Fresh dose of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

This is next generation? Give me a break. Same old stuff with a new controller.

#1

What do you expect, it's a launch game, and games like this are to be expected.

If it has online play, not just stats I'd buy it in a flash but not untill it has online play I already had my fill of single play with 1&2

In response to DBX00... since when does "next generation" mean "better graphics"? You say "Same old stuff with a new controller" ... yet, the "new controller" is the most truly "next generation" thing in years. (For a console, at least... for handhelds, you could at least say the DS)

Super Monkey Ball was one of my favorite games for Gamecube, and by far my favorite multiplayer game. It isn't supposed to look like a REAL monkey in a ball. It's supposed to be cutsey graphics in a crazy colorful world, with great gameplay. If you don't play something just becuase it doesn't look "next gen", you're going to miss out on a lot.

This is funny: "This is next generation? Give me a break. Same old stuff with a new controller."

You can replace "new controller" with "better graphics," and you've got the biggest critique of the Xbox 360 and PS3.

I get that the controller is the big innovation of the Wii, but I do think the same old game/new controller concern is valid.

Indeed, what is truly "new gen" about this title is the increased level of control. It should allow for a lot more difficult challenges that aren't hindered by the limits of an analog joystick.

I'm tired of playing the same games on all the systems. Give me something that's just completely new to the console scene.

To be honest, I don't think that Nintendo can take over the console market if they don't offer the games that drive the market. Sure, the controller is a nice innovation, but if I have to use it to play the same old Mario or Zelda you aren't really expanding the market outside your core audience. Sony and Microsoft have their own woes, but this controller isn't going to push Nintendo over the top. The controller is simply just too easily replicated by competition. If this thing starts really driving sales, it won't be long before all of them have the controller and then you have the same Gamecube scenario.

woah, good thing I'm a nintendo fanboy or I'd really have to watch what i say around here

Jody, it has nothing to do with fanboys sticking up for Nintendo Wii.

DBX00 says that Nintendo isn't really expanding the market beyond its core audience because it's making games like Mario and Zelda. Um, HELLO?! Nintendo's whole 'thing' with the next-generation is that it's making games that appeal to more than just the typical 'hardcore' gamer - it wants to make video games more mainstream for people from all walks of life - while still making games for the 'hardcore' gamer (man I hate always using that word).

I notice he doesn't reply at all to DG's excellent comment about graphics.

LOL if it was for the Xbox 360, the monkeys would be rendered just realistically enough to look disturbing. give me fun gameplay over "Polar Express"-quality creepiness anyday. ;)

cmon nintendo... something new please! not just gamecube with that gimmic controller

"cmon nintendo... something new please! not just gamecube with that gimmic controller"

Where do you see that there's nothing "new"? The best thing about this game is its multiplayer aspect... and the article says there's "scores" of multiplayer party games to be played.

Not to mention boss levels, which previous SMB games didn't have.

You're asking Nintendo for something new, but uh, isn't Monkey balls distributed by Sega and made by AV?

I LOVE the super monkey ball series. I've bought every SMB game.

Here's the deal, though: SMB was built around an analog stick. It was made for it. it was perfect for it.

Using a motion-sensor, with flick-jumping, makes it no longer a Super Monkey Ball game. Just because it has the same characters, does not mean it's in the same genre. No, This game is in the Kirby Tilt'n Tumble genre. You know, the Gameboy color game with a built-in motion sensor so you could move kirby around by tilting the unit... AND JUMP BY FLICKING?

With analog stick controls, I could get better at Halo by playing SMB. My mastery of the analog stick was increased with every hour of time spent in SMB, and it helped to make me better in EVERY other game that used an analog stick.

With Wiimote controlling, it will no longer have the same kind of value or fun.

So you're saying that SMB for the Wii won't help you get better at other games that use the Wiimote?

Ahh yes, monkey ball. I believe most people completely miss the point of these games, i really do. A simple 1 player to get used to the mechanics then get some mates, some beers and have a huge laugh on the party games. Now with added Wii-mote-ness(awful english), this is yet another essential purchase. 50 party games i have been reliably informed, hell yeah.

Nintendo seems to be saying: "It's either gameplay or graphics, you can't have both."

I don't see why that would be true.

What is cleverly wrapped in these adopted good intentions is this: "If we can sell current-gen hardware as next-gen hardware, we will do so and we will score profit margins Microsoft and Sony can only dream of."

Nintendo already succeeded with the DS. Common, cheap hardware, sold at a huge profit margin, killing a very expensive to manufacture PSP.

Now, again, this magic trick is all based on convincing the masses that: "It's either gameplay or graphics, you can't have both."

What will they do if Sony and/or Microsoft deliver gameplay AND graphics?

I know powerful hardware can run great gameplay without modification. I don't think Nintendo's hardware will be able to run great graphics as smoothly.

Grant... I guess you could look at it that way, if you were fanatically pro-nintendo. As I was 5 years ago.

It's an interesting point, though it underscores the fact that what Nintendo considers to be videogames is no longer what the mainstream market considers to be videogames.

I'm not saying the Wii won't be fun, I sure love my gamecube... but the best games will continue to be on other systems.

Darth Pixel, I think the reality is more like this: "You can have good gameplay, good graphics, or good price, but you can't have all 3, only 2 at the most." Which I think is true, as if you have good gameplay and graphics, your price will probably be pretty high. So Nintendo is trying to give us 2 out of 3, instead of 1 out of 3, which, arguably, Sony and Microsoft are giving us.

Didn't take long did it lol?

I beg to differ, seen twilight princess, great graphics, great gameplay(obvious) and great price. 3/3 and this will be repeated many times on all systems i think.

But I don't see how you can see it will be repeated on all systems, as we already know PS3 doesn't have at least one of the 3 things I mentioned (good price.)

These screens, as well as the ones in the "Call of Duty" post, don't look bad to me. Very little I've seen on any console is that impressive. "Graphics" just don't impress me as much as all the game media tells me they should.

Graphics, gameplay and immersion. Not one of these words really has any meaning anymore (if they ever did). Why do we still argue about them?

I think a lot of people are misconstruing DBX00's point, and arguing the wrong thing.

That being said, I disagree with him. Nintendo's goal is all-inclusive gaming. Now, you can be brilliant, or lucky, and happen upon a game like Tetris that appeals to every single person, but that happens maybe once every 10 years or so at best. Nintendo has taken a more reasonable tact. A wide spread of different types and genres of games, so that you'll have something for everyone. If you look at what Nintendo showed just at E3, they plan to offer something in just about every genre, including some games that don't exactly fit into existing genres. If you look at the DS, they've seemingly created a new genre with Brain Training, and are actively encouraging their internal studios & 3rd parties to make similar games that likely won't appeal to the 'hardcore' market, but might appeal to your mom or dad.

As for some of the other arguments on this page, Nintendo's controller cannot be copied, not exactly. The gyroscopic control in the Dualshake is the best anyone is going to be able to manage without violating Nintendo's patents. So there goes that theory.

Also, the only time anyone has ever managed to successfully change the primary control system during the lifecycle of the console was with the PS1 when they added Analog control to their system, after Nintendo had shown it to be clearly better for 3d control on the n64. The Wii hasn't even released yet, so they have yet to prove their new controller is clearly better, but even if they do, they have patents that will prevent anyone from exactly copying their control scheme, the best anyone can do is approximate, at least until the next, next generation anyway.

Also, as far as HD is concerned. HD does not make graphics better. It makes them larger and therefore clearer. The only significant difference between 480p & 720p from a viewing perspective is the size of the graphics. Graphics at 720p require higher poly models, or else they look crappy. At 480p, you can get away with lower poly count models, but just because a game is only running at 480p doesn't mean it will have lower poly count models. That is totally up to the designer. 720p games also require more detailed textures, but 480p doesn't mean your texture detail automatically drops, it just means you can get away with lower detail textures without people noticing the flaws.

So 480p is capable of graphical quality equal to that of 720p, it just doesn't require it, which 720p does. That means that developers can choose to focus on graphics if they want, but it's not as big a deal if they don't.

Now, the difference between 480i and 480p is very significant. Anything interlaced is going to look worse than anything progressive, but the Wii supports progressive scan, so I hardly think that's a problem.

PS3 & 360 will offer great graphics. If developers put their minds to it, they will offer great gameplay. So far, they're not doing so hot on price.

Wii will beat them on price. Wii can offer great graphics if developers choose to do so. Wii can offer great gameplay if developers choose to do so. And more importantly, Wii will offer gameplay you can't get anywhere else, while still being capable of supporting gameplay you can get on the other systems.

Those of us excited about the Wii are excited because of the possibilities, possibilities that just don't exist on any other system. Whereas anything the PS3 or 360 can do, the Wii can do, it just might not be as pretty.

Give me a new, expanded Monkey Target and i'll be all over this one.

Where did the term "next-generation" come from? Is this just the community that is deeming these next consoles as new generations? Why can't they just be upgrades like the DS Lite or GBA SP or the PSTwo? I guess I just don't understand what everyone is expecting from the "next-generation". I just want new games that are fun and if I need to buy a new console to play them, I will. I'm not really expecting anything out of these new systems.

Having played this game at E3 I can honestly say it rocks! I cannot wait to get it at launch and get a bunch of friends over to play.

As for graphics in this game, it actually looks pretty damn good if you ask me. Better than the cube versions. You have to remember not every game is going to be as detailed as resident evil, metroid prime or smash bros. You have to look at graphics in terms of each game franchise and not compare monkey ball to resident evil.