Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble: Release Date, Editions, Pre-Order Bonuses, & Characters

PlayStation Plus is getting some exciting new additions in May, allowing subscribers to pick up a variety of games and keep them as long as a subscription is active. A small selection of rotating monthly titles is available to download across all three tiers of the service, which offer varying degrees of benefits for different price points. On the more costly Extra and Premium tiers, May will also bring new entries to a more permanent catalog that consistently adds more games than it loses.

is a new cartoon brawler from Lightfox Games, tossing players into hazard-filled arenas to partake in everything from classic deathmatches to cupcake-chomping competitions. Published by Mad Mushroom, a label owned by content creator group OTK, the game is focused on the kind of wide appeal and simple fun that could make the experience appealing to streamers and their audiences. There's such a thing as too simple, however, and is definitely toeing that line.

has finally received a next-gen update to squeeze in some improvements on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and it also makes some key changes and additions that are reflected on PC as well. Released in 2015 for the prior console generation, remains the most recent mainline installment in the post-apocalyptic RPG series. Anyone looking to scratch the itch has no choice but to stick with or previous games in the series, so the prospect of getting an update could be a tantalizing one.

Sega has released a new Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble which details the game’s five multiplayer battle modes.

blends classic mechanics and new additions to create something fun for both new and old fans of the long-running franchise. From Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio — the same developer behind the series — and SEGA, the upcoming platformer is the first completely original mainline entry in several years following multiple remaster releases. recently got an hour of hands-on time with the title that gave a glimpse into its handling, storyline, and biggest changes.

has a lot of memorable characters, from the main party members to NPCs on the sidelines. Not every person who appears in the game is necessarily a winner – any charm points that Chadley might have are hard to appreciate when he won’t stop popping up on screen – but it’s hard to call any significant figure bland. The problem of overuse isn’t exclusive to Chadley, however, and even more engaging characters do sometimes wear out their welcome by the time the credits roll.

is a new physics-based party brawler set on carving out a niche in a crowded market, and there's one element in particular that could help give it an edge. Developed by Lightfox Games and published by Mad Mushroom, the publishing label of creator group OTK, is angling in part to hook streamers and their audiences into the game. Finding success in this area can be something of a gamble, but Lightfox isn't leaving the prospect entirely up to chance.

When it comes to games focused on goofy fun, is the new kid on the block. Developed by Lightfox Games and published by Mad Mushroom, this goofy party brawler bears an obvious resemblance to cartoony physics-based titles like and, throwing twenty players into an arena to duke it out in various challenges. It's easy and free to pick up and play, and the element of chaos means that even newcomers should have a good chance against veterans.

The future of might end up making the game a lot more exciting, and the update that could change everything isn't the DLC release. Although has plenty of fans, its reception so far has been a largely mixed one, especially when compared to the success of Bethesda Game Studios titles like Its expansive world can also feel empty, and the gameplay loop hasn't proven as universally compelling as the best RPGs to come out of the studio.

covers a big story with a wide cast of characters, but there are two in particular who could benefit from receiving an DLC treatment. introduced the idea of filling in story gaps with a DLC through the Yuffie-focused, which debuted the new version of the classic character and sent her on a mission to infiltrate Shinra. Although it's not 100% necessary to play through the side chapter before , it adds important context for her character and teases some threads that follows.

The next major update is adding more evil ending options to the game, and developer Larian Studios has now offered a glimpse at what some of those additions will look like. The story's conclusion has been repeatedly addressed across the course of the game's patches, with the epilogue notably getting some tweaks and new possibilities in one prior update. Sticking the landing is twice as important when it comes to an adventure with the scope of, where it's easy to sink well over a hundred hours into the game before seeing the credits roll.

makes a fair few changes to the story of the original, and based on hints dropped throughout the story, there's one major location from the first game that's definitely going to get a very different treatment in the conclusion of the new trilogy. Making alterations to a classic title can come with a lot of pitfalls, and plays it safe in some key areas to avoid major mistakes. In some categories, however, the game makes significant overhauls that seem likely to precipitate even bigger changes down the line.