The years straddling the turn of the millennium were tumultuous for Sega and its fans. The launch of the Dreamcast in 1999 following a series of hardware missteps and company infighting was exciting, but the system failed to gain sufficient traction despite its innovations and array of patented blue-sky software. News in early 2001 that Sega would quit the hardware business to develop games on other platforms rocked fans to the core, but within a matter of months the company's debut GameCube title — adapted from the arcade original that debuted in June '01 — would demonstrate that, despite Dreamcast's demise, Sega's inimitable arcade style and spirit was alive and well.
Super Monkey Ball felt like a mission statement when it arrived as a GameCube launch title. With a premise as zany as it was instantly understandable, you shift a free-floating course below the feet (well, ball) of your monkey to guide them to a goal while collecting bananas. Simple! The game was a blast of colourful arcade fun from Sega veteran Toshihiro Nagoshi and signalled to fans not to worry, everything was going to be just fine.
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