Wii impressions: Monkey Ball
by Blake Snow 
{ May 10th 2006 at 6:15PM }
Super Monkey Ball on Wii is just like the other Monkey Balls of yesteryear, only with the motion sensing goodness of the Wiimote. The title was one of the most "free style" games at the booth, utilizing full 360 degree tilt to control the rolling ball. Though the game offers nothing new in terms of level design, the interface offers a nice twist on the series. While I'm holding both the nunchuck and Wiimote, you only use the Wiimote during in-game play.
More to come.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gonzo @ May 10th 2006 6:21PM
I don't care how many versions have been done so far. This game was made for Wii.
DCFC Fan @ May 10th 2006 6:23PM
I don't think anyone expected more than just a better control experience. The Monkey Ball series is very fun for those who still fondly remember Marble Madness from the arcade.
It's good to hear that the Wii remote works well for the series. The catch with any Monkey Ball game has always been in the adaptation of the control scheme, whether analog or digital. If this feels as good as Kirby's Tilt and Tumble from the Game Boy Color era, I'll be a happy camper.
Speaking of which, wasn't that Nintendo's first foray into the tilt sensor arena?
Babylonian @ May 10th 2006 6:27PM
Sweet. I'm really excited for it, considering I'm like the biggest SMB fan ever (see link).
Ianc02 @ May 10th 2006 6:33PM
Monkey ball in whatever iteration is so much fun to play. The party games are still played often in our house. Any news on the 'patry game side' on this one?
freecajunlove @ May 10th 2006 6:34PM
The same games, just a different control scheme? no...
Alex @ May 10th 2006 6:51PM
I just hope it's as good as the first one, as the series has (kinda) gone downhill since.
Of course, you could say the same of Metroid Prime or WarioWare...
Wii are worried. (the royal wii)
DMON @ May 10th 2006 7:04PM
alex, i mostly disagree. but nice pun anyway.
Jeff @ May 10th 2006 8:08PM
"The catch with any Monkey Ball game has always been in the adaptation of the control scheme, whether analog or digital. "
I'm not sure if everybody realizes that the original game in the arcade utilized a joystick. I honestly don't remember if it was analog or digital but I do believe it was digital.
In any case, it didn't offer free range of motion like the Wii-mote apparently does. So this wouldn't be a faithful "adaptation" of the originals controls either - actually, the previous console versions all had it closer.
The Wii-mote could be *better* than the original. But it's not faithful to it. It's kind of like playing a spinner game with a trackball. You've got another axis of movement that wasn't there in the original. That can be good or bad depending on the implementation, but it's not the way the original game played.