Monkey Butt
This is what greets players upon powering up Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll for the Nintendo DS: series star Aiai looking back over his shoulder as he shakes his moneymaker and the command "touch me!" flashes on the screen. So, boys and girls, guess how you start the game?

That's right. You have to touch the monkey butt before you can play with the monkey balls.

Once players get past Sega's object lesson in monkey foreplay, things return to normal…or as normal as things get when you're rolling around monkeys in plastic balls. Of course, given that the series has appeared on virtually every gaming device on the market since 2000 (even providing one of the few compelling gameplay experiences for Nokia's stillborn N-Gage), it's more than likely you've seen this movie before. But does Touch & Roll give anyone whose all monkeyballed-out any reason to come back to the party? Besides, that is, the monkey butt.

Touch him! Love him!
Touch & Roll follows the conventions of Monkey Balls past, with the main mode consisting of a series of increasingly difficult mazes through which players must guide the titular orbs. This is accomplished not so much by moving the ball as by tilting the level and letting gravity take over. It's a simple concept made great through two things: brilliant level design and spectacularly tuned control. Each of the stages presents a unique challenge, be it in the form of moving platforms, pinball bumpers, narrow bridges, or exceptionally steep drops. Conquering each requires a slightly different approach, and some of the more difficult levels provide a sense of accomplishment upon completion lacking in many flashier titles. However, for those who envisioned a touch-screen controlled Monkey Ball offering greater precision and depth of control, it just isn't there. Don't get me wrong, the control is in no way inferior to other versions of the game, but the Monkey Ball on the touch screen might as well be a picture of an analog stick. The control is as finely tuned as ever, and maneuvering your little simians is still butterific, but those looking for innovation in their DS games will be disappointed.

Monkey Can't See What Monkey Do
Unfortunately, fans of the series' trademark minigames will also have reason to be annoyed – namely, the spectacularly imbecilic decision to move the gameplay during many minigames to the touch screen, which forces players to watch the game around the stylus. The upper screen is relegated to displaying course maps and other peripheral information that could have easily been placed under the stylus without any detriment whatsoever to gameplay. In addition to just plain getting in the way, having the stylus on the same screen as the monkey causes the player to feel like they're just pointing where they want the monkey to go, as opposed to subtly influencing movements of the ball by tilting the field. The minigames that don't take place mainly on the touch screen fare better, and special kudos should be handed out for the insanely fun end-credits bonus game, which utilizes the stylus better than anything else this cart offers. Touch & Roll also brings to the table wireless multiplayer, and the idea of wireless four-player Monkey Fight really is almost reason enough to warrant a purchase.

It's Monkey-Riffic
In the end, however, Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll is just more of the same, which is probably the way it should be. It is easily the best portable version of the game produced so far, and the wireless multiplayer is a real hoot. The touch screen controls work well, if not brilliantly, and there's no denying the inherent quality of the gameplay. There's a reason the series has been popular enough to spawn so many versions of the same game, and anyone who wants a new Monkey Ball fix certainly won't be disappointed. Those who bought a DS looking for innovative gameplay probably should steer clear. It's Monkey Ball, kids – it is what it is…

-Maj1013