this happened to my buddy Lardo
+new story mode that presents a chance to familiarize oneself with all of the levels before attempting the arcade mode
+the first game already looked great and this one looks even better, with extremly detailed backdrops even down to having collision
+all the minigames from the first retained, with 6 new ones as well
+instead of buying more continues in the in-game store, you buy more lives per continue, making the endgame content easier to reach with the 1cc requirement
+no repeated stages in the extra worlds, and the later extra levels aren't included in story mode either, making it a treat to unlock them. master mode has its own extra set now too, meaning an 80 level 1cc expert -> master extra run is possible
-relies far too heavily on gimmicky stage design, specifically moving stages and stages you have to control with switches. these feel too finicky, especially since the sophisticated physics engine retained from the first game is not equipped to handle the kind of interactions these stages provide
-because there are far more moving stages/objects, the game becomes increasingly reliant on catching the right cycle, which leads to a lot of timer strats on levels. not very fun, especially when they make the level trivial to complete ie "hold forward once the timer hits 58 seconds to win"
-there's no special world/background for master mode....
-the bonus stages feel like much more of a chore this time around
I don't feel like this game is quite as good in core design as the first one, but the game is much more accessible than the first and has more content overall. still very addictive, even though I find many of the stages somewhat frustrating or boring
+the first game already looked great and this one looks even better, with extremly detailed backdrops even down to having collision
+all the minigames from the first retained, with 6 new ones as well
+instead of buying more continues in the in-game store, you buy more lives per continue, making the endgame content easier to reach with the 1cc requirement
+no repeated stages in the extra worlds, and the later extra levels aren't included in story mode either, making it a treat to unlock them. master mode has its own extra set now too, meaning an 80 level 1cc expert -> master extra run is possible
-relies far too heavily on gimmicky stage design, specifically moving stages and stages you have to control with switches. these feel too finicky, especially since the sophisticated physics engine retained from the first game is not equipped to handle the kind of interactions these stages provide
-because there are far more moving stages/objects, the game becomes increasingly reliant on catching the right cycle, which leads to a lot of timer strats on levels. not very fun, especially when they make the level trivial to complete ie "hold forward once the timer hits 58 seconds to win"
-there's no special world/background for master mode....
-the bonus stages feel like much more of a chore this time around
I don't feel like this game is quite as good in core design as the first one, but the game is much more accessible than the first and has more content overall. still very addictive, even though I find many of the stages somewhat frustrating or boring
I wonder if Dr. Badboon has ever committed a war crime against the geneva conventions
This game is so easy to understand, yet so difficult to master. Very few games strike that balance so well, but Super Monkey Ball nails it. You roll your ball around the stage and try to get to the goal. Along the way, you'll be tempted with bananas to collect, but sometimes it's safest to just ignore them.
It's a game of digital balance, and it's always fair. But it also has one of the greatest mini-games of all time in it:
MONKEY TARGET.
Let's be real, Super Monkey Ball 2's "Monkey Target" mode is the best thing to ever come out of the franchise. You roll down a ramp with up to three friends, open your capsules like gliders, and try to drop into the highest-scoring zone possible. It's one of the greatest 4-player party games of all time, and is the reason anyone with a GameCube should buy this game.
It's a game of digital balance, and it's always fair. But it also has one of the greatest mini-games of all time in it:
MONKEY TARGET.
Let's be real, Super Monkey Ball 2's "Monkey Target" mode is the best thing to ever come out of the franchise. You roll down a ramp with up to three friends, open your capsules like gliders, and try to drop into the highest-scoring zone possible. It's one of the greatest 4-player party games of all time, and is the reason anyone with a GameCube should buy this game.
"I really love bananas!" - Aiai
I've heard some Monkey Ball fans complain about 2 making too many additions, saying that it removed the purity and simplicity of 1, but truthfully I think every addition SMB2 makes is for the better, turning an already fantastic into the best version of it to ever exist. Story mode is a great way to allow players to see all the levels without having to get through all of Arcade mode, but Arcade mode is still there for anyone who wants the pure Monkey Ball experience. Story mode also adds an incredibly delightful story with cutscenes, where the monkey protagonists are like a group of superheroes who use their balls as super suits, and they have to stop an evil Baboon from taking their Dole bananas. It's the perfect mix of sincerity and goofiness.
More mechanics are added to the courses in a way that doesn't make them too complicated or long, but instead diversifies the kinds of stages that can exist. I love the mix of more puzzle-like stages, reflex-oriented ones, timing stages, and so on. Every time I saw the most wildly different stage in the game, there was something else a couple stages later. Luckily, the moveset and feel of control has not changed, as perfection isn't to be messed with, which is something that future Monkey Ball did not understand.
On top of the incredibly solid single player stuff, even more multiplayer/mini games are here than the last one, and it's truly impressive how fleshed out these games are. On top of new versions of all the very engaging mini games in the last one, we have six new ones that all also have a lot going on, and are great for playing with friends. I mean, they put just a whole tennis game and bowling game into this just because they could. It makes sense that the guy who directed this would go on to work on the Yakuza series, a series known for it's greatly fleshed out side content. If you put 18 holes of mini golf in Super Monkey Ball, why wouldn't you put an entire cabaret club simulator in Yakuza? (Also important to note that story mode makes getting play points a lot easier, leading to unlocking mini games a lot faster as well)
This is the full package, this is the peak of Monkey Ball, this set the standard that the future games would basically not even try to uphold. My literal only complaint is that the "hurry up" music is unnecessarily shrill and annoying, I just need a countdown man I don't need you to play high frequency attack sounds at me.
I've heard some Monkey Ball fans complain about 2 making too many additions, saying that it removed the purity and simplicity of 1, but truthfully I think every addition SMB2 makes is for the better, turning an already fantastic into the best version of it to ever exist. Story mode is a great way to allow players to see all the levels without having to get through all of Arcade mode, but Arcade mode is still there for anyone who wants the pure Monkey Ball experience. Story mode also adds an incredibly delightful story with cutscenes, where the monkey protagonists are like a group of superheroes who use their balls as super suits, and they have to stop an evil Baboon from taking their Dole bananas. It's the perfect mix of sincerity and goofiness.
More mechanics are added to the courses in a way that doesn't make them too complicated or long, but instead diversifies the kinds of stages that can exist. I love the mix of more puzzle-like stages, reflex-oriented ones, timing stages, and so on. Every time I saw the most wildly different stage in the game, there was something else a couple stages later. Luckily, the moveset and feel of control has not changed, as perfection isn't to be messed with, which is something that future Monkey Ball did not understand.
On top of the incredibly solid single player stuff, even more multiplayer/mini games are here than the last one, and it's truly impressive how fleshed out these games are. On top of new versions of all the very engaging mini games in the last one, we have six new ones that all also have a lot going on, and are great for playing with friends. I mean, they put just a whole tennis game and bowling game into this just because they could. It makes sense that the guy who directed this would go on to work on the Yakuza series, a series known for it's greatly fleshed out side content. If you put 18 holes of mini golf in Super Monkey Ball, why wouldn't you put an entire cabaret club simulator in Yakuza? (Also important to note that story mode makes getting play points a lot easier, leading to unlocking mini games a lot faster as well)
This is the full package, this is the peak of Monkey Ball, this set the standard that the future games would basically not even try to uphold. My literal only complaint is that the "hurry up" music is unnecessarily shrill and annoying, I just need a countdown man I don't need you to play high frequency attack sounds at me.
There's a reason why Super Monkey Ball got a sequel. It did extraordinarily well on the GameCube, and this essentially acts as a deluxe version of the first game. It even has a story mode, but story mode was effectively a training mode for challenge mode/main mode where you clear levels sequentially and have a limited number of lives. The party games/minigames are also very engaging in this game. I am giving this a perfect score because this may actually be one of the best GameCube games you can get. Although this game might not be in my personal favorites list, or at least not within the top 20 or so, I think it deserves the praise it gets. It's a very simple to understand game but has increasingly difficult stages that require tons of focus and dedication to master.
Beaten on a PC via Dolphin. Let me say that I love 2. It got me into the franchise as a whole. But I'll be damned to admit its as good as the first game. My main problem with it is that the level design just isn't as good as 1. An uncomfortable percent of it was either goo gimmicky, tedious, or borderline frustrating. Special shoutout to Arthropod. It has more party games, but I don't really care about those. It sports good graphics, amazing music, and even though the level design is a fair bit worse, I still think it's well done. Monkey Ball 2 is a good game, just not as good as the first.
craziest SMT game I've played
Cruel and unusual punishment
chimps in balls. what else is there to say.
chills
"I am trained in gorilla warfare...I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking words."
-a Super Monkey Ball 2 veteran
-a Super Monkey Ball 2 veteran
We were spoiled. Add this to the pile of GameCube games that checks all the boxes: great level design, soundtrack full of bops, addictive and replayable multiplayer, all built around one easy-to-grasp mechanic.
they are monkeys rolling in balls what else to say
The later stages of Expert exist to humble you. You are an insignificant and ultimately pointless existence, and these tiny little apes in gachapon balls are here to make sure you really understand that.
Pulled all the way through this time after initially running out of steam around world 6 about a year ago. The fundamental gameplay alone is certainly a home run, but the playful music and atmosphere further enhance things and give the game an oddly comforting and familiar feel for me. It might be that it's very reminiscent of games I'd download free trials for off Nick Arcade as a little kid (such as SpongeBob SquarePants Obstacle Odyssey). Either way, really good stuff all around. I can see myself coming back to this several times in the future.
It's not without its hiccups, though. Launchers and Arthropod, for example, are insanely egregious and difficult for the first half of the game's standards, creating a really weird bump in the otherwise smooth, steady difficulty curve. Similarly, in the last world in Story Mode the design philosophy completely changes and noticeably becomes totally obtuse. They're not even necessarily harder than the levels in the previous two worlds, but it's a very jarring shift that doesn't really result in any enjoyable levels out of those last ten.
Would very strongly recommend this game, but definitely don't let your guard down. It gets a lot harder than it initially lets on.
It's not without its hiccups, though. Launchers and Arthropod, for example, are insanely egregious and difficult for the first half of the game's standards, creating a really weird bump in the otherwise smooth, steady difficulty curve. Similarly, in the last world in Story Mode the design philosophy completely changes and noticeably becomes totally obtuse. They're not even necessarily harder than the levels in the previous two worlds, but it's a very jarring shift that doesn't really result in any enjoyable levels out of those last ten.
Would very strongly recommend this game, but definitely don't let your guard down. It gets a lot harder than it initially lets on.
This game taught my then child brain that strange concepts can produce the most unforgettable experiences. Even if it's a monkey in a ball being tilted through hell puzzles for bananas. My adult child brain is grateful to be so frustrated and delighted by what this game offers.
The Gamecube version is better than the modern rerelease. The music and aesthetics couldn't be more Y2K millennium-turning with all the processing power going towards the insane water physics that is seemingly there to flex on your eyeballs and distract you from said hell puzzles.
The Gamecube version is better than the modern rerelease. The music and aesthetics couldn't be more Y2K millennium-turning with all the processing power going towards the insane water physics that is seemingly there to flex on your eyeballs and distract you from said hell puzzles.
I will put everything on the table right now: This is one of the best games I've ever played. It's a brilliant sequel, and a brilliant standalone game.
The visuals are superb, every single area has its own distinct feel to it, amplified even more if you happen to discover that the backdrops to the stages are actually tangible (it's wild to see them used in speedruns and TASes). The visual effects and lighting are surprisingly diverse (I still wanna know how they accomplish the fire embers effect in the volcano, that shit's mesmerizing). The biggest boost from the original is how colors just POP in SMB2 (in comparison to SMB1).
There's a point of contention to be made about SMB2's level design mentality in comparison to SMB1. The original Monkey Ball's levels definitely had a focus on precision and execution. The sequel's levels are more focused on gimmicks. Some people see this as a bad thing, but I feel like it coexists in tandem with the concepts of "precision and execution". Every single level is like a giant contraption that needs to be solved or worked past. It may feel like throwing yourself at a wall at first, or perhaps you'll be taken aback by the sheer absurdity that your monkey ball is descending upon. However, once you get that successful run, that level just clicks with you, and it is the most cathartic and gratifying feeling in my eyes.
Doubling down on the brilliance of the level design, SMB2 features a story mode with an absolutely absurd plot. It's like an outrageous saturday morning cartoon, and your reward for playing levels is the next over the top, wacky cutscene. To advance through each of the 10 worlds in story mode, you must beat all ten levels in a given world in whatever order you please. There are no limits on lives or continues, so you're put in an environment where you're free to learn the stages and mechanics of the game with no risk. It also so happens that all 100 levels in story mode are the same ones found in the normal arcade mode. As a result, story mode basically ends up preparing you for the trials you'll face in the arcade mode, in a subtle, ingenious way.
The play points system has also returned from SMB1, but it's been altered in the best way possible. In SMB1, earning enough play points increased your continue count, eventually becoming infinite. However, using a continue locks you out of the Extra stages. In SMB2, you will only have 5 continues for any given run. Instead, spending play points allow you to increase the default amount of lives for any given run through the arcade mode. A change like this makes a 1CC run into something a player could increase their chances of achieving, so long as they keep playing.
While I don't dabble too hard in them (I don't have friends to play them with), the minigames are all great, and have an unusual amount of thought and polish put into them. If you ever get tired of physics-based, world-tilting, ball-rolling action, these minigames are a breath of fresh air.
A lot changed between SMB1 and SMB2, but at the same time, not much changed at all. The game is still Monkey Ball at its very core, and that's great. The new level designs are not for everyone, but I personally can't go back to SMB1. I learned to embrace the wackiness, and I'm always willing to go bananas over this game.
The visuals are superb, every single area has its own distinct feel to it, amplified even more if you happen to discover that the backdrops to the stages are actually tangible (it's wild to see them used in speedruns and TASes). The visual effects and lighting are surprisingly diverse (I still wanna know how they accomplish the fire embers effect in the volcano, that shit's mesmerizing). The biggest boost from the original is how colors just POP in SMB2 (in comparison to SMB1).
There's a point of contention to be made about SMB2's level design mentality in comparison to SMB1. The original Monkey Ball's levels definitely had a focus on precision and execution. The sequel's levels are more focused on gimmicks. Some people see this as a bad thing, but I feel like it coexists in tandem with the concepts of "precision and execution". Every single level is like a giant contraption that needs to be solved or worked past. It may feel like throwing yourself at a wall at first, or perhaps you'll be taken aback by the sheer absurdity that your monkey ball is descending upon. However, once you get that successful run, that level just clicks with you, and it is the most cathartic and gratifying feeling in my eyes.
Doubling down on the brilliance of the level design, SMB2 features a story mode with an absolutely absurd plot. It's like an outrageous saturday morning cartoon, and your reward for playing levels is the next over the top, wacky cutscene. To advance through each of the 10 worlds in story mode, you must beat all ten levels in a given world in whatever order you please. There are no limits on lives or continues, so you're put in an environment where you're free to learn the stages and mechanics of the game with no risk. It also so happens that all 100 levels in story mode are the same ones found in the normal arcade mode. As a result, story mode basically ends up preparing you for the trials you'll face in the arcade mode, in a subtle, ingenious way.
The play points system has also returned from SMB1, but it's been altered in the best way possible. In SMB1, earning enough play points increased your continue count, eventually becoming infinite. However, using a continue locks you out of the Extra stages. In SMB2, you will only have 5 continues for any given run. Instead, spending play points allow you to increase the default amount of lives for any given run through the arcade mode. A change like this makes a 1CC run into something a player could increase their chances of achieving, so long as they keep playing.
While I don't dabble too hard in them (
A lot changed between SMB1 and SMB2, but at the same time, not much changed at all. The game is still Monkey Ball at its very core, and that's great. The new level designs are not for everyone, but I personally can't go back to SMB1. I learned to embrace the wackiness, and I'm always willing to go bananas over this game.
Why people spend hundreds of hours playing shin megami tensei III, IV, and Strange Journey when they can play this masterpiece instead?
Same excellent gameplay, even better presentation, a droll (but superfluous) story mode, but sadly (and crucially) the individual levels are nowhere near as good as the ones in the first game. Much of the challenge here is focused on timing your movement around big gimmick setpieces, which means a lot of start/stop gameplay that I feel like kind of betrays what made the first one so great. It's actually a lot easier overall (which is nice on the one hand, because the first one gets brutal, fast) but paradoxically the levels often seem more frustrating to navigate. This one gets tiresome to me in a way that the first one didn't.
this game is bananas
this is the Shrek 2 of video games
I could just end it there but I'm a Super Monkey Ball fan so I'll talk some more
this game is basically more Super Monkey Ball goodness, what more could you ask for? everything that made the first game great is in here and even better. The worlds are more detailed, the Party Games are doubled, the music bops even harder, and there's even an actual story that isn't exclusive to a Japanese game manual!
basically there's this evil baboon guy named Dr. Bad Boon (nice wordplay lol) who decides to steal all the bananas from all the monkeys and hide them all out in his crazy labyrinths (aka the levels). naturally AiAi, MeeMee, Baby, and GonGon are upset about this, so they team up to get all the bananas back and stop whatever plans Dr. Bad Boon has up his sleeve. it sounds a little generic, but I really don't want to spoil the story beyond that because it gets BONKERS. I have no idea what the writers were on when they made this story, but if we ever get another Super Monkey Ball with a story, I want them to get on that stuff again.
the gameplay is identical to the first game: roll your monkey over to the goal while making sure you don't fall off of the level. the levels here have a bit more going on though. not only are they bigger and more ambitous than in the previous game, but you also got switches that change the speed of the obstacles, warp gates that send you to a different area of the level, and a few other cool neats and tricks. likewise with the first game, it gets HARD, but overall it's a little easier than SMB1, emphasis on "little". however if you're playing Story Mode, you don't have to worry about continues since you attempt the levels as many times as you want, you can use choose a different level to go if you find yourself struggling with the one you're currently on. As for Challenge Mode (which is basically the main mode of the first game), you still got Practice Mode which works the same as it did before, as well as a buffed use for Play Points. in the first game, you could use Play Points to get more continues, but in here they changed it so you get more lives, which is MUCH better. 1CCs and gaining access to the Extra levels are nowhere near as frustrating now that you can have up to 99 lives for your Challenge Mode runs.
speaking of them Play Points, all the Party Games are back from the first game, as well as some new ones sprinkled in. most of the ones from the first game play exactly the same as before, and they even have some more features added to them as well. as for the new ones, Monkey Boat is like an alternative version of Monkey Race, Monkey Shot is a railgun type of minigame with bopping music, Monkey Dogfight is Monkey Fight but Star Fox, Monkey Baseball is baseball but the monkeys are the baseball, Monkey Tennis sucks.
speaking of sucking, I'll briefly go over a few negatives so you all don't go in thinking this is the perfection of gaming (though it comes close). like I said the levels are a bit easier than the first game's bunch, but there's a couple of gimmicky levels thrown in that I'm not too fond of (Reversible Gear, Launchers, Pistons, Labyrinth just to name a few). also some of the new party games aren't as fun as the originals. Monkey Golf got changed to actual golf instead of minigolf and it's just not as enjoyable. uhhhh what else uhhhhh I miss the bomb HUD from the first game? yeah I can't think of any more negatives sorry but that shows how good this game is.
truth be told, I prefer the first game because I love the levels and speedrun potential there, but from an objective standpoint, this game is a definite improvement from the first game, and it is definitely worth your time.
play it, play it now, hurry up right now
I could just end it there but I'm a Super Monkey Ball fan so I'll talk some more
this game is basically more Super Monkey Ball goodness, what more could you ask for? everything that made the first game great is in here and even better. The worlds are more detailed, the Party Games are doubled, the music bops even harder, and there's even an actual story that isn't exclusive to a Japanese game manual!
basically there's this evil baboon guy named Dr. Bad Boon (nice wordplay lol) who decides to steal all the bananas from all the monkeys and hide them all out in his crazy labyrinths (aka the levels). naturally AiAi, MeeMee, Baby, and GonGon are upset about this, so they team up to get all the bananas back and stop whatever plans Dr. Bad Boon has up his sleeve. it sounds a little generic, but I really don't want to spoil the story beyond that because it gets BONKERS. I have no idea what the writers were on when they made this story, but if we ever get another Super Monkey Ball with a story, I want them to get on that stuff again.
the gameplay is identical to the first game: roll your monkey over to the goal while making sure you don't fall off of the level. the levels here have a bit more going on though. not only are they bigger and more ambitous than in the previous game, but you also got switches that change the speed of the obstacles, warp gates that send you to a different area of the level, and a few other cool neats and tricks. likewise with the first game, it gets HARD, but overall it's a little easier than SMB1, emphasis on "little". however if you're playing Story Mode, you don't have to worry about continues since you attempt the levels as many times as you want, you can use choose a different level to go if you find yourself struggling with the one you're currently on. As for Challenge Mode (which is basically the main mode of the first game), you still got Practice Mode which works the same as it did before, as well as a buffed use for Play Points. in the first game, you could use Play Points to get more continues, but in here they changed it so you get more lives, which is MUCH better. 1CCs and gaining access to the Extra levels are nowhere near as frustrating now that you can have up to 99 lives for your Challenge Mode runs.
speaking of them Play Points, all the Party Games are back from the first game, as well as some new ones sprinkled in. most of the ones from the first game play exactly the same as before, and they even have some more features added to them as well. as for the new ones, Monkey Boat is like an alternative version of Monkey Race, Monkey Shot is a railgun type of minigame with bopping music, Monkey Dogfight is Monkey Fight but Star Fox, Monkey Baseball is baseball but the monkeys are the baseball, Monkey Tennis sucks.
speaking of sucking, I'll briefly go over a few negatives so you all don't go in thinking this is the perfection of gaming (though it comes close). like I said the levels are a bit easier than the first game's bunch, but there's a couple of gimmicky levels thrown in that I'm not too fond of (Reversible Gear, Launchers, Pistons, Labyrinth just to name a few). also some of the new party games aren't as fun as the originals. Monkey Golf got changed to actual golf instead of minigolf and it's just not as enjoyable. uhhhh what else uhhhhh I miss the bomb HUD from the first game? yeah I can't think of any more negatives sorry but that shows how good this game is.
truth be told, I prefer the first game because I love the levels and speedrun potential there, but from an objective standpoint, this game is a definite improvement from the first game, and it is definitely worth your time.
play it, play it now, hurry up right now
Imagine playing smt nocturne when you have this
One of my first memories is from when I was 4 years old and I was playing this game while my grandmother was dying in another room
Wash your hair with sham-sham-poo!
Let us cooperate, yeah-yeah-woo!
Magical spell is Ei-Ei-Poo!
Let us cooperate, yeah-yeah-woo!
Magical spell is Ei-Ei-Poo!
the problem with this game is this is where the series peaked its such a simple concept that its hard to just continue after this,
it also makes it hard to review, its a arcade physics game that takes a lot of skill to master but even if you suck you can get friends to play the main story with you and also suck, or the tons of fun multiplayer mini games to play.
its probably one of the best party arcade multiplayer games out there
it also makes it hard to review, its a arcade physics game that takes a lot of skill to master but even if you suck you can get friends to play the main story with you and also suck, or the tons of fun multiplayer mini games to play.
its probably one of the best party arcade multiplayer games out there
My favorite game of all time. Maybe the most replayable game ever created, such a GREAT time waster with TONS of mods and fan levels that I constantly play. The minigames are GREAT fun, I love playing monkey target 2 when I host gatherings, everyone has fun and the entire game is adaptable for any skill level. The physics and such are so fun, with every single level being a blast to master. Truly a perfect experience
A tightly designed arcade (puzzle?) game with a plethora of side content.
Got hard stuck on world 4 as a kid and only really popped it in to play monkey billiards afterwards. Decided to give it another shot and ended up beating it in an afternoon. Turns out arthropod is just absurd.
Got hard stuck on world 4 as a kid and only really popped it in to play monkey billiards afterwards. Decided to give it another shot and ended up beating it in an afternoon. Turns out arthropod is just absurd.
"My sweet MeeMee!"
Super Monkey Ballz 2 (adult joke intended) is super fun and nostalgic for me. Challenging and well designed levels. Also I love the cutscenes. And Dr Badboon is such a fun villain that I wish got more love in future Monkey Ball games.
Super Monkey Ballz 2 (adult joke intended) is super fun and nostalgic for me. Challenging and well designed levels. Also I love the cutscenes. And Dr Badboon is such a fun villain that I wish got more love in future Monkey Ball games.
This game will put monkey hair on your monkey balls.