Published by: SEGA
Developed by: SEGA
Genre: Action
Number of Players: 1-4
Release Date: November 19, 2006


Since the dawn of time, man has looked up in the heavens and wondered how to put a monkey in a plastic ball. Well, Sega pioneered monkeys and balls with the Monkey Ball franchise. Now were back as they have given us the third true installment as Banana Blitz. So will the Wiimote bring us much joy as a monkey in a banana tree?

The main draw is multiplayers. This time, instead of making a few great party games, Sega opted for a total of 50 minigames. The bad news is that almost all of them are hit or miss. While some games like Monkey Darts and Wars work great, others like Shepard and Alien Attack feel either broken or just too hard and annoying to be fun. The games also go much faster. You'll be in and out of games, rather then sticking in for longer multiplayer sessions. There are a select few in the mix that are somewhere in the middle and make nice distractions, but you'll find most are awesome, or suck. But, don't get me wrong. You can have some fun with these, but the deep multiplayer of the first two is lost here.

Hammer Throw is one of the Ok mini-games. ok, but it's over too fast

This also brings us to the next flaw. The menus SUCK. They usually just show screens that shows what you do, and nothing more. It soon becomes a game of trial and error to figure out just what the game whats. It also frustrating to try and get back to a previous menu, and trying to pause(hold +) is something that shouldn't be difficult.

The good news is that the single player mode is greatly improved. The newest addition is the wii remote controls and the jump ability. To move, just tilt the wii remote up or down, and left and right to move, They can be a bit awkward, but are a lot more fun then the usual control fair. You might die a few times from a lack of control, but it's easy to get used to, and the courses are built to give you some room.

The jump addition is actually a major change that will help the game in the eyes of some fans. Instead of insane persice controls, you'll need to utilize the jump function. This will make mostly of the challenges more fun and user friendly. But don't think it makes it easy. Expect the difficulty to ramp up as you progress. The good new is that these challenges aren't gouge your eyes out frustrating, but just plain difficult.

Theres also some minor changes. The bosses are the most notable. The real question is that does a game like this REALLY need bosses? They are meh. There's nothing to interesting in these fights. You'll mostly just have to jump at a certain part of the boss to deal damage. None of them feel fun. Small platform+Annoying fight=not fun. The other is character stats. The problem is that no where in the game is mentioned. Thank God for Gamefaq.com. They aren't to noticeable until you are at some of the REALLY hard levels.

Dont let this screen shot fool you. This boss battle isn't fun

The Graphics in this game aren't the best. I mean, there good, but theres nothing to amazing here. There is some nice design in the levels, but it's not mind blowing, and some of the mini-games seem a bit sugar coated. The levels have some personality in them, but the graphic power isn't put to it's fullest.

The music is defiantly on of the games high-lights. Basically, it's freaking sweet. The music seems to be inspired by Sonic Rush and every melody is catchy, and seems to mimic this game with upbeat, unquie tunes. There is rarely a bad track, and even in the mini-games does the music sticks out. The voices are nice and there isn't much on the Wii remote's speakers, but when the music is this good, it's hard to complain.

Closing Comment
While the multiplayer came up short, the single player experience was one to blow me away. It's a strange balance that, at the end of the day, is pretty good. You'll play single play, and pull out it out for a few games with friends. Plus the music rocks. It puts the Wii remote to a fun and interesting use, but does suffer from typical launch game illness. All in all, it's a nice package, and may win over those who weren't as keen on the franchise originally
Overall 4/5

Gameplay-Single player works, the multi-play does from time to time 4/5
Graphics/Presentation-Nothing mind blowing. It's good, but sometimes felt to sugar coated 3.5/5
Music/Sound-Awesome. Catchy tunes at every corner 5/5
Replay Value-The single player and the multiplayer together make for a decent experience you can pick up any time 4/5
Multiplayer-Hit or miss on most party games. Some are awesome, others not so much 3.5/5

Pros
+Improved single-player, playable for everyone
+Fun controls
+Some good multiplayer
+Awesome music

Cons
-Some multiplayer games suck
-Bosses are bland
-User unfriendly menus

Should I buy this
It's a toss up. if you want a better single player, then yes. As long as your not getting it solely for the multiplayer. It's OK, just not the greatest. Of course, like always, Monkey ball fans should enjoy.