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February 15, 2006 | 6:12 PM PST
by: Sean Kennedy
The GameCube classic comes to the Xbox!
Xbox owners can finally experience what GameCube owners have been privileged to play exclusively for years with the release of Super Monkey Ball Deluxe. After two successful outings on the Nintendo GameCube, one on the GameBoy Advance, and building a loyal fan base who have fallen in love with its simplistic design and addictive gameplay, Sega has compiled a large dose of monkey action for the Xbox. Have the monkeys lost anything with their move to the Xbox? Absolutely not!
Features
Gameplay
Not to be confused with the popular sushi entrée monkey balls, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe (SMBD) revolves around four monkeys (Aiai, Meemee, Gongon, and Baby) inside of transparent balls that you move around a playing board by controlling the board itself, not the character. Players will use the analogue stick to tilt the board causing the ball to roll in whatever direction you tilt the board. This is done to navigate the ball through a series of timed obstacles collecting bananas to boost your score while completing the challenge as quickly as possible. That’s it. There are no weapons, camera angles, and jump buttons to worry about, just simple navigation. While the gameplay may sound overly simplistic, which it is, it is this simplicity in gameplay that makes SMBD so easy to pick up and play and addictive.
Stages range from simple go from point A to B without falling off the board, to as complex as navigating the ball over pathways narrower then the ball, over switches, and through fast moving objects and changing board configurations. Some stages even feature multiple finish lines, where the player will be forced to determine if they have enough time and skill to reach the farther away finish line and earn more points. The level of difficulty for each board is indicated by a banana ranking, with the higher the ranking meaning the harder the board will be. With this sort of structure in place and 300 levels, there is enough content for players of all skill levels to find room for improvement.
Upon starting the game, players will be able to choose from story or challenge mode. Story mode features a very over the top and often embarrassing to watch story that arranges the levels in an order to fit the story. Somehow, even with its way over the top nature and moments of embarrassment, the story mode is enjoyable if not just to see how the developer managed to make a story that revolves around four monkeys inside of balls. In order to advance through the story mode, players must complete any 10 of the many levels offered in each world. At the completion of a world players will be treated to a story FMV. Challenge Mode removes the story and breaks up the levels into three levels of difficulty: Beginner with 40 levels, Advanced with 70 levels, and Expert with 100 levels. Challenge Mode, unlike Story mode, can also be played with up to four players.
In addition to the multiplayer options in Challenge Mode, SMBD also offers players a Competition Mode and 12 party games. In Competition Mode, up to four players can compete against each other using any of the levels unlocked in Challenge Mode. In this mode, whoever collects the most bananas wins and the faster players move the more bananas they will collect. The 12 party games are where SMBD really shines, offering players classic sports such as baseball, soccer, tennis, bowling, billiards, golf, racing, and more with a monkey-spin on each. On top of the large variety of party games, each party game can be customized to suit your multiplayer needs. The only thing that could have made the multiplayer experience standout even more would have been the inclusion of Xbox Live support.
Graphics
Graphically Super Monkey Ball Deluxe keeps the same look that GameCube versions premiered. The graphics are basic, bright, clean, and colorful but not complex in any way. Character models and bananas are well designed and fit the overall simplistic nature of the graphics. Some levels feature some nice particle effects and the backgrounds are generally well designed and keep with the style of the game.
Sound
Sound effects, like the graphics, are also simplistic but unfortunately could stand a lot of improvement. While the in-game sound effects are fitting, they lack variety. Some of the sounds are very grating and can get on your nerves if you are not able to tune them out. The “voice work” by the monkeys is the biggest offense, with the monkey gibberish often hitting such high squeaking notes that they hurt the ears. Really, the monkey voices easily rank up there with some of the most annoying video game sounds ever.
Closing
With its 300 levels, huge multiplayer modes, and its addictive gameplay, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is a must have game for anyone who enjoys simplistic pick-up-and-play gameplay that provides a real challenge or anyone who is looking for an enjoyable new party game. Xbox owners who buy this game should consider themselves lucky that Sega finally decided to let them in on what the GameCube owners have enjoyed for the last five years.
February 8, 2010
