PixlBit

SEGA's first 3DS offering is really Super Monkey Ball (puzzle mode), Super Monkey Kart, and Super Monkey Fight in one package. Three different game modes with all completely new, unique content seems like a great idea on the surface. Does the concept pan out? The answer is a resounding, “Eh, it works a little bit.” While the main Monkey Ball game is there, along with 80 traditional stages, there are a few issues with stage design and my experiences in Monkey Fight were entirely forgettable. Monkey Kart shocked me as it is a full-on kart racer – but lacks enough content for a standalone purchase.

To begin, puzzle mode operates precisely as it does in prior Super Monkey Ball titles. Players can tilt the 3DS or manipulate the slide pad to steer their chosen monkey and his or her ball to a goal. With the slide pad, the controls are spot-on. I had no difficulty maneuvering whatsoever. When I opted to use the tilt controls, I struggled a bit more: moving the 3Ds without maintaining a consistent line-of-sight to the screen would result in blurry graphics, the 3DS's calibration requires a level surface and doesn't allow players to choose a comfortable “neutral” position, and there's no on-screen indicator of the current degree and direction of tilt. All together, the motion controls presented are annoying at best and frustratingly difficult at worst.

Super Monkey Ball has 80 total stages, and provided players don't use tilt controls, these stages are far too simple and uninspired. Compared to the stages in the original Super Monkey Ball, which provided a challenging, compelling difficulty curve, nearly any given stage could be completed by a competent player without a single death on the first attempt. I only had trouble when the camera, which was too low to the ground, would surprise me with a death trap on just the other side of a hill. Mimicking the idea of achievements and trophies, eight secret items decorate eight of the 80 stages, one for each set, which are packaged like pages from a storybook and have fantasy themes. The eight sets of stages are paired with eight medals unlocked by playing well: finding every banana in every stage results in a medal, beating every single stage with the slide pad results in another, and so on. Rather than unlocking new playable monkeys or karts in the various game modes, these items and medals simply document achievements. The classic Monkey Ball mode in Super Monkey Ball 3D is shallow and disappointing from start to finish.

Monkey Fight is even worse. I didn't find anything worthwhile inside the mode, granted I did only play against computer-controlled opponents. There are eight starting monkeys and eight more to unlock, each with his or her own attacks. The three stages are bland, with little difference between them. The goal? Collect as many bananas as possible, beating the bananas away from any other monkey. Hit a button to use attacks, one for special attacks, one can grab other monkeys, and another jumps. That's about it. There are some basic Smash Bros. similarities, but there's no depth, no truly stark character contrast, no variety in gameplay, and not much of a discernible learning curve. I can't be much more clear than to say Monkey Fight felt like a waste of time.

I saved the best for last. I was stunned by Monkey Kart. Had SEGA made Monkey Kart into a full game, doubled the tracks, and touched up a few things like the low camera, which again yields for a few surprises, Monkey Kart would be a full-fledged Mario Kart competitor. Once more, there are eight characters starting here with eight more unlockable, as well as eight beginning karts with eight tucked away. Like Mario Kart, there's a variety of items, which, for better or for worse, are very similar to those found in the aforementioned titles though most have enough variation to feel unique. Nine tracks show a dash of inspiration here and there, with circus tents to bounce on, falling boulders, and multiple pathways scattered everywhere. The stages don't have quite as many features, hazards and decorations as one would hope, but they're complete, unique, and make for great races. Super Monkey Ball 3D should have probably been Super Monkey Kart all along. Monkey Kart is the premiere game mode in Super Monkey Ball 3D, and had SEGA added a little more content, the game would have been an incredible launch title.

Visually, every game but Monkey Fight looks great in 3D. Depth is easily perceived, objects appear in the foreground and background as one would expect, and while the game looks just fine in 2D, it looks stunning in 3D, especially considering the quick movements of the stages, which tilt dynamically according to my slide-pad movement.

Super Monkey Ball 3D with its easy puzzle stages, a terrible fighting mode, and a great kart racer, evens out to be an average launch title for the 3DS. It's not the worst game out there and it's not the best, either. Monkey Kart easily is the best mode offered and should definitely interest Mario Kart fans, but I didn't find the rest of Super Monkey Ball 3D to be a very enjoyable experience.