There’s a simple joy to Super Monkey Ball 2. It's a game so simple that even my mom loves it, with no buttons, no camera control, just you, a joystick, and some levels. Monkey Ball is also a game of ridiculous depth, despite that, with about a million micro-decisions a second, with complex physics and momentum, and with increasingly devious levels, full of gimmicks, obstacles, and suffering- it is, quite often, one of the hardest games ever made, but because every level is 60 seconds, because you can restart in a second, it’s much like its short burst precision counterparts, like a Super Meat Boy or Celeste. It’s perhaps the most game-ass game ever made, and endless fun. Super Monkey Ball 2 was developed by Amusement Vision, a division of SEGA, and was directed by Toshihiro Nagoshi- if you’re a giant weeb, you may know the name, as Amusement Vision would eventually morph into New Entertainment, and again into Ryu Ga Gotoku- the uh, Yakuza guys, For his part, Nagoshi is an odd guy, who once said that Puyo Puyo fans are the kinda people who eat beef bowls with cheese- fat nerds basically. I kinda love him. Super Monkey Ball 2 is a follow-up to the original, which was in arcades but ported to Gamecube, and likewise came out for the Gamecube, but as an exclusive this time, although it would eventually be ported to Xbox and PS2 alongside its predecessor as Super Monkey Ball: Deluxe, and eventually Deluxe itself would see a complete remake in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, but I’ll get back to that in a bit.
Super Monkey Ball 2 - (00:00)
Intro - (00:10)
Gameplay - (01:33)
Presentation - (07:46)
Party Games - (09:12)
Conclusion - (20:41)
For a long time, Monkey Ball was dead- Amusement Vision moved onto Yakuza shortly after 2, and while some games still trickled out, they increasingly became gimmicks and easier, Touch and Roll uses the DS’ touch screen, Adventure is a mediocre 3D platformer by Travelers Tales, the LEGO guys, Banana Blitz is a Wiimote tilt game, Step and Roll uses the Wii Balance Board, and after 2012’s Banana Splitz on the ill fated Vita, it was over. Until in 2019, Banana Blitz got a remaster… okay, then in 2021, we finally got Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, a ground up remake of… Super Monkey Ball: Deluxe, more or less, but that being a compilation title means it’s also effectively like… 45% a remake of Super Monkey Ball 2, with the leftover 10% being Deluxe original content. As its release date implies, it’s on PC, Switch, Xbox One and the Series consoles, PS4, and PS5, so finally, everyone can enjoy Super Monkey Ball 2. Also, I’m only gonna be talking about the Monkey Ball 2 portions of this game, for now- once I eventually do the first game I’ll make a video on the other half and a shortie on Banana Mania as a package and its bonus content.
Super Monkey Ball 2 (Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania) - (21:36)
Intro - (21:51)
Gameplay - (23:05)
Presentation - (28:27)
Conclusion - (29:57)
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