Ah, but Banana Blitz isn't just about tilting and jumping. True to Super Monkey Ball history, the title comes with an assortment of minigames. Though I only got hands-on time in with a handful of them, I feel pretty safe in saying the minigames are where the game will really shine.
The first minigame I played was Hammer Throw. It was easily my favorite. To play, you held down the A button on top of the remote and spun it in circles, and your monkey would spin around, building up speed for when you would release the A button, making him release the hammer. As your monkey spins, he gradually gets closer to the foul line. If you cross the line without releasing your hammer then no points for you!
Another fun minigame was Hurdle Race. Here, you and three other monkeys (in balls, of course!) raced to the finish line, jumping over hurdles to avoid being slowed down by them. Jumping over the hurdles was pretty straightforward: just hit A. But running was the true treat: holding the Wii Remote in one hand and the nunchuck in the other, (which also has accelerometers and can detect motion) you pump your arms to gain speed. I think I overdid it a bit; at one point, the cord between the Remote and its attachment actually smacked me in the chin. But I won! ...the first race, at least.
The final minigame I had the opportunity to try was High Wire. The objective here was to tilt the remote forward to push your monkey across the wire to the end, keeping him steady with slight corrections done by tilting the remote to either side. Of course, the slight corrections were what tripped me up; my first correction sent poor GonGon flying off in the other direction, ending my high wire act.
All in all, Sega had 12 minigames available for play (that I saw) in Banana Blitz. Darts also made an appearance. In that game, you threw darts at a dartboard by making a throwing motion with the remote in your hand. Whack-A-Mole and Ring Toss were also present as was a Jump Rope game controlled by making "jump" motions with the remote. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any more of the games in action, let alone play them. Sega's demo was a bit too comprehensive -- there was so much there that trying to play it all inside Nintendo's overstuffed Wii booth just wasn't happening.
So, that's how Banana Blitz plays. But how does it look? Banana Blitz sports the series' new style, which made something of an appearance on February's Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll for Nintendo DS. It's much prettier here on Wii, of course. The graphics sport a brightly colored cel-shaded look which fits the series very well. The Dole banana branding we all knew and loved is now missing from the bananas, but when the worlds look this pretty, I don't think anyone cares.
Sega told us Banana Blitz will be a launch title for Wii, whenever Nintendo decides to release the console (current signs point to October, but they are, of course, unconfirmed). Although I've been left a little cold by recent Super Monkey Ball efforts, I'm considering picking this one up, if for no other reason than to play the wildly fun and crazy minigames.
The first minigame I played was Hammer Throw. It was easily my favorite. To play, you held down the A button on top of the remote and spun it in circles, and your monkey would spin around, building up speed for when you would release the A button, making him release the hammer. As your monkey spins, he gradually gets closer to the foul line. If you cross the line without releasing your hammer then no points for you!
Another fun minigame was Hurdle Race. Here, you and three other monkeys (in balls, of course!) raced to the finish line, jumping over hurdles to avoid being slowed down by them. Jumping over the hurdles was pretty straightforward: just hit A. But running was the true treat: holding the Wii Remote in one hand and the nunchuck in the other, (which also has accelerometers and can detect motion) you pump your arms to gain speed. I think I overdid it a bit; at one point, the cord between the Remote and its attachment actually smacked me in the chin. But I won! ...the first race, at least.
The final minigame I had the opportunity to try was High Wire. The objective here was to tilt the remote forward to push your monkey across the wire to the end, keeping him steady with slight corrections done by tilting the remote to either side. Of course, the slight corrections were what tripped me up; my first correction sent poor GonGon flying off in the other direction, ending my high wire act.
All in all, Sega had 12 minigames available for play (that I saw) in Banana Blitz. Darts also made an appearance. In that game, you threw darts at a dartboard by making a throwing motion with the remote in your hand. Whack-A-Mole and Ring Toss were also present as was a Jump Rope game controlled by making "jump" motions with the remote. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any more of the games in action, let alone play them. Sega's demo was a bit too comprehensive -- there was so much there that trying to play it all inside Nintendo's overstuffed Wii booth just wasn't happening.
So, that's how Banana Blitz plays. But how does it look? Banana Blitz sports the series' new style, which made something of an appearance on February's Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll for Nintendo DS. It's much prettier here on Wii, of course. The graphics sport a brightly colored cel-shaded look which fits the series very well. The Dole banana branding we all knew and loved is now missing from the bananas, but when the worlds look this pretty, I don't think anyone cares.
Sega told us Banana Blitz will be a launch title for Wii, whenever Nintendo decides to release the console (current signs point to October, but they are, of course, unconfirmed). Although I've been left a little cold by recent Super Monkey Ball efforts, I'm considering picking this one up, if for no other reason than to play the wildly fun and crazy minigames.