Posts Tagged ‘madness series’
July 8th, 2009 | 
Author: Super Monkey Ball is the iPhone variant of the well known Gamecube racing game series. The series has been released on GBA, PS2, Nintendo’s Wii, Nokia N-gage and Xbox as well. If you have not played a game in this series, try to remember the Marble Madness series. The resemblance is striking. This game was released on launch day and has lived up to its hype and quickly became the top selling game.
In this game, you are a monkey trapped in a ball. Your have to travel and get across hazardous terrain. This game is all about competing against your skills. How often can you best your own efforts? That is the crux of the game. The phrase ‘bubble monkey’ keeps coming up in the minds of those who follow Seinfeld.
Ever tried controlling a monkey? If not, then you will find out how difficult it is to do so when you play this game. Controlling the movements of the monkey is the most difficult part. Speed affects control and maneuverability. Unless you get the right balance between speed and control, you will find yourself either lagging behind or crashing at every other turn. As if this was not difficult enough, there are ledges from where you can easily slide off the screen. What results is a soulful and painful wail from the monkey along with a loss of a valuable life in the game. The ledges are present in all levels and you will crash the moment you opt for high acceleration to boost your timing. You know what to do and you also know how it is to be done. However, doing it often turns out to be more difficult than you can imagine.
There are 110 levels (that is right 110) to cross and some levels open up only when you successfully achieve set targets. Until then, it remains locked. Apart from rushing through the levels as fast as possible, you have to collect bananas (you are a monkey, what did you expect?) as you cross the levels. Collect many bananas to unlock new levels and also earn a new life in the game. You will have to replay levels until you get the required number of bananas. This often makes gamers go bananas if they are unable to succeed even after numerous attempts. If you were good at Marble Madness, then you will find this game easier to complete.
This game is one of the oldest games to be added to Super Monkey Ball. However, the graphics are cutting edge and will give the best a run for their money. The environment is 3D, colorful and well designed. With 110 levels in the game, it is but obvious that some levels would have ordinary designs. Hence, be prepared for some duds in the game. Thanks to the developers, the monkeys are cute and you have four different monkeys to choose from. They do not differ a lot in parameters.
The controls work solely through tilting the iPhone. This is not very easy and requires practice. You need a steady hand as the tilting control is very sensitive. If you tilt too far, the monkey will flip over and you shall lose a life in the game. In fact, many players have complained that the controls are too sensitive for comfort. However, the tilting has to be sensitive as strong tilts will make it even more difficult to play the game. Hence, the smartest thing to do is get used to the controls as early as possible. The game does not have additional modes. This works against it and many may feel that it becomes monotonous very soon. Despite this flaw, the game is very popular. The combination of crossing levels at top speed and collecting bananas in the process is a good one. This game is a favorite of many iPhone owners and is highly recommended.
Final Score: 9.5/10
Want to read more iphone game reviews? Then goto http://goodiphonegames.com
Article Source: iPhone Games: Super Monkey Ball Review
Even if you’ve played all other previous installments in the NCAA March Madness series, you should know that 2008’s NCAA 09 Basketball is different from the rest. For one thing, the focus right now is on team selection and game tempo above all things. Here are a few tips to help you understand this all-new but much-improved game!
Game Play Tempo
To play and win in NCAA 09 Basketball, you need to know the preferred game style of your chosen team. If you’ve gone for UCLA, you should know that perform better with balanced plays between running and half court games. Memphis, however, is a run-and-gun game, able to perform miracles when the adrenaline’s pumping and the crowd is shouting their name.
Coaching Advice
Thanks to an exclusive deal between EA and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, you can now receive significant advice on how to play your game from NCAA Division I coaches. A meter will show whether you’re playing a slow, moderate, or fast game tempo. Pop-up windows will reveal words of wisdom from your coaches, telling you how to best maintain, regain, or control the pace for the game.
Rival Matches
Do you study in Kansas? Then you probably hate Mizzou and everything related to it. Do you study in Duke? Then you probably detest everything that has to do with UNC. These rivalries add color to the league and NCAA 09 Basketball takes that into account by incorporating a new rival-centric matching feature in the game.
When you choose the Rival game mode, you’ll be able to see which of your team’s rival schools are online. Select your opponent, strike up a match, and you can kick the ball rolling!
Dynamic Post Play
New and improved post-play controls have been added to NCAA 09 Basketball to ensure that you’re in the driver’s seat at every part of the game. Your big man also has more offensive and defensive options to choose from. As it is, everything you need to win is virtually handed to you on a silver platter; you just need to know the actual playing strategies used by your chosen team.
An All-New Recruiting System
The acclaimed recruiting system used in NCAA 08 Football has finally been applied for NCAA Basketball as well. Every time you finish a task set by the team alumni or staff, you get to upgrade player performance and unlock new facilities. Scouting reports will also help you determine the best recruits for your team.
As you can see, NCAA 09 Basketball is different in a lot of things with its predecessors but the changes are all for the better, aren’t they?
Playing NCAA Basketball 09 will be more fun if you have downloaded the most accurate NCAA Basketball 09 rosters. Learn what your options are.
Article Source: How to Play EA’s NCAA 09 Basketball Game