(Note: The case in the photo may say Super Monkey Ball, but the game disc is for Super Monkey Ball 2. This was due to a cock-up in a Cash Converters when I bought this game back in 2005)
Super Monkey Ball 2
Originally released on: Nintendo Gamecube
Played on: Nintendo Wii (because the Gamecube isn't plugged up at the moment)
Release date: 2002
I like monkeys. They're fun and entertaining. And therefore, a game which features them will be fun and entertaining too, right? Yes. Yes, it will.
Monkey Ball is a franchise that possibly doesn't need to be a franchise - as the first two games got it so right, and every other game since then has messed about with control schemes, which usually results in the game being worse than its predecessors. I have owned four different games in the Monkey Ball series (Super Monkey Ball 2, Super Monkey Ball: Touch and Roll, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz and Super Monkey Ball 3D), and the only one I still have is this one - Super Monkey Ball 2.
The aim of the game is simple. In order to defeat an evil monocled monkey overlord, you must navigate AiAi (the lead monkey) in his ball through a selection of 100-odd mazes, getting him to the goal within 60 seconds and then picking up bananas on the way. You don't control AiAi directly, however, you tilt the level around him as he rolls to the finish line, and as a gaming conceit, this works very well indeed. Whereas on later games you control things via a stylus, via motion controls or even via a balance board, to my mind nothing beats the accuracy and versatility of an analogue stick when controlling the game, and that's why this is the best of all the games, the controls are spot on.
(The plot, on the other hand, is not spot on at all - as it doesn't make any sense that you need to roll them to the exit when, at the end of every level and in every cutscene, it is blatantly obvious that the monkeys can fly the balls with no help whatsoever. But I digress)
Unfortunately, after about 40 minutes into the game, I remembered the disadvantages of Super Monkey Ball 2.
a) It's bloody frustrating at times.
b) The cutscenes are so rubbish and pointless that they make the cutscenes from Resident Evil look like Martin Scorcese-directed masterpieces. (And yes, in answer to your as yet unanswered question, I would watch a Martin Scorcese directed Monkeyball movie. Well, wouldn't you?)
c) It gets a little bit.... boring.
When I say it gets boring, I mean that endlessly bouncing your way through levels to get to an annoyingly positioned goalpost does become more than a little repetitive. However, Monkey Ball 2 contains a saving grace - Party games!
Bear in mind that in the early 2000's, the concept of a party game was still a novelty, as opposed to nowadays when every platformer, puzzle game, RPG and sports game feels the urge to pack in at least four mini-party-games, at least three of which are utterly rubbish. However, with it being a fairly new innovation at the time of SMB2, a lot of the party games included are solid gold. After playing for 40 minutes on the main game, I decided to spend my last twenty minutes re-playing some of these party games, so on a whim I loaded up Monkey Fight.
Monkey Fight is a game where your monkeyball is equipped with a boxing glove, and you roll around an arena trying to knock your opponents over the edge. You get points for knocking them over the edge, there are power ups such as long springs and iron gloves, and it's an entertaining bit of fun - especially as you can play with up to four players.
The next game I loaded up was Monkey Billiards. And I love Monkey Billiards. When I shared a flat with a certain Mr Lambert, Monkey Billiards was our video game of choice. It plays exactly as it sounds. You can choose from four different types of pool, and all of the balls have monkeys in. (Plus there are a pair of freakily huge monkeys drinking at the bar as you play). Basically, it's great fun.
And before I knew what was happening, my hour was up. I'd played SMB2 and (mostly) enjoyed it. It's bright and colourful (as a lot of Gamecube games of the time were) and while the main game can be a tad underwhelming, the fun party games really add some value to the whole package.
Rating: 7/10
Time played: About an hour and ten minutes. (Well, I had to finish my game of Monkey Billiards didn't I...)
Would I play it again? When I load it up again, it'll be for the party games, but it's unlikely to be for the main game. Sorry Monkeys.
Next time, on Brawny's great playthrough? We're heading into the era of 16-bit platformers - it's Earthworm Jim!
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