| Introduction
I was really surprised when Super Monkey Ball (SMB
Jr.) was announced for the GBA. Recalling the hours
of fun I had playing it on the GameCube, I was doubtful
that such a 'mighty' title was possible or would even
survive miniaturization on the GBA. Well, my doubts
it seems were unfounded, thanks to the developers at
Realism, who not only managed a successful port, but
also made it good enough to win the handheld game of
the show prize at last years ECTS.
GamePlay
SMB Jr. is a simple game. Your main objective in
the game is to guide a monkey in ball through some pretty
surreal maze-like courses within a certain amount of
time. You should know, however, that you don't actually
control the monkey, but rather the course itself, which
must be tilted correctly in order to maneuver your monkey
through and around the various obstacles. This takes
practice, but once you get used to it, it's then a case
of completing the course as quickly as possible while
picking up bananas and the many bonus items that are
lying around. At the end of the course, the collected
bananas are converted into points and the bonus items
into credits and while the points are important for
high score purposes, the credits will allow you to unlock
the mini-games.
Aside from the main game, SMB Jr. also features some
fun mini-games. Possibly the most enjoyable is 'Monkey
Fight' where you must battle it out with three other
monkeys using giant boxing gloves. The object is to
punch the other players off the small platform (there's
a choice of three) and become the player with the most
points within the time limit.
In 'Monkey Golf' you must complete an 18-hole golf
course in the least number of shots and as some of the
later platforms actually move, it may take you some
time to reach a respectable score.
Control wise, 'Monkey Bowling' is undoubtedly the
most advanced mini-game, Just like a real bowling game,
you can give your ball some added 'top spin when you
throw it by using the shoulder buttons. As with the
golf game, this takes some time to master, so don't
be too disappointed if your first twenty balls or so
end up in the gutter.
Although there are multiplayer modes available, they
do unfortunately require an extra copy of the game.
One of the mini-games, 'Monkey Duel', is only available
as a two-player experience, so I suggest you find a
friend with a copy of SMB Jr. to really enjoy the full
multiplayer options.
SMB Jr. also features a battery back up where everything
is automatically recorded when you quit the game. If
you quit halfway through a game though, the system allows
you to exit without recording your score.
Controls
If the control system in SMB Jr. were anything less
than perfect, then the whole game would have been ruined.
Fortunately for us, the developers have done a great
job with the control system. The initial menu screens
too are nicely done and should serve as an example for
other developers on how a complicated series of menus
can be simplified.
There are, however, some minor issues with the camera's
fixed view that results in the occasional blind spot.
This is incredibly frustrating, especially when you
fall off a course through no fault of your own. This
problem is also inherent in the GameCube version and
although minor, it would have been great if the developers
had addressed it in the GBA port.
Graphics
The whole game has been perfectly miniaturized from
its larger GameCube cousin and has managed to maintain
the majority of the quirky and humorous visuals. Aside
from that, the GBA version also has a competent and
very solid 3D engine, which means that the whole game
runs at a very respectable frame rate. The monkeys aren't
nearly as detailed as their GameCube counterparts, but
since it plays and controls well, it isn't really much
of an issue.
Sound & Music
As with the visuals, the developers have done a great
job in the music department and have managed to convert
the GameCube's original soundtrack into a respectable
GBA rendition. This is complemented by some truly wonderful
speech samples that punctuate the on screen action perfectly.
Overall, SMB Jr. is another title where headphones are
essential.
Final Comments
There is no doubt that SMB Jr. possesses all the
fun and addictive qualities of the original. Quite simply,
this is everything a conversion should be and the developers
at Realism should be congratulated for disregarding
the general rule that a handheld version should be diminished
in some ways from the original. So do yourself a favor
and get SMB Jr. now!
|
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