Team Sonic Racing + Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Bundle

Genre: Compilation / Kart Racer / 3D Platformer / Arcade

Players: 1-4 Team Competitive (Local Split-Screen, Local Wireless) 2-16 Team Competitive (Online), 2-4 Competitive Minigames (Local / Local Split-Screen), Online Leaderboards

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Review:

Team Sonic Racing + Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Bundle is a compilation of the two named titles. Both of these games were previously released on Nintendo Switch in 2019, and this bundle of the two of them was released on Nintendo Switch in 2022.

I have previously reviewed both of these games. Here is what I thought of each of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Team Sonic Racing	Kart Racer	1-4 Team Competitive (Local Split-Screen, Local Wireless) 2-16 Team Competitive (Online)	B-
tl;dr Team Sonic Racing is a Kart Racer with a focus on its team dynamics, and it’s a solid entry in the genre. However, it’s not without its flaws, and it is largely overshadowed by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is simply an all-around better game. If you want a second kart racer though, Team Sonic Racing is a good choice.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD	3D Platformer / Arcade	1, 2-4 Competitive Minigames (Local / Local Split-Screen), Online Leaderboards	D+
tl;dr Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD is a remaster of the Wii entry in the physics-based 3D Platformer series, stripping out its motion controls and 80% of its multiplayer minigames. The core gameplay here is still good, but it’s hard to enjoy it with an absolutely atrocious camera. The minigames that remain here are all terrible, and despite being woefully feature-poor compared to the original, this game still has an outrageous price tag of $40. Extremely disappointing.

I’ll note that in the time since I first reviewed these games, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD had a price drop from $40 to $30, which isn’t quite as bad… but still not so great for a stripped-down remaster of a 13 year-old Nintendo Wii game. Team Sonic Racing fares better, both being an original title, and a genuinely good Kart Racer.

Unfortunately, both games suffer the same issue – they’re both largely overshadowed by much better games. Team Sonic Racing simply can’t hold a candle to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is far outclassed by the subsequent release of Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania. That’s not to say that either of these games are bad – quite the contrary, both games are quite good (at least if you ignore Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD’s insulting price tag). But it’s hard to ignore that you have better options than both of these games on Nintendo Switch.

Priced at $50, this bundle isn’t saving you much off of the price tag of getting these games individually, either, with both of the included games selling individually for $30. Given that Super Monkey Ball’s price here still seems bloated, shaving a little off of that price for this bundle isn’t very compelling.

It’s a shame the price tag here is so high, because both of these games are decent and worth playing. But for $50, this doesn’t feel like a bargain. And while it would cost you twice as much to buy Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania, I feel like going the cheaper route here for a lesser pair of games isn’t something I can recommend with any enthusiasm.

tl;dr – Team Sonic Racing + Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Bundle is a Compilation that includes two games that, while each is enjoyable, both are largely overshadowed by better alternatives on Nintendo Switch. Add to that a $50 price tag that feels over-inflated and you have a bundle that, while not outright terrible, still doesn’t feel like it’s worth the cost.

Grade: C

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