Another game series ruined by Sega. The first two Super Monkey Ball games were awesome, but they slid down to this – an overly simplified, challenge-free entry into the series. Levels have barriers or “grooves” so you don’t die. There are no tricky turns, no jumps, no difficult levels at all. In fact, I found myself finishing most worlds with more lives than I started with. Still, it was fun. Ish. Shame it didn’t carry on with another 8 worlds …
Actually, this isn’t awful. Well, it is in that it isn’t anywhere near as hard as the original two Gamecube games, but it’s actually playable and fun. For the first two worlds, at least. I’ve no idea if it gets any better or worse after that as that’s as far as I got before I decided to return to Pullblox.
OK, so now it’s getting hard. I’m onto World 7 now, and have spent far too long trying to do the second level. The previous world (Cobolt Caverns) was also pretty difficult, although I did manage to complete two levels first time. And the boss was really easy. I’ve noticed that it isn’t really the same game as previous Monkey Ball titles, in that there’s less “balancing on a thin platform” to do. That isn’t a bad thing, it’s just …
I’ve now worked through the first five worlds of the game. Still nothing especially taxing, except for the octopus boss at the end of the 5th world. He was a right pain, as it seemed to be entirely random as to where his tentacles would end up when he landed on the platform you’re on, meaning you can’t avoid being knocked off and into the sea. Anyway, killed him eventually, and moved on…
Today, I are mostly bin playing this. And it’s great. After the awful (and broken) Super Monkey Ball Adventure this really is a return to form. At first, the control in the single player game was impossible. After a while I got used to it, and now it makes way more sense than a “normal” controller ever did. So I’ve completed all of the first four worlds so far. None of the levels have been especially difficult, although I’ve lost …
Totally fed up with this game now. I’ve managed a few more things in Zootopia, including the flying-to-get-monkeys-in-balloons, the test-your-strength, and a couple of others, but two are really, really annoying me. First up is the one where you have to go invisible and creep round a shooting gallery. You have virtually no camera control, so it’s hard. And it’s rubbish. Secondly, is the one where you have to get eight balloons for a monkey. I’d started it accidently many …
Oooky monkey oook eek! IRRITATING. So I’ve managed to get the warp spells for Zootopia and Moonhaven. Off I went to Zootopia, and managed to get all of about two “quests” done. I can’t for the life of me do any more though. I also got the spell for turning invisible too. Great. Then I thought I’d give Moonhaven a try. Nope. Could only find ONE errand to start, failed it as it’s plainly impossible, and then couldn’t find anyone …
Ooook mook monkey ook eek mook ook EEK! Ook oooook monkey ei! ei! Oooook ei mook! EEK! Oook monkey ei ei monkey monkey oook! Ei! EEK! Mook oook monkey ook! And so on. That’s all the dialogue in the game. It is driving me mental. Also driving me mental is the camera. And the fact that the game just isn’t really all that great. And that I’m stuck – that doesn’t actually help. I’m still on Jungle Island. I can’t …
It’s Super Monkey Ball, Jim, but not as we know it… It’s very odd. Very very odd. Firstly, there’s an issue with the camera – I want to invert the X axis, but I can’t seem to do that. Then there’s the way the entire world tilts when you move. Yeah – that’s how it worked before on the other games, but now you have an entire actual island that moves, and it’s very jarring. Anyway. I rounded up some …
Since today is Munkie Day (no really – it is), I thought I should honour it with an inaugoral play of Super Monkey Ball. And, since my DS is the consol de moment, what better than Touch and Roll? Which, as I now recall, is too sodding hard. I have the Volcano World, on which I get stuck on level 7 or 8, and then Ice World where I got to level 9 or 10, and lost 16 lives. It’s …
Had a go at completing two more worlds today, and failed. I managed to get as far as the last level on the Volcano World, but lost some 10 lives or more there failing to do it. Much the same story for Ice Lolly Land, although I didn’t have so many lives left at the end but failed to finish it anyway. The really narrow path at the end of the course got me every single time. Played Monkey Bowling …
Finished another world today, without any difficulty at all. Not sure how I managed that, as it was one I was previously stuck on. Even had about ten lives left at the end of it. Didn’t do so well on the end game thing though – only 193 bananas. Played Monkey Bowling Challenge Super Happy Fun Mode for a bit then, and completed the first level. Tried the second level, but ran out of “throws”, so failed.
Completed another two “worlds” today, having spent ages and ages trying to get past the Starfish level. It’s just like one of the levels in Super Monkey Ball 2 on the Gamecube (as, in fact, many levels are), but for some reason, it’s $hlmun times harder on the DS game. I think I might be due to the gap in the “star” being narrower, and the star stopping for a shorter time. Anyway, with that level out of the way, …
Just a brief play today. Tried the third world (jungle, or something, i think) and got stuck on a level right out of Super Monkey Ball 2 on the Gamecube. It’s called Starfish, and is bloody hard. Went back to the Desert World instead, and managed to complete it with ease this time, and got 239/500 bananas in the End Of Game Credits Game.
New game day! Well, almost every day is New Game Day at the moment, but anyway. Played through the first world, completing it without much difficulty (and with ten lives spare afterwards), and then moved onto the desert world. Got to level 9 I think, and lost my last life there. I played all of the party games then, including a full round of Monkey Mini Golf on which I scored 55. It would have been much lower, but Hole …