Super Monkey Ball (GC, 2001)
Graphics-8 Sound-8 Control-8 Challenge-8/8.5* Story-?
Level Design-8 Frustration-8/9* Fun-8 Originality-7
Overall Score-8
*Advanced extra levels and Expert levels
+
Good physics
Some creative level design (moving goalposts, shortcuts in many levels, rotating/tilting platforms, folding platforms (like a cardboard box), water ripple-like surfaces, etc.)
Zoomable mini-map
2-4 player competition/race and GP modes
Jumping via ramps (Marble Madness) and platform edges
Practice mode (for beaten levels only)
Party (race, fight, target - ramp jump then hang gliding to a platform) and mini-game (billiards, bowling, golf) modes
Interactive staff roll (skippable only after you've beaten the game once)
Replay feature (only shows the last few seconds of your playthrough of a level though - unless saved?, skippable)
Unlock extra levels by finishing a difficulty mode without dying
Calibration and rumble options
Time attack mode
Some trippy backgrounds
Partially improved graphics compared to the arcade ver.
Pretty good variation
Level viewer feature
Alternate paths in a few levels
+/-
Collectathon elements (collect more bananas to unlock mini-games)
100 bananas=1 extra life
No jumping (you jump via ramps) or "stand still while rotating" moves - you're controlling the board rather than the monkey ball
Mostly short levels
Level timer
Advanced and expert modes re-use about 10 previous levels but add more challenging elements to them
Different announcer voice on GC (no robo-voice effect)
Different music on GC
No char differences besides the monkey's size (not the ball's) in the main game
-
Some levels don't flow that well when you go for all of the bananas (some placed very close to platform edges and off the fastest path to the goal)
Hard to stop moving completely
No separate camera/looking control (could've been done with the second stick)
Sometimes uneven difficulty (spikes at level 15+extra 2/4/5 in advanced mode - too easy to fall off the board in these levels as well as most of the Expert mode levels if you make just one small mistake)
Somewhat annoying how there's a constant clock sfx (could've started sounding at 10 or 20 seconds left)
Notes:
-Try Wii controller
Level Design-8 Frustration-8/9* Fun-8 Originality-7
Overall Score-8
*Advanced extra levels and Expert levels
+
Good physics
Some creative level design (moving goalposts, shortcuts in many levels, rotating/tilting platforms, folding platforms (like a cardboard box), water ripple-like surfaces, etc.)
Zoomable mini-map
2-4 player competition/race and GP modes
Jumping via ramps (Marble Madness) and platform edges
Practice mode (for beaten levels only)
Party (race, fight, target - ramp jump then hang gliding to a platform) and mini-game (billiards, bowling, golf) modes
Interactive staff roll (skippable only after you've beaten the game once)
Replay feature (only shows the last few seconds of your playthrough of a level though - unless saved?, skippable)
Unlock extra levels by finishing a difficulty mode without dying
Calibration and rumble options
Time attack mode
Some trippy backgrounds
Partially improved graphics compared to the arcade ver.
Pretty good variation
Level viewer feature
Alternate paths in a few levels
+/-
Collectathon elements (collect more bananas to unlock mini-games)
100 bananas=1 extra life
No jumping (you jump via ramps) or "stand still while rotating" moves - you're controlling the board rather than the monkey ball
Mostly short levels
Level timer
Advanced and expert modes re-use about 10 previous levels but add more challenging elements to them
Different announcer voice on GC (no robo-voice effect)
Different music on GC
No char differences besides the monkey's size (not the ball's) in the main game
-
Some levels don't flow that well when you go for all of the bananas (some placed very close to platform edges and off the fastest path to the goal)
Hard to stop moving completely
No separate camera/looking control (could've been done with the second stick)
Sometimes uneven difficulty (spikes at level 15+extra 2/4/5 in advanced mode - too easy to fall off the board in these levels as well as most of the Expert mode levels if you make just one small mistake)
Somewhat annoying how there's a constant clock sfx (could've started sounding at 10 or 20 seconds left)
Notes:
-Try Wii controller