Ape Escape (Sony PlayStation 1, 1999)

Who doesn't love monkeys? That's what first drew me to this game. MONKEYS. Monkeys are cute and funny and highly entertaining, right? Wrong - these monkeys are very naughty! They have escaped from an amusement park and in the ensuing chaos discover helmets invented by the Professor to enhance intelligence. But they get to thinking about things a little too much, and decide that they need to go back in time and re-write history from a monkey's point of view.

Your mission is to capture every escaped monkey. This is no walk in the zoo - these monkeys DO NOT want to be caught. In later levels some are downright difficult to catch. Spike, the human boy whom you control, must travel through different time periods to capture the monkeys. The Professor has quite an imagination and invents some pretty ingenious gadgets to aid Spike in his quest. But in Ape Escape you don't get stuck with a great gadget that you have to fumble with to figure out on your own - you are actually put through training for each new gadget. This game totally relies on the analog sticks to move Spike and to control your gadgets. And not only do you get to use cool gadgets, including a slingshot and a remote control car, you also get to operate a row boat and a tank. This is serious stuff, no monkey business here!

There are a set number of monkeys to collect per stage before you can move on to the next stage. So you will not capture all of the monkeys in one stage in one shot. You will automatically be teleported back once you have reached the minimum monkey quota for that stage. You will have to go back to these stages later in order to capture the remaining monkeys, and in some cases you will have to wait until you obtain certain gadgets to nab those hard-to-reach monkeys.

Although the helmets caused this disaster to occur, they do help you in identifying the monkeys' moods and levels of alertness. Beware of monkeys with red lights, the highest alert level; they know you are there and will do or use anything to attack you. Is there anything more frightening than an alarmed monkey with a gun - YIKES! The Monkey Radar is also a useful tool in helping you to find hidden monkeys. And boy do those little rascals love to hide. If you are within close enough range the radar will display a live camera shot along with data about the monkey.

My favorite area was the roller coaster ride in the amusement park; I actually felt the rush as if I were speeding on a runaway coaster. While the character graphics are not the greatest (remember this is PS1) the playing area and background scenery are detailed and quite imaginative. For the creativity of the actual gadgets and how they are operated I give the designers and programmers a well-deserved A+. The only thing that I didn't like about this game was when I could not control the camera angles and they showed a funky point of view. It was frustrating when this happened at the critical moment when I was about to net a monkey, but it really doesn't happen often enough to dismiss the game altogether.

Ape Escape transcends generations – kids and adults will both enjoy playing. I promise you, the graphics are much better in Ape Escape 2 for PS2!

Overview
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This is an extremely awesome game that deserves an Excellent. It has all the fun of catching monkeys! You use the first analogue stick to control Spike (the character you play as) and the second to use your gadgets that the Proffessor gives to you to help capture the monkeys. Highly Addicting.

Story
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In this game, an ultra-intelligent monkey named Specter puts on a monkey helmet and turns to evil. He now becomes the leader of all the monkeys in an amusement park and has his eyes set on world domination. He and his monkey minions use the Proffesor's Time Machine to travel back in time to change the coarse of history. Spike and Jake get caught in time-travel as well and that's where the game begins.

Graphics
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The stages are very nicely designed. The graphics aren't the best, considering this game is a little old, but still not bad.

Bosses
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Some of the bosses I don't consider to be actaul bosses.

Crumbling Castle- A giant knight with an ax that can generate electricity in his body to protect himself from all attacks. Don't be fooled by his threatening appearance, he's actually not all that tough. It only takes 5 hits. Just hit him after he tries to strike you. But watch out for the shockwave that his ax leaves on the ground after he strikes. When he does, the electricity will go away, leaving him vulnerable to attacks.

TV Station- You have to battle Specter on the roof of a tall TV Station. He's gonna be in a big time ship that can fly. Just evade his attacks and hit the weakpoint when it's exposed.

Stadium Attack- As you move further in the game, you will eventually be challenged by Jake (who is now brain-washed by Specter) to some races. I think there are 3: a foot race and a Sky-flyer Race, and the last one I don't remember.

Amusement Park- When you go into the bumper-cars area, you will have to fight Jake. Once you beat him, the mind-control will break.

Specter- The final battle with Specter. Figure out how to beat him on your own.

The REAL Final Battle- After you beat him the first time, he will escape. That will give you time to go back through the stages to capture the monkeys you couldn't get during the first loop. You will also get the final gadget in Spike's arsinal. After you've caught EVERY single monkey in the game, you will be able to fight with Specter one last time before you can actually capture him.


Sound
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This game has very nice music that suits each stage perfectly. I liked the songs on the Crumbling Castle and Frosty Resort levels. :D

Bugs and Glitches
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I haven't played this game in some time, I can't think of any. But there are some monkeys that may prove to be annoying and difficult to capture. The monkeys I hate the most are the Machine Gun Monkeys, the Missile Monkeys, and the ones that are in robots. And there is a particular monkey in Wabu-Sabu Wall (or whatever it's called) that throws bombs and will REALLY get on your last nerves.
Probably the thing you're going to have the most trouble with is using the row-boat. The controls are difficult and may take you a while to master it.

Conclusion
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Your life just isn't complete without playing this game. Lucario gives Ape Escape for Play Station, a thumbs-up!

FINAL SCORE: 9/10

I like to compare the Ape Escape series on the Playstation to the Mario series of Nintendo. The game has great graphics, great voiceovers, tons of challenges, innovative controls, and a wealth of other features that make this game amazing. You play as Spike, a kid who got trapped in the past when the evil monkey Spector turned on the professor's time machine and sent a horde of monkeys into the past to change history and rule the world. Your job is to use various gadgets, as well as a huge bug net, to recapture the apes throughout various times. This game is definitely a must have for anyone who liked the Spyro or Crash Bandicoot series.

Ape Escape is a classic Adventure game. A crazy, and lazy, professor loses his monkeys, and it's up to you to find them and return them. He will help by giving you tools and weapons to catch them, and your "girlfriend" will provide annoying but not entirely useless clues to find them. This game requires either great coordination, or a willingness to develop said coordination. Using the dual analog controller, the left side moves you, and the right, your tool of choice. This game is recommended for anyone, and I would agree. My grandmother @ 63 was able to beat this game...eventually. It's puzzles and adventure, logic, tools, and monkeys!!!

We purchased the gane after playing it on a demo we found when we located our old playstation in some boxes we were cleaning up. My 4 year old easily figured out how to use the controller and had hours of fun with it. It has multi-levels and is very fun to play. Several times he would give me the controller to get him past a difficult point and I soon became addicted myself. The animation is a little cheap in some areas, but hey, it is an older game. The sound effects are really cool. If you are looking for a fun game for younger children (or adults), this game is just right for you. Chasing the monkeys down and capturing them on land and in water is challenging but also fun in the process. You've got to try it!