PRODUCED / DEVELOPED BY: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1999
PLATFORM: PlayStation
GENRE: Action / Adventure
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1
Oh, yes... As I like to say, "If you don't have Ape Escape, you don't have a PSOne." This game is almost obligatory for everyone who has a PSOne, not only because it was revolutionary when it was created (it was the first PSOne game in history to require an Analog DualShock Controller to be played), but because of its cult aspects. Read.
STORY - 10!
Well, the story
is quite complex and Anime. You must pay excessive attention to the cutscenes
so you can understand the game. For weird-o reasons, the cutscenes on my
CD keep freezing, so I'll tell the story based on what I understood and
read:
A certain scientist only called "The Professor" created some random gizmo named "The Peak Point Helmet" that can increase the intelligence of everyone that puts it on. Later, The Professor goes to an amusement park that does shows with monkeys, but forgets the Helmet is in his pocket. When the show's over, The Professor leaves, but the Helmet falls out of his pocket and one of the park's monkeys, named Specter, finds it and puts it. He gets extremely intelligent, but evil and megalomaniacal. Then, Specter frees a gigantic army of monkeys, planning to travel in time and rewrite history so the monkeys can rule the world. He creates more Helmets for his monkeys and then finds The Professor's lab and another invention of his, a time machine (how convenient!). But, when he is ready to activate it, two friends of The Professor (named Spike and Jake, who are cousins) arrive in the lab and stop Specter. Then, to create a distraction for Spike, Specter brainwashes Jake, turning him evil, and then takes him. When The Professor arrives, Spike tells him everything. Terrified about what could happen if Specter accomplishes his plan, The Professor creates some gadgets for Spike, which he must use to capture all of Specter's minions. After that, The Professor sends Spike through time, and the adventure begins! ANIME, BABY!
GAMEPLAY – 9.5
Well, as aforementioned,
the game focuses on Spike traveling through different locations of time,
from the prehistoric to medieval Japan, to capture Specter's monkeys and
free his brainwashed cousin Jake. To help Spike on this quest, The Professor
and his granddaughter Natalie are constantly advising him through mailboxes
scattered through the levels. The Professor also gives Spike some gadgets
that he can use to capture the monkeys easily:
STUN CLUB: This
light saber can be used to defeat enemies and knockout monkeys.
TIME NET: You
must carry this with you all the time! It grabs the monkeys.
WATER NET: Use
it to grab the monkeys in water.
MONKEY RADAR:
Well, the name is quite obvious... Spin the right stick to see where the
monkeys are. Press the L2 button to see the monkey (valid only if the L2
icon is flashing).
SLINGBACK SHOOTER:
Use this to shoot far away enemies and switches.
SUPER HOOP: Spin
this hoop to run super fast and defeat enemies.
SKY FLYER: Use
it to fly... duh...
R.C. CAR: Use
this little car to pass through small areas.
MAGIC PUNCH:
Even more powerful than the Stun Club, breaks walls.
There are also other items that Spike must collect:
CHIPS: That same
old Mario-esque item... It's the same thing as the coins. Collect 100 to
win an extra life.
COOKIES: Grab
those to replenish your health meter.
SPECTER COINS:
Collect those to unlock minigames (see below).
The action of the game flows from out of a Warp Room (similarly to Crash Bandicoot). There are four divisions in this Warp Room:
THE TIME MACHINE:
Takes you to the level you want.
LOAD/SAVE AREA:
In here you can save your game and see how many monkeys you captured and
their biographies.
TRAINING CENTER:
Go in here to learn how to use a gadget you already got if you forgot how
to use it.
MINIGAME CORNER:
In here you can play three minigames: Ski-Kidz Racing (grab 10 Specter
coins to unlock it), Specter Boxing (20 coins), and "Galaxy Monkey" (40
coins).
GRAPHICS - 10!
The graphics
are very vivid and colorful. They also have a somewhat gloomy effect (mainly
in the haunted house level), and it's that which I like about them. The
enemies got very detailed sprites, and my favorite background in the series
is the levels where you must race Jake to win some Specter coins.
MUSIC - 10!
The music is
also wonderful, and I like to compare it to the songs in the Crash Bandicoot
series. My faves: the T-Rex's theme in Molten Lava and the battle with
Specter at the Specter Land.
FUN FACTOR! –
9.5
Well, the game
can sometimes be very frustrating because of the long time it takes to
be 100% complete, but the funniest part of it is the monkeys: their names
are mostly references to real life people or happenings. For example, four
monkeys in the game got the South Park boys name: Stan, Kenny, Kyle, and
Cratman (sic). Dude, how I love those monkeys!
FINAL NOTE - 9
Although the
game is quite funny (as aforementioned mainly because of the monkeys),
it can be very frustrating trying to KO them. When you clear all the levels
then it's time for Time Trial (once more similar to Crash Bandicoot) to
beat the game 100%. However, it's a must-have for all the people that have
a PSOne. Indispensable.
BE PREPARED FOR
MY NEXT REVIEW:
SpongeBob SquarePants:
SuperSponge
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