+---------------------+ | Super Monkey Ball | | | | ___JUST GO!___ | | | | FAQ | +---------------------+ Version 1.0 Copyright 2005 Bruce Field and Leon Dexter E-mail: justgo@gameswelike.com or bs@gameswelike.com Web Site: http://www.gameswelike.com ------------ 1. Introduction 2. Version History 3. JUST GO! Types 4. Level Summary 5. Level Descriptions 6. Legal and Other Information =================================== 1. Introduction =================================== This FAQ is for Monkey Ball players who want to learn to play like we do, and JUST GO! Some levels in Monkey Ball are pretty straightforward--you can just roll right to the goal with no problems. Others look a little tougher to navigate. And still others look extremely intricate or complicated. But a lot of the time, all that intimidating complexity is just for show--you can JUST GO! Many times it's easier to press forward, grit your teeth, bounce a few times, and --GOOOOOOAL!-- E-mail us if you have a better way to JUST GO, a way to JUST GO on a level we missed, or if you want to call BS on one of our videos. Some of these are tough--some are definitely easier to do with a little care--but all of them are doable and duplicatable, not one-shot lucky breaks. We CAN do these all again, and we're willing to post more videos to prove it! In fact, as a start, ALL of these videos are real time--they are not replays, they are 'live' recordings. Every video you find on our site was created as this FAQ was written, just so you can see that they are all possible! Videos of everything in this FAQ can be found at http://www.gameswelike.com/MonkeyBall.html =================================== 2. Version History =================================== Version 1.0 - Updated 3/13/05 Initial public release. =================================== 3. JUST GO! Types =================================== As we've progressed with our FAQ, we've classified different types of "just going". Here are the distinctions: Type 1: Wavebird -- this means you can just press forward and you'll win. We call it "Wavebird" because there's a trick you can do with the Wavebird wireless controller. Turn the controller off, press back all the way, hold that and turn it on. Then let go. The controller will then think it's pushing forward, and you can let your monkey roll all by itself, straight to the goal. Type 2: JUST GO! -- this means you should be pressing forward when the level starts. You'll have some steering to do, but starting full speed right away is important. Type 3: Steer and GO! -- meaning you have to go, just not straight. Type 4: Second Bounce -- when your Monkey Ball drops onto the level, it bounces once, then settles. This second hit sometimes marks the exact timing you need to start going in order to win. Type 5: Wait...and GO! -- sometimes you have to wait a few seconds to let the moving parts of a level to line up right. You're either waiting for a visual cue from moving parts, or a timer mark on the clock to go. Type 6: Back Up and GO! -- this simply means you need more run-up room for a "jump" (of course you can't really jump, but you can launch or bounce). So you'll have to turn around and go back before you can line up and JUST GO. =================================== 4. Level Summary =================================== Below is a list of the levels where we have managed to JUST GO. And you can, too. Beginner 01 Expert 01 Master 01 Beginner 02 Expert 02 Master 02 Beginner 03 Expert 03 Master 08 Beginner 04 Expert 08 Master 10 Beginner 06 Expert 11 Beginner Extra 2 Expert 13 Expert 15 Expert 16 Expert 18 Expert 19 Expert 21 Expert 25 Advanced 01 Expert 26 Advanced 04 Expert 27 Advanced 06 Expert 28 Advanced 08 Expert 33 Advanced 12 Expert 34 Advanced 16 Expert 35 Advanced 18 Expert 37 Advanced 19 Expert 39 Advanced 22 Expert 41 Advanced 23 Expert 42 Advanced 24 Expert 45 Advanced 26 Expert 46 Advanced 27 Expert 49 Advanced 29 Expert 50 Advanced 30 Expert Extra 2 Advanced Extra 3 Expert Extra 4 Advanced Extra 5 Expert Extra 5 =================================== 5. Level Descriptions =================================== Now, on to the descriptions. One more reminder, though; don't just settle for text when you can see them for yourself. Videos are at http://www.gameswelike.com/MonkeyBall.html Enjoy, and have fun! Beginner 01: Type: Wavebird Instructions: Just press forward and you'll win. Beginner 02: Type: Steer and Go. Instructions: Just go a little left or right and roll to the goal. Beginner 03: Type: Steer and Go. Instructions: Steer hard right, then left, then right again and flip over the divider to the goal. Beginner 04: Type: Just Go. Instructions: Go right away, then veer slightly right, and back left again to the goal. Keep your speed up all the time. Beginner 06: Type: Steer and Go. Instructions: Steer straight right off of the beginning platform. Bounce on the next level down, and again on the bottom platform, but steer back left again when you do to land on the last ramp to the goal. Beginner Extra 02: Type: Steer and Go. Instructions: Go as fast as you can, slightly left and through the goal. The angle is tricky since the goal is moving. Advanced 01: Type: Wavebird Instructions: Just press forward and you'll win. Advanced 04: Type: Just Go Instructions: Press forward and get your speed up to max, then veer right exactly to the corner of the platform to meet the moving center platform. Duplicate this at exactly the right edge of the goal platform, then steer left into the goal. Advanced 06: Type: Just Go Instructions: Immediately hold straight forward for maximum speed. When you hit the first corner, continue to hold all the way forward as you fall. As soon as you hit the corner in front of the goal, immediately pull all the way back. When you hit the timer above the goal, let go of the stick and you should glide right in. Advanced 08: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Just go forward, and veer around the walls. Keep your speed under control, slowing down a bit to zig zag around the alternating walls. Advanced 12: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Immediately hold forward. Just after you start, veer hard left. You are aiming for the rim of the bowl. Try to get a solid bounce on the rim, and steer towards the goal. You actually want to aim a bit left of the goal. Advanced 16: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Just go forward and steer left towards the first conveyor platform. From there, you want to stay as close to the inside edge of each platform as possible as you steer onto them. Steering onto the last platform a little early will give you a bounce, leaving you to steer towards the goal. Advanced 18: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Just go slightly forward, then turn 90 degrees to the right and jump off. From there, just go along the level, and steer into the oncoming bonus goal. Advanced 19: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Turn about 120 degrees to the right, like two thirds of turning all the way around, and press all the way forward. You should bounce off of the edge of the ledge that descends towards the goal. Aim for the goal during your descent. Advanced 22: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Just go, steer around the bowl, and go to the goal. Advanced 23: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Just go, and hold straight. The ball will veer slightly right on it's own. The last hole you roll over will give you a small bump. Shortly after you land from this, steer right towards the sloped wall. As soon as you hit the wall, pull back and right, and go towards the goal. Advanced 24: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Just go, and try to stay near the center of the tilting platform on your way to the goal. Advanced 26: Type: Wait and Go Instructions: Go forward immediately at full speed. Just as the clock changes to 56, steer 45 deg up-left. Hold that until you're in the air, then free- fall. A last-second adjustment might be necessary, but hitting the goal tape should be fairly easy to do. Advanced 27: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Just go, steer a bit left or right as you hit the first ramp, so you can go around the hole in the middle of the second ramp. Steer towards the goal after the second ramp. Max speed is important. Advanced 29: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Just go, and aim slightly left at the start. As soon as you get to the second tilting platform, which should be slanted to your left, aim a little right. This will bring you to another platform tilting in the same direction as the one you just hit. Aim further right as you bounce on this, and fly towards the goal. Advanced 30: Type: Wait and Go Instructions: Immediately aim 45 degrees to the right, and wait a brief moment. You will see all of the platforms getting ready to line up a direct path to the goal. You want to just go a little before they line up, with roughly 28.5 seconds left on the clock when you go. Be careful of the bumper; you will have to veer left after the bumper to hit the goal. Advanced Extra 03: Type: Back Up and Go Instructions: Go straight out and jump to the next section of the outward square spiral. Your speed should land you just right if you stop pressing the stick right as you hit. Head left along the path, turn left again and go almost all the way back to the next corner. When you get to it, don't go left. Turn 180 degrees around and run toward the goal. As you approach the corner, turn 45 deg right and bounce to the other side. You're aiming to hit the outside and then the far inside paths, then straighten and head down the last part into the goal. Advanced Extra 05: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Turn roughly 30 deg left, and wait a little over a second, watching for the pieces of floor to line up. Go full-speed along the path it creates, just to the right of the bumper. There will be one small gap, but the path will take you all the way to the ring just inside the large ring that is flipping over and over. Follow the ring you're on to the left until you see the 'hinge' that the giant ring is flipping on. Just as that ring levels out, cross it quickly at a slight angle, and on the near side of the hinge so that its upward momentum pushes you along as you get onto the outside ring. Follow that ring left to the goal. Expert 01: Type: Wavebird Instructions: Just press forward and you'll win. To get a better time and score, you can veer a little to get one of the bananas on the sides, and jump the hole a little smoother. Expert 02A: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go straight, and about a half second after the timer hits 58, steer left off the platform to hit the upcoming edge and bounce. Straighten out to land on the path and hit the goal tape. Expert 2B: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go straight, and about 3/4 of a second after the timer hits 58, steer right off the platform to hit the upcoming edge and bounce. Straighten out to land on the upward path and follow it up the bonus goal. Expert 3B: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Go immediately, about 45 deg to the right. As you roll up to the rotating part of the level, slow down. What you're waiting for is for it to level out. It won't stop on the Bonus Goal side, so what you must do is fall onto it just before it becomes level, and you need enough momentum so that you can bounce/roll into the goal before it tips over too far and dumps you off. Aim carefully and it's fairly easy. Expert 08: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Press 45 deg. right before you start, and hold that direction until just as your ball leaves the platform. Then press directly forward. You should hit solidly on the ramp below (the 3rd one if you rolled down them consecutively). As you hit, press back and left all the way. Hold that for about a second, and the goal will come in sight far below. As it aligns with you, press further back and less left. When the goal aligns, you'll need to press forward again to make it there, but back again just before you hit to keep the angle right so you don't hit the party ball and bounce off. Holding back at first, then forward later is the only way to get the angle right. If you try to just fall straight at the goal without this course correction, the angle will be too steep and you'll always bounce off the party ball. Expert 11: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go right away. This one is just steering around and between bumpers, but to make bonus time you'll have to hurry. It's easiest to start off fast and then coast for the harder bumpers later on. Expert 13: Type: Just go Instructions: Press straight forward and go nearly all the way across the starting platform. Your monkey will squirm around a little as he goes between the square holes; that's okay. Keep pressing straight and don't try to correct its course. Immediately after you pass the last hole on the right, steer right so that you go off the platform and hit the next one just inside the right corner. This will bounce you up and right toward the goal. Straighten out of your bounce and land on the goal tape. (Alternately, you can try to land away from the goal and come to a stop before completing the stage.) Expert 15: Type: Second Bounce Instructions: This level's timing is actually a little sooner than the rest of the 'second bounce' levels. Just before (instead of after) your monkey hits the second time, go for it! That's all. Expert 16: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go straight at full speed. About one small square (look at the checkerboard pattern on the floor) before the end of the platform, steer about 30 degrees left. This is variable, but you need to land on the tilted level below, on the large center piece surrounded by square holes, and ideally on the quadrant nearest to you (the banana bunch should be to your front left when you hit). As you hit, you should be pressing back and left. Your bounce should take you near the goal, just steer into it. (Alternately, you can attempt to slow or stop on the sloped floor, then go in to avoid ricochets). Expert 18: Type: Just Go Instructions: This level is deceiving. The trick is not to stay on the side opposite of the way the platform tilts, like it looks. The trick is to steer against the tilt at the right time, which means staying in the center of the platform until it starts to tilt, rather than at the edge. Anyway, to win, just go immediately. Stay centered for a moment, then steer right against the tilt just after it passes level. Keep your speed up, and re-center to do the opposite as it tilts right. Slow down enough to steer at the goal as you approach. Expert 19: Type: Just Go Instructions: This one is tricky, involves some luck and is very hard to duplicate. But for a record time, go immediately. Steer very slightly right before you hit open air, so that you bounce off of the bottom of the first downward slope to your right instead of the level piece below. Then you should bounce twice more; once on the next level intersection, and once on the first upward slope on the left part of the opposite side. From there, you have to react to the bounce height and steer into the goal tape. Expert 21: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go immediately at full speed. When you get in between the two moving pieces, angle your course just a tiny bit left so that the right piece doesn't hit you when it's all the way in. Straighten out so you don't fall, and then steer slight back to the right as you move up the opposite slope so that the left piece doesn't hit you. Straighten out to hit the goal tape. Expert 25: Type: Just Go Instructions: You can hold forward most of the way along this level if you want to (all the way to the second-to-last basin) but eventually you'll have to pull back to get some speed on the downward slope. I do it this way: hold all the way forward and you'll bounce once in the first basin, and twice in the 2nd and 3rd basins. Then pull back a little before you enter each basin after that, and press full forward again before you hit. That will keep your speed up and you can make the bonus time. Expert 26: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Move your ball left and forward to the edge of the block. The left-right distance is important; you want to align the left side of your ball with the left edge of the pattern around the block's floor. Drop off in- between the block you're on and the next one. If you land on the next block, just back up and fall off. If you lined up right, you'll land right next to the goal. It's directly under where you started. Expert 27: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Checkerboard patterns make for some unpredictable bouncing, so this is a tough level for just going. But it's possible on both sides. The left is easier. Go immediately and steer hard left and then right again to straighten out. What you're aiming for is the gap just to the right of the very first piece of checkerboard. A good, high-speed bounce off of that will start you on your way. After that, it's a combination of proper bounces and reaction steering to get you to the goal. This may look like complete luck, but try it a few times and you'll find that you can produce the same bounces with fair consistency. Expert 28: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go forward immediately at full speed. Just as the clock changes to 56, steer 45 deg up-left. Hold that until you're in the air, then free- fall. A last-second adjustment might be necessary, but hitting the goal tape should be fairly easy to do. Expert 33: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Go forward at any speed, past the first pole on your right. Turn 90 deg right and try to go straight that direction down the 'toilet bowl'. Gravity will pull you left and through the banana bunch. Right after getting the bananas, you might need to steer right to avoid a pole, then forward and up onto the goal area to the left of the pole nearest to the goal. Expert 34: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go immediately, full speed. Veer slightly right to get on the first rolling cylinder. As you cross to the next two, make sure you are falling a tiny bit to get on them, avoiding any areas higher than where you are. In other words, go slightly right of where the 1st and 2nd cylinders meet, and slightly left of where the 2nd and 3rd meet. At this point, the 3rd cylinder should be almost all the way right of the goal platform. Veer left to intersect the goal platform exactly at its front-right corner. If you're too far left, you'll bounce left off the level. A proper hit will bounce you more up than left and allow you to land in the goal. Expert 35: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go straight and full-out until you bounce onto the spiral. As soon as you land on it, press up-left all the way until you launch off again. Then press up-right all the way as soon as you're in the air, and you'll ride along the spiral right toward the goal. Make any slight corrections necessary to go in. Expert 37: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go full speed immediately. Steer slightly right. The level will bounce you up right away. As you fall back onto it, you should land in the large center diamond-shaped area. Aim for right-of-center at the far end of it, so that you hit the 'wall' that moves up and down. This will throw you back into the air so you can hit the goal before being bounced again. Expert 39: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go immediately, as fast and straight as you can (the initial drop onto the stage mis-aligns you, so hold up-left for a moment as you start). You are aiming for the spot where the second and third half-pipes intersect. They will actually separate just as you arrive, and you'll want to be slightly right of center, so that you end up in the air as the 2nd pipe drops you, and you hit the front edge of the 3rd and bounce up. When you do, steer right so that you hit the 3rd one instead of falling, and then the half-pipes will be re- centering so you can roll across them again, to the goal. Expert 41: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Immediately hold forward. Just after you start, veer hard left. You are aiming for the rim of the bowl. Try to get a solid bounce on the rim, and steer towards the goal. You actually want to aim a bit left of the goal. Expert 42A: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Pivot 45 degrees left without moving, so that you face along the center of the checkerboard squares. Take off, and steer right into the goal as you approach it. It's also possible, but unreliable, to go immediately rather than pivoting first. Expert 42B: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Pivot 45 degrees right without moving, so that you face along the center of the checkerboard squares. Go forward full speed and you can make it over the gap onto the other side. When you land from the bump, keep going to get your speed back so you can clear the holes, and steer left into the goal. Expert 42C: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Hold up-left as you start just long enough to get moving, then up-right to veer back toward the goal. Making this jump depends on bouncing just right off of the checkerboard holes. With a little practice, it isn't too hard to do. Expert 45: Type: Wait and Go Instructions: Wait until the clock changes to 27, then go forward. The second set of rotating pieces is much harder to cross--you need near-exact timing. That depends on how far back you are on the center platform, but going just after 20 appears on the clock is about right. The rotating pieces must catch you from falling at roughly 19.5 remaining on the clock to make it to the goal. Any sooner and they won't be close enough, and you'll fall. Any later, and they'll drop you before you reach the goal. Expert 46A: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Go left around the first circle, then alternate, keeping your speed up and always crossing to the next circle at the pink line. The goal is at the rear left of the 4th circle, so rather than crossing to the 5th, go past the pink line and steer up out of the bowl onto the level spot where the goal is. Expert 46B: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Go right around the first circle, then alternate, keeping your speed up and always crossing to the next circle at the pink line. The bonus goal is on a large level area after the last circle. Get up there just as if you're crossing to another circular bowl. Expert 49: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: Pivot to the right without moving. Wait for the first set of bumpers to approach and pass you. As soon as they do--as soon as the bumper that comes closest to you reverses direction--head straight for the goal. That point is at about 28.5 remaining on the clock. You should pass through the goal's accompanying bumpers and hit the tape. Expert 50: Type: Wait and Go Instructions: You must wait for the goal and the giant moving box it's in to come back from the other side. While you're waiting, move to the left front of your platform. Stay about a square back from the front, and a square away from the left edge. When the piece of the giant box that will touch your platform starts to swing upwards (just before 24 shows up on the clock), move forward and let it hit you up. You want to land on it just before it's level, so it doesn't bounce you too high. If you do it right, it will hit you up, and the goal will move right over you, breaking the tape. Expert Extra 2: Type: Just Go Instructions: Start forward immediately, and once onto the next square in the checkerboard pattern, turn right and fall off onto the square to its right, which will be rising. It will bounce you up long enough for it and the rest of the squares that are rising to finish and stop level. Line up diagonally facing the goal and continue on the stopped square, 4 more squares toward the goal, but not quite at top speed. The other half of the squares are rising, and you need to get back onto that set, so cut left at the appropriate time onto the last one of them. Then face the goal again, and hurry up to reach it before that set of squares drops again. Expert Extra 4: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go full speed immediately, and after only about a quarter second, turn left and fall onto the first moving block. Aim your ball so that you are on that block only a moment before bouncing off of it almost halfway along its left side. You are aiming to bounce onto the block that is circling to the left with the goal on it. With good aim, you can land directly in the goal. Expert Extra 5: Type: Wait and Go Instructions: Wait until the clock changes to read 28, then go forward but not quite at full speed. Aim slightly left to go through the goal tape as it falls. Alternately, you can wait slightly longer and go full-speed all the way. Master 01: Type: Wait and Go Instructions: You can either wait until the clock says 55, or just creep forward, but to get going, you have to go off of the starting platform when the first block is backed up to it so that you can get on. Keep building speed for the first couple of blocks, and then back off. You don't want to be going top speed on this level; you have to keep your speed timed to the movement of the blocks so that they are touching or nearly touching when you cross from one to the next. Watch the blocks--if they touch before you get there, you need to speed up. If you arrive before they meet, slow down. There is no steering necessary on this level, just speed control. Master 02: Type: Steer and Go Instructions: The JUST GO method for this stage is to simply turn slowly around to your right, fall off the stage as motionless as you can, and continue rotating right so that the camera gets behind you and you can maneuver your ball into the goal tape. This is very tricky because of the angle, and the party ball being in your way, but it is possible. Master 08: Type: Just Go Instructions: Go full speed immediately. Your ball will veer left on its own, but that's okay. Let off the gas to neutral when you hit the pink circle, just for a moment until you hit the green line. Then go full speed again, and when you get to another pink circle, steer right and aim for the goal. Master 10: Type: Just Go Instructions: You can go immediately, or wait for the second bounce (which makes this level a little easier), but either way, veer left off the starting block, then right again as you bounce to get the right angle to bounce up onto AiAi's giant body. Once there, head straight across and toward the goal, pressing heavily right to keep in line with the moving goal. This will probably take a few tries to get the feel for how fast the level is moving. =================================== 6. Legal and Other Information =================================== This guide is the copyrighted work of Bruce Field and Leon Dexter. It may not be reproduced or publicly displayed without permission. It may not be sold for any reason whatsoever. The following web sites currently have permission to host this guide. http://www.gamefaqs.com If you would like to publicly display or host this guide, please e-mail justgo@gameswelike.com for permission. Thank you.