"The Magical Spell is Ei-Ei-Poo!!!"

Most people bought a Nintendo Gamecube when they first came out for either Rogue Leader or Luigi's Mansion in the hopes that it was the next Nintendo classic. Then, there were nimrods like me who were all excited about a little game called Super Monkey Ball by Sega's Amusement Vision Team. Sure, you could say it was just the Sega fan in me that ran straight to the Monkey Ball kiosks at the Nintendo Cube Clubs that showed off the Big N's new hardware, but I think I would have been excited about this game no matter what.

I'm sure my adoring legions of fans devoured every word of my first Monsters At Play review, Super Monkey Ball. I'm sure they were chimping at the bit for me to eek eek out a review on Amusement Vision's latest opus to the furry sphere loving monkeys. Well, while everyone was lining up last week for a crack at Super Mario Sunshine, this monkey boy was spending the extra cash to be one of the first people on the block with Super Monkey Ball 2.

With the release of the sequel, I am hoping that this game continues to build upon what I consider to be a solid foundation for a video game series even further into the future. The game is probably one of the most underrated sources of gaming fun that I have seen in a long time. The first Monkey Ball set the stage for a unique puzzle game in the vein of the ever classic, Marble Madness, (which I'm sure most of you out there probably never even heard of,) as well as providing some great little diversions with a handful of simian-sphere mini games which also propelled this title into an instant party game favorite. This game series really has a lot going for it and I hope people check it out with at least a rental.

Where can I begin with Super Monkey Ball 2? How about the new story mode? That's right, folks, Amusement Vision added a story mode to this game. Does the story make any sense? Oh no. Basically, it seems that Aiai and the gang are some kind of chimp super heroesÉ orÉ something. There is a bad buy, aptly named Dr. Bad Boon, who is stealing bananas and hell bent on making hot jungle monkey love to Mee Mee, who is obviously turned off by Dr. Bad Boon who isn't entirely unlike Tim Roth's "General Thade" character in Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes." Gon Gon just wants to kick some red baboon ass as Baby actually exclaims at one point, "I tink I wet myself!" Dr. Bad Boon is always quick with lines so bad I couldn't even make them up such as, "What do I have to do to get these monkeys off my back?"

Sure, you might not find crazy shit like "The Magical Spell is Ei-Ei-Poo!" as entertaining as I do, but there shear insanity of it all is really hard not to like. The story mode loosely ties together 10 worlds of 10 levels each, not including bonus levels. The best part about the story mode, as opposed to the original mode in the first game, is the fact that it has unlimited continues. This is almost necessary for a game that involves puzzles such as the ones found in Super Monkey Ball 2. Not only will you require some serious chilled monkey brains, but some amazing digit dexterity to get past some of these levels. The story mode allows you to play the levels in any order, and gives you a handy difficulty meter to give you a hint as to what you might be in for.

The good thing is that if you get stuck on a single level, you can skip it and finish the rest of them, however, you will be stuck in that world if you can't pass all ten levels in the world. For those who are looking for a more of a purist slice of Monkey Ball, the 'three lives and you're out' Challenge Mode still exist for those who want it. Challenge Mode is still grouped in three difficulty levels with a slew of new levels and an insane amount of bonus levels for those who are skilled enough to unlock them. The Challenge Mode also has another dose of some of the best ending credit sequences that I have ever played. That's right, played. Again, Amusement Vision throws the boring credits out the window and lets you collect bananas and wreck havoc with the credits in a little pointless, yet fun mini quest to collect the most bananas, complete with powerups and big scores.

One of the main goals for hammering through the Story and Challenge mode is to earn points, which you use to unlock the mini games so that you can monkey around with them at your leisure. The mini game portion of Super Monkey Ball 2 is in full force with a whopping 12 games which include variations of the original games' six mini games along with a six brand new games for your enjoyment. I'll just touch on each game, since overall, they are relatively simple.

1) Monkey Race 2 - Very similar to the first Monkey Race, it plays pretty much like a kart racer with the Monkey Ball physics. You can collect power ups, annoy your fellow racers and avoid falling off the custom tracks.

2) Monkey Fight 2 - The classic Monkey Fight returns with some new arena that offer some gameplay tweaks like walls which fall down as well as well as seemingly better tracking of scores.

3) Monkey Target 2 - The annoying game returns with gameplay that much more tolerable that the first incarnation of the game. There is a bit more to do this time around with clear cut paths to try and follow in the air to collect bananas and power ups which will aid in your attempt to stick a high scoring landing.

4) Monkey Billiards 2 - Shooting a game of pool with a bunch of monkeys in the balls is as much fun as it sounds, with added variations of the game just as 8 and 9 ball games.

5) Monkey Bowling 2 - Easily one of the most fun games from the original, Bowling is back with welcome new modes in addition to the classic. A new mode allows you to play a round on a tricky lane, which changes each frame as well as a challenge mode, which has a preset pattern of pins to knock down in one shot.

6) Monkey Golf 2 - Monkey duffers rejoice with a more realistic take on golf complete with sand traps, rough and lush fairways. It plays just like a good golf game should and is very enjoyable.

7) Monkey Boat - The first new game I played, and it sucks for the most part. What the hell were they thinking? The play mechanic requires a LOT of practice to even pretend you know what you are doing. Basically, the left and right triggers control the rowing of boat like you would a kayak. However, it just doesn't 'feel' right for some reason. Maybe it is just like the original Monkey Target, which requires a lot of practice in order to 'get.' I would leave this one for last if you were planning on unlocking them in order.

8) Monkey Shot - The Monkeys meet the Virtua Cops in a twisted mix of the games, which actually ends up being quite enjoyable. There is an R button 'lock-on' play mechanic, which comes in handy during the frantic banana blast-a-thon. For gameplay that generally requires a light gun, this surprisingly doesn't suck. You have plenty of baddies, ammo and power ups to help you through the waves enemies as well as a few tense boss encounters.

9) Monkey Dogfight - To fulfill my need for an obscure reference in this review, Monkey Dogfight reminds me of Warbirds on the Atari Lynx. This mini game feels like the biplane dog fighting found in the classic Lynx title. Add in pineapple monkey seeking missiles and you have yourself a mid air baboon brawl. Not the best game of the bunch, but it's interesting and fun for the most part.

10) Monkey Soccer - Sega Soccer Slam this isn't, but it still provides a nice diversion from the normal game and a hectic little monkey soccer battle. The gameplay feels a little sloppy, but it actually fits when you think about how the closed in chimps are unable to really control the soccer ball with their limbs. It might frustrate gamers at first, but once you seriously look at it, the game isn't bad.

11) Monkey Baseball - Now this game was a nice surprise. If you are an old school gamer like myself, then you might remember when you could find a hybrid pinball-like baseball game that played a lot like this mini game. It is a lot of fun, simple to play and provides enough diversity to actually make 9 innings not so much of a chore. Add in home run launching 'jump' ramps as well as other outfield gimmicks, and you have yourself a fun little time waster.

12) Monkey Tennis - Monkey tennis is pretty much like Tennis 2k2-lite. You can't really go wrong with that now can you?

Super Monkey Ball 2 ups the bar in every area compared to the first title. Not only do we get to enjoy new modes of play and extra levels, but the graphics have actually taken a nice step forward. The visuals in the first game were excellent and I would have been fine if they just kept the game on that same level. Amusement Vision, however, felt the need to push everything forward a few notches. Super Monkey Ball 2 features some really nice texture work on the Gamecube. Little touches like the water-like shimmering of the tiles in the sea levels of the Story mode may go unnoticed in the face of other games like Capcom's Resident Evil, but seeing beautiful attention to detail like the different grasses in Monkey Golf really put those component cables to good use.

The graphical touches also change between the Story Mode and Challenge mode, which feature many of the same levels with a different graphical slant. I am just impressed that Amusement Vision went through the trouble to add that much detail into the game, when they really didn't have to. Super Monkey Ball 2 also features really lush and active backdrops for the levels, with loads of effects and crisp eye candy throughout.

The sound in Super Monkey Ball 2 is a little more diverse than the first game, but still familiar throughout. For those who are familiar with the Sega-style peppy arcade game music, you will feel right at home. While you might not be running out to buy the soundtrack, I can't imagine you will be reaching for an ice pick to gouge out your ear drums either. The monkeys of course, have a whole slew of new noises for your enjoyment in the story mode, as well as new grunts in the mini games and screams as they plummet to their deaths when you are victim to the horrible 'fallout.'

The controls in Super Monkey Ball 2 feel even tighter than the first game if that is even possible. You really never feel that you are out of control in the game, unless of course you are doing it on purpose. The gameplay in the levels even feature more interaction that the original title, just as the CD player-like control buttons which speed up, slow down, or even pause level elements, which is necessary in order to complete the stages. The new level tweaks are a welcome edition and some of the levels just seem impossible at first, but there is usually always a way.

Super Monkey Ball 2 is a fun game overall. Some levels may make you wish you have never seen a monkey, and sometimes you might feel guilty hearing the 143rd blood curdling screen as your monkey falls to his/her death, but this game tends to remain fun, especially due to the mini games and rock solid attention to detail overall. It is goofy, light hearted and awesome to play when friends are over. (Add beer to mix to get them to play... they might be resistant at first.) It's a shame that this game was released the same day as Mario, I have a feeling a lot of people may miss out on this title because of the well financed marketing of the iconic plumber. If you pick this game up, do so. If you're just curious about the title, give it a rent, and then buy a copy for yourself. Either way, enjoy the game.