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[Kolgar]

Fewer polygons at half the frame rate, oh boy!

I've owned the Gamecube games (well, minus SMB2, which I traded off after it nearly turned me into a homicidal maniac) but never thought the visuals were anything special.

But apparently they are, because a friend brought over the PS2 "Deluxe" version and I simply couldn't believe how dumbed down it was. Water completely lacked the translucent "wet" look, the lighting distorted the colors, the monkeys and bananas were built from considerably fewer polygons, and - worst of all - the frame rate looked to be about half that of the GC version.

Surely PS2 is capable of better? What, did Sega put its B-team on this one? Or should I have a new respect for my lil' Gamecube?

 

[dark10x]

Surely PS2 is capable of better? What, did Sega put its B-team on this one?

Yes and yes.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

should have bought it for xbox

 

[White Man]

Sega only has b-teams these days. :-(

 

[radioheadrule83]

The water is nice on the GC version... tends to be true of many GC games.

At least you'd played the GCN versions. Anyone who had the opportunity but hasn't played them before SMB DX came out on PS2 and Xbox? Fie on you, cretinous dogs!

 

[segasonic]

Sega only has b-teams these days. :-(

and the OutRun2 Team!!!

 

[WrathOfOtaibah]

I notice GC tends to excel in water effects

 

[dark10x]

I notice GC tends to excel in water effects

There is nothing special about the GC's ability to render water. Anything with DX8+ class (speaking on PC terms here) hardware can do the same and more...

 

[DECK'ARD]

Renderware was to blame for the ports I think, PS2 Renderware things always suffer.

 

[dark10x]

Renderware was to blame for the ports.

The inability to USE Renderware is to blame...

The creators of Renderware certainly prove that it can do some amazing things (ie - Burnout 3/BO:Legends). Those are some amazing looking games...and the PS2 versions look better than the XB version even! Criterion knows their shit...

 

[FiRez]

The inability to USE Renderware is to blame...

The creators of Renderware certainly prove that it can do some amazing things (ie - Burnout 3/BO:Legends). Those are some amazing looking games...and the PS2 versions look better than the XB version even! Criterion knows their shit...

mm....they edited and almost re-wrote their own middleware suite to be able to port their latest games (B3, B:R, black) and achieve that result....and.....nvm.......I don't want to argue about sparks..

 

[Sp3eD]

SMB : DX was pretty much garbage anyway. Not because of the content, but the control on BOTH systems. PS2 and Xbox analog sticks are HORRIBLE for monkeyball thus making the entire game pointless.

 

[dark10x]

....and.....nvm.......I don't want to argue about sparks..

What, you don't want to talk about just one of the many missing features from the XBOX versions? :lol

 

[DECK'ARD]

On a slightly different note, I just wish we'd seen SMB3 using the F-Zero engine.

Damn you Sega and your lack of monkeys.

 

[FiRez]

What, you don't want to talk about just one of the many missing features from the XBOX versions? :lol

No, my point was that the renderware version that Criterion use is almost enterily custom and only for their own games (duh....they are the creators of renderware)....so, the results that others devs have with renderware can be very different.
and about the sparks I can take it, if that means that I've the same graphics and support for my own music playlists.

 

[dark10x]

No, my point was that the renderware version that Criterion use is almost enterily custom and only for their own games

Obviously that's true, but is there no way to modify Renderware itself as a 3rd party developer? Are you stuck with what it provides?

and about the sparks I can take it, if that means that I've the same graphics and support for my own music playlists

Hey, I played BO3 on XBOX. I'm simply saying that the sparks only represent only one small area of reduction. The XBOX version is missing many effects (more the case with the upcoming Legends, it would seem)...not just the sparks.

 

[Version 3.0]

SMB : DX was pretty much garbage anyway. Not because of the content, but the control on BOTH systems. PS2 and Xbox analog sticks are HORRIBLE for monkeyball thus making the entire game pointless.

The Cube's analog stick is more precise, but the PS2 and Xbox sticks aren't as bad as this game's control would lead you to believe. It's the games' fault, not the controllers', that SMB Deluxe is nigh-impossible to play.

 

[TheTurtleTitan]

Is Super Monkey Ball DX on Xbox any better? Big fan, but I won't bother if it's that bad.

 

[M3wThr33]

Just buy the GameCube versions.

 

[MomoPufflet]

Sega only has b-teams these days. :-(

Sad but true.

 

[jarrod]

Is Super Monkey Ball DX on Xbox any better? Big fan, but I won't bother if it's that bad.

I echo this question. I think I'd like to pick up DX along with my 360 in November...

 

[Sp3eD]

to anybody interested in DX, have fun falling off the catwalk level (easy level 29 I believe) a billion times due to shit control. And lets not even talk about any of the medium skill levels....

Stick to the GC versions.

 

[DCX]

should have bought it for xbox

Do you have it for XBOX? Has is the analog response VS the Gamecube version.

DCX

 

[Version 3.0]

The Xbox version of Deluxe looks just as nice as the Gamecube versions, but the analog control is so over-sensitive, it's almost like playing with digital controls. It's not a big deal on a lot of levels, because a lot of the time you don't need to be precise; you can just go and bounce to the goal one way or another. But sometimes you need precision, and then you're screwed.

Speaking of "Just Go": (my site)

http://www.gameswelike.com/web/monkeyball.htm

There are also some strange differences that you'd notice if you've played the Cube versions a lot (like I have).
For example, the ball rolling noise is almost silent. The main part of it isn't there at all, but there's a subtle sort of background noise that got left in. It's weird.

Also, you can roll the ball straight backwards towards the camera for a few seconds before the camera (or your monkey) turns around. I'm not sure what to make of that; I'm inclined to blame it on the uber-sensitive analog control.

Another difference is that they changed the starting point on the moving parts of levels. There are a lot of cases, especially in Monkey Ball 2, where you need to navigate moving parts at certain times. Thanks to their messing with the movement of these parts, I find that there's generally a lot more waiting around in these levels.

I'd recommend to anyone who wants to play this to stick with the Gamecube version(s) if you can. The PS2 version is a waste. The Xbox version can be fun, but don't expect to get good at it. The lack of precision will probably keep you from ever coming close to finishing the game.

 

[Shard]

The simple answer is that Super Monkey Ball got badly ported over to the Playstation 2. Though a lot of multiplatform games and ports often get the short end on the Playstation 2.

 

[Nick]

Sega only has b-teams these days. :-(

B-Team feat. Sega, with special guest WHITESNAKE!