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Super Monkey Ball Deluxe Announced

Posted by Zonk on from the monkeys!-in-balls! dept.

Thanks to IGN for the news that a Super Monkey Ball Deluxe will be released next year on the PS2 and Xbox. "The new title will feature 300 stages (114 from Super Monkey Ball, 140 from Super Monkey Ball 2, and 46 Deluxe-exclusive boards), and will be available in spring 2005." Hi. My name is Zonk, and...I have to admit to a predilection for tossing monkeys around in plastic spheres.

13 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. Damn it by MrPeach · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I pay twice and only get 80% of what Xbox and PS2 users get!
    I hate SEGA.

    1. Re:Damn it by Lord+of+the+Wazz · · Score: 2, Informative

      Isn't it made/published by Sega?

  2. No PC version? by bear+pimp · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If there's an Xbox version, is there a PC version, and if not, why not?

    In the meantime the indies are filling the gap:
    Hamsterball and Super Gerball (yup Gerbils...)
    Not particularly original, but then I suppose Monkey Ball wasn't - just loads of fun.

    Hmmm, I wonder if SuperRatBall is taken as a url?

    1. Re:No PC version? by gl4ss · · Score: 3, Informative

      also, neverball, which is free.

      and multiplatform..

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:No PC version? by Zangief · · Score: 3, Insightful

      you don't have a mouse on your pc, which is _better_ for this?

      No, it isn't. You need a analog stick. The mouse would not be precise enough, because a lot of times you need to press exactly to the right, and with the mouse you get right and a little up, which sends your monkey to oblivion.

      and really.. pc has had analog sticks available for 16+ years..

      But they are not standard to the pc user, like a mouse, or a analog stick in consoles.

      Face it. Keyboard + Mouse is not the perfect control for everything just because is better for FPSs and RTSs.

  3. I will disagree by LordZardoz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I own both Monkeyball games. The second game has a few levels which I think should have been cut (Advanced 30 with the spider on the rings, and an expert level with a bunch of buttons, and you need to find the right button to raise the exit).

    Those two levels aside, I figure that Super Monkey Ball, in general, as a prefect difficulty curve. If you take the levels in order, you always end up thinking you can defeat the level you are on, no matter how false that beleif may be.

    Monkey ball is Old School Hard. Beating the latest Final Fantasy game is nothing to brag about. It just takes time. But Monkeyball requires a level of skill that can crush the egos of lesser gamers. On top of that, its one of the few games that reading an FAQ will simply NOT help you with. You know how to beat a level just by looking at it. Get to the end without falling off. What you dont know is if YOU can beat that level.

    I can beat Expert mode in Monkeyball 1, and can get to Master Mode 3 when starting from Expert with 99 lives in Monkeyball 2. It is currently one of my favourite games because of its difficulty. Any game that can be that difficult and still be fun is doing something right.

    END COMMUNICATION

    1. Re:I will disagree by Deathlok's+Bear · · Score: 2, Informative

      Honestly in our house we enjoy SMB1 more than 2. Why? 99 lives in 2 made it too easy.

      We made it through all levels on both games. Master 3 in SMB1 was such a pain.

      I do sort of disagree that you can't be shown what to do on a level. Lots of levels have non-obvious methods of beating them that are easier than the obvious way.

      Incidentally, if you want to be totally emasculated in relation to this game, look up the pack attack monkey ball videos. You will see him do things with a monkey ball that you'd think was impossible.

      Check out Pack Attack A11 SMB1.

      http://server1.vortiginous.com/smb/smb1/A11-packat tack-35980.zip

    2. Re:I will disagree by Zangief · · Score: 3, Informative

      Check out the "exact timing FAQ". It has methods to pass 10 or more stages, just pressing forward at some moments, pausing at a given time, pressing other direction, unpausing, and winning.

      This is for the spider stage. It works like fucking magic:

      ARTHROPOD: Do not move at the beginning. 41.08-41.18: hold forward.
      36.16-36.26: hold up-left. Yes, all combinations of values in these ranges work!
      I've tested all the extreme cases. This level will trouble us no more!

      The times are time ranges in which you can pause.

    3. Re:I will disagree by Zangief · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Do'h, the URL is:

      http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/sup er _monkey_ball_2_timing.txt

  4. Re:Who is Zonk anyway??? by Rapid+Home+Offer · · Score: 5, Informative

    Zonk

  5. linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    waaaaah waaaaah no release on linux I'm never buying their product again

    products i will buy:
    water
    food
    electricity (pending electric companies adoption of linux on their work machines)

  6. Re:Ah yes, the balled monkeys... by MilenCent · · Score: 3, Informative

    The cool thing about the Super Monkey Ball games is, you really do get better with practice. They are superbly designed in that regard. If you're trying to reach the goal by random bouncing then you're probably not doing the level right -- a good number of levels have multiple ways of reaching the goal, some of them less obvious than others.

    The camera is a little annoying in places, true, but in the game's defense you can usually get the camera to point the way you want to go by backing up a little and moving in the direction you want it. Most levels that need you to get the camera pointed in a direction provide a little space in which you can do it (in other words, there are no 90-degree, razor-thin ledges).

  7. Dammit Sega by caitsith01 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What about a bit of loyalty to the Cube?

    You put out one of the first decent puzzle games in ages on a Nintendo platform, and it turns out that not only is it fun, it's also ideally suited to the style of the Gamecube, both graphically and control-wise. Additionally, Nintendo and Sega gamers alike rejoice to see the Big N and Sega Together at Last TM (a la 'Nuts and Gum'). Meanwhile on X-Box and PS2 every single game appears to be published by EA, includes the word 'Xtreme' somewhere in its title, and is developed in a crappy cross-platform environment then ported around like the village bicycle, everyone gets a ride. So we love you, we buy your monkeys, we tolerate your Dole Bananas advertising... and what do you do?

    Why, you sell us out to Micro$oft and $ony! Damn you. Not only to the backwards-cap-wearing 3733t g@m3rz on PS2 and (shudder) X-Box now get access to the Monkey franchise, they also get BOTH the games we paid for PLUS MORE while you leave us blowing in the wind.

    Time was, game companies used to build franchises on a particular platform. It was one of the cool things about the whole Nintendo v Sega thing. Now MS and Sony have come along with their bottomless pits of cash and ruined the whole thing... and you're helping them.

    If these jerks want Monkey Ball, make them buy a Cube! They're only like $20 now with all Nintendo's discounting, after all.

    Oh god I'm becoming a jaded gen Xer...

    --
    Read Pynchon.