Ape Escape 3

Ape Escape is remembered for being the first video game to attempt open 360-degree attacks. X, square, triangle and circle were scrapped for one sensitive tool: the right analog stick. With this feature players could push the stick to make the monkey-hunting child swing his net in any direction. Though not as innovative as it was expected to be, this highly original control style paved the way for many next-gen games that implemented similar styles.

Several Ape Escape titles followed the first, including a PSP port and a PS2 sequel. I wasn't too interested at the time they were released and have yet to play them. After going bananas over the newest adventure, Ape Escape 3, I'm sure I'll seek them out.

Back in the hands of Sony Computer Entertainment America (as publisher), the latest Ape Escape is a game you'll really love and slightly hate. Conceptually it’s a fantastic parody of the film industry. Many popular films are spoofed, and even though the story itself is lacking (typical dialogue, average voice acting, average CGI), the subtle humor does more than most to entertain moviegoers and gamers alike. One level is called "Monday the 16th." If that doesn't make any sense, count backwards to figure out which date Friday would fall on.

The reason for the movie madness is Spector TV, an evil organization that's been monkeyin' around a bit. On National Apeographic you get the chance to see the monkeys filming each other in their natural habitat. It's all fun and games until someone slips on a banana peel.

Kei, an energetic boy (game description), and Yumi, a cheerful girl (also game description) are assigned the duty of capturing the monkeys. They're prepared to shut down Spector TV for good and put Spector, the evil-eyed man behind the station, in an ape net where he belongs.

The game kicks off with the basics: Monkey Net, Monkey Radar, and Stun Club, all weapons and/or aids in capturing the superstar apes. The Monkey Net is your most important weapon. Use it to capture monkeys that are oblivious or that have been dazed by the Stun Club.

Monkeys that are aware of the situation will first try to run away. That's never an effective strategy since you can just run after them. Once the Super Hoop is acquired you can run faster and use its circular brace to ram into the monkeys. The more power-ups you gain the more frustrated the monkeys become, going from defensive to offensive. The Stun Club is meant to stun but will be perceived as a painful annoyance if used too often. Monkeys’ bodies turn red as they become enraged and attack with several slaps.

Drop the Monkey Net and watch out – they can grab it and use it against you! Once captured you'll be booted from the level. However, unlike when you run out of lives, getting booted does not mean losing the monkeys you captured in that level. Further monkey-whacking will cause them to lose their grip, similar to how Mario could reclaim his hat after losing it in Mario 64. (Yes gamers, it seems that every 3D action/adventure harkens back to the masterpiece that launched this genre into the third dimension.)

It’s Morphin’ Time

A few levels into Ape Escape 3 and you'll be given the first transformation: Fantasy Knight. Transformations are special morphs that turn your character into an unbeatable warrior. They run on limited power (30 seconds each). That time may be increased by destroying boxes and snatching the items that were inside.

Fantasy Knight turns Kei into a knight in shining armor. It turns Yumi into a witch, but her powers are the same. They're stronger, they're given a deadly weapon (deadly to robotic enemies; monkeys cannot be killed, only stunned), and will have more attacking abilities while in this form. Fantasy Knight is first awarded to the player in order to defeat the first boss – a fire-breathing robot dragon. Smaller, less deadly robots are encountered from the start of the first level. They're out to protect the monkeys so that they can continue to run amok and fulfill Spector's celebrity dreams.

More enemies means more transformations. The Gunsmoke-inspired Gunfight introduces Wild West Kid, an exciting transformation that morphs you into a skilled gunslinger. Shooting is based entirely on the right analog stick. Push toward the top right corner and that's the direction where your character will turn and start shooting. On the whole I like the controls a lot, but this is the only portion that I would consider to be seamless. The rest is at least a little less than seamless, and worse in some cases.

Miracle Ninja, another transformation, turns Kei/Yumi into a Stun Club-swinging master. This morph is mostly just for fun. As a ninja you can climb on wires and run on walls, but there are less than a dozen instances where that occurs in this game. Even the extra monkeys don't require you to use the Miracle Ninja transformation more than you have to.

Part of me likes that aspect – that you have a choice. I personally liked the Wild West Kid morph the most and used it to win most of my battles. However, I also wonder why when they went through the trouble of making these morphs and making each one integral to the game why they didn't bother to incorporate each one more often in other clever ways?

 
Miracle Ninja

Genie Dancer lets you hypnotize monkeys into opening locked doors. It also makes it easier to capture the apes and destroy multiple robots very quickly.

Dragon Kung Fu Fighter is just as it sounds. Use it and you'll be able to punch and kick faster and with more power than you could as a regular, un-transformed child.

Cyber Ace is bound to be the favorite by most gamers. Not does it include the most powerful attack (an electromagnetic beam), it also lets you dash through the air. This is the last transformation and cannot be acquired until the game is nearly over. That sucks, but on the bright side there are dozens more monkeys to capture after the credits roll. Monkeys are the collectibles of the game; the more you capture, the more that appear. You'll have to visit every level and battle every boss at least twice to capture every single ape.

Hideous Quirky

Ape Escape 3 has an unusual way of parodying movie titles. Now it's my turn. This one refers to my dislike for the music. Some of it's great, but each transformation has its own theme. Therefore you could be enjoying the perfectly good in-level music and have it replaced by an annoying, much-too-quirky theme composed for the Wild West Kid.

A History of Falling

Jumping is done with the R1 and R2 button. Acceptable. Falling to my death because the double-jump feature is unreliable is not acceptable.

Camera Wars: Now I Need Three Thumbs

What happens when the right analog stick used for something other than camera control? You lose all control of your camera. Ape Escape 3 gives it back via the only way possible: the D-pad. "Dude, no way" might be your first response. "Yikes!" could be another. This might've worked if I had three hands. Then I could move my character, attack and handle the camera all at the same time. Even so, the D-pad isn't a very effective way to adjust the view. Every button on the PS2 controller is pressure-sensitive, yet Metal Gear Solid 2 is the only game I know of that acknowledges that fact. Therefore you're stuck with just one degree of camera movement.

Camera Wars: Episode II

L1 is supposed to snap the camera back into place, showing you exactly what's in front of your character. But, depending on where you're standing, it may or may not work. You may not be able to see what's in front of you (a common occurrence during boss battles). There are times when you'll be shooting into the unknown, and have to capture monkeys that are not at all visible. Transparency could've been applied to the environments to provide at least some kind of a visual. This gets really frustrating when you're trying to double jump over perishable platforms and the camera won't move to the desired position.

Season Finale

In the end I'm left frustrated yet strangely satisfied. I'm exasperated by the pointless flaws that didn't have to exist. But I can't deny the levels, which are some of the best seen on PS2, nor can I ignore the fact that capturing these monkeys is an absolute blast. There's a wonderful bonus waiting for you at the end – a mini-game that has forever changed the way I look at one of my favorite games. I hate spoilers, but it's a selling point I'm sure, so if you must know more check the Overall section.

Gameplay: 8.0
Silly or not, the developers took the Hollywood theme to places you'd never expect. I'm reminded of Gex: Enter the Gecko, and how its latter iterations tried to parody classics like Titanic. It didn't work out too well. Rather than be blatant, Ape Escape 3 is more subtle. The environments are brilliantly designed; you’ll be in awe of their appearance and be extremely satisfied while exploring them.

I can't think of a single level I was unhappy to see – a rarity in any game, especially an action/adventure, where levels are all too often thrown together while other aspects are focused on. Those "other" aspects are important, but at the end of each year it is not those games with pretty colors that I remember, it's the ones that had the best levels and the best controls. Put the two together, add clever objectives and you get great gameplay – you get Ape Escape 3.

Graphics: 7.0
Cartoony 3D apes and snazzy 2D smoke and explosion effects. Yeah, I’m thinking it too – “Been there, seen that.”

Sound: 6.0
Great music and voice acting is used throughout one of the bonus mini-games (see Overall section for more). The rest of Ape Escape 3, however, does not sound that great. The voice acting is average at best, and that’s being kind. I’m sick and tired of games that implement repetitive whiny sounds that are triggered every time a character jumps, attacks, or gets hit. That’s all you do in a game like this! Therefore that’s all you ever hear. Movies taught us that for every action there must be a sound, but in video games it’s a nuisance and does not make me or any other gamer become more immersed in the experience. All the great adventure games do this to a degree, even Zelda. It has to stop.

As a result of these annoyances, I spent the majority of my Ape Escape 3 experience with the sound turned off.

Difficulty: Easy
The mini-games are more challenging than the game itself. Even with the Monkey Radar turned off the apes aren’t that hard to find. Or that hard to capture. You can sneak, but you don’t have to.

Concept: 9.0
Saru-mon’s Castle, National Apeographic, Monkey in a Hot Spring, A Misty Evening With the Ape-inator – explore these levels and more as you go on a journey to capture all the monkeys.

Overall: 8.0
A solid, well-played, highly original adventure. Players who decide to continue their quest beyond the credits will discover one more transformation: Super Monkey. This morph is useless in combat as it's just a monkey suit that makes you look like one of them. Now you can walk amongst the apes as freely and inconspicuously as you like. Locate secret hiding places by following the irresistible banana scent, then bust out the Monkey Net for a deceptive surprise.

Bonuses include a Simian theatre (watch the monkeys pretend to act!), a couple of mini-games, several books and data on the monkeys, and the mother of all mini-games: Mesal Gear Solid. It stars an ape, the colonel, and the one we call Snake. But wait, could there be two of them!? This ingenious bonus made me burst into laughter at least five times. It parodies classic scenarios, provides you with a unique array of weapons (including the monkey-stunning Banana Gun), and includes familiar music and inspired environments that'll get you in the mood for some tactical espionage action.