 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
- Nintendo Wii
- Price: $49.99
- Genre: Puzzle
Common Sense Media says
Skill challenge for kids with a lot of patience.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this game can be quite challenging. Some kids will simply get frustrated while others may find it teaches them to concentrate better and get a real sense of accomplishment. Parents should also know that players must keep the remote extended, making slight twisting and turning motions, and that doing this for too long, like anything, might result in arm pain. You might want to remind kids to take frequent breaks from the action.
What's it about?
The Super Monkey Ball series concept is simple and very much like that old wooden labyrinth game you can spend hours tilting. In SUPER MONKEY BALL BANANA BLITZ, each level consists of a series of ramps, platforms, and obstacles with a goal at the end. Placed in your path and outside of it are bananas. Your monkey is inside of a plastic ball (like those hamster balls sold at the pet stores), and you control the monkey ball's path by tilting the map.
In this version for the Wii, the controller responds to your movements as you play. To tilt the map, players tilt the controller to make the monkey ball roll toward the goal. Then there are the Mini games and party games packed in with the main single-player puzzles. Banana Blitz takes full advantage of this game console system specially built for creative and fun party gaming.
Is it any good?
Instead of offering a few refined and polished games, Sega packed in 50. Just about every kind of play is covered: asteroid shooting (aim the remote at the screen and fire), racing, boxing, tennis, hovercraft bumper cars, bowling, and much more. A few highlights include a nifty version of darts and a cool first-person shooter (using nonviolent, Nerf-like balls) called Monkey Wars.
The problem with most of these Mini games is that they require so much precision in your hand movements that they lose their element of fun. Quantity never beats quality and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz suffers greatly with this hit-and-miss galleria of oddball gaming. Kids who are willing to spend the time with each Mini game and figure it out may find the experience rewarding. But a handful of polished games that were easier to play would make for a better experience.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what makes this colorful game world fun to play in. They might want to discuss how the graphics and characters enhance the gameplay (or don't). Do you think the puzzles are too hard? Which of the Mini games are fun and which aren't? Why? If families play this game together, they can discuss what playing methods worked for them and which ones didn't.
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AGE
Fun game
This game was surprisingly well made. While my 4 year old is to young for the main game there are many of the mini game that she can play by herself or with a little help. She also enjoys watching my wife and I play the main game. She laughs and laughs when the monkey falls off the board.
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Kid, 11 years old
November 10, 2011
AGE
awesome
its pretty challenging but very fun good for 4 and up
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AGE
Sense of Accomplishment
Not a problem! My child enjoyed solving the puzzles. It was a challenge for him and he felt a sense of accomplishment in reaching the end to each segment.
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Kid, 12 years old
January 1, 2011
AGE
Perfect for ANYONE
I used to play this with my BF, and it was no prob! We were only like 6 and 7 yrs old! It's weird how other people rate this as 10+ (really weird)
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AGE
Best Game for the Wii
I was tentative about this title, but have found it to be the most engrossing game currently available for the wii, outside of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The main game (single player mode) is phenomenal and filled with enough challenges to keep a person occupied for many, many hours.
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AGE
Very fun and addictive game
Wii controller makes this a fun and challenging game.
My 5, 7 and 10 year old "like it". They don't "love it" liek they do Wii sports or Wii Play but Monkey Ball banana Blitz seems to be different enough to warrant a place in the collection. There is nothing else like it and kids and adults alike will find themselves laughing and trying again and again to get through the rolling mazes. Also has quite a few (I think 40+) mini games which are cute and good for the younger ones.
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| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Puzzle |
| Developer: | Sega of America |
| Release date: | November 14, 2006 |
| Price: | $49.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E for cartoon violence |
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