I don't know what modes are going to be in this or how they'll present them, but the story mode in Super Monkey Ball 2 is pretty good for beginners since it lets you retry stages infinitely, so you can figure each stage out at your own pace.
I really hope the physics are good in here. I'm mostly interested in this for the opportunity to play Monkey Ball 1 portably (not a big fan of 2's level design) and the options and modes (reverse courses???) seem neat. It would be a really nice touch if Competition Mode were back, and playable on Monkey Ball 2 stages. This is a really pleasant surprise for an anniversary game, though. I just hope it can meet my expectations.
A new trailer just showing off some features and environments. Honestly kinda surprised that they didn't really redesign Dr. Bad-boon, plus the cutscenes are now like weird little motion comics which seems... cheaper than the old cutscenes. I have to wonder if they kept that end of world song they sang... kinda hope they didn't lol
They likely didn't have the original cutscene files anymore, and the pre-rendered stuff for Deluxe wouldn't cut it for 4K, even AI upscaled. Also gotta incorporate the newer characters in. Cutscenes haven't really been a priority for Sega lately. Team Sonic Racing and Forces were pretty cheap on that front.
Does anyone know if there is jumping in this? At 0:05, it looks like Aiai jumps to the end goal of the stage. It's the one thing that needs to be removed from Super Monkey Ball (in my opinion) as it really doesn't work with these classic stages. Otherwise, I might pick it up just to experience the crazy from the first 2 games again. I also hope the original music returns, as I have a soft spot for it. And Monkey Target...
I love jumping as an optional feature. It sounds like an incredibly fun, new, separate metagame for speedrunning.
There's DLC for the original music, although I don't know if that means they made an all-new soundtrack or if it comes with a remastered soundtrack.
I'm not familiar with the original games, but based on this video showcasing the DLC for the original music I'm guessing the default soundtrack is all-new - the default menu music can be heard before they switch to the DLC original soundtracks, and it sounds like a totally different track. Side note - the same account has been posting lots of other small snippets of the game in the lead up to its release, showing off a few new features in the process. Anyone interested in learning more about what's on offer should definitely check it out.
I have to wonder if it's another case where Sega doesn't own the rights, and it's just easier for them to work out a licensing deal for DLC than for the main game.
I think it's more "we can make more money selling things separate that would have been extras 10 years ago."
But why go to the trouble of making a whole new soundtrack? Surely they would know that people would be more than willing to buy it with the original soundtrack.
If they include the original soundtrack as default and try to get people to pay more for a new soundtrack, nobody will. If they include the new soundtrack as default and try to get people to pay more for the original soundtrack, plenty will. Practically nobody will say "I'm not buying the game because of the soundtrack" so all they need is the sales of the original soundtrack DLC to recoup the costs of making a new soundtrack and they're laughing their way to the bank.
Switch version confirmed to run at 60fps, so anyone who was worried it might be locked to 30 can now relax. Also confirms there's an option for gyro controls. = )
This game just keeps sounding better and better. I hope that it helps the franchise to to take off again. It was a big thing back on the GCN and SEGA thoroughly dropped the ball in later years. Monkey Ball deserves better than it got for several years. Between this game and the strange choice to remake Banana Blitz, it looks like it might finally be back on track.
Lots of additional stuff announced recently: Screenshots of the classic-styled alternate skins for the main cast were showcased, including classic-styled variants of YanYan and Doctor. Jam and Jet from Step and Roll and 3D will be playable. In terms of (officially announced) guest characters, Sonic was shown briefly at the end of a recent trailer. Though the other previously-leaked guest hasn't been announced yet, Beat from Jet Set Radio has also been confirmed to join the roster.
Why is Beat in this game? Sonic and Tails I can understand, but Beat? That's just so random and outlandish. Of course I'm not complaining in the slightest; any JSR love is more than welcome in my books. But that doesn't make it any less of a bizarre choice for this game.
Your guess is as good as mine - it's a rather strange choice, especially since unlike the other announced characters they've had to give him a cartoony redesign to fit into the Monkey Ball world. Still, it's pretty cool that he's there - makes me hope they might release more DLC soundtracks themed around the guest characters down the line, as it'd be great to blast through the stages with Beat while listening to some actual Jet Set Radio tunes. On that note - couple more updates: Jet and Jam will have some alternate outfits/forms available in the form of B. Jet and N. Jam Masao Shirosaki posted a brief look at Beat up-close on Twitter After the previous leaks, Tails is now officially announced as a guest character, along with a better look at Sonic in action
Someone posted a bit of Tails gameplay. His animations are pretty cute. They also uploaded Sonic footage but it's the same ol animations they've recycled since Generations, so I'm not going to bother posting that here. Omg I just noticed, but this looks like the 1st Monkey Ball game with proper camera controls. Holy shit about time.
