Xbox

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe

With its 300 levels, huge multiplayer modes, and its addictive gameplay, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is a must have game for anyone who enjoys simplistic pick-up-and-play gameplay that provides a real challenge or anyone who is looking for an enjoyable new party game. Xbox owners who buy this game should consider themselves lucky that Sega finally decided to let them in on what the GameCube owners have enjoyed for the last five years.

For only $30, you get one of the most content rich games of recent memory. There are 300 missions in the story mode, 12 very addictive mini-games for up to four players and countless hours of gameplay here. This game is great for any age demographic, with simple gameplay and controls, coupled with its addictive multiplayer. It’s also appropriate and targeted to kids, because of the cartoon aesthetic, simple sound and kiddie story. The challenge provided on some levels also makes this perfect for the older crowd. If you’re looking for an addictive, easy to pick up and play game, there’s no better monkey rolling game than Super Monkey Ball Deluxe.

All of this makes Super Monkey Ball Deluxe a game that is well worth its asking price for the single player game, let alone the addition of an ace multiplayer experience. It is probably also the game that you'll be telling your friends about one day after your trip to A&E, on that fateful night when you collapsed and inadvertently knocked your face into the shape of a control pad. All that remains to be said, perhaps, is remember to take regular breaks and to pray for a next-generation installment that includes online support.

A great game, remade, not much extra added, but still a great game. Any Xbox owners who never had these on the GameCube owes it to themselves to buy this. It’s a pity that more wasn’t added, but this still stands out as a good single player, and outstanding multiplayer game. There’s only one good reason not to buy it, and that’s owning Monkey Ball 1 and 2 already.

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is a testament to simple game design. Anyone can pick up a controller and enjoy the early boards and mini-games. The game really shines when a group of friends get together for some multiplayer monkey action. If you enjoy gaming with friends the party mode alone may be worth the purchase. Give this game a try and you just might become addicted to the frantic and accessible Monkey Ball.

The mini-games and the main game all look like they have went on a TLC make-over show and had gone through a makeshift graphics transformation. Applying make-up doesn't necessarily mean the end product will be stunning. The game's graphics are still dated despite the new background changes and themed stages. But it's no biggie -- the monkeys are still sucrosely cute, and the levels are well designed. I could complain about the absence of online play, but the Super Monkey Ball experience really stems from the single-player mode. The bottom line is that this is an amazingly good way to spend a few bucks and many, many, many hours.

In the overall, this game is definitely worth an open-minded try. Sure, it has its flaws, but it�s also a lot of fun, especially with more than one player. There�s a reason Super Monkey Ball was so popular for the Cube, and now that Sega has opened up the party to Xbox and PS2 users, you should really consider going out, buying this title and joining in on the ball-rolling excitement.

Das Sega für Spiele der anderen Art bekannt ist, dürfte nichts neues sein. Neu hingegen ist, dass die japanischen Entwickler sich nun auch auf der Xbox offiziell zum Affen machen. Nachdem Sega im Jahr 2001 bereits den Gamecube mit Monkey Ball eroberten, haben sie für dieses Jahr tief in ihrer Mottenkiste gewühlt, den Titel entstaubt und fachgerecht auf die Xbox konvertiert. Ob dieser Titel wirklich ein „Affenspaß“ ist, oder nur ein Spiel für den kleinen Spielehunger zwischendurch, erfahrt ihr in unserem Test.

But that doesn't make Super Monkey Ball Deluxe any kind of loser. Not only did it have a good online campaign (featuring a kid named Chad stuck in a ball of his own) and a good history of sales on the GameCube, but it got introduced at a meager $30, $20 off the typical game price. Not bad at all, considering the values it carries for both single player and multiplayer modes. Super Monkey Ball Deluxe may not be the granddaddy of the apes like it wants to be, but that doesn't mean he just fell off the tree either. Pick it up and go ape already. (OK, enough puns, just get the game.)

Sure, the game looks like a Dreamcast graphics demo, and its precepts haven't changed much since the arcade original based on similar hardware, but it's the gameplay that sells this title, almost as much as your love of monkeys. If you're a monkey baller with previous experience, and need those 46 extra stages, or you're looking for a unique puzzle challenge in-between bouts of Halo 2, then it's time to get down to some business: Monkey Business.

With all of the first-person shooters and mature titles on the Xbox, it’s great to see a simple game like Super Monkey Ball Deluxe finally come along. Party games are few and far between on Microsoft’s console and this definitely fits the bill for 4 player fun. We’re a bit bummed at no Xbox Live support, but we can hold out hope for future versions. With 300 single-player stages there is plenty of monkey rolling gameplay in store, however, we could do without the lackluster story. Despite its flaws, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is as addictive as the likes of Tetris and Lemmings and worth a rental at the very least. At a price of $29.99, we think everyone should get their Super Monkey Ball “roll on”.

Monkey Ball is as fantastic a game as it ever was. It’s one of those rare games which are so good they feel genuinely ageless; pure, uninhibited pick up and play genius with not one button to press. Anyone who never had a GameCube can now play the all best bits two of the most innovative and entertaining games of the last ten years. Anyone who’s already got the two original games can feel, for a few precious days, like they’ve never played them before. Either way, this is one of modern gaming’s few truly classic franchises, and it’s hard to pick fault with Super Monkey Ball DX as the definitive version.

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is puzzling fun at its best and now it's available for the PS2 and Xbox, with little incentive to buy it if you've already had the Gamecube instalments. Nearly fifty extra levels and some revamped mini games isn't enough, especially not when you're going onto the online-enabled consoles. It would have been grand to play this game online and if those options were open, you'd be reading a different review altogether. Ultimately, if you've not had the pleasure of playing this on the Cube and you have a couple of mates to enjoy this title with, then it's definitely worth the money. Better yet, wait for this one to drop ten pounds in price and pick up a bargain worth rolling home with.

To bring myself all together, Monkey Ball is something you need to own, but this may not be the version for you. If you haven't played it before and you liked the sound of the first half of the review, get the first Cube game. If you haven't played it before and you just want to play mini-games and duck around a few mazes now and then, get the Cube sequel or get this - and pick the Xbox version over the PS2 if the option's available to you. If you're just reading to compare notes, get the hell out of here - unless you have some burning desire to play spot the difference, neither the £25 PS2 version or the £30 Xbox version are worth adding to your stack of Monkeys.

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe isn’t a surprising game, we were expecting an addictive pick up and play title and we got exactly that. The single player mode is extensive enough to play solo, whereas the multiplayer mode is so well developed that it is like twelve multiplayer games in one. Those who owned the Gamecube versions may be a little more wary about picking the game up, but for those who have always wanted to try Monkey Ball on the Gamecube, this is the perfect opportunity. Prepare to be lost for hours in this game, either single player or multiplayer.

Concludendo, chiunque dica di amare i giochi arcade senza possedere SMBD è un bugiardo; non solo i 300 livelli di gioco garantiscono una buona longevità, ma dove finisce il puzzle ci pensa il party game a rafforzare il tutto, specie se giocato in compagnia. Armatevi dunque di un pad funzionante, Pentazemin (fastidioso, il tremore al pollice), due spicci per comprare il gioco da Ebay e preparatevi a fare (ehm…) primati! E ricordate: la parola magica è… Al-Al-Puuu!!!!

The biggest factor working against Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is the time between the original GameCube releases of the Super Monkey Ball games and their consolidated latter-day arrival on the Xbox and PlayStation 2. There are probably a few tweaks that would've made Super Monkey Ball Deluxe a more attractive package, such as enhanced graphics or online play, but the biggest help would've been if it had come out about two years earlier.

If you have never played Super Monkey Ball before then this game will be one everyone should check out, and at least rent it. One of the best things is that this game, even though it can be really frustrating, is suitable for the younger gamers that might be in your household.

Looks like the spoils have come to those who wait. Super Monkey Ball Deluxe ships this March. Remember, hamsters and gerbils in balls = good. Monkeys in balls = cute but extremely freakin' dangerous.

Même si la sortie de cette compilation de Super Monkey Ball nous donne un peu l'impression que la série stagne depuis quelques années, il faut reconnaître que le soft vient combler une lacune en permettant à un nouveau public de s'essayer au plus terrible des jeux d'adresse qui soit sur consoles. Cette édition n'est toutefois pas à conseiller à ceux qui connaissent déjà les versions GameCube.

Super Monkey Ball Deluxe combines all the competitive modes and action of the prior two versions in a nice but dated package for the Xbox. If you're a ridiculously happy gamer with a passion for bright colors or a really dark one with a healthy sense of irony, give these balls a squeeze [I lied. - ED.]