The official Super Monkey Ball 2 thread

[wEEman33]

Super Monkey Ball 2 came out today and I was wondering if anyone has it yet? Impressions would be appreciated

[Despair]

Well, I just hope that it will be BETTER then original. I will give it a rent though.

[bbobb]

YAY!!!! I'll be playing with Monkey's in Balls tomorrow!!!!

[EightBit]

Originally posted by Despair
Well, I just hope that it will be BETTER then original. I will give it a rent though.

Something tells me you should save five bones on the rental.

Z-roe

[BioMechanic]

I'm already having nightmares about Dr. Bad-Boon.

Damn I love Monkey Ball...

[JM]

Sadly, I had to pass on this one today, I only had enough for one game, & Mario takes precedence.

JM

[NGEFreek]

I got it! I got it! It beats the snot out of Monkey Ball 1

[CouryC]

Picked it up today, along with SMS. Honestly, ive been spending a bit more time with it than Mario so far. I didnt expect to get the game, but my Fiance loved the first one (mainly the bowling) and spur of the moment, decided to get it, and we split the cost. She rocks!

Impressions.

Its definitly bigger and better than the original. The story mode is quite trippy, with all 4 monkeys going into song and dance right before they take off to the next area in their flying balls. I got a kick out of the back story this time around for some of the characters. Especially Baby. It seems that Baby is the child of AiAi and MeeMee that traveled into the past to help its parents defeat Bad-Boon. Funny stuff. There are 3 separate save files for the story mode, so you can keep progress and tabs on things like time its taken to complete.

The levels look quite nice, and there is a bit more variation this time out. Not only is there straight forward balance levels like before, but soemtimes you have to hit switches to stop things from happening on a level and make it past. Some levels have switches like a VCR or dvd player where you can pause certain events, or fast forward or rewind.

One thing that really struck me is that its alot harder than before. Even the beginner levels were a bit harder than the originals, since the levels have quite a few more moving parts. Some levels have different tiers, such as the master level, "free fall" where you basically fall and try to land on multiple platforms on your way down.

The background graphics are just as screwy as before, but look so much better. Some humorous things caught my eye such as giant carrots in the background. The water effects on the water falls in the first set of levels were nice. But all in all, its similiar to the rich colors and feeling of the first one. No big surprise, since the orignial was no slouch presenting itself almost perfectly.

Music is more of the same, but a little more high energy than the original. The first one's music had a bit of tension to it while being hyper active. This one is full on crazyness. Makes you want to go for broke. Love the title screen music though.

And onto the mini games, which are definitly the focus more this time than last time. All of the mini games are presented together, and you start with all 6 from the last game. They all have slight variations to them, which is nice. Golf is no longer just mini golf, but full fledged golf. Billiards you no longer just have to play 9-ball. You can play "regular" pool (for lack of a better word). I have only unlocked 1 extra mini game so far, and I chose Monkey Tennis. Its fun, but i was expecting it to be like virtua tennis. Sadly it doesnt come close to that, but its a good distraction. You can even play doubles. Think I'm going to to go for Monkey Shot next...

Good stuff though, if you liked the first, theres even more to like this time around.


Mezz

[Tommy Tallarico]

It's like someone took Christ and pressed him onto a mini-disc.

[Hero]

I couldn't find it when I went to grab Mario Sunshine, and I don't really have the cash to get it until next week. I'll be looking forward to it though.