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> Results: Super Monkey Ball Adventure
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In the popular Super Monkey Ball series of video games, you roll around monkeys in giant hamster balls. Swerve and turn through obstacle filled mazes on your way to the finish line, just don't fall off the edge! But the best part of the Monkey Ball games was the included ample sports themed mini-games like Monkey Bowling, Monkey Golf, Monkey Baseball, and others that could stand alone as full quality games themselves.
The monkeys are rolling out into their first full adventure game. Play as Aiai, Meemee, Gongon, or Baby Monkey as they roll through lush tropical jungle islands, Jules Verne-esque mechanical cities, and bustling amusement parks bringing peace and happiness to all of monkey-kind... or something. Talking to a monkey usually prompts you to do a favor for that simian. Doing favors and simply navigating around the island calls forth classic Super Monkey Ball playing skills like not falling off the edge of the playfield. Find a ramp to roll down and launch off to open up the two sides of the monkey ball and glide to safety, like the mini-game Monkey Target. Your monkey learns special chants that give his or her rolling ball special powers. One of them summons a spring loaded boxing glove you use to punch away obstacles, just like in the classic Monkey Fight mini-game. You even get to challenge classic maze levels to unlock paths in the main adventure. It also wouldn't be a Super Monkey Ball game without those mini-games, and this adventure is full of those, too. Tackle the adventure mode's maze levels in an arcade setting, or up against four other human or computer controlled monkeys in classic games like Monkey Target, Monkey Fight, or Monkey Race, plus three brand new games. While it is easy to tell that the developers of Super Monkey Ball Adventure tried to implement classic Monkey Ball gameplay into the adventure, the whole trip ultimately falls short. None of the mini-games are any better than in previous installments, and the main adventure suffers from unclear goals, frustrating gameplay, and minor quibbles like sound effects that annoyingly loop over and over again. Definitely not top banana.  
Kids will love the brightly colored graphics, cheerful sounds, and lively cartoon monkeys in this game. There is little to no violence. Your monkey-in-a-ball can roll over and flatten other creatures, but they spring back up in seconds. When your monkey falls off the edge of the field, they instantly appear right back in the thick of things again. Sometimes your monkey will respawn in very random locations, sometimes even appearing in places you've never been to before, which makes it very confusing to navigate.
Reading skill is required to understand what the monkeys are saying, as they only speak in gibberish translated as text on the bottom of the screen. Goals and objectives in the adventure are oftentimes unclear and kids will spend a large amount of time wondering where to go next. While the game starts out inviting and easy, it soon becomes frustratingly challenging after you leave the initial jungle island areas. Navigating around all the moving gears in the mechanical level makes even simply getting from point A to point B annoying. Plus the favors you must do for monkeys in higher stages, as well as the later puzzle rooms become extremely difficult and a young kid (or even an older kid or an adult), will get very frustrated. Parents looking for some monkey fun for their young gamers should skip out on Super Monkey Ball Adventure and instead get the older Super Monkey Ball or Super Monkey Ball 2 for the GameCube or Super Monkey Ball Deluxe for the PS2 or Xbox, as those are much better games. This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "monkey ball" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Super Monkey Ball Adventure |
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