iPhone App Review: Super MonkeyBall

Super MonkeyBall Image Gallery

One of the unique features of the iPhone is its accelerometer, a gizmo that “senses” the orientation of the phone as you move it. Game developers have begun using the accelerometer as a way to control movement in games on the iPhone. A perfect example of this is the new game Super MonkeyBall from Sega. The premise of the game is to maneuver your monkey, who is in a see through ball, through the stage and make it to the goal. You use the phone to move the stage up and down and from side to side, which will roll your monkey around and control the speed of which you move. It is very difficult at first (for me at least), but once you get the hang of it, this game will have you hooked. You collect bananas as you move throughout the stage. Once you collect enough bananas you will gain an extra life, which you will defiantly need as the difficulty progresses. The first few stages have borders along the way to help you not fall off the sides of the stage. As the levels progress you will have to really gain a good control over your speed and movements as the borders are removed and more obstacles are placed throughout the levels. All in all Super MonkeyBall is a fun and addicting game. It can be a little tough at first due to the sensitivity of the accelerometer, but with practice it can be handled fairly well. Is it worth $10? I would say yes. Its fun enough to pick up and play a few levels then put down if you need to, or you could spend hours trying to collect every last banana and getting a perfect on each level. Overall I would recommend Super MonkeyBall to anyone looking for a great game for their iPhone.