Introduction
One of the first games for the GameCube and the first game by Sega for it, Super Monkey Ball is unique to say the least. The name does serve a purpose at describing the game. Essentially, you guide one of five different monkeys, which are inside clear, colored balls, through several different mazes in order to unlock some of coolest mini-games on the planet and be top monkey.

Gameplay
Another aspect you won’t see puzzle games leaning their sales are is the sounds. In the past I have found some of the music and general sounds and music to get repetitive and start to annoy me, but not so with Monkey Ball. In fact, I didn’t even notice the music and sounds while concentrating with some of the most difficult mazes. SMB provides the sound effects you NEED, without annoying chirping in the background.

Story
When you consider the arcade version of this game has a banana as a control stick, it’s no surprise this game originated in Japan and that in turn should prepare you for bright pretty graphics. This is, after all, a puzzle game at heart. The balls that the characters inhabit are smooth and the stages, which are designed in geometrical shapes, look clear. With a game like this, graphics aren’t a huge deal, but Sega hits the nail on the head, not too flashy, not too dull.

Graphics
If the graphics are so-so and the sound is just there for necessity, what makes this game so good? The simple answer is the gameplay, of course. Not only is there numerous levels and mazes (not the traditional mazes we’re talking about here), but they are all different. It may appear like you are steering the monkey in the ball, but you are in fact tilting the table the make it roll in that direction. Steering the ball isn’t as hard as in those games with the tiny metal ball you guide into numerous holes, but it isn’t a piece of cake either, especially on the levels with literally THREAD thin tracks you can attempt to follow. Most of the “mazes” don’t have walls, but obstacles and several different aspects, including bananas on each levels (a hundred bananas get you one extra life). If you get bored with the main game, you can plug in up to three of your pals and play three of the already unlocked mini-games. You start with Monkey Fight (very fun), Monkey Race (need a little replacement for Mario Kart GC?), and Monkey Target (which has to be the most fun of all the mini-games). In addition to these multiplayer games, you can unlock Monkey Golf, Monkey Billiards, and Monkey Bowling by playing the single player game.

Sound
Everyone won’t love super Monkey Ball, but it is a truly fun game, if you have people to play the game with. SMB brings some of the best (if not THE best, some would contest Mario Party 4 is the best) multiplayer on the GameCube. This is the only one of the first launch games I still play a lot and SMB2 is said to be even better. For now, this game should be discounted and is definitely worth your money if you are looking for a good time or one of those “sleep over” games.