Some of the most popular games these days try to ground themselves in reality, or, failing that, are complete bloody messes.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to play Assassin’s Creed or Call of Duty. But if I want to feel like a kid again, to remember being in awe of recent video games, I think back to Super Monkey Ball on the GameCube.
Sega’s arcade-style party game is colorful. It’s got four monkeys rolling around visually stimulating environments in spheres as they race, fight and try to hit the bull’s-eye on giant targets floating in the ocean.
In other words, it’s completely ridiculous.
My brother and I, 11 years old at the time, grinned uncontrollably as we played the Monkey Race mode. Though we did not own the Nintendo 64’s rumble pak, the GameCube had a built in rumble motor. As we shot power-ups at each other, our hands shook as our monkeys swerved across the track, and we smiled at the new sensation of a shaking controller.
The graphics were great for the time, and they still hold up in a cartoony fashion. It’s appropriate for the light celebration of fun and competition that Super Monkey Ball is.
When Nintendo released the GameCube in 2001, I didn’t have a memory card. While my brother and I were frustrated we could not save our progress in Luigi’s Mansion, we didn’t mind restarting Super Monkey Ball over and over again, launching AiAi, MeeMee, Baby and GonGon onto racetracks and across obstacles.
I think we tend to forget games can be about pure joy. Super Monkey Ball is competitive, sure, but it also brought smiles to the faces of two kids and their friends whenever they played it. These days a lot of multiplayer games are played primarily online or are aimed at more adult audiences.
It may not be a masterpiece, but take some time with a little sibling or cousin, some friends or even just the kid in you, pick up Super Monkey Ball and remember why you fell in love with games in the first place.
