PLATFORM: Steam Deck via Xemu
GOAL: Clear Story Mode
PROGRESS: Up to World 6
You take a monkey, put it into a ball, and send it through difficult obstacle courses. Sounds simple enough, and even back when this game was a low budget arcade, it accomplished its task masterfully.
Really, not much needs to be said. The controls are responsive, the graphics and sound hold up well, and the level design is absolutely first-class. Don't let the high difficulty curve turn you away, for the game always feels fair, and you've got the Story Mode (unlimited lives and skippable stages) to help you practice. Admittedly, I'm not the greatest at this game, but I still have fun! And with Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 smashed together, along with some solid new stages, we've got 300 stages!
I do have a few nitpicks with this game, though. The ball rolling sound is mysteriously absent, I find the combined challenge modes to be a bit too long, and AiAi is the only playable character in Story Mode when I wanna play as MeeMee. Also, as for Steam Deck + Xemu, World 4 doesn't run that well, and the FMVs are all black.
Still, this game is top tier, amazingly replayable, and solidified the standard that Super Monkey Ball should live up to. I'll say right now that the only reason I shelved this is just to swap over to the GameCube versions, but I'll still recommend this version to any original XBOX or XBOX 360 owner! (Just don't play the PS2 version.)
P.S. I know that there's a fanmade GameCube port, but the expanded Story Mode isn't present, and at that point, I'd rather keep 1 and 2 separate. Oh, and as for party games, I'll write about them in my individual reviews.
GOAL: Clear Story Mode
PROGRESS: Up to World 6
You take a monkey, put it into a ball, and send it through difficult obstacle courses. Sounds simple enough, and even back when this game was a low budget arcade, it accomplished its task masterfully.
Really, not much needs to be said. The controls are responsive, the graphics and sound hold up well, and the level design is absolutely first-class. Don't let the high difficulty curve turn you away, for the game always feels fair, and you've got the Story Mode (unlimited lives and skippable stages) to help you practice. Admittedly, I'm not the greatest at this game, but I still have fun! And with Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 smashed together, along with some solid new stages, we've got 300 stages!
I do have a few nitpicks with this game, though. The ball rolling sound is mysteriously absent, I find the combined challenge modes to be a bit too long, and AiAi is the only playable character in Story Mode when I wanna play as MeeMee. Also, as for Steam Deck + Xemu, World 4 doesn't run that well, and the FMVs are all black.
Still, this game is top tier, amazingly replayable, and solidified the standard that Super Monkey Ball should live up to. I'll say right now that the only reason I shelved this is just to swap over to the GameCube versions, but I'll still recommend this version to any original XBOX or XBOX 360 owner! (Just don't play the PS2 version.)
P.S. I know that there's a fanmade GameCube port, but the expanded Story Mode isn't present, and at that point, I'd rather keep 1 and 2 separate. Oh, and as for party games, I'll write about them in my individual reviews.