Super Monkey Ball 2

One of the best multi-player experiences on this, or any other, system. [Oct 2002, p.36]

The level designs are, quite frankly, ingenious. Featuring curves, ramps, narrow paths, moving platforms, and obstacles of all kinds, the levels are as awe-inspiring as they are frustrating.

The new multiplayer games, except for Monkey Tennis, don't really measure up to the originals, but they are, afterall, just icing on the cake.

They don't win points for innovation, but this is still one of the best multiplayer games you can buy.

The single-player game is still merely a fair distraction, but the dozen mini-games will keep you and your friends glued to the couch for hours.

Here's hoping Amusement Vision knows when to move on and begins a new project instead of staying stuck and trying to squeeze out a "Monkey Ball 3."

I really hate that Amusement Vision didn't take the time to upgrade the sound effects and music. You still here that weird melody blurring through your speakers.

The sequel of Super Monkey Ball is better than the original it adds bunch of upgrades that make the game more fun than the original. Super Monkey Ball 2 is definitely in my top 5 favorite Gamecube games.

A generously vast suite of minigames places this game far ahead of its competition and easily makes other casual games on the GameCube—particularly sports—obsolete. Unfortunately, the main game suffers from balancing issues, because as soon as you go beyond the Beginner stages, the maps often end up being constant dice rolls rather than skill-based play. Even with cheats, you'll likely find yourself stuck on a stage or two for ages because of the inherent design of it boiling down to luck. The ridiculous scarcity of bananas available to the player does not help the case either, as you never collect enough for them to matter, which disincentivizes collecting them to begin with. You're better off just rushing for the goal each time. Overall, I think this sequel would be best paired with the prequel—you would play the main game on the first and the minigames on the second.

Super Monkey Ball 2 (SMB2) states itself as a parkour-party game. The game is amazing when your playing with others. The 4 player Co-op can be great entertainment when hosting a party or having friends over. On the other hand, it can be extremely boring when playing alone. There aren't a whole lot of options. There are some mini-games you can play, but those won't last a long time. The only way the mini-games can be entertaining is if you actually play with multiple people. The graphics are impressive for 6th generation. The simmering of the light off the floor was a noticeable trait. The soundtrack is forgettable, and you will find the game annoying from the constant screaming of monkeys. Not to mention the creep who says "ready" over and over again. Play the game if you have multiple people. On the other hand, this was a promising game which ended in an annoying setback.

its as fun as a barrel of monkeys. you roll through the stages as quickly as you can to get the best score. it is very satisfying to complete these stages, since many of the harder ones will take quite a few tries. the other game modes are a lot of fun as well. the bad thing about the game is that it is strictly gameplay, that's it, and that would have been fine 20 years ago, but during the time of this game, people are starting to expect things such as a storyline, interesting characters and a sensible objective. so in that sense it is an arcade game on a console, and its tons of fun

This game is significantly better than original Super Monkey Ball by being able to start with 99 lives at max, a story mode where you don’t have to worry about losing lives, and far better and expanded party game roster that greatly improves on the party games in the original. Unfortunately, it takes an insane amount of grinding to unlock all the party games and especially 99 lives at max for the start, still has a grating soundtrack, and remains brutally hard. Point blank, this game is only fun in multiplayer party games against your friends.