Publisher: Sega, www.sega.com

Rating:

Ages: seven and up.

Family Rating:

Parental Advisory: None

Violence Rating:

Editor's Choice
With such notables as AiAi, MeeMee, Baby, and GonGon, Sega's Super Monkey Ball 2 returns with a roar. This latest version brings a new story mode, six new party games, the multi-player games from the original Super Monkey Ball, and 150 new Main Game stages. Kids really enjoy this game and the title offers them lots of challenges, but it's also easy for grown-ups to learn and play. In all, Super Monkey Ball 2 a winner.

To start, Super Monkey Ball 2 is different and somewhat difficult to describe. In spirit, it's something like the old Marble Madness arcade game, but here, you control monkeys who are running inside of clear spheres-essentially giant hamster balls-to get around. The goal is to get from one end of a course to the other. And in its amazingly creative levels, the game serves all manner of moving platforms, formidable obstacles, ramps, and more.

In the story mode, you fight as AiAi to stop the evil plans of Dr. BAD-BOON and his mysterious sidekick, "Dr. BAD-BOON's Assistant." While the Story Mode shines by offering challenge after challenge, it's the multi-player party games that let several have fun. Here, one to four can compete, cooperate and collide in twelve different "party" activities.

The six new party games include: Monkey Tennis, Monkey Baseball, Monkey Soccer, Monkey Boat Race, Monkey Shot, and Monkey Dog Fight. We particularly enjoyed the Monkey Ball angle on sports games that were easy to learn and fun to play. And the six games from the original title are back, which include Monkey Race, Monkey Fight, Monkey Target, Monkey Billiards, Monkey Bowling, and Monkey Golf. These have been slightly enhanced.

The graphics are excellent and in this version, the game offers more detail in the characters and backgrounds. The games feature lots of dropping, colliding, and crashing, but it's all gentle cartoon mayhem.

In the end, those who are fans of the original Monkey Ball will find lots to like here as well as new challenges. And those who are new to the experience can enjoy a refreshingly different game.

1/13/03 daytrum editorial staff

gamecube - Super Monkey Ball 2

 

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