Super Monkey Ball 3D
Score: 88% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Sega Developer: Sega Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1; 2 - 4 Genre: Puzzle/ Racing/ Fighting
Graphics & Sound: Super Monkey Ball 3D brings the long-standing action-puzzle game onto the Nintendo 3DS, and while it does use the system's 3D capabilities to enhance the visual experience, it's actually a good all-around Super Monkey Ball game that could stand on its own without the gimmick. Of course, the biggest boon the game has when it comes to graphics is the 3D aspect. While there are issues with the system's 3D imaging, Super Monkey Ball 3D does a good job of not going so crazy with the feature as to make the hardware's problems too apparent. For one, while the fields and levels are in 3D, they are never so crazy that it causes the kind of dizziness most people experienced with 3D games and movies might fear. Like most games in the series, both the landscapes and the characters have their stylized look that is fairly unique to Super Monkey Ball, so long-time fans of the games shouldn't be disappointed in that regard. The same can be said for the game's audio as both the happy-go-lucky music and amusing sound effects return.
Gameplay: Super Monkey Ball 3D has three different gameplay modes for you to try out. The main one is classic Monkey Ball Mode. Here, you guide your primate through floating mazes in the hopes of getting him or her to the goal line without flying off of the unbanistered edges. This mode offers seven different worlds to play through, each with 10 levels. Each world has its own theme like Aladdin's Palace or a spooky ghost scene or even a world made of dessert. It is in this mode where you will find the bulk of the content, so you will have many different challenges ahead of you here. The other two gameplay modes include Monkey Race and Monkey Fight. Monkey Race lets you try your hand at completing various kart-races as fast as possible. You can either race against the clock in Time Trial, or race against other monkeys, up to eight, in a Grand Prix style race or just a simple one-off race. The other racers can be either A.I. or human-controlled, though only four human players can be used at the same time. Where Monkey Race feels a lot like Mario Kart, Monkey Fight Mode takes on a decidedly Super Smash Bros. slant. Here the goal is to have the most bananas by the time the buzzer rings to be claimed top... um... banana. While running around and hitting your opponents is a good way to knock some collected bananas out of them, there are also a ton of power-ups that appear on the arena that can deal out a variety of damages.
Difficulty: Super Monkey Ball 3D has a good solid mix as far as difficulty is concerned. Monkey Fight has a ton of options that you can configure to change some basic dynamics of the game, but for the most part, its difficulty is based on how hard the enemy A.I. or human-controlled characters are. The same can pretty much be said for Monkey Race as well, since its the other racers that you will have to get past and stay ahead of in order to win. Monkey Ball Mode, on the other hand, is all about keeping good control over your ball and keeping it from falling off to the side. This means, of course, that the level designs vary a lot and the game does a good job of throwing in some interesting pitfalls as the game progresses.
Game Mechanics: Super Monkey Ball 3D's Monkey Ball Mode makes good use of both the 3DS' motion sensor and the new Circle Pad. After choosing a world to play, you will be asked to choose one of these two control methods, and while both get the job done, most likely, one will feel better than the other. The idea behind the controls is that you aren't guiding your monkey through the maze by moving it directly. Instead, you are tilting the level and letting the ball roll where it may. Again, I found both control options very responsive, but I personally slanted towards the Circle Pad. I enjoyed Super Monkey Ball 3D a whole lot. What I liked the most about it is that it would have been just fine as a standard 2D Nintendo DS game. There isn't really anything about it that needs the added depth, and because of that, it is a good, solid handheld game that just happens to have 3D capabilities. I haven't had a chance to play a lot of other 3DS titles yet, but what I fear is that most games coming out will focus more on the 3D abilities of the new handheld and let solid gameplay suffer. That being said, I wouldn't say Super Monkey Ball 3D is a system seller. I don't think I would buy the 3DS for this game alone. If you have one already, or plan to pick one up, then I would definitely grab this game as well, but don't rush out and buy the system just for Super Monkey Ball 3D.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
Related Links: Super Monkey Ball 3D Official Home Page Game Vortex’s Super Monkey Ball Coverage
NASCAR The Game 2011 Adam's Venture 2