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AtomSuper Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll
The Super Monkey Ball series got off to a surprise start. It was originally an arcade game with a signature banana joystick, but it was until the Gamecube launch in America when the game’s popularity peaked. The series has always prided itself on pick up and play gameplay. There are no button combos to memorize, just an analog stick to tilt and a monkey in ball rolling around. So what exactly can a new Monkey Ball game offer on the DS platform? Let’s find out what Sega added in Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll.
The main game is found in challenge mode. Just like in all the other Monkey Ball games you’ll guide AiAi, MeeMee, Baby or GonGon through a small maze filled with bananas to a goal. Did we mention that the maze was miles high in the sky with open sides that your monkey can fall out of? It sounds simple on paper, roll your monkey to the finish line and avoid the traps. But in reality Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll is one of the most challenging DS games to date. The levels are cleverly designed with all sorts of brain bending obstacles that require gamers to have precise control over their simian. You’ll have to navigate over bumps, spin your monkey around a bowl to gain speed to hit a goal in the sky and wind around tight turns. But if you’ve played any of the other Super Monkey Ball releases some of these puzzles might look pretty familiar. The game pulls puzzles straight out the past games, but this time you’ll have to tackle them with the new control scheme. Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll gives gamers a choice between using the DS’s touch screen or the D-pad to roll around. The touch screen control is best suited for tight turns, even though it takes some time to master the small movements you need to make. If you have to run up an incline, the D-pad is best for that. However using the d-pad for making turns is tricky since you can’t move the stick smoothly like an analog controller. Super Monkey Ball games really require great controls and since neither option is satisfactory the complex puzzles become extremely frustrating. Even the earlier puzzles can cause Super Monkey Ball vets a headache while they’re learning the control set up. To compensate for this night mare the challenge mode offers you more extra lives, you only need a mere ten bananas for a one up. The game also offers a break after every ten levels.
Besides the main game the Super Monkey Ball series has always been about mini games. Four classic Super Monkey Ball party games return, just reworked for the DS. Monkey race has you pilot one of four monkeys around a track. You’ll use the stylus to tilt the move the monkey forward and the d-pad buttons to use items found along the course. Treadmills are placed around the track so you can snag a speed boost. Monkey bowling also takes advantage of the touch screen. You’ll throw your sphere enclosed monkey towards the pins by drawing a line with the stylus. If you draw the line straight you’ll move straight for a strike or you can add spin to the ball for angled shots. Once you bowl 300 you can try out challenge mode and tackle ten different pin setups. Monkey mini golf has you play 18 holes also with the touch screen. You start by aiming your shot with the mini map on screen and then wind up by dragging the stylus up to the speed you want to hit at and you draw a line forward to let the ball fly. Out of all the mini games monkey mini golf suffered the most in the DS translation. Unless you really scan over the environment manually you won’t be able to tell where inclines are or spot hidden bumps. The game should have added some topography marks on the mini map. Monkey fight is another classic game where you’ll pilot a monkey ball with a boxing glove attached to it. The object of the game is simple smack as many of the other players off the platform to score points. You can pick up power ups like a bigger boxing glove or an extended shot.
There are a couple of new games designed for the DS. Monkey hockey is an interesting game. It’s pretty much like air hockey except that you start out by drawing your paddle. You can make a long line or a small, but dense circle. Choose carefully because every time you block a hit your paddle will decrease in size. If it shrinks down you can erase your paddle by hitting L or R and then quickly redraw a new one. Monkey wars is another interesting addition to the party game line up. It’s pretty much a first person shooter, where players can strafe with the D-pad, turn with the turning icons on the bottom of the touch screen and fire shots by tapping the screen. As you navigate around the maze you can pick up power ups like honey, which can slow a monkey down making it easier to hit or cream pies that occlude your vision. Monkey was is probably the most addictive party game out of the bunch and DS download play makes it even more appetizing.
The console versions of Super Monkey Ball were best as party games for casual or non gamers. So it’s not really a surprise that Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll has a strong multiplayer component. If you can find other people with a Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll cartridge you can play any of the six mini games with a buddy. Or you can take advantage of DS download play and game on with just one cartridge. DS download play limits you to either monkey race, monkey hockey or monkey wars with pre-set options set. When monkey ball was developed it was too late to add in Nintendo WiFi support, but we still wish that it was added in. Monkey fight and monkey wars would be perfect games for the network.
Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll is a fun game to play, but the controls for challenge mode don’t suit the title. The puzzles are designed for tight controls and without them the game can be problematic to play. Also don’t expect to play Super Monkey Ball on a road trip, those slight bumps in the road will throw off your game even more. However, Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll’s strong point is in its mini games. If you know a couple of DS owners grab them to play a game of monkey wars or monkey racing with DS download play.
Import Friendly? Literacy Level: 0
The USA version is entirely in English, but even if you were going to play the game in another language it shouldn’t give gamers any problems. There’s little in game text that gamers will need to pay attention to.
US Bound?
Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll was released on February 21, 2006.
+ Pros: Multiplayer mini games that support one DS cart for four players.
- Cons: Recycled content from previous Gamecube games and frustrating controls.
Overall: Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll probably won’t impress fans of the series, since it’s essentially the same puzzles with touch screen control. However, if you haven’t played the Gamecube games and want a good DS multiplayer game look into Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll.
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