Are they controls on Super Monkey Ball really that difficult?

First off, let me just say right up front that this is *NOT* a "I can't believe SMB costs $5.99" thread.

I am perfectly happy to spend $5.99 on a game.

However, I have never played SMB on any platform, so I have no idea if I like the game ... but I am intrigued by it. I read a few reviews on various sites, and pretty much all the reviews say the game is fun, but that the controls are horrible and take a lot of getting used to.

Since there is no Lite version available, I was wondering if the folks here could let me know if the controls are really as difficult as the reviewers keep mentioning.

Thanks in advance.

The controls were a problem until some update -- they were just too sensitive but nowadays they work imho very well

When SMB first came out there were a lot of complaints that the controls were too sensitive. If I remember correctly, the most recent versions allows you to control sensitivity, and it added visual feedback to make it easier to gauge how much you are tilting. The other issue was the camera, which for many people made it difficult to orient themselves in the game -- I believe this was also improved in later versions. All in all, though, SMB on the iPhone is great game -- beautiful 3D graphic, great animation with high frame rate (even on the original iPhone), and hours upon hours of gameplay. I bought it when it first came out and did not remove it from my phone till a few months ago, and just because I got stuck on Level 20 or something. Definitely worth $5.99, as long as you don't mind a challenge (and are willing to replay some stages over and over again, till you get them right).

No, they are not.

It's still one of the best games and has lots (LOTS) of levels. It is a hard game, no casual pick up and play game. The controls are really good, once you get used to it.

Regarding the controls one must understand that Monkey Ball was the first game using accelerometer controls. The control method was new to all players. And since the game is hard on every platform the people where complaining. But the game is totally fine.

no they are not

There used to be a lite version. I checked and it's no longer there. I don't think the controls were that difficult. It takes a little patience at first. I made it through all 100 rounds before they updated the controls. I didn't worry about getting all the bananas for the hidden levels, though. My goal was just to make it to the end of each level.

Thanks everyone!! Off to buy it ...

I personally LOVE the controls. Feels totally natural to me.

It's a game that you shouldn't criticize till you get past level 20. My only complaint is that it saves every ten levels, I would have preferred 5, 10 levels are tough in one sitting.