Super Monkey Ball for the Nintendo DS - New Info

This new DS version of Amusement Vision's classic monkey-roller shows off that versatility like no other title in the series. Using the touchscreen to guide Aiai, Baby, Gongon and Mimi through the game changes the gameplay at a fundamental level. Is it as fun as the big Monkey Ball console games, though? We took a preview version for a spin at the Tokyo Game Show to find out.

Unusually, Sega has opted for two very different control systems in Super Monkey Ball DS. One setup, used in the main game of course navigation and banana collection, has you running the stylus over a touch-screen representation of your Monkey Ball to direct its movement on the top screen. You can build momentum and move your character in any direction by frequent, quick upward strokes. To slow down, you simply apply some downward strokes.

In Super Monkey Ball's party games, however, the action is viewed on the touch screen (the top screen is left for the display of maps and stats) and stylus control is at the same time retained. In Monkey Race mode, this means that -- kind of like a Kirby: Canvas Curse in 3D -- you must move the stylus ahead of your chimp to guide it. The slight problem we have with this is that on occasion our hand obscures our view of the track ahead. It really depends on the course layout, but sometimes this can be frustrating.

In Monkey Air (that's hockey) and Monkey Fight modes, this problem doesn't occur because the action is seen from a top-down perspective. Control in these modes is simple. In Monkey Air, you just draw paddles on the screen to rebound the ricocheting puck. And in Monkey Fight you move your chimp by dragging the stylus and then punch opponents by the tapping the screen. Monkey Golf is an anomaly in which you operate a traditional two-tap swing-and-hit system on the touch screen and view the golf (very pretty it is too) on the main screen.

Although the visuals in Monkey Air and Fight are basic, the main game and both Race and Golf party games display Monkey Ball in its customary 3D beauty. Of course visual detail is lacking in comparison with the arcade original, yet thanks to the small screens of Nintendo's DS it appears crisp and bright. It's also remarkable how smoothly the action plays out -- there's no jerkiness or slowdown to speak of.

As with the home console versions of Super Monkey Ball, this new DS edition will keep players happy for a very long time. There are more than 100 stages to work through in the main game. In multiplayer, which caters for up to four players over wireless link-up, Monkey Ball DS proves to be one of the most enjoyable titles of the year. We're looking forward to some serious Monkey Fight competition over the holidays.

Super Monkey Ball DS will launch in Japan on December 1st. A domestic release is planned but no firm date has yet been confirmed. We'll keep you posted.