Super Monkey Ball

"Great game for the N-Gage"

Despite what anyone says, the N-Gage/QD is not a bad system, nor are all the games. Sure the original system had its flaws, but so did the Xbox and the original Gameboy (either the system was too big or, in the case of the Gameboy, the screen was too dark/not in colour). Super Monkey Ball is one of the N-Gage games that keep you hooked for at least a week solid.

Graphics - 8
Nice graphics are on this game. Very bold, solid colours with nice backgrounds in every level. All the monkeys animate very smoothly and look great too. Although this was ported from a GBA game, they have improved a lot on the N-Gage version when it comes to graphics. Two of the things they've added on the N-Gage version is that when you run through an exit the ball in the middle (not seen on the GBA version) opens up and drops confetti on you, then you shoot off to the next level (where as the GBA version just showed a black screen then shows the next level).

Sound - 9
The sound effects are pretty decent. They sound just like the gamecube version of the game and much better than the GBA version. All the characters have the voices of the gamecube version and you also hear a noise every second just to keep you going. Also when you have less than 10 seconds left, the narrator counts down to 0 just to pressurise you... These are just some of the things they've added/changed on the N-Gage version which are not available on the GBA.

Music - 6
Yes. The music. I was disappointed here...
In total I think there are only 4 different songs in this game, and the songs aren't very long. Although they are all improved from the GBA version in terms of instruments and sound quality, the fact that all of them last about 5-8 seconds without looping was a major disappointment. The GBA version's music lasted about 1 minute for the levels, and it had different ones for each set of levels. Even the credits has the same music track as the main game! Thank god there is an option to turn off the music when you don't want it...Come on SEGA we know you can do better than that...

Gameplay - 8
I love this game. I liked the GBA version but the N-Gage version has been improved in many ways. Why wasn't it given a 10? Read on...
They removed the multi-player. Now SEGA has done this with SonicN as well, I don't know what they're doing but they certainly aren't helping the N-Gage by removing things from the original version, I'm not that worried about that though as I don't play multi-player on handhelds much anyway, but it still would of been a nice thing to of kept if the time came where I wanted to. They have also removed one of the mini games (I wont say whats there and whats not) - although I must say I enjoy all the ones there.
I get hooked to this game very easily, although its only got 4 short soundtracks, the game itself is fun.

Total - 8
I recommend this game to all N-Gage owners that also own the Gamecube version of this game. Although the GBA version has more soundtracks, a multi-player option, one extra mini game and a few special stages, what they DID keep or add on the N-Gage was good too to replace whats missing. The N-Gage version has nice backgrounds and effects, as well as an improved sound/music quality and is a lot easier to control than the GBA version (flame me if you want, but I have to say I found it easier to control). I recommend you get a QD for this game too, as the D-Pad on the QD is much easier to use than the originals, and also has a brighter screen with a smoother appearance.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/10/04