Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is an entry in a series that has entertained players since the GameCube days with a simple yet tricky premise: a monkey trapped inside a transparent ball doesn't roll directly, but only through tilting the entire play field. The goal of each level is to get the ball safely to the goal without falling off the edge of the course, collect as many bananas as possible, and survive increasingly demanding and inventive obstacles, from moving bridges to spinning platforms.

The key difference from earlier entries came from the Wii controller. Instead of an analog stick, the course is tilted by the physical movement of the Wii Remote in the player's hand, which changes the whole feel of the game – instead of fine corrections with a thumb, it's rougher, more physical gestures that demand a different kind of precision and a different learning curve, and some longtime fans had to get used to it all over again. Because of this control scheme, the developers also reworked the level design, simplifying some technical sections that required fine-tuned control, while adding an extensive set of party minigames and multiplayer battle modes that make full use of the motion controls – from slingshot shooting to races on a board. Banana Blitz thus feels more like a standalone title built around a new generation of controllers than a direct port of earlier entries to another console, and it remains one of the most striking examples of how much motion controls can transform an established game mechanic.

Why play it: Banana Blitz will appeal to players who want to experience just how much a single change in control scheme can transform the feel of an established game, and to fans of the Wii era looking for an easygoing but inventive game suited to playing with a group in front of one TV.