Ape Escape 2 Review

Developer	SCEI
Publisher	Ubi Soft
Genre	Action

Ubi Soft surprised us all by announcing they would take U.S. publishing duties for the sequel to the quirky PlayStation platformer as the first was a bit of a sleeper hit. The original game appeared as one of the earlier games for the original PSX, and is one of the few for the console that required the use of both analog sticks. We’re glad to see it made across the ocean as the game’s wacky style of play, interesting story line, and unique control scheme make it an overall enjoyable experience.

Gameplay –The underlying plot revolves around hundreds of monkeys who get a hold of special helmets, which make them ingeniously smart. The leader of the tribe is the most intelligent, and is planning to dominate over humans. With the help of a professor and female sidekick, the player controls Jimmy, who must go through several areas to capture all the monkeys he can. He starts with a few gadgets to help him on his quest. Fans of the original Ape Escape will recognize the net, laser sword, as well as some of the unlockable like a couple banana-related weapons and a water cannon. With the weapons, Jimmy must paralyze the monkeys, then attack with the net to have a successful capture. Along the way, the game treats players to a truckload of out-of-game features, such as music soundtracks, concept art, and monkey fables.

Much like its predecessor, these items are unlocked in Ape Escape 2 via a huge vending machine operated by coins collected in the various areas. Like all traditional platformers, boss fights will come up every so often and in this case, these oversized monkeys take more skill to capture than the regular monkeys scattered throughout the generic rounds.

The controls are laid out in a nice way. You’re allowed to set gadgets to different action buttons and toggling between them is a snap. To get to the control setup, just press select during the game. This can get a little annoying – for example, the RC car, which is not very useful during the game, is needed to get through various obstacles. So while it’s not a great idea to keep it as one of the main four, you will need to open the select screen to operate the RC car for that section.

Some of the best unlockable features are the mini-games, which are accessed very rarely by the vending machine. Despite the 1-Player symbol on the back of the box, some of these mini-games can be played with a friend. And while this isn’t really a game you’re going to bring out at a party, it’s a nice feature for gamers who need multiplayer.

Graphics – While Ape Escape 2 has a better graphics engine than the original, there really isn’t that big of a difference. The game did a good job in keeping the original look, thus utilizing the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” principle. Perhaps this was their intention, perhaps not, but it’s nice for people who really enjoyed the original Ape Escape experience. For those who didn’t play the first one, the game still has very high quality visuals; it’s just not pushing the PS2’s capabilities. This mostly holds true for the monkeys and human characters. The backgrounds and foregrounds have a very colorful, fleshed-out, and kid-friendly feel to them, and players may find themselves taking a pause in the game to check out the cool scenery. This includes a spinning Christmas tree, nice water effects, and flashing colors of light in several areas.

Sound – The sound quality in the game is a mixed bag. For the most part, the background themes are very forgettable. However, there are a few very notable exceptions. Some of the rounds, such as Ninja Hideout, have catchy tunes that compliment the round’s atmosphere quite nicely. None of the music gets repetitive, so overall the music is very well done. The same goes for the sound effects and voice acting. Anime fans will be pleased to hear that the same people who have gained fame as Ash and Misty from Pokemon voice the two main human characters.

Overall Value - On the whole, Ape Escape 2 is a fun and addictive game. With an ESRB rating of “E”, it can be enjoyable to anyone. While it’s not just for little kids it does appear to be slanted in their direction. That being said, it will surely take a much more mature player to unlock and everything the game has to offer.

Review by Mark Raby