Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8665 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Atari
• Released on: 2003-03-14
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: GameCube

Amazon.co.uk Review
The GameCube's best kept secret is back: Super Monkey Ball 2 is full to the brim with more maze-puzzlin' action and multiplayer fun than you can shake a rhesus monkey at. Regarded by some as the best GameCube game around--until now--the original Super Monkey Ball was a typically bonkers Japanese take on the arcade classic Marble Madness, in which you have to guide a marble around a maze within a time limit. Except in this case the marble has got a monkey in it, and it's the maze you tilt and control rather than the ball.

Super Monkey Ball 2 doesn't really deviate from this original idea, instead offering over 100 new stages and a story mode (although whether you enjoy a tale featuring a quartet of flying monkeys, a bad guy called Dr Bad-Boon and the magic word "Ei-Ei-Poo" will pretty much depend on your age and/or blood/alcohol level). The single player mazes are as insanely challenging as before but in truth some of them are a little more gimmicky and rely more on luck than judgement when compared to those in the original.

The real lasting appeal with Super Monkey Ball, though, is its multiplayer modes, and here the sequel is a definite improvement--there are a whopping 12 different party games to play, including Monkey Tennis, Monkey Baseball, Monkey Shot, Monkey Soccer, Monkey Boat Race and Monkey Dog Fight. It might sound silly, but even one quick go reveals this to be one of the most addictive and fun games released for years. --David Jenkins

Games™ Magazine
"As good a game as the original, if not better... you can never have too many monkeys."

Customer Reviews

SMB2: Brilliantly Addictive
Super Monkey Ball 2 is the follow up to the highly successful original Gamecube game, and it makes all the right moves in being as addictive, and fun, as before.
The formula here hasn't been changed much, but it would have been nigh on stupid to have done so. The simple, addictive, and often highly frustrating gameplay is what makes SMB2 work, and with 150 odd new levels it will keep you busy for a very long time. However long you spend on the single-player mode will often depend on your patience levels, but the new story mode offers the chance to choose different levels when stuck.
Add to this a multiplayer mode which cannot be beaten for it's light-heartedness and simple, uncomplicated mini-games, you have a cracker of a game. Arguably the best mini-game from SMB was monkey target, and this has been improved with the ability to have multi-players taking flight at the same time. Throw in some new yet still addictive games like monkey soccer and monkey tennis, along with old favourites such as monkey billiards, SMB2's multiplayer mode succeeds, and succeeds well.
The flaws to this game are minor, but they are noticeable. The difficulty has a tendency to fluctuate wildly, and many levels leave luck as the deciding factor as to whether or not you will succeed, as opposed to raw skill. This will probably determine the condition of your joypad after playing SMB2.
This game deserves 5 stars for the levels of replay value and fun to be had from it. Although not perfect, its one of the best on the system. A definite must-have.

Back again with avengance
The first thing I have to say about this game is the down sides....and there are two....Monkey Target and Monkey Golf. Sega have taken these two games and destroyed them, well they are a bit of a let down. Golf is no longer a simple putting game and the courses are too large.....well ive only played the first course cause i cant take any more. As for target, well its still a good game but no where near as brilliant as the original....where is the wheel of misfortune or the selection of islands??? This can be rectified by having the first game, or if you havent played the original games then these may probably great so dont worry. Saying that, the ability to crash into other monkeys and send five down the ramp is appealing....

The rest of the game is nothing short of amazing however. The other mini games are vastly improved especially the crazy lanes on bowling and the new versions of pool....plus get a few mates around and there is nothing better than a sudden death fight.

In the one player game, the physics are spot on once. The levels are suitably different to the original. This time there is a lot more avoiding moving items and less winding path ways. The story mode adds and element of humour and makes the experiance even more enjoyable. I cant wait to unlock all the mini games!

If you havent got the first game then get this, if you have why are you reading monkey ball reviews....it should be in your game cube now.

More Monkey Madness!
Super Monkey Ball has been a firm favourite of mine since I first laid my hands on a copy, and I can safely say that the sequel has even more primate action packed into the miniscule disc than the predecessor did. Being a sequel, it obviously carries the same layout and structure of the first game. Roll a monkey in a ball around some fiendishly difficult floating obstacle courses, or compete head to head against friends (or computer if you don’t have any) in the 6 original mini games as well as 6 brand new ones.

The obvious difference with Super Monkey Ball 2 is the graphics, as they have been improved vastly. The backgrounds are more sophisticated, as courses are now set among forests with huge waterfalls, fiery volcanoes, even inside a whale with wrecked ships surrounding you. Generally, it is a lot more satisfying to look at and makes the original game look bland (although it wasn’t immensely detailed anyway).

New to this instalment is the Story Mode, where you progress through the stages and worlds like the previous, but cut scenes act as a transition between them. A new character called Dr. Bad-Boon has stolen all of the bananas, so AiAi and pals have set out to stop him. There are 150 brand new stages to play through, but there are no lives or continues in this mode however, so it’s essentially a glorified Practice Mode. It may be a relief to some people that you get unlimited attempts at an insanely difficult stage, but to those who crave a challenge they will prefer having to start the entire process again once all of your lives are lost, as the feeling of satisfaction is infinitely greater. Basically, it’s up to you whether you find this feature a blessing or a burden.

The original mini games return with some new features, like the wacky lanes in Monkey Bowling or a team of formation monkeys in Monkey Target. As well as this, 6 brand new games have been included, which are tennis, boat racing, baseball, soccer, dogfighting and shooting. Some aren’t so great, but others like the tennis, baseball and boat racing games are great fun when wanting to entertain up to 3 friends.

The difficulty of the single player from the last game makes a return in Super Monkey Ball 2, but the stakes have been raised. The later floors on Expert Mode were tough, but the new stages are far more complicated, involving fast moving obstacles, warp doors, ramps and even catapults. This can make completing some floors a matter of luck rather than skill, but the extremely hard ones can be great fun.

Super Monkey Ball 2 is an improvement on Super Monkey Ball. The improved graphics with massive, luscious backgrounds and special effects just make the game feel more exciting and alive and the mini games will be entertaining you even when Nintendo’s next console is released. Plus the general concept of a monkey in a ball is just pure genius. On the downside though, some floors are frustratingly difficult and some of the mini games, like soccer and shooting, aren’t as fun as they could have been. The constant techno music hasn’t changed either, and if you weren’t too keen on the first game’s soundtrack then your own CD collection will have to make do for this game.

Overall, Super Monkey Ball 2 is one of the most addictive games on GameCube and if you enjoyed the first edition, then you will receive a wealth of entertainment from this one. It has all the monkey magic of the original and enough new features to justify a top spot on any gamers’ list.