In addition to the main gameplay of the Super Monkey Ball series of guiding a monkey in a ball towards a goal, each entry also comes with a variety of party games. These either see players engage in sports or other activities such as shooting or fighting.
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Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania includes twelve of these, the same that were included in Super Monkey Ball 2 for the Nintendo GameCube. If you are jumping into this game with friends, be sure to start from the first entry on this list going backwards to ensure you start with the best of the best.
12 Monkey Dogfight
This minigame tasks players with shooting each other out of the sky. Unfortunately, the levels are too big for their own good and the controls just don't feel good.
It simply is not satisfying to shoot your friends' flying monkeys down. There are other combat-focused games on this list, and all of them are better than Monkey Dogfight.
11 Monkey Boat
This activity tries to to put a spin on the kart racer by having players race against each other in boats. You use the shoulder buttons to control the direction of the boat, like a row boat.
The execution leaves a lot to be desired from this interesting idea. It is fairly easy to get a hang of the mechanics, so at least it doesn't control poorly.
10 Monkey Tennis
Of all the sports-related minigames on the list, Monkey Tennis is the most straightforward. It is tennis and that's all there is to it. There is no interesting spin and it is also the most shallow version of tennis in the game.
If you want to play a tennis minigame, you are better off playing it with friends in Grand Theft Auto Online. It also doesn't make sense how the characters are able to hold the rackets.
9 Monkey Billiards
It is difficult to recreate the feeling of billiards within a video game. The nuances of setting up a shot just don't translate onto a controller. All the same, Monkey Billiards is a fun, if simple, interpratation of the sport.
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There is almost none of the skill of the actual sport involved since lines on the table tell you where the balls are going to go. Don't expect your actual pool skills to improve in this fun diversion.
8 Monkey Fight
While the characters all seem to be friendly with each other, this does not stop them from sparring in Monkey Fight. Everybody gets a large boxing glove and tries to either destroy each other's health bar or knock them off the side of the stage.
Depending on one's skill level, rounds can last as little as five seconds. It is not quite to the level of Gang Beasts, but it still suffices as a minigame in Monkey Ball.
7 Monkey Golf
The game was kind enough to include both regular and minigolf. Not everyone is into playing on large, open fields, so shrinking down the playfield makes it more enjoyable.
There are only 18 holes in all, so you most likely will not get a lot of playtime out of this. All the same, the courses are creative and they are fun to conquer. Even if you don't like golf, the rules are easy to understand.
6 Monkey Soccer
Being one of the most popular sports on the planet, of course the developers also had to include soccer into the mix. Like many of the other games, it is a simplified version of the sport, but this only makes it more accessible.
Unlike real games of soccer, scores can rack up quickly and the ball regularly bounces from one side of the field to the other.
5 Monkey Target
This is perhaps one of the hardest games on the list. Players roll off a ramp and glide towards a target with the intent of landing on the highest score value possible.
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Learning how to properly guide takes time, and then there is knowing how to land in order to properly roll. It is surprisingly satisfying once you get the hang of it.
4 Monkey Baseball
Monkey Baseball drastically changes several rules from the real sport. Because none of these minigames work as a simulation, the new rules work in its favor.
Becasue everybody is trapped in a ball, the pitcher throws themselves at the batter. Instead of manually running around the bases, your run is determined by where the balls land.
3 Monkey Race
Racing is surprisingly in-depth. It comes with a large handful of tracks and there are numerous powerups for you to pick up to gain an upperhand. You can also go for fast laptimes by yourself.
Of course, if you are on the Nintendo Switch you are better served playing Mario Kart 8, but on the other consoles you don't have as big a choice when it comes to kart racers.
2 Monkey Shot
Monkey Shot is an honest-to-goodness rail-shooter. The levels are short and the enemy placement is uninspired, though no one should expect a Time Crisis clone from a simple minigame in a larger title.
There are three stages in all and they end with a boss fight. Because of the short levels it does not have as high a replay value as the competitive games. Sometimes, some good levels are better than a competitive mode.
1 Monkey Bowling
Bowling is by far the best among the party games. The controls are simple and you constantly want to get a little bit better.
For a little extra spice, you can play in special lanes that change up the playing field you throw the ball down. The ability to spin also makes it unique from other bowling minigames in other titles.
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