Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Encyclopedia
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is an entry in the Super Monkey Ball series
, following Super Monkey Ball Adventure
. It is a Wii
exclusive and was released as a launch title for the system on November 14, 2006 in North America
.
There are a total of ten worlds:
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". 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:
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. http://nintendo.ca/cgi-bin/usersite/display_info.cgi?pageNum=13&lang=enhttp://www.cubed3.com/news/6777/
Articles
Super Monkey Ball (series)
The Super Monkey Ball series is a series of arcade platform games developed by Amusement Vision and distributed by Sega. It features 4 characters : AiAi, MeeMee, Baby and GonGon...
, following Super Monkey Ball Adventure
Super Monkey Ball Adventure
Super Monkey Ball Adventure is a video game developed by Traveller's Tales in parcery with the division Traveller's Tales Oxford and distributed by Sega in the Super Monkey Ball series, released on June 30, 2006...
. It is a Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
exclusive and was released as a launch title for the system on November 14, 2006 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
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.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 RemoteWii RemoteThe , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
) as well as the appearance of all major characters featured in past games. - Unlike previous games in the Super Monkey Ball series, this game features 8 boss battles, a feature new to the franchise.
- 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
Mini-Games
There are 50 mini-games in total in Banana Blitz. 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.Reception
EGMElectronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
awarded the game a 6.2, stating that the new Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
-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
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
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
Hyper (magazine)
Hyper is a multi-platform Australian video game magazine. Australia's longest running gaming magazine, it has been in publication since 1993, and was released the same month as the better known UK magazine Edge...
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". 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 PowerNintendo PowerNintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
http://www.codenamerevolution.com/?p=2940 - 8.4 by IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- 8.3 by GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- 7.2 out of 10 by GameTrailersGameTrailersGameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
http://trailers.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/t_supermonkeyball_bananablitz_vr_gt.mov - 4 out of 5 by GameSpyGameSpyGameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
http://wii.gamespy.com/wii/super-monkey-ball-banana-blitz/746476p1.html - 8.0 by Games Radar http://www.gamesradar.com/us/wii/game/reviews/article.jsp?articleId=20061121103541999065§ionId=1000&pageId=2006112110494533093
- 8.0 by Digital Entertainment News http://dignews.com/review.php?story_id=19359
- B by Underground Online http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/launchreview.asp?reviewid=743674
- 6.2 average by EGM
- 81% by Official Nintendo Magazine
- 84% by NGamerNGamerNGamer is a British magazine which mainly covers Nintendo video game consoles and software, and also to a much lesser extent, Sony and Microsoft consoles. The first issue was released on 13 July 2006...
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. http://nintendo.ca/cgi-bin/usersite/display_info.cgi?pageNum=13&lang=enhttp://www.cubed3.com/news/6777/
External links
Official Links (JP) (US)Articles
- Interview with Toshihiro Nagoshi at 1UP.com1UP.com1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Reviews at Metacritic.com
- Wii Preview at IGN