bit-tech Shopping: Sega Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz (Wii)

Rating: 4

Time with product: 3 Weeks

Strengths: 50 Mini Games

Weaknesses: Some of the mini games are barely playable

Summary: Even though the concept of Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz is a perfect fit for the Wii's motion controls, the game overall is really disappointing. The main game, where you roll a monkey in a ball across a board, is still quite a bit of fun and the controls were easy to use. The party mode is where the game really fails. There are definitely several fun mini games here, but it's ridiculous how bad the controls for some of the other minigames are. I'm convinced that Monkey Golf doesn't even work. Sega should've worked out the kinks a bit more before releasing this one.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 4

Strengths: Looks nice, controls are great, lots of multiplayer games

Weaknesses: Multiplayer games are hit and miss

Summary: Having played Super Monkey Ball 2 on the Gamecube, I was highly anticipating the Wii release with the new motion-sensing controls. The single player mode is better than I anticipated. The Wii controls really add to the ability to move your monkey through the various levels. There are a few changes and additions in this version. When navigating through the levels, you move the entire level instead of just the monkey ball; you can also jump. There are also two new characters as well as boss battles at the end of each world. Each of the worlds are beautiful and detailed which looks great on a 16:9 HD display. I enjoyed the music and visuals throughout. I?ve always enjoyed the mini-games in the Super Monkey Ball series. Banana Blitz comes with 50 mini-games that are immediately available. Despite the large number of mini-games, however, many of these are almost unplayable due to the quirky or over-sensitive controls. There are some really fun games in here, but you have to play through a lot of obvious filler to find them. Just off the top of my head, a few of the mini-games that I really enjoyed were Monkey Darts, Snowboarding and Frisbee Golf. Overall, I?d recommend this game if you?re a fan of the series. If you?ve never played before, the single player is great, but can be extremely difficult at times. The only real negative is the number of mini-games that are essentially filler. However, if you?re buying the game for the single player this isn?t a problem.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 04 Months

Strengths: Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz has a lot of mini games.

Weaknesses: The lack of camera control can be frustrating in some of the boss battles.

Summary: In Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz there are plenty of party games to try out with friends, and some of them are a lot of fun. Some of the other party games are not as fun. The single player game is well made and will provide many hours of entertainment. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is well worth the purchase, especially if you pick up four Wii Remotes.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 4

Strengths: Tons of minigames, great main story game

Weaknesses: The minigames are hit and miss with some really annoying or awkward controls

Summary: The main puzzle game is as good as the other Super Monkey Ball games and the Wii controls are responsive and just as good as the analog stick controls. The addition of a jump adds to the puzzles as well, so I think that part of the game deserves 5 stars. Where the game fails is in the area of minigames. While it has way more than previous Super Monkey Ball games, it's basically a waste since many of them are hard to control and some are nearly impossible. Overall, the game isn't too bad, but if you're expecting a lot of replay value due to the minigames, you probably won't find it in this title.

Rating: 6

Time with product: 2 Weeks

Strengths: Ton of Minigames. Good Party Game.

Weaknesses: Not as much fun without partners. Game quality Hit or Miss.

Summary: Banna Blitz is a series of party and mini games and it's perfect for the Wii. The gameplay isn' very compelling on its own. But in a group it's a lot fo fun. There are a ton of different games to try. Unfortunately, Like many party compilations, all the games can't be winners. Some are uninteresting. But there are quite a few that are great. And with the Wii remote it puts a really new spin on how you play. I never had much calling for party games. But with the Wii, now I do.