Super Monkey Ball Deluxe - An Awkward Transitional Period

Today, Jonii will finally be returning to the Super Monkey Ball franchise to discuss its PS2 and Xbox debut with Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, the first console game in the franchise not developed by Amusement Vision, who shut their doors during its production. What will Sega do with the franchise going forward and will AiAi be able to bear the weight of a fatherless existence?
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[@cypher1233]

I was chilling in bed watching this but the moment 17:35 hit I was screaming "NO EW WHAT" and now my fight or flight won't calm down 😭

[@SlippyBoyOfficial]

Yeah I was like wtf howd i never notice that?

[@EdgardR.]

@@SlippyBoyOfficial notice what?

[@SlippyBoyOfficial]

@@EdgardR. oh that the Deluxe version doesn't have the rolling sound effect which made my my cranium curve

[@EdgardR.]

@@SlippyBoyOfficial I thought there was something else; I would have noticed because I grew up with the GameCube version

[@SlippyBoyOfficial]

@@EdgardR. Hmm I bet there was something else, I gotta go back and play Deluxe myself yo find out

[@mazda9624]

2005 was a weird year on Playstation 2 because you got games like Gran Turismo 4 that ran at 1080i 60fps, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe which ran at sub 480i 30fps, and Shadow of the Colossus which ran at 480p 15fps.

[@Vailskibum]

NO MONKEY BALL SOUND?!

[@cabralanselmo5777]

Two corrections: 1 - Traveller's Tales isn't an American company, they're British, and 2 - the box of the Xbox version isn't lying about having 720p, ALL Xbox games have those same feature descriptions, what's important is if they have a bright green highlight and an X on the side indicating their presence, which you can see it only has for Players 1-4, so it's correct.

[@ibilesfighter3.16]

Personally that 1st one insulted me as a brit

[@Kardino]

Gotta love stage names like “Swing Bar *long* ” and “Bowl *Open* ”

[@joniivee]

Gotta thank the clarification king who named those lmao

[@thesupervideogamenerdmore3171]

Likely a japanese mistranslation.

[@Diwasho]

The biggest sin about Banana Crazy is that they didn't name it _Going Bananas_ instead.

[@megasoniczxx]

I wish I had known the PS2 version of this game was so horrible before buying it. The framerate alone practically makes it unplayable for me but the long load times absolutely killed it, which was absolutely bad coming off of the GC versions of both games.

[@nullSupernova]

15:11 ...the word "untogglable" is spelt wrong here although it's funny that the correct spelling doesn't get recognized by Google either

[@lounowell4171]

it's toggleable with an E, google still won't recognise it with a negative prefix because it's uncommon, but it makes lexical sense spelling it without an E does makes sense phonetically tho, unlike spelling it without an L... lol

[@TJLounge]

You always go above and beyond with these monkey ball videos man, great stuff as usual! I was gonna go pick up Banana Mania but you convinced me to get ps2 deluxe! Monkey ball was made for 30fps after all.

[@joniivee]

Haha thanks for the kind words! Enjoy your suffering.

[@JoSephGD]

Xbox Deluxe is still my favorite game in the series, mainly because it's the only official way to marathon the entire catalog of levels. That's fun.

[@DragonProtector]

My copy like new

[@HyperVanilo]

This guy is perfect to explain the history of Touhou Project, a big indie franchise that's flying under the radar.

[@Strattou]

flying under the radar?! are you kidding me? it's reaching it's grimy little fingies into EVERYTHING, including Bemani games! It's enormous.

[@HyperVanilo]

@@Strattou But does anyone know that Touhou is a game?

[@notarmani4804]

Super Monkey Ball’s Japanese opening theme better play at my funeral.

[@themanicpineapple8772]

I got into Monkey Ball with Deluxe but thankfully through the XBox version. Lord baby Jeez: I had no idea the PS2 version was so busted. Top tier stuff again John :) This one was full of concise and interesting info and was entertaining as heck

[@joniivee]

Oh thank God it was Xbox xD Thanks so much for the kind words, this one had a lot of little interesting tidbits surrounding it so I had a lot of fun pulling those apart

[@channelmage4269]

Banana Crazy Banana Mania Is it possible that Banana Crazy was ALWAYS going to be SMB Deluxe? it's an interesting way to think about it at least...

[@rjuniperr]

‘Untoggable’ has made me reconsider the choices that have led me to this point

[@yayo_youtube]

Well, I guess SEGA did intentionally make the PS2 version of their multiplatform games the glitchiest cause they were the reason the Dreamcast died, so they basically had revenge on Sony.

[@MrShteev]

Another great video, my friend! I grew up with the PS2 version of Deluxe, so imagine how miserable my childhood was lmfao

[@NigelMelanisticSmith]

The Monkey Ball Discord has a GameCube hacked version of Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, built entirely within Monkey Ball 2, and it's definitely my preferred way to play, gives back ball rolling sounds and all. It is super legally gray tho, since it hacks together from Money Ball 1, 2 and Deluxe, and I only own Deluxe lol.

[@GregCubed]

You don’t even need a gun or Bible, just take a wacky photoshopped sticker of GonGon and stick it in the walls of HQ, it’ll totally get their attention and they’ll get the memo (Source: just trust me bro)

[@fishflake]

i've been binge-rewatching all of your videos and i just wanna say i'm always impressed by how enjoyable your editing and narration is, it's so clear how passionate you are about the games you talk about and it makes your videos so fun and easy to watch...it feels like i'm just hanging out with a friend who's telling me about their favorite things (although obviously a lot more research and production goes into it than a random conversation lol)

[@NotArmani30]

This is truly a 'Deluxe" Super Monkey Ball review.

[@lilorangefella]

Same guy who worked on "Super Monkey Ball for PS2" worked on "Azumanga Daioh for GBA" which is really funny imo

[@animerehab]

I grew up only playing DX on the Xbox. so I didn't know that the challenge modes were shorter until banana mania :')

[@tbg8365]

Delux is how I first played Super Monkey Ball and so far the only one I have played, The taunting anouncer countdown haunts me to this day. *"Hurry up!"*

[@vSAMGX]

Amusement vision also made F-Zero GX, which is incredible as well

[@tugsteve7594]

17:30 That's a really bizarre omission that just makes "Gravity Sliders" kind of awkward...

[@TheMGMfan]

I actually got Deluxe as a kid in lieu of Super Monkey Ball 2 (I already had the first, and I would get 2 in 2019), so that was actually my first experience with that game. Thankfully, it was the Xbox version, and I still own that copy to this day.

[@laurah4858]

Appreciate the amount of work that goes into these very high quality videos. I’m glad somebody is talking about these classic SEGA franchises in depth!

[@SlippyBoyOfficial]

Yo this was a banger! I'm hype to see the Touch & Roll stuff next! Not enough people talk about that gem!

[@SuperiorX99]

Your Super Monkey Ball videos got me to subscribe. Keep up the good work, my man. Great stuff

[@cinnamondan4984]

Had like all of the GameCube games during this era and was a massive Sega fan and yet only played Monkey Ball when it arrived on PS2 and my friends and I loved it

[@roshayredd4437]

I was the person who grew up with the deluxe version in ps2. I played it for 11+ years on and off unaware this was even the worse version. I just couldn’t put it down since I was a kid, but then I got the deluxe version of banana mania for ps4. I started the game. Got into “simple” and as soon as aiai dropped I had to pause. It had to feel like a person putting glasses on for the first time. I had to grasp my whole reality. And every new detail. All the years of dull av cable input before, it was a jarring transition.

[@MissiGNO000]

Yeah american tvs unfortunately dont have rgb, av's vastly inferior

nice energy and sense of humor. subscribing. i love monkey ball sooooo much

[@camgreenee]

Jonii is gonna be huge someday. I love these videos man. I’m glad I’m in this community this early. (Btw I love the Pac-Man videos)

[@KirbyIsANerd]

Was looking for a video to watch while I ate dinner tonight and saw a Super Monkey Ball Video Essay in my recommended and of course clicked it immediately. Very good video, well written and very well edited and I'm fully immersed in your Monkey Ball Opinions

[@boomerangfishcb]

My mom bought this many years ago to play on the PlayStation and we loved it. Hell, I never knew that it collected the first two games in one till the day I watched these videos.

[@SmileBaby143]

I got the first one on GameCube for 20$ at GameStop when I was 10 and that shit went hard. Lmfao

[@Anthestudios]

I still don't understand why they killed of the vibrant colour palettes of the first game and switched them for muddy brown. It just looks awful! Great video btw

[@openyourbank9426]

Jonii once again rolls onto the scene with more monkey blessing

[@ChiefMedicPururu]

I can't wait for the next SMB video!

[@camthesaxman3387]

8:35 Minor correction, Traveller's Tales is a British company, not American.

[@ericvilmer7920]

Super Monkey Ball Banana Crazy was released in an alternate universe

[@thenumenfrompacland9491]

This is a very fascinating and fun look into Deluxe. I've always been interested in getting SMBD. I do wish that a 3rd gamecube gane had been made tho, but hey with the recent remake, a cool new game in the style of 1&2 could happen!

[@neomachine855]

That's basically what Banana Splitz on the Vita is

[@Nic_2751]

Absolute great deep cut into Monkey Ball as expected

[@michelleciamacco9788]

god I love your humor so much and these monkies

[@fishysquad6372]

Godamn that video was really fucking good I just wanted you to know ❤️

[@RosbifChaud]

Could SMB Banana Crazy be the working title for SMB Adventure?

[@__-_.]

Excellent video as always! Might pick up deluxe on Xbox after this… I already got the first two games so it’s worth a shot 😳😳😳

[@Vereid]

I couldn’t stand the way Deluxe handles analogue control in the main game. It’s absolutely garbage and nowhere near as precise as the first 2 games, this isn’t even an issue with the controller (like many seem to think), it is the way they ported the game. It’s not 2’s engine either as if you port 1’s levels into 2 they play basically the same minus the camera angle difference. There is a hack of Deluxe for GC available and that is the best version imo (though it lacks minigames, so only the main game). Deluxe has always annoyed me because the thing you need the most for monkey ball, a decent analogue stick, they somehow managed to bungle. Anyway, enough salt out of me. Great video though!

[@Brandon71060]

Your voice sounds so much like SwagKage lol. Great vid!

[@boltuxs2674]

18:10 jeez that scared the soul out of me

[@KatsuyaTheFuuk]

I grew up with the Xbox port, and WOW! All I have to say is, I'm glad I didn't play it on PS2. I love the PS2, but holy fuck

[@ElliotGindiVO]

Why did you not mention the fan patch for SMB2 on GC that ports the Deluxe experience to the GC without the sound/graphical drawbacks?

[@Alberto9Herrera]

I remember getting the PS2 version of the game for my 12th birthday. I really wish I asked for the Xbox version instead…

[@RockBandHyenaOfficial]

It sounds quite empty without the ball rolling sounds.

[@brianmatttokyo688]

Very well done and informative. Your facts are spot on. Great research and your voice sounds very smooth.

[@Daroachie]

my favorite part of deluxe ps2 is the crusty voice clips you don't get that anywhere else

[@StoneOcean]

You make quality videos 👌

[@Leikjarinn]

what MIC do you use, MAN THIS IS SMOOTH!

[@joniivee]

In this and my other pre-Luigi videos, I use a Shure SM-57!

[@Leikjarinn]

@@joniivee thanks ! keep up the good work!

[@TamValleyProductions]

Great video!

[@kitterbug]

18:42 Big, yet common generalization. The PS2 was not weaker, it just had very unique architecture. It's CPU had lots of things thrown in there, from a MIPS R5900 based CPU core, and two equally as important co-processors, compared the Xbox and GameCube's more simple and standard x86 and PowerPC architectures respectively. The Xbox CPU is JUST an Intel Pentium III, and the GameCube's "Gekko" was based on the existing PowerPC 750CX series of processors, also by IBM. The Xbox and GameCube use Nvidia and ATi (now AMD I guess) graphics respectively. Graphics on PS2 was also pretty unique and custom. Just bringing that up to put in to reference how more standard (and used on other devices) the architectures of the PS2's main contemporaries were in comparison. TLDR; The PS2 was not weaker, it was more complex. Developers just had a rough learning curve with the platform. Blame the devs, not the machine.

[@Kittenfox_55]

I remember I had 3 three monkey ball games as a kid Banana Blitz & touch N Roll I could never beat so I ended up trading them in. Super monkey ball 2 the copy I got wouldn't work on my GameCube so I had to return it.

[@Howlabunga]

“Upgraded” MonkE

[@Torqegood]

Honestly I think how unfriendly the games are for newbies or casual people was always kind of mediocre. It always kept the arcade style of gameplay without being able to just keep putting coins in to continue, just making you restart. Like doing 210 stages without a continue to unlock more game kinda sucks, when a lot of stages you can just die instantly from a slight misplacement. Like a single stage that requires perfect precision and you only have to restart that one stage? Is alright, but when it makes you restart 10 stages it's kind of less enjoyable.

[@Amon_Gus799]

The PS2 is a prime example that power isn’t everything

[@sonicsnobody]

15:14 that doesn’t even say togglable… but still

[@Mythodyn]

You are funny. I subbed.

[@SonPac]

i had the ps2 version and never had played earlier games so i thought that's just how it was lol banana mania's great though

[@DragonProtector]

I wanna play all monkey race

[@Maxxieuguu]

I missed part of the premire.😢

[@W3BxW3B-]

Same

[@samuel-wankenobi]

This was the fist premiere I missed

[@StrangeSunset7]

I was actually going to get the xbox version until I heard there is no rolling sound. absolutely unacceptable. just got monkey ball 1 for $20.

[@megamike15]

monkeyball 3 was what nagoshi sold his soul for to make yakuza.

[@matthewevans6169]

i actually have 2 copies of dx for the xbox because its that good

[@starlingbaez6681]

12:50 well you ain't getting it

[@DragonProtector]

Your take on mania?

[@joniivee]

I actually made a first impressions video if you're curious about specifics but tl;dw: it's real good but has some problems.

[@DragonProtector]

@@joniivee i been playing it on switch and pc. I concluded my own thoughts to but ya it enjoyable still

[@peternormal469]

Imagine actually liking Swirl that's a yikes for me Honestly I feel a lot of the Deluxe exclusive stages are built around wasting your time, though at least most of them have cool skips. Like Veer Field is so ungodly massive you can literally use part of the background geometry to skip to the goal

[@DragonProtector]

I still play it a ton

[@IDIOTICNETWORKTV]

Finally I am so happy

[@StuffWePlay]

magical spell is ai ai poo

[@simongamer987]

This video will have 500,000 views soon

[@simongamer987]

It has 12,000 rn

[@idiotgaming6376]

This aged poorly

[@simongamer987]

@@idiotgaming6376 4 months is not enough time, come back in a year

[@JovialEclipse]

8:36 its British

[@spencergage95]

Deluxe just feels like a bootlegged monkey ball game.

[@Lando-kx6so]

Should've been on Sega Dreamcast

[@Diwasho]

Then the performance would be even worse than on PS2.

[@callinater6133]

@@Diwasho not if it was well optimised

[@DragonProtector]

I hate loading screens

[@itryen7632]

17:05 dude why do you pull out the porn nurse voice

[@DE23]

15:13 Yeah because you spelled it terribly!

[@ZiggityZeke]

*untoggleable

[@imnotnuggets]

Pog video

[@veyron1775]

PATERON!

[@BooomTomb]

Monkey ball 3 is deluxe

[@shawverno.1130]

No ball roll sound, trash game

[@matthewevans6169]

why the fuck are you playing the PS2? and not the XBOX?

[@WilliamMcCarthyIII]

both versions are covered in the video

[@mcteodore1]

After looking at your subscriptions, I have a few questions: 1. Quinton? Really? 2. Are you just subscribed to every breadtuber because "breadtuber all good, must watch" 3. Being subscribed to both Vinny Vinesauce and Sarah Z is pretty weird, since Sarah Z has defended her friend Redbard, who has insisted on defaming Vinny by pushing the false allegations which you must have heard about. 4. Same as 3, but replace Sarah with GeePM. That's a huge conflict since he's a dirty little backstabber and played a big role in constructing the allegations. 5. How can you be subscribed to so many based channels, but also so many fucking shit channels? Do you not suffer from the dissonance of the good content from Internet Historian, Vinny, Caddicarus, Larry Bundy, PatMac, Dankpods, Whang, and Brutalmoose, and the shit of so many of your other subscriptions?

[@KKlaryon]

This is a certified "touch grass" moment

[@MissiGNO000]

@@KKlaryon no actually its a copypasta, the original comment is furtherdown

[@KKlaryon]

@@MissiGNO000 yeah, Jon informed me I didn't go far enough down to find the original. Didn't realize it already digivolved into a copypasta

[@MidoseitoAkage]

You are not funny. Your random access-humor doesn't made me laugh. It's okay you made one joke or two, but now, it is too pushed beyond the limit and be annoying as hell. Especially when you ask people to subscribe; that one push my sensory (yeah, I am autism) to overloaded so much that I skipped and paused the video. This is really cringe. I prefer a document without the try hard to be funny. I know it's a part of your personality, but please, can you tame your jokes a little bit down and take your subjects with a balance of serious and made a little bit of joke please? Thank you.

[@theonlybilge]

After looking at your subscriptions, I have a few questions: 1. Quinton? Really? 2. Are you just subscribed to every breadtuber because "breadtuber all good, must watch" 3. Being subscribed to both Vinny Vinesauce and Sarah Z is pretty weird, since Sarah Z has defended her friend Redbard, who has insisted on defaming Vinny by pushing the false allegations which you must have heard about. 4. Same as 3, but replace Sarah with GeePM. That's a huge conflict since he's a dirty little backstabber and played a big role in constructing the allegations. 5. How can you be subscribed to so many based channels, but also so many fucking shit channels? Do you not suffer from the dissonance of the good content from Internet Historian, Vinny, Caddicarus, Larry Bundy, PatMac, Dankpods, Whang, and Brutalmoose, and the shit of so many of your other subscriptions?

[@mcteodore1]

Bro shut up "Bilge" you only got 1 sub and no hoes

[@monochromeeight9884]

Pretty tall order to personally keep track of so many KZbinrs, I bet he doesn't even remember subbing to half of them.

[@GamingLobotorny]

After looking at your subscriptions, I have a few questions: 1. Quinton? Really? 2. Are you just subscribed to every breadtuber because "breadtuber all good, must watch" 3. Being subscribed to both Vinny Vinesauce and Sarah Z is pretty weird, since Sarah Z has defended her friend Redbard, who has insisted on defaming Vinny by pushing the false allegations which you must have heard about. 4. Same as 3, but replace Sarah with GeePM. That's a huge conflict since he's a dirty little backstabber and played a big role in constructing the allegations. 5. How can you be subscribed to so many based channels, but also so many fucking shit channels? Do you not suffer from the dissonance of the good content from Internet Historian, Vinny, Caddicarus, Larry Bundy, PatMac, Dankpods, Whang, and Brutalmoose, and the shit of so many of your other subscriptions?

[@theonlybilge]

@@mcteodore1 Number of subscribers ≠ more correct, and I don't want "hoes".

[@theonlybilge]

@@monochromeeight9884 See, here's the secret: you can unsubscribe.