Banana Rumble: Neither Disappointed, nor Surprised

Figured I was due for some cyberbullying, so here you go! But really though, if you like this game, good, I'm glad you do. But if you agree with me: expect better from your games. I'm tired of steps in the right direction, just make good games already.

[@BigRigCreates]

That square gate stick explanation and description of gravity were great. Now I have more to say about the Banana Mania physics other than “idk it just doesn’t feel good man”.

[@jamesgames4553]

To be fair, the physics are programmed in a fundamentally different way to the extent where I the acceleration of the analogue stick boundaries won’t compensate for it. Even when tilting the board forward you can tell momentum is handled very differently in Banana Mania, which breaks certain stages. Wish I had the comparison video URLs handy but they do a good job examining the changes.

[@FlowJoeCartoons]

Idk I think Banana Rumble is pretty good. I don't think it has to have the exact physics as the original two games, and this is coming from someone who adores the GameCube titles. The problem with Banana Mania having different physics than the original is that the level design is still based on how the og physics work, and hasn't been compensated for the new engine. However, Banana Rumble's levels were designed with this new engine in mind, so personally I think they made it work pretty well. Of course having the original games physics would be amazing, but it isn't an absolute need for this game imo. I do really miss the original games art style though. (Also I think the spin dash is a great addition.)

[@hgmd3284]

thats exactly my thoughts.

[@insidious6068]

Nice hot take

[@bandannadoo]

I strongly agree regarding the annoying sentiment of 'steps in the right direction'. If you make a game it should be as good as it possible can be without considering any predessors or successors. If so many devs can make a knockout success on their very first try, struggling franchises should not get a free pass because they followed up a bad entry with a slightly less bad entry. For Sega, that means actually giving their devs time to make their games - the amount of out right failures they've had simply because they rushed a game onto shelves is bafflingly high.

[@diddly_dude]

I know this is exactly why i hate paper mario fans, paper mario the origami king is an amazing game but most fans said its a great first step to just being thousand year door...

[@bandannadoo]

@@diddly_dude yeah for what it’s worth I really liked Origami King. I still think the original formula for Paper Mario is better, what with it having more RPG mechanics like levelling and badges, but most complaints I see towards OK are just how it’s not TTYD. Maybe the next true Paper Mario will be a best of both worlds between the modern and classic style, but I think OK will still on its own even if that happens.

[@xerontokyo]

Well for a small project with small dev team within RGG 2 years kinda enough full dev started around spring of 2022. Plus the fact it is 51 people within SEGA/RGG worked on this game.

[@tintintin7753]

That's what so many people said about Sonic Frontiers, but I've waited far too long since Generations for another 3D game to be a "step in the right direction" when it's not even higher than a 6 at best

[@thecatinthehat125]

@@diddly_dude People aren’t saying that. They’re saying it’s a mediocre game that’s a alright first step in the right direction compared to previous games, but still not good. It’s not an amazing game.

[@PikaPhantomVG]

With how negative this video felt overall, I was really surprised when you gave Banana Rumble a 6/10 at the end. Could've maybe tried to emphasize the strengths of the game a bit more, since I felt like you only really had good things to say about the music and stage theming. I get there's always going to be subjectivity when it comes to stuff like this. I understand being frustrated that the arcade roots of Super Monkey Ball just don't really have a presence in Rumble. At the same time, though, I think every stage being independently selectable instead of some being locked behind gauntlets really helped Rumble stick the landing for me. I think you did the physics a great disservice as well. I remember when I picked up Banana Mania and thought it felt just serviceable to play. Rumble immediately felt more intuitive - and that was before they fixed the framerate. For the most part, I think the game feels great. (10-10 was worth singling out, though - great concept but it really does not flow great.) I think the main glaring fault of this review is its omission of missions. I wouldn't call them ingenious because they're not revolutionary or anything, but they are an excellent addition that really fleshes out each level. Meeting the target times brings the most out of the Spin Dash. Collecting enough bananas gives them purpose with the lives system removed and usually forces you to traverse a lot more of each individual level in a way I never felt compelled to do when playing 2 or Banana Mania. And the golden bananas lend themselves well to trickier setups and design. I've been having a wonderful time going through and clearing the missions, so it feels like a disservice that they don't come up at all. I'm generally fairly forgiving when it comes to games; for instance, I like the multiplayer modes in Rumble, though the framerate being cut in half (and not being a responsive 30fps) keep me from playing it more. I think the actual modes are fairly neat, and I find it especially interesting how the stages for most of them are designed to evolve over time (races get easier, and other modes get more complex, generally). But I really think this review is in the minority and was overly hard on the game. Like...did you really need to bash the graphics? It's not insane-looking or anything, but it looks pleasant and better than the HD remasters. Hopefully another Monkey Ball game that clicks with you will happen eventually, but I think Banana Rumble is the game the series needed. I'm very happy I bought it, especially because the game seems to have underperformed. (Probably shouldn't keep putting banana in the subtitle of every game...)

[@sergiomonty]

After watching this review, I'm gonna say this: I've never been so happy to not understand the "secret sauce" that makes the gamecube games so brutally unreachable to some people. I don't see it. For more than two decades I haven't been able to see it. And I'm glad. Because this game is PEAK to me, man. Maybe ignorance is bliss, but to me, this is not a "step in the right direction". That term is so condescending and stupid it needs to burn and die faster than "rough transition to 3d". This is a GREAT Monkey Ball entry, period. A very fun, enjoyable, creative entry with great music, nice level design and a lovely art direction. Some parts of your review make me feel like... maybe you didn't understand the dynamics of the game properly? how is it that you can count with a single hand the times the spindash was useful to you? The entire game is built around it... maybe that's why you didn't understand the game at all? "oh yeah it just makes you go off ramps... or die", It can literally send you at high speed through fast areas, it can make you take sharp turns, it can even stop your momentum when you use it properly. The fact that you accept that the speedrun community will most likely use it more effectively implies that maybe you weren't even gonna try anyways. "The game doesn't feel good" is so subjective at this point... this is getting close to the Smash Bros Melee discussions. I feel bad for you, man, I really do, I hoped you would enjoy the game, but eh, what do we do, maybe you have your GC muscle memory built very deeply into you. Bottom line, I respect your opinion and agree with the multiplayer aspect, but playing a videogame while holding SO tightly to the past, unwilling to evaluate what the new entry provides, completely deflated from all motivation to actually playing the game, makes this review a little less genuine and a little too emotionally driven. The part at 9:15 is an outright lie for example, most levels aren't laid out like that and you know it. My thought is that maybe those were the experiences that you disliked the most, and since you came to this game with a negative mindset, this is what stuck most to you.

[@lambasted6886]

As a Sonic fan I can empathize by having a very particular gold standard for physics. But I wouldn't wish that curse on anyone, and I'm glad I don't have that for Monkey Ball so I can actually enjoy these games. I had no idea Monkey Ball purists are like Melee fans.

[@SodaCrab]

Thank you for leaving such a well thought out comment! I want to clarify a few things: I get that a lot of people don't take issue with the way the game handles the way I do. But my critique of this game's controls and physics isn't "this is different from before, I don't like that", it's "this feels bad, which is bizarre because they had it feeling great 20 years ago". Even in a vacuum, in a world in which Monkey Ball 1 and 2 never existed, this game wouldn't magically feel better in my hands. I play sequels of games I love every day, sequels that feel vastly different from their originals, in a number of different genres. Mario Kart 8, for example, feels extremely different from Mario Kart Double Dash, the one I grew up with. Double Dash feels great, it has aged fantastically , they really nailed it with how racing feels in that game. If I had this arbitrary hatred of change, that would mean Mario Kart 8 feeling different would be a huge issue for me. But it's not, Mario Kart 8 is a beautiful game, both in terms of aesthetic and gameplay. I like it even more than Double Dash, despite my "Gamecube muscle memory" from an entire childhood of playing it over and over. Every Mario Kart feels different, but they still feel great in their own ways. Same with Smash Bros, I grew up playing Brawl alone, with friends, and with family, it was one of the most played games in my childhood, but I vastly prefer Ultimate these days. If change was a bad thing for me, I'd still be playing Brawl. This is true with almost every series I play, Fire Emblem, XCOM, Pikmin, Yakuza, I like the new ones just as much if not more than the old ones despite the myriad changes that completely flip the way the games play and feel on its head. Monkey Ball is the only series where I have this problem. It's not some weird inability to let go of the past, I genuinely just do not like the way the new games feel. It's not like they need to just make more Monkey Ball 2, I can play more Monkey Ball 2 whenever I want, there are dozens of fan made level packs out there. I'm fine with them doing new and different things. The problem is just that the physics feel cheap and unpolished, I don't know how else I can say it. It's not bad because it's not Monkey Ball 1 and 2, it just feels bad by itself, the Monkey Ball 1 and 2 comparison simply exists to point out "they did something great 20 years ago, why can't they make something that feels as good?". "As good" doesn't have to mean "the exact same", it just has to be of the same level of polish and quality, which I believe Banana Rumble is not. Despite me still not liking it much, I like this game a hell of a lot more than Banana Mania, which is a game I went into with high hopes and the belief that it would be great. But I ended up not liking that game at all. I played Yakuza 0, another game by this same studio, for the first time 5 or 6 years ago, and I went into that game expecting to not really care for it. Yet I ended up enjoying the hell out of it and it's one of my favorite games I've ever played. Having expectations going into the game doesn't preclude the game from deviating from them. Banana Rumble just happened to meet my expectations, which makes sense, considering I had 2 games of precedent on the Switch to base my expectations on. I didn't decide to like or dislike Banana Rumble before I played it, I played it and determined I didn't like it, and I really don't understand why this whole "you expected it to be bad" thing is always so prominent in discourse about new games. Obviously there's no way to definitively beat the "you wanted it to be bad" allegations without somehow giving you all a peek inside of my head, but I'm telling you, I didn't go in wanting to dislike this game. As for the Spindash, I don't see how the game is built around it. I really don't. That's my biggest problem with the feature. There are some shortcuts littered throughout, and there are some levels built around it, but a lot of levels are just not conducive to launching yourself off in any direction. I even wrote in my notes while I was playing this game sometime around world 5 "this game barely feels like it was designed with the spindash in mind". I think the fact that I completed most of the game while barely using the spindash is really telling, it should be important, I should be incentivized to want to use it, but most of the time it just felt safer or more efficient to just not touch the B button. When I think of a game that's built around a central new mechanic, I think Mario Sunshine, so let's use that as an example. That game lives and dies by Fludd (yes, people do challenge runs without him, but the whole reason that's a challenge run is because it's outside the scope of what the developers intended and what the game's design heavily encourages.) You're using Fludd constantly without even thinking about it. Hovering becomes second nature early on, before long it feels less like an additional action you have to perform and more like a natural extension of Mario's jump. Spraying water is something you immediately learn to try as a solution to any problem, whether it's graffiti, an object in the environment, or an enemy. When the game takes Fludd away from you for a secret level, his absence is felt in every move you make. The game feels entirely different trying to platform without him. Mario Sunshine is Fludd, and Fludd is Mario Sunshine. The Spindash is nothing like that. 99% of levels are easily completed without it, and tons of levels aren't conducive to its use. Sure, if you get really experienced with Banana Rumble, like a speedrunner would, you could learn to take full advantage of it, but for most people who will play through this game once, twice, a few times, then maybe pick it up again once every 6 months, the spindash is neither intuitive nor widely applicable. Even if I'm wrong and literally every other person who has played this game makes HEAVY use of the spindash, the fact that I was able to beat the game easily and efficiently while not really getting the point of it is telling about its importance as a central mechanic. Imagine if I went from 64 to Sunshine and just went, "huh, I don't really get this whole fludd thing", then beat the game without it. That doesn't scream "the game is designed around it" to me. I didn't go into this game clinging to the past and unwilling to evaluate what the new game provides; the general uselessness and hollowness of the spindash IS my evaluation of this game's new feature. And regarding the level design comment at 9:15, I didn't say that most of the levels are like that. I said a lot of levels fall into either the "waiting" or "path" categories. And there are a lot of these levels. Just off of the top of my head, for levels with tons of waiting involved, there's the elevator level I used on screen during that part of the video, there's the first level of world 10 where you're sitting there waiting for the platforms to rotate in such a way that you can move forward, there's that stage in world 9 where it drops you off at those 2 platforms to press switches and you have to wait for the rotating arms to come pick you back up and take you to the next switch, and more. Those are just off the top of my head, there were a lot more levels that involved lots of waiting around for the level to come pick you up. For the "path" levels, the early game is absolutely loaded with these, just some kind of variation on a straight path with different turns, curves, or trivial obstacles. There are fewer of them as the game goes on (they still pop up from time to time though), but a huge amount of the remaining levels that DON'T fall into one of these two camps are obnoxious or boring gimmicks. Like I'm still stuck on this, what was going on with that Manhole level?? Who thought that was a good idea? Or the binary level in the candy world? Or these weird maze levels like the pyramid, the switch maze with the holes in the floor in world 8, or that level called switch adventure in world 9? So many levels stuck out as bad to me in this game, and a lot of the ones that didn't were very boring and lackluster. I'm not saying every level in this game is trash, I just think the overall level quality hovers around a 5 or 6 out of 10, and the few 9s or 10s sprinkled throughout don't go far enough to make up for that overall boring mix. At the end of the day the level quality subjective, but I definitely wouldn't call my statement a lie, there are a surprising amount of levels that fit into one of those two camps. Sorry for the large wall of text, your comment just encompasses a lot of common complaints I anticipated and have already seen, and it seems what you're saying resonates with a lot of people, so I figured I'd respond. I appreciate your comment and your constructive criticism!

[@magolor-3100]

​​@@SodaCrab​While the spin-dash isn't something that's forced to be used, i still think it was a great adition because of the shortcut options it added Even as a casual monkey ball player that has only played 1, banana mania and this game, i was able to use it for shortcuts in almost every stage i played For example, the stage shown in 17:41, with a spin-dash, you're able to fly directly to the goal Or the stage 18:54, with a good time spin-dash + dash panels you can take the top of the rings instead

[@MagillanicaLouM]

As someone person who hasn't played SMB2 since the 00s and has only clocked in to monkey ball discourse after banana blitz HD came out, comparing it to competetive melee players and pretty much everyone else that plays the series, is a pretty spot on comparison, looking in from the relative outside. The actual core of the series is still pretty neatly intact and they aren't releasing embarrassments in game dev or anything. It just feels slightly different from some folks fav from 20 years ago, sure, fair thing to be annoyed with. But i feel it gets taken to degrees i can only rationalized as being played up for entertainment reasons in videos

[@Joeofthedragon]

For multiplayer this game does suck lol there’s no turn based or competitive main mode multiplayer . It really lacks as a casual party game. Think the only people who are praising this game so much, only play single player.. why are there no red or green Goals anymore? So much steps backwards

[@NigelMelanisticSmith]

As a casual Super Monkey Ball fan, I've been enjoying Banana Rumble. I never beat the harder levels as a kid, so I find the more relaxed gameplay pretty fun.

[@PkKirby]

People are afraid of hating on games like Monkey Ball for taking baby steps because the game has the potential to not sell enough and be put back in the SEGA vault for a long time. It can be scary to think that a series you love will no longer be supported so fans will hype up the game as worth it even though it's not up to the quality of the first two. It's this fear that makes me guilty for not picking up the Donkey Kong Country Returns remake because Nintendo could just put DK back in the vault and make us wait longer for a new game because it won't be profitable. It's happened to games like Star Fox in the past, so you can never feel safe when this is an possibility.

[@thebigpig2364]

Don’t let game companies scare or shame you into giving them money. They’ll do anything other than make a great game.

[@psychie8625]

That's exactly what I was thinking during the "step in the right direction" talk. Not saying I disagree - Hell, I'm probably gonna wait for a sale before I get the game - but with Sega's history of shelving games and being a gamble when they choose not to, it's easy to think: "Well, if we don't take this, the series is fucked", which I'm pretty sure was the Magic Bullet behind Banana Blitz HD. Of course, seeing as we're still dealing with the same physics engine since 2019, if we do get more games without waiting long, who's to say it'll even be like the old days?

[@GBDupree]

I don't think you have to worry about that with Donkey Kong. Its rare enough for him to get a new game regardless, but they will never shelve their first big IP. The DKC trilogy did great, but the series still went away for awhile because no one seemed interested to make the games, Rare went on to other stuff (including DK64, but that game's reception isn't the reason for few DK games afterwords), and the rest of Nintendo were busy with other things (though there were a few spinoffs here and there). Same thing is happening now, Retro is done with DK after Returns/Tropical Freeze, and no one else at Nintendo seems to be interested in making it so the series is on a break. This is also the reason Metroid had a break until Federation Force/Samus Returns on 3DS. Retro finished their Prime trilogy and wanted to move onto DKC and other things, and Sakamoto was busy with his other series (primarily Wario and Rhythm heaven, but also bringing back Famicom Detective Club). So its not really certain that Other M actually affected the release schedule of Metroid games, when its possible that the series was headed towards hiatus anyways, as it always did in the past, even if Other M was a success. Now Star Fox for sure was shelved, no doubt about that unfortunately, and even Metroid could have been. However; DK, like Mario, will last forever I'm sure.

[@NickonPlanetRipple]

These "steps" are the best most people hope for because we've been successfully gaslit for decades into thinkin that recreating Monkey Ball's original physics, or making classic Sonic physics in 3D is "too hard."

[@GymLeader_Josh]

A ghost crew team recreated Monkey Ball's physics in a steam game called Rolled Out! The game is still in beta and nobody knows when or if the game will get a full release, but it's $20 and worth every penny to have a new experience with old school physics and level design. We have all been gaslit.

[@Designated_loser]

Evil soda crab be like i love banana rumble it should cost 80$

[@SodaCrab]

I would never say that, that is Sinister Shadow Shrimp Crustaceus propaganda

[@mariobroultimate1808]

I'd love to see a Super Monkey Ball 2 mod with these new levels so you can play them with the original physics.

[@Sizzyl]

Your rant at the end reminds me of what they did with advance wars (a series close to my heart), im so sad at their "revival" attempt which they tried to force people to buy to "gauage interest" in advance wars. Mf we just want a new cartoony pixel war game its not that deep.

[@MegamanStarforce2010]

love you monkey ball man. unfortunately i do think you got caught in the "i knew this would be bad so i looked for things to prove im right" spectrum cause this is just genuinely a good game man. the physics thing very much seems like an internal feel issue due to being different from the older games. it actually plays great.

[@SodaCrab]

I can understand that point of view, and I can't really disprove your point without somehow giving you a glimpse inside my head, but I mean it when I say that I try to go into every game I play with an open mind and give it a fair shake. I've played plenty of games that I expected to be great and ended up disappointed with, and I've been pleasantly surprised by plenty of games too. Banana Mania is an example of a game I went into with high expectations and was disappointed with. I set my expectations more reasonably for Banana Rumble, and lo and behold it ended up more or less meeting them. Sometimes a game just ends up being exactly what you expect, that doesn't necessarily mean I went in rooting against it. I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of it though!

[@jacksonlovesnintendo]

@@SodaCrabclassy response

[@DeeJamari]

Did you guys check out the settings? There’s a lot more customizable options than ever before.

[@wwphd3519]

Mr. Soda Crab youtube played this so I didnt feel I had to. Like dying for my sins. Thank you, Mr. Soda Crab youtube.

[@sonicmeerkat]

man i never thought monkey ball of all things would become speedpad spam. like it legitimately looks like a 2010's sonic stage with all the speed boosts.

[@meme8430]

I think Banana Rumble is very promising from an observation. The Spin Dash seems refreshing. A lot of reviews I’m seeing makes me wonder if folks understand you’re not controlling the monkey, but you’re controlling the stage tilts and such. When you get comfortable whipping around some of the mechanics just click. Spin Dash would be a control explanation for the monkey which would be a first with the game mechanics. This is why it may not feel as refined. Does Rumble use the gyro controls from The switch or pure joysticks?

[@johnkapon8536]

You explained your points very well. I realise that i am excited, not because the game is good, but because the franchise isnt dead

[@SillyDogJoe]

I'm enjoying it I like it a lot :D The multiplayer is loads of fun and I love the character designs

[@wxpuuu]

same! the customization is great

[@xanander4693]

I think these are the best these funny little monkeys have ever looked. I love them so much!

[@DobiTech]

and yet the legend is back when we needed him the most

[@chariotgoblin8060]

I'm not surprised. It was good to see Sega bring the series back internally; however, RGG is hyper focused on Like A Dragon and those OG Monkey Ball devs have moved on by now. Somehow, Sega thought RGG could develop a new Monkey Ball in between 3 LaD projects.

[@JohnDoe-h7w]

I personally find baby as the best choice stat-wise, as most of the control issues mentioned are mostly eliminated as baby's acceleration and deceleration are surprising quick and responsive, much closer to the original's. I completely agree with most of the points, although I find this game pretty fun. The spindash, though it can create wild shortcuts, has virtually no purpose and bores me to death on the few stages that require it.

[@FrozenHelm]

Honestly I agree with a lot of your points regarding “steps in the right direction”. I’ve dismissed it for a long time as just the nostalgia and survivorship talking: we tend to remember the good stuff from games we like and thus comparisons might not be fair. But the more I look into modern entries from a long-running series like Monkey Ball, the more I see problems stemming from development issues that shouldn’t be there. They got the Monkey Ball physics right in 2002 and it’s more or less never been replicated. Many facets of modern “battle pass” and content drip feed mechanics are present which distract and annoy you more than anything else. More and more franchises are falling out of touch with a big aspect of what made them memorable in the first place. For SMB1 and SMB2, I’d imagine a big aspect of what made those such a hit was how much control you had over your play. You stop on a dime, gravity pulls you down quickly, and you use your own momentum to get around creative stage layouts. With this, you feel like victory is earned in each stage. None of that is present here, in favor of the stage putting in speed for you through boosters and you not having the same control over what you’re doing through bad camera controls and not having a manual camera setting mapped to the right stick. Sure, that could feel a lot different, but at least you, the player, wouldn’t be fighting the game for control. I really need to unearth my GameCube and play SMB1 and SMB2 and go back to the era when developers knew how to make physics-based rollers that don’t feel like you’re on the moon.

[@TheRelicStone]

Didn’t think it’d come this quickly

[@Howitchewstofeel5gum]

That's what she said

[@PowPowSmash]

Thank you for making this review even though you didn't want to. So many reviewers are praising this game and I couldn't tell if this was a repeat of Banana Mania where they just didn't know what they were talking about. I always appreciate your Monkey Ball insight and way of explaining what makes the first two games great

[@Cheesyboi]

Knowing what I know about both Monkey Ball and Sonic the Hedgehog recently I have to say, what the fuck is SEGA's problem with physics??

[@Talxic]

i love banana rumble, however i strongly agree with almost every single one of your arguments ESPECIALLY the controls.

[@TheReZisTLust]

Thumbnail: Aiai: "Well thats too damn bad!"

[@ventriloquistmagician4735]

every sega game is "a step in the right direction"

[@red7078]

The people who talk about steps in the right direction are usually the same people who tell people to “be grateful” that a game is even released at all. These games aren’t presents given to us by the developers, they are commercial products that we pay for. Why should we put up with mediocre products in the hope that their next game will be better?

[@Soniman001]

You’re acting like a gun is being held to your head and being forced to buy these games you clearly don’t like

[@Swarming-Languendo]

to a certain extent you kinda have to be at least a little grateful. id personally prefer more Monkey ball than no monkey Ball, so i support the choice the devs made it buy voting with my wallet. its the biggest way to incentivize a company I see it more as a two way street, they make the thing and we buy the thing if we want (and or return/refund it if we dont. its the main reason i like physical copies), and if the thing does well and sells enough, they're slightly more incentivized to make something with it again. If Banana Blitz and Mania completely flopped then there would be a much smaller chance for a future game in the series since logic would show that it would be a waste of funding,time,man power, and funding. I appreciate a step in the right direction more than the franchise dying in the water entirely. as much as i'd want another Sonic Mania esque hit, there isn't much i can do other than throw them a bone when the product is decent,playable and fun.

[@red7078]

I appreciate the polite response. Personally, I prefer nothing over something underwhelming. When a series has nothing coming out, you can still have the hope of one day getting a game that blows your socks off. But when a series has medicore output, then you’re not only unsatisfied with what’s currently out but it also becomes hard to become excited for the future of the series. I get where you’re coming from though. It’s novel to see a dormant series come back again, regardless of the quality of output. It’s even more exciting if you personally enjoy the content (which hey, more power to you).

[@Swarming-Languendo]

@@red7078 Fair enough. I can certainly agree that a Mediocre game is an overall net loss just due to how it lowers the series. Obviously i still hold out hope for Monkey Ball to have more improvement after the aforementioned Babysteps. but ultimately time has to do its thing and theres not much i can do other than hope for the Dev team to improve in the future. Would be pretty insane to see a 'Sonic Mania' esque scenario with this series(AKA fans making a whole ass game), since i've heard/seen good things when it comes to the level packs.

[@azylan]

@@Swarming-Languendo sega has a bad habit of making terrible content and then overcorrecting in the wrong direction when the audience doesn't want to put up with it. oh the monkey ball fans didn't like the last few games? then clearly monkey ball is a dead franchise unless we reach a certain profit quota on banana blitz HD. the monkey ball fans didn't want a remake of banana blitz? okay, let's remake the first two games. no we don't need to polish the physics engine, the graphics, the party games, or the story mode. the fans will buy it as long as it has the stages from SMB 1 and 2. it's not quite as bad as the sonic franchise overcorrecting itself, but you can kinda tell it still happens. my point is that i think sega has a hard time understanding that sometimes their ideas are great but we just want them to put more time and effort into them so that they don't turn out half-baked. that's the problem with voting with your wallet. i'll end up buying this game anyway because a decent brand new monkey ball game is basically a dream come true at this point.

[@feIon]

i think we just need to accept that amusement vision were gods among men and we'll simply never get a monkey ball game as good as 1 or 2 ever again because they no longer exist

[@neomachine855]

Banana Splitz on the PS Vita imo came pretty close to matching the original 2 games but sadly it was stuck on a system not a lot of people cared about

[@emblemblade9245]

Yeah, if we ever get a new F-Zero, I already expect it to be inferior to GX because Amusement Vision are that freakin good

[@chezzums2801]

I actually liked Banana Rumble but i respect opinions haha. PS: What is your opinion on the game Marble It Up? It is a Super Monkey Ball clone but way better than Rolled Out.

[@SodaCrab]

I'd never heard of Marble It Up until just now! It looks awesome, I bought it immediately since it's on sale. Thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to make a video comparing different Monkey Ball-likes sometime!

[@chezzums2801]

@@SodaCrab You're welcome! Your videos are good content and i am a big fan of Super Monkey Ball too! 🙂

[@thebigpig2364]

In a lot of ways Rolled Out is the best Monkey Ball ever, but it’s just completely broken

[@mz-power9587]

@@SodaCrabthe “monkey ball guy” allegations will never die.

[@malimaui2802]

Generally speaking I would say this is a great game, and I don’t think people are throwing their money at a sub par game. People are legitimately enjoying this game and not in the same vain as a few of the past titles. It also becoming part of people’s top 3 in the series honestly. I think it might come down to preference if anything, which would respect. I do have my problems with it though, as everyone else does( battle mode could have done with a bit more work for example ). I do agree with you that people have their own opinions, and while it’s disappointing that you didn’t enjoy it; people need to understand when something pertains to entertainment everyone has their own things the look for. That’s what makes video games, tv series, movies etc; so amazing

[@pmerks]

Thank you for explaining the actual technical reason why the originals feel better than the new games. It’s great to know how they got that good feel in the first place

[@Soniman001]

The Spindash rant just feels like a complete disinterest in engaging with it beyond surface level because YOU feel it’s not worth engaging with before trying, there’s absolutely crazy stuff that can be done with it

[@lunaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

these guys came out with the one of the greatest and most epic RPGs of all time this year and still every other thing they produce looks like they made it on a triple digit budget. Never change Sega

[@superdajoka]

Damn, I was hoping this one would be good. I was waiting for your review since I do trust fans who are more confident/critical of their series. Oh well, back to my laptop where I can just emulate the first two games instead

[@minimushroom3715]

Didn't you hear what Soda Crab said? If he didn't like that game, that's his opinion, and I respect it. However, don't let his opinion be your verdict if you'll like the game or not. Read the comment section here, There are plenty of new users and returning Monkey Ball veterans who enjoy the game. Look into other videos, hear what others are saying, and come to your own conclusion if you think you'll enjoy the game or not.

[@squiddu]

​@@minimushroom3715 reviews are a good reference point, but at the end of the day there's only so much you can consider "objective". that's why I still hate IGN for making me buy Pokémon Sword because they gave that hateful thing a 9 OUT OF 10 for some reason.

[@minimushroom3715]

@@squiddu Oh very true. That game from what I heard had potential, but I could tell from even looking at a few images that the game was very rushed. Anyway, if they emulate Monkey Ball 1 and 2 instead for whatever reasons they have, alright then. I bought the game recently, and I'm having a blast speed-running through the levels. But if people conclude they don’t want to play the game at the end of the day, that’s cool with me.

[@RakastanPorkkanakakkua]

14 secs in, what a missed opportunity to play the laugh track way later and out of place.

[@dr_drew_]

Old head 9000 glazing monkey ball 1 & 2 once again 😭

[@harakirifellatio-xu5ns]

It speaks to the quality of Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 that people are still praising them so religiously after almost two decades since their original release. That's something most games don't receive the privilege of. I doubt Monkey Ball Banana Rumble will be an exception to this. It's a flavor of the month that people will forget about once the next thing they're excited about comes out. It has no longevity.

[@feIon]

and hes right

[@olrascal5569]

i don't think you got the playstyle, i didn't either until certain stages like aerial floor where i learned to change the camera to manual and changed the fov to max, at that point i realized you needed to play claw so you could change the camera, move, and use the spin dash at the same time where at that point i found it was really engaging, mastering the spin dash is incredibly fun. I mean I was literally holding down spin dash all the time and using it for minor or major corrections its very integral to the game, but if you leave the camera on auto and such you never really realize this because you cant press the 2 buttons at the same time without claw grip which i wish they told you at some point.

[@merideri]

aw. i've only ever played the 1st monkey ball and the one on gba so i was wondering if i could get back into the series with this

[@NigelMelanisticSmith]

You can, if you haven't played the originals, then you won't be spoiled by the better controls. Banana Rumble is still a fun game, and if it interests you, I'd say go for it.

[@BillehBawb]

its a good game and youll probably like it. dont let one person disliking it out of the hundreds of other people who have said they like it discourage you from trying it

[@merideri]

@@NigelMelanisticSmith i'd say i was totally spoiled by the better controls/physics, unfortunately. i played the original a ton as a kid lol

[@NigelMelanisticSmith]

@@merideri my bad, I misread and only saw GBA. Up to you then. I'm enjoying the multi-player, and like mentioned in the video, there'll definitely be a price drop at some point to make the decision easier.

[@merideri]

@@NigelMelanisticSmith ahh, i see. yeah, i think i might just wait for a price drop.

[@RakastanPorkkanakakkua]

>wait levels DUDE, USE THE DASH!

[@SodaCrab]

nowhere to dash to when you're just waiting for an elevator, unfortunately

[@RakastanPorkkanakakkua]

@@SodaCrab I saw multiple parts on the video where you could have used the dash to shortcut. Instead of thinking it is a spin-dash, imagine it's like playing pool.

[@williamhauff5667]

I've never played these games, but they always seemed interesting to me. Thanks for the vid now I know which monkey ball to skip out on. P.S. it was great hearing you say monkey ball so many times

[@marthenheimer5278]

17:13 I think simultaneous multiplayer would be a net good if it was an option, but replacing turn-based is a baffling choice

[@SodaCrab]

Yeah I think that's what gets me about it. Having both would make it a net good, but having it replace turn-based makes it come down to preference, which doesn't really seem necessary.

[@BlackCatCards]

17:54 you could not have articulated this section any better. Amazing stuff as always man. As an FE fan I know exactly what you mean by being open to new things. I really don’t think you’re hating on this because it’s new, you’re just pointing out genuine critiques

[@emme0731]

I honestly like Banana Rumble quite a bit for its own merits, but nothing will surpass the originals really. I'm not happy that they're continuing the gross DLC from Banana Mania and including a Battle Pass (yeah it's free but I wish we could just unlock that stuff offline). Definitely respect your critique of Rumble, it's got some big flaws. The framerate issues are a problem.

[@SodaCrab]

Yeah the DLC is pretty gross, the fact that a character pack in Monkey Ball costs as much as the entire Booster Course pass for Mario Kart 8 is abhorrent. I didn't even know there was a battle pass, that is both hilarious and sad

[@emme0731]

@@SodaCrab Yeah, especially because all you're really getting is a skin (and from the fact that characters that aren't the main cast aren't able to be customized, I assume the same is for them too...). I visibly jaw dropped when I saw the battle pass. It's pretty easy to get the points on it but I still hate that it's here. Here's to hoping SEGA doesn't pull a Crash Nitro Fueled tactic and make this pass paid down the line.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

@@emme0731 i gotta agree there, idk why they're making the sega stud paid dlc this go around. Or dlc at all when it was unlockable both previous times, save for the actual consoles. Odd choice for sure

[@arancione8336]

Kinda figured it would be the case that this entry is once again cut from the same cloth as the last entry. Might still get a copy when the price drops to $20 or so.

[@lostsauce0]

Jesus sega hire at least one dev who can code good physics. If I were to guess, the issue is they're trying to use a full physics engine whereas the originals probably had completely custom physics. It's not like this is some incredibly difficult thing either. Indie devs have done similar.

[@GBDupree]

I think someone else said its because they are using Unity Engine (I think it was that one) which is notoriously bad for physics as it can't calculate physics fast enough, which is why the Monkey Ball games now feel slower and you slow down quicker. So its the fact that they are coding on an engine not built for this type of gameplay but trying to force it to work anyways. So yeah, they are working under a lot of limitations unfortunately.

[@Scribbelzz]

You can modify the controls in the menu to feel more right.

[@megawarrior543]

I’ve been WAITING for this omg

[@justinc.5591]

A final level that’s a road with a rainbow pattern set in space? Boy I wonder where they came up with that idea.

[@toontownveteran]

this video is very very well written, perhaps your best one yet. Im not sure how you dont have like hundreds of thousands of subs but I will gladly say i was here before you get mega famous

[@chillandserve]

Nostalgia is one hell of a drug

[@AMotorDrive]

I've never been too big a fan of previous monkey ball games but I did really enjoy my time with Banana Rumble and I think that comes down to the spin dash, You said that it wasn't really useful at all in most of the levels however I think I personally found myself using it in at least 50% of them in a way that wasn't just "go a little faster for no reason" Fair enough that you didn't like it though I feel like a lot of why I liked this one a lot might come down to the fact as I said I'm not a big fan of the other super monkey ball games

[@untoages]

I respect your opinion on the physics thing. It was my biggest issue with the last game, and my biggest concern when I saw the trailer for this one. So yeah, thanks for saving me some time and money with this video 😅

[@lilbonsly]

I love all the Characters redeisgns, they feel modern in a good way and I'm not too sure who you say feels overdesigned, Baby with the weird glasses? And I get DLC characters can't have outfits and acessories but it is NO excuse no not be able to customise their capsules and special effects also WHERE are Jam and Jet

[@ScorpionZX6]

Dawg I hate the way these games look 😭 I could write an essay on it, but I'll spare you all the headache, but MAAAN... The cheap mobile game hyper-cutesy way the characters have been moving towards infuriates me, especially when it makes characters like GonGon look so stupid 😭 SEGA had a secret sauce of style that games of theirs from this era revelled in, that were not just born of the era but deliberate design and stylistich choices. Seeing this, Sonic in general, and the new Jet Set look so dogwater inscenses me everytime -- this is NOT evolution, it is change born from a lack of understanding or care, pure ignorance, or sacrificial mass appeal. GOOOODDDD I HATE IT GRAAAAAAH

[@xanander4693]

Noooooooo! I love the style sm. I’m sorry you don’t feel the same 😢

[@twincherries6698]

​@@xanander4693I'm sorry you dont prefer the classic look

[@xanander4693]

@@twincherries6698 I like the classic look too!

[@blahbliff9726]

For me the spindash was the centerpiece of the whole game, and used in multiple ways, and in nearly every level. Overall though, I do appreciate you beating the drum about the original physics. I think that is important, despite that I also have some love for the newer games.

[@shamaboy11]

Finished watching the video. I can see where you are coming from, but I couldn't disagree more with most of your points except for that godawful ball-rolling sound effect and shallow mini-games, but the latter isn’t much of a loss to me when I personally never cared for the mini-games in this series, which I know is a crime to say this as a Monkey ball fan. To make it clear, I'm not excusing the poor execution, it is just not a big deal to me personally. For me, Banana Rumble is the one that finally made me love this series again and I wouldn't say this in the slightest if it was just another step in the direction like Banana Mania is. I'm not going to act like Banana Rumble is perfect, but the stuff it nails is more than enough for me to finally trust the current Monkey Ball team to make quality games instead of coping that it will reach there someday. Call me crazy for it, but that is just how I feel about it

[@SodaCrab]

I'm glad you're enjoying it and you're getting what you wanted out of it!

[@alejandroaguilar2012]

​@SodaCrab I know this is kinda off topic but what are your thoughts on Sonic x shadow generations?

[@RedSpeedTail]

i feel like a "step" in the right direction is something you can really only afford once. if after that one time you are still just not getting it, then why bother?, specially if it's something that has already been done right in the past

[@Joogoo96]

Have you ever stopped to wonder if the people who made the original 3 games are even at SEGA/RGG? I feel like we're in a "melee is best every other game sucks" kind of vibe rn.

[@ventriloquistmagician4735]

the lead is doing Yakuza

[@CanaldoZenny]

Monkey Ball fans are sleeping on by not porting SMBDX to PC. Imagine a Project 06 of DX, with ability to mod support

[@SodaCrab]

Wait hold on, you're cooking with that idea. How has no one done this yet??

[@EmissaryOfSmeagol]

I still have a Monkey Ball Happy Meal toy from 2003 that still works with the original batteries

[@SodaCrab]

That is incredibly based

[@GregCubed]

It also sucks there's no challenge mode or score system or life system... like hello?? It's an arcade series! Monkey Ball 1&2 have near infinite replayability, yet here you just beat the 6-8 hour story mode and that's it. No reason to replay it besides just for the sake of it. I still revisit the first two titles multiple times a year, decades later. Also I know you said you liked the music, but I think it's telling you only used 1&2's OST in the video LOL. Those original games had such a strong vibe with its aesthetics, music and sound design yet Rumble just... doesn't. It feels Animal-Crossing-ified at best, like they tried to make everything as cutesy and childish as possible.

[@thebigpig2364]

I remember the old story mode was a days-long adventure as a kid because I was so bad at it. Now it’s 1.5 hours at most. I still replay it all the time.

[@GregCubed]

@@thebigpig2364 SMB2 story mode was a years-long adventure for me, although I got the game when I was like 5 lol. Nowadays I can beat story mode in an afternoon, it’s the challenge mode that keeps me coming back time and time again. Just a shame they chose to shun that core part of the series here, because these relatively solid/good looking levels deserve the chance for the player to form a connection with them

[@pastarhythm2762]

It always baffles me when a company just refuses to listen to feedback and releases game after game with the same issues. Like, the series will sell better if you fix these problems. What's the point of just releasing one controversial game after another? All you do is hurt your own reputation until even the die hard fans stop biting. It's nonsensical from both an artistic standpoint _and_ a business standpoint, nobody wins. All that being said, if it ever goes on sale, I'm still a bit curious.

[@2ndEntity]

Was waiting for this one!

[@Teddyrific]

The biggest offender of all is not having the Dole logo on all of the bananas:(

[@PikaPhantomVG]

About that...(only for a limited time, but still)

[@CaptainAtria]

I dont think ive ever found a youtuber that i more consistently disagree with and yet i still come back to time after time lmao. I think the only opinions i share with you on monkey ball is that the banana blitz-banana blitz hd era sucks. Shows how well thought out and argued your videos are that i still enjoy them despite having entirely different views and perspectives. Well made mr crab, may we find something to agree on in the future

[@okaiten]

thank u for this video i was soo interested in what u thought

[@jennyfox2612]

You gotta understand that the company who released the first two games is gone now and the company who currently owning the brand is wearing it's rotting corpse. Thanks Sammy.

[@chikin8895]

Banana rumble is kinda peak and after watching ur vid i think ur kind of just a negative nancy. Especially about the lack of square control stick gate, its pretty crazy to expect that coming back ever

[@dr_drew_]

Fr, he complains about the spindash being useless but there’s SO MANY times in this video where he could use the spindash to get somewhere quicker but his dumbass thinks there’s no other way to win outside of slowly rolling towards the goal

[@xanander4693]

@@dr_drew_I agree that’s a weird thing to complain about when there’s been a history of complaints about modern monkey ball being gimmicky with their new mechanics such as jumping in banana blitz. I’m glad most levels don’t force you to use the spin dash.

[@GBDupree]

I will say the artstyle from what I've seen is much better. I think the redesign of Aiai is pretty interesting and works well. Its at least the best since the original style. Though I prefer the original because I always liked its semi-realistic approach to the textures and lighting, with reflective surfaces as well. So if this game does that as well, then I'd say its a positive artstyle change. Its at least an improvement over the Banana Mania one. For me, I've not kept up with the games since the original, but I played the demo on Switch for Mania and felt very bored by the controls. So either the physics are too sluggish, or I'd be bored with the originals as well. But I suspect its the physics. Are they not changed at all for this game?

[@connorbeith3232]

I like them fine (tho I don't get why they gave Aiai overalls), and are handled quite well in the cutscenes, but is it crazy that I actually enjoyed the late 2000's-2010's designs?

[@anguset]

Mostly unrelated, but have you tried Paperball? Though I can appreciate you not wanting to become the 'Monkey Ball and Monkey Ball Derivatives' channel

[@MontyMoleLoreMaster]

This is also an issue I have with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, as while I do agree that the game being a more original 2D Mario experience is a step in the right direction and it could have been a really great game if properly executed, the game itself has so many issues such as the ugly art style, terrible level design, bad bosses, one of the worst enemy selections I seen in a game period, and over reliance on terrible gimmicks that it honestly just feels like a massive downgrade in so many ways.

[@MusicJunkie37]

I agree Wonder could've been better, but downgrade to what? New super mario bros?

[@MontyMoleLoreMaster]

@ Yeah, New Super Mario Bros. had overall better gameplay and level design tbh. Admittedly, Wonder has way more originality and an arguably better world map, but that is the most that it has tbh.

[@sonicmeerkat]

honestly the rant about steps in the right direction is FELT, sonic fronteirs dlc and super stars have drained my hope for the series redemption. the super stars more obviously is a pale immitation of classic gameplay with terrible on rails bosses, it's a modern equilivant of advance 2 minus the bs special stage requirements. then the fronteirs dlc just doubled down on all aspects of fronteirs, both good and bad. as free dlc it's worth a play if you already own the game, but the fact they never fixed the pop in after a year, bandaided the poor controls to allow you to skip the shit platforming instead of improving the boost era slop, and actively made the story worse in the expansion just sorta sapped my enjoyment. i enjoyed it while i played but it didn't stick with me barring the chapter bosses, i enjoy speedrun skips but when skipping the game is easier than a glorified rythm game they cease being fun. and with the reference dense writing just shifting the nostalgia baiting from classic to adventure just takes me out of the experience. being perfectly honest, i don't even want an adventure remake for those reasons cause i know it'd end up like banana mania at best, or colours ultimate or DX at worst. shadow gens is gonna be my test to see if the plans are even feasable. though the prerelease monotisation is already rubbing me the wrong way.

[@smallbag123]

Banana rumble but with no rumble

[@megamillion5852]

15:08 Was that the first note of God Shattering Star? LMAO

[@SodaCrab]

:)

[@lucrayzor9657]

I’m a long time monkey ball veteran, and while I enjoyed my time with Rumble, I have to wonder if it’s just the novelty of actually having new official stages that aren’t dumbed down for a gimmick. Looking back, a lot of the stage design is certainly questionable, to where stages like 7-3 that actually present an interesting physics based challenge felt like a fucking jump scare, like, “Oh shit!! This is actually something they’re capable of designing! I forgot lol”. It especially feels heinous given that the SMB2 rom hack community has put out at least 10 hacks that could genuinely pass as complete SMB games in their own right, with all the polish and stage design rigor you’d expect from the original. Seriously though, what’s Sega’s ACTUAL excuse? It feels to me like they’re just… set in their ways, irrationally so. They’ve insisted on holding to the modern blitz artstyle when I’m not even sure how popular that is in general. They’re doggedly sticking to the unity engine crap and forfeiting the precision and sharpness that made the game stand out in the first place. And finally, they’ve lost sight of what people really want from stage design. Though if we’re honest, it’s probably laziness more than anything. Why put in the effort to try something different? Though I have to wonder how of it is a lack of effort, and how much is really a lack of vision. They don’t design their stages for challenge and feel, only a combination of novelty and straightforward necessity. It feels like they see monkey ball as this ancient property that they feel they have to go through the motions for because some people really want it. When they don’t listen at all to WHY people want it. It feels especially dumb because the farm race level is packed full of references to classic stages, so they’re not oblivious to the source material by any means. They just don’t see it for what it is. Other criticisms apply too of course. The sound design is literally non-existent, doesn’t make it feel satisfying at all. Straightforward up inputs are impossible, you always list left or right slightly for no reason at all, which REALLY adds to the janky feel of the physics. And a crucial problem that one of the community figures has pointed out is that the camera is unable to point all the way down, which makes dropping onto a lower level with precision an unnecessary nightmare. I will say that spin dash is a solid mechanic actually, I’ve found it’s really useful for turning sharp corners far more easily than normal, it lets you get out of awkward stuck situations way easier than in SMB2, and it enables all manner of shortcuts that can open levels up in a more interesting way than jumping did. It just ties back to needing better level design to really let it flourish. It’s sad to see that this shot at redemption really didn’t hit the mark… who knows if sega will give it another chance, even listen to the fans for a change. But hey, regardless of how that plays out there’s always the rom hacking community to build the smb games that sega refuses to, and that’s enough for me

[@toontownveteran]

soda crab my beloved

[@Joeofthedragon]

Turn Based Challenge Mode & fun Party games was a massive part of why the original 2 were so successful. Removing these features is such a mistake. How many times can Sega fail this franchise. Wish Nintendo would buy the IP and make something worth while. Having only 1 warp goal now and no stage transitions feels like such a huge step backwards too..

[@SpeedStar1642]

Frankly I find this review to be too unfair to the new engine and the fact that you only laser focus on the precision of the older games and not focus on Banana Rumble’s own merits is making me certainly believe without remorse that you're too nostalgia blind on the OG games. Even as someone who's played and enjoyed the OGs, I can't help but think this. Even though I don't think this is the best of the series, I still find the game an 8/10 for everything being new while actually designed with the new engine in mind.

[@evtheperson3874]

I found the physics to be better than Mania and fun when casually playing and attempting skips, but from the perspective of someone who is getting into smb2 speedrunning, this game is SOOO inconsistent. There is a bug where the camera will occasionally be angled differently at the start when retrying a stage. Precise movements are a headache given the camera problems, stuttering, and floaty controls. I'm still having fun with it though, at least when playing casually. I've played every stage and I'm replaying it with my friends via online multiplayer, and frankly we're having a blast. Still, I wish Sega had literally any interest in going back and referencing the GameCube's physics as the basis for a new game, rather than trying to refine physics that were fundamentally flawed from the start. I yearn for the days where it felt like you're controlling the stage and not the ball.

[@SpaceKingScot]

Nintendos network actually has been better under the hood for years. It just wasn't ever retrofitted for earlier games. Also the "step in the right direction" stuff. You...do realize that developers have to usually make mistakes first before they learn what to fix, right? Amusement vision and Ryu Ga Gatoku is not the same, even if they share similar workers. Most of the people who made this arent likely to have been involved with the old games. In other words. They're stuck in a cycle of trial and error. Whereby they're trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. It's not incompetence. It almost never is. Could this trial and error be kept behind closed doors? Probably. But not in today's game dev climate. Devs are expected to get shit out the door yesterday. And naturally, when a game isn't amazing, the fans tear into the dev team, instead of the toxic corporate culture that created the circumstance in the first place. There is no experimentation or conceptual phase anymore, they cant realistically afford to do so with SEGA as it is, with most companies as they are nowadays. We get questionable products then as the result.

[@beausqare]

I love Banana Rumble but you are so right with the physics. A lot of the level design is great, but I felt the same way with the final campaign level and almost every level with the boost pads, speed just doesn't feel natural and it's hard to build any momentum. I think where this game truly shines is with its local multiplayer, as I had a blast playing with my brother in real time, something we always wished SMB2 had when we were kids

[@luis-ninja2390]

This is the reason why I don't buy sonic games since Frontiers I'm waiting for the day that SEGA makes and actual sonic game and not remake remaster or sonic games whith reference of old games I just want a real sonic game again not piti remasters with nostalgia

[@kratosnl]

Thank you for your in-depth review. There is a severe lack of reviewers taking this franchise seriously, good on you for doing exactly that. It's easy to look at them like simple kids games, but the first two are just excellent, physics-based fun for all ages.

[@guizhangchen1999]

Yes! Monkey Ball guy uploaded again

[@SodaCrab]

It's me, I'm the monkey

[@imdejaboo]

I share very similar feelings as you regarding Banana Rumble, especially with the Spin Dash and physics. While the spin dash may make skips more accessible, they're really only useable for the stages that allow room to do so. I still think it feels like a band-aid, but its at least not as jeopardizing as the jump mechanic was and makes the game a bit more functional than Blitz HD and Mania. The originals didn't need such a mechanic mainly because of how fine tuned the mechanics were and that you can gain enough speed via momentum to pull off any sort of skip. I find it quite criminal that all of the old mini games such as Monkey Target and Billiards are completely removed. If they can't fix it don't bring it back I suppose? The season pass dlc is honestly pretty offensive knowing that it has characters that were originally purchasable through in game currency in Banana Mania. Furthermore, I don't know how hard it is to bring back a square gate for movement because it would solve a good amount of my problems with the game.

[@dailydelphox]

I haven't watched this video yet so don't take this as me actually judging it- But I mean, from what I've seen of the game myself and heard people say, the game is just genuinely good. I'm sure the controls are still flawed to a degree of course, but I think that's a far bigger issue when you're playing Monkey ball 2 levels and feel something isn't right. A game designed around new controls is less likely to be as problematic. Of course, that doesn't mean the controls can't be criticized, but I don't think it's quiiite a fatal flaw? Overall, Rumble is probably the best game in the series in a LOOONG time. It seems to do a lot of things right. So this video gives the immediate impression that the standards here might be kinda... overly harsh? It doesn't have to be so black and white- it's not like every Monkey Ball game that isn't as godlike as 2 has to be considered a disappointment. It comes off less as "critical" and more as "cynical" honestly. I say this not to judge the video itself, but because listening to 20 minutes of it sounds complaining. I'd love to hear a genuine analysis of what the game does right and wrong, but not with the overbearing sigh going down my neck I can't help but expect throughout the whole thing.

[@marthenheimer5278]

"Neither Dissapointed, nor surprised." Is one of the least black and white titles that could have been chosen.

[@dailydelphox]

@@marthenheimer5278 I'm gonna be honest, "Neither disappointed, nor surprised" ironically sounds... disappointed? It's like if you eat something you don't enjoy and when the person who made it asks how it tastes, you go "It's... fiiiine?" At the very least though, the description and all of the comments seem to be overall negative. The description LITERALLY says "Expect better from your games. I'm tired of steps in the right direction, just make good games already." So no, the title isn't exactly convincing me this is coming from an open minded, neutral perspective lol

[@marthenheimer5278]

@delaneyelekes8660 Its not neutral. Crab has made clear that he prefers the original style of monkey ball. That doesn't mean he can't try and use objective aspects of a game to quantify how he feels about it. Just so happens it didnt surprise him or go below his expectations, which are different for everyone. I hope you wind up watching the video, even if it's an overall negative review it's one coming from good faith.

[@dailydelphox]

@@marthenheimer5278 Idk. The thing is, this is a series that's been plagued by problems for a long time. To see genuine improvement and downplay it because "We shouldn't be getting JUST steps in the right direction" feels less like a critique and more like cynicism. It comes across as "I've been hating Monkey ball for so long that I don't feel like I'm supposed to give it credit when it earns it. It has to be Monkey Ball 2 or else there's no point." Like, are we really gonna act like this is no different from any of the other failures in the franchise?

[@chantellethecool1]

Exactly all i hear in this video is negatives. Its like hes just ranting

[@EduSolsa]

I never played Monkey Ball. I was thinking in emulate it (since the remake got lost in the transtion), but I don't have a GC controller, just a Wii Pro Controller. Would it work? Or would be better play an indie inspired game like Paperball?

[@SodaCrab]

Wii Pro Controller should work just fine! Just about anything with a control stick will do the job. I prefer the Gamecube controller but that's mostly just because it's what I'm used to.

[@EduSolsa]

@@SodaCrab I heard that the GC controller was better, so wanted to make sure. I was wanting to try the Banana Mania, since is the most convenient, but even the reviews that likethe game say that the control aren't the same. This is what makes Monkey Balls special, so I alweys psuh the game for later. Now i don't even know if it is worthy anymore and will have to rely on emulation to enjoy the game.

[@thebigpig2364]

I emulate them on my Steam Deck and the controls work great. GameCube has the octagon shape stick so it would be easier to move forward.

[@MusicJunkie37]

Whats the song at 3:10? 🤩

[@loopyoof]

super monkey ball 2 ost whale

[@MusicJunkie37]

@loopyoof thank you sm

[@MegaGameXtreme]

Your channel is underrated, you've earned my sub!

[@MediocreChuch1837]

I respect you opinion, but you can have way more fun on most of the levels you have complaints with if you use the spindash liberally. Especially the last one, where you can skip nearly all of it by blasting off the beginning platform into a segment of the track near the end.

[@gracefulpauline]

Thank you for your video critique. I can tell you put a lot a passion with this critique of Banana Rumble. I haven’t played 1 or 2 so I’m in the camp of not knowing what those games are like. I saw a video from the Party Crashers and it honestly looks like a fun multiplayer game that I’ll enjoy with my family. I respect your opinion on the game, but I still pick it up because it looks like a genuine fun party game to me.

[@SinisterShadowShrimp]

Idk, I liked it

[@raiHo15]

I've been enjoying my time with it. Its not my favorite. But, I feel like I got my money out of it. The online multi-player has been fun for me.

[@SodaCrab]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[@Scribbelzz]

18:06 you are however CHOOSING to buy games that you don't expect to enjoy, SO YOU ARE THROWING YOUR MONEY AT SEGA.

[@SodaCrab]

My rationale with that is that I, as a consumer, wouldn't want to give them my personal funds. I have patrons that generously donate money to me every month. Since my viewers wanted to see me talk about this game, I bought it using the Patreon money I set aside specifically for making/improving my content. I don't consider this game to be worth my money as a purchase for myself. I understand the confusion though, I can see why you could perceive it as hypocritical that I bought a game that I don't think is worth it.

[@thebigpig2364]

And if he didn’t buy it you would be saying “YOU HAVEN’T EVEN PLAYED THE GAME”

[@Scribbelzz]

@@thebigpig2364 yeah, but then he obviously wouldn't have made a review, what's your point?

[@PinClockFuntime]

I agree with a lot, especially the rant about the Step (and Roll) in the right direction, but heavily disagree with what you said about the Spin Dash, and the gameplay footage suggests you didn't really experiment with it at all or give it a fair shot. You can mix up a lot of things in this game from well placed boosts. The maze levels are far fewer than you suggest (main story only has three) but still fuck them and the invisible levels.

[@VanillaGh0st1]

Baby can stop on a dime! He's definitely the most fun to play as. Also, I think that the Extra worlds are REALLY fun, and all significant steps up in difficulty and creative level design.

[@aboxyguy]

as a new fan of the series thank you for the video! i was looking forward to this since your last one. personally for me the cons you mentioned havent really affected my enjoyment and ive been having a fun time. its a solid, content filled game for me (that i have the bias of spending $25 on lol) i will add my own cons tho. it sucks that we cant customize outfits for any of the unlockable character, theyre baked into the base game so it just feels like a copout to just not have "these ones" customizable. also the online is already pretty barren? you'll still get full lobbies at a decent pace but you can tell 90% of them come from bots with keysmash names, its fun enough but it does kill a sense on competition. put this game on other platforms already

[@EkumPokum]

Honestly this game seems perfectly fine to me, maybe not as good as the first two but a totally fine, fun game, but the $50 price tag is ridiculous. I'll get it on sale for $20 and it will probably be worth it then.