Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz

Loads of content, great mini games and a very complete 'challenge mode'. Except for tiny issues here and there, this Super Monkey Ball is an excellent choice for those looking for a skill-demanding platformer.

Banana Splitz is a return to form for the Super Monkey Ball series, and well worth a roll.

A surprising turn for the Super Monkey Ball franchise. [Issue#224, p.77]

One of the finest edition of Super Monkey Ball in recent years. It´s fun, simple and varied.

Fun and joyous more than ever, and tries to introduce something new in series of games too similar one another. Still, it's not perfect and costs way too much.

The difficulty ramp is well designed, with occasional spikes to tease you with what the designers have planned for you later, and to a level, the game is fun to play. It's occasionally infuriating, but never frustrating; if you fail, you know it's because you need to perfect your technique, not because there's something fundamentally wrong with the game.

Classic Monkey Ball, with some nice stages. Lacks depth, though, and the shoddy use of Vita's controls takes the shine off. [Christmas 2012, p.103]

By turns air-punchingly joyous and bite-your-Vita frustrating. [Dec 2012, p.95]

Roll your way through hundreds of levels on your own just like in the good old days, or compete against your friends online. Super Monkey Ball is a pleasant break for anyone who likes bananas or just likes to go apesh.t. [November 2012, p.93]

Gone are the wide beams and lovely safety fences around the edges of levels that we'd grown used to. They're replaced with a brand of fiendishness that'll have you tearing your hair out, punching objects and hurling your Vita across the room. Only to pick it up and have another, begrudging, go. [December 2012, p74]

A fun and often pretty challenging platformer, plagued by mediocre Vita controls and a disappointing level editor.

Super Monkey Ball fans should check this Vita exclusive out, and with Sega selling the game at a reduced price of £14.99, gamers can enjoy playing Banana Splitz without needing to splash the cash.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz is the best Monkey Ball game since the original. Though it has some flaws it offers more variety of gameplay, intuitive controls and enormous challenge.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz is packed to the rafters with great content, but lengthy load times and clunky menus break its flow. The original game remains the best in the series, but this is still well worth a roll.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz does exactly what you expect it to do, but nothing else. The gameplay is as addicting and challenging as it's been for years and uses the Vita's tilt-sensor. The quality of the mini-games it comes with isn't as consistent as the main game, but the good ones form the majority here. It's not a 'must have', not by a long shot. But it does expand the Vita's library by adding onto it with yet another good game.

Too much monkeying with the recipe lets the side down after a promising start. [Christmas 2012, p.85]

The most fun part of this game are the mini games. The challenge mode is nice to play, however it has its shortcomings. The camera position isn't always working so well. But the levels are different and nice to play.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz do not represent a big debut on the PS Vita. It is surely a funny game but the problems on the level design side of the game show every limit of the title.

The Monkey Ball series have been in a downward slope ever since the first brilliant game, but this is one of be the best since then. Graphics are very nice and there is a lot of content including some decent mini games, but while it's all competently done there is no denying that the magic has been lost over all these years.

Sega tries to go back to the original formula with cleaner and simpler gameplay. That's the right way to go, but there's still too much that just feels off in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz.

There is plenty of levels that will take hours to get through, it is ultimately a repetitive experience, it can also be very addictive. There is a lot to do here, it is a premium price point for what is a simple game with simple and addictive game play. If you are looking for an enjoyable pick up and play title for the Vita this may be the one for you, simple to play with a steady difficulty curve.

In any case, the simple concept can be quite a bit of fun, which is in no small part thanks to the well-tempered difficulty curve. Still, it could be a lot better in many regards, which keeps this entry in the long running series from reaching the must-have status SEGA's monkeys once had among sociable Gamecube fans.

It's a shame that the game's second half diminishes the appeal.

Banana Splitz is a decent game, and it's certainly up there with recent attempts to get the Monkey Ball series back on track, but it's becoming a little long in the tooth now with the developers not really pushing the title forwards enough to really recreate the magic that the first couple offered.

It's probably quite fitting that anyone who wants to recreate Monkey Ball's past in this way will be left a little disappointed. Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz sees Marvelous AQL and Sega attempting much the same trick and earning much the same result. This does enough to stop the rot, but it can never quite turn back the clock.

If you really love Monkey Ball, have no intention of playing anything outside of single-player, and come in with low expectations, you might enjoy Banana Splitz if it ever goes on sale one day. While it's not offensively bad like Super Monkey Ball Adventure, you'll most likely want to roll right on past this one.

New chapter of Sega's ten years long series, Super Monkey Ball : Banana Splitz comes in on PS Vita. A new console for a new concept? Not really. Indeed, it's difficult to differentiate this episode from previous ones. Same gameplay mechanics, same characters, and in fact same problems. Of course, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz contains many mini-games, approximately 100 levels and online play, but the game is unable to drive the player to endure a dangerous lack of originality.

Banana Splitz's disappointing collection of minigames can't live up to the standards of classic Monkey Ball gameplay.

While the Super Monkey Ball series is one of the most loved, this chapter fails to convey the appeal of his predecessors. No good minigames, no new mechanics, no better graphics. Try it if you're a Monkey Ball's fan. If not, just pass trough. There are better games to play, even on Vita.