AND MY HUSBAND AS WELL. WHEN FRIENDS COME OVER THEY GET A KICK OUT OF THE PARTY GAMES. THERE ARE SO MANY AND IT ONLY TAKE A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME TO PLAY THOSE GAMES.

As you can see from my other reviews, I am a big super monkey ball fan! After being obsessed with super monkey balls 1 and 2 (but being disappointed with super monkey ball adventure), I knew i would have to get Banana Blitz when I got my Wii, and I did, it was the first game I bought actually.

I was a tad worried that it would be similar to adventure, but I was VERY wrong!! This game has blown me away with its excessive amount of mini games and new level designs. AND ITS SO COLORFUL! :D

There are 50 mini games in all, with some welcome classics making a return including monkey target.

A great new feature in Banana Blitz is the ability to jump, I welcome this addition as it as helped me out in many doomed situations and can help you pull of some neat tricks. It has caused the designers to rethink their way of designing levels, and id say they have done a fantastic job. You even have to hop up some steps :)

The Wii Remote handles the game perfectly, I definetly prefer it to using a normal analog controller, it just feels like I have more control of my monkey. Only some of the mini games make use of the nunchuck controller.

There are also two new monkeys to play around with, these are 'YanYan' and 'Doctor'. YanYan is apparently a girl who has a crush on AiAi (and meemee is not too pleased about that!)! lol! and Doctor is just some guy who has lost his memory and has no idea who he is.....

This game gets a 5/5 from me. The huge amount of main game levels and the 50 mini games will have you playing hours on end. WHOOPEE! And if you like to get competitive, try a worldwide online ranking site and see if you can beat other players high scores!

I liked the previous monkey ball games a lot and played them all the time. I couldn't wait to try it out on the Wii, but this game is totally different. It was horrible, and I resold it without even beating it. It is geared only towards little kids. Also, it looks like Nintendo rushed getting this game out because it was glitchy, epecially in the menus. On most menus there is no way to go back. There is also no way to pause (except for the home button) and no way to go back once in a level. I had to restart my system many times. Also, the mini games aren't too much fun, and one of them didn't even work, again because this game was rushed in production. I guess that it was amuzing with the new controlls, I did enjoy the controller and the jump was different. But if you expect this to be like all of the other monkey ball games, IT's NOT at all. I was very disapointed.

They're back and with more puzzling levels than before! Join AiAi, MeeMee, GonGon, and Baby in they're next adventure for the Wii!

Some awesome features have been added to the game with the help of the "Wii-Mote".

Some examples are:

Tilting the maze: using the wii-mote's accelometer you will be able to tilt the Super Monkey Ball universe. Just move the Wii-mote and the world will tilt.
Levels can remain flat (Alleluya!): tilted forward, backward, and side to side using the wii-mote's motion sensing capabilities

Jumping: for the first time in the Super Monkey Ball franchise, players will be able to make their monkeys jump. Just flick the Wii-mote upwards and your monkey will do a huge jump.

Boss Battles: when finishing a level you will face a boss. They will usually be the hardest enemy of the stage and they will surely be hard to beat. You'll need to use all your monkey-rolling abilities to beat these bosses!

There are also new Mini-Games like Whac-a-Mole, Jump Rope, High-Wire Act, and many, many more. As you guys may know from playing other Super Monkey Ball games, the mini-games are what adds a lot of its replay value. They're addictive. No online mode has been announced, though.

I hope I convinced you that Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is a must-buy for the Wii.

great learning game , any game that has a lot of learning to it i will buy for my son, most of the wii games i buy has alot for kids to learn, i will never buy anything that has a rated r,v, m, only e that has alot of learning to it.

Single-player game makes intuitive use of Wii Remote incredible variety of multiplayer minigames gameplay initially more approachable, but can still present a potent challenge gives series much-needed visual makeover.

Lack of camera control can be frustrating in some boss battles quality of multiplayer minigames wildly inconsistent single-player game a little short.

My nine year old loves this game because she says that it has many different games to play. She was frustrated a couple of times and shut off the tv but it must be addicting because she would return minutes later to continue playing.

Weird but entertaining. Definitely made for Wii. Exceeded my expectations.
Good game for the family. all ages can play.
Scott MI