[7] Throughout the game, players can gather Specter Coins, which can be found in hidden locations in each stage. [28] Scott Alan Marriott of AllGame similarly noted the initial difficulty of the controls, but found it easier upon continued play, particularly praising the raft controls. In Ape Escape 2, the player could obtain these three minigames by betting ten coins in the Gotcha Box, but here the stage-clearing was more important, yet it did not mean it would be based on the percentage on the player's record. [11], The game's music was composed by Soichi Terada. Big Battle Tanks. After a lengthy series of captures and battles in segments of history ranging from the age of the dinosaurs, medieval times, and the present day, Spike is eventually able to capture all of the apes. Big Head Basketball. Eye Toy: Monkey Mania was a party game inspired by Mario Party which was only released in Europe and Japan. He is the playable character of Ape Escape and its PSP remake, Ape Escape: On the Loose. [25] Edge credited the game's distinct stages and original weapons, concluding that Ape Escape "offers enough novelty to make it worth serious consideration for anyone tired of the many me-too platformers". Discover Top Blogs & Best Websites in 2021. He also said he had seen it himself. His Butler's Sister. Shortly after the development team began conceiving the design and concept for Ape Escape, they attended a meeting regarding the development of the DualShock. Bill Cosby Fun Game. PSP. In Ape Escape 3, because coins were far more abundant than Ape Escape 2 and the fact that players could hold coins past 999, the prices went up for the mini-games as well. Johnny Liu of Game Revolution wrote that the innovative controls were one of the game's standout features. Spike, known in Japan and some European games as Kakeru (カケル), is the protagonist of Ape Escape and the main protagonist of the entire Ape Escape series. [9][10] Conceptualizing the controls for the controller's analog sticks was the greatest challenge for the team, and the controls underwent great testing prior to finalization. [1] Players use various gadgets to pursue and capture the apes, such as the Stun Club, used as an offensive measure against enemies, and the Time Net, used to capture apes and transport them to present day. Intrigued by the potential of the controller,[11] the team implemented its use in Ape Escape, making it the first video game to require the use of the DualShock for gameplay. [2][3] More gadgets become available as players progress through the game. Ape Escape[a] is a series of video games developed primarily by Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, starting with Ape Escape for PlayStation in 1999. [2][4] Players also control vehicles throughout the game, including a rubber raft, which allows travel over water, and the water net, which assists in traversing underwater. Once each level has been completed, they can be reentered with the gadgets necessary to catch the remaining monkeys. The series incorporates ape-related humour, unique gameplay, and a wide variety of pop culture references. [30], The graphics were met with generally positive comments. Big Truck Adventures. [13] Scott Alan Marriott of AllGame described the game as "one of the most enjoyable 3D platform games" on the PlayStation. Download PSP ROMS: Adventures to Go!, Ape Escape P (Europe) and others. The game's controls are heavily centred around the analog sticks, being the first game to require the use of the PlayStation's DualShock. [26] Reviewers praised the game's use of analog controls,[13][27] as well as its graphics[13][28] and music,[25][27] with minor criticism directed towards the voice acting. [37] In March 2004, Official UK PlayStation Magazine named it the ninth greatest game of all time. His most famous role was holding the "High Detail" button before RuneScape HD's release. [50] The character of Spike is available as a playable character in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (2012),[51] and an ape costume is available as a downloadable outfit in some of the LittleBigPlanet games (2008–12). Specter and the Monkeys take over the world, or try to sabotage players in "Pumped and Primed". [35] Juan Castro of IGN praised the game's use of colour, noting its enhancement on the PlayStation Portable screen. [3], The alternate series, developed by SCEI, is the alternate main series. Big Truck Adventures 2. Get You! Ape Escape: Pumped & Primed was released in Japan through Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and the US through Ubisoft in 2004. Realizing that leaving the monkeys to their own devices could rewrite history in disastrous ways, the Professor tasks Spike with finding all of the monkeys scattered across time and sending them back to the present. It is up to the game's protagonists, equipped with various gadgets, to capture or defeat monkeys/characters, to save the day.[4]. Ape Escape[a] is a platform video game, developed by Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. [citation needed] In mid-2005, Ape Escape 3 was released to positive critical reception. Ape Escape is played from a third-person perspective. [45] Another spin-off, Ape Quest, was also released worldwide for PSP in January 2008. [3] The game's controls are heavily centered around the analog sticks: the left stick is used to move players, while the right stick manipulates the various gadgets. Ape Academy 2 was released in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable to mixed success and sold very well in Japan, entering the "Best of" category, but failed to perform well in Europe, due to Sony focusing on Million Monkeys. [25] IGN included Ape Escape in an article documenting the greatest PlayStation 3D platform games,[36] and later named it the eighth greatest game on the console. In Ape Escape and Ape Escape: On the Loose, the player had to collect a certain amount of Specter Tokens to unlock a minigame. Big Head Soccer. A tweet by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan on Twitter was posted on January 5, 2016, reading, "2016 Year of the Monkey. [citation needed] The game was a success, going Platinum, entering the Greatest Hits series in the US, and entered the "Best Of" releases in Japan. [52] A mini-game featuring an ape from Ape Escape is included in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004). Again, unlike many games which use to jump, both the R1 and R2 buttons are used, while the 'shape' buttons are used to cycle through the available items in the inventory. For most of the game, players control Spike—a boy tasked with pursuing and capturing the apes across time, preventing them from rewriting history. [27] GameSpot's Peter Bartholow declared the controls "beautifully executed", praising the ease of use. SaruSaru Big Mission in July 2007 for the PSP. Development of Ape Escape lasted over two years, and was generally focused on adapting to the use of the controller, which was a significant challenge for the development team. [24] Japanese publication Famitsu awarded the game 32 out of 40, based on four reviews. In Ape Quest, the player randomly encounters mini-games in a very similar fashion to classic JRPG random enemy encounters. Big Bad Ape. [citation needed], In 2005, Ape Academy (also known as Ape Escape Academy) was released for the PlayStation Portable. [20] A remake of the game, titled Ape Escape: On the Loose,[b] was announced on May 11, 2004, during Sony's press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Bike Master. In 2009, a game titled Ape Escape was announced along with the PlayStation Move. In the PSP spin-offs, a more conventional control scheme must be used, due to the lack of a right analog stick. For the series, see, "Soichi Terada Interview! After a game director listened to Terada's track "Sumo Jungle", he was given the opportunity to compose the music for Ape Escape. [16], Ape Escape was officially announced in the April 1999 issue of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. In 1998, the game was developed under the name Sarugetchu, and would be the first game specifically designed for the DualShock controller. [2] In 2019, the 20th anniversary of the franchise, for the first time in more than 5 years, the official Japanese website for the Ape Escape series was updated and an official Japanese Ape Escape 20th anniversary account was made on Twitter. [34] 1UP's Jeremy Parish criticised the porting of the game for being outdated, declaring it "a game that was better in another time, on another system, ported simply for cynical convenience". An ape's personality can also be determined by the colour of shorts: yellow is standard, light blue means timid, and red represents aggressive. Big Head Basketball Championship. After the release of PlayStation Move: Ape Escape, no games were announced in 2012, making it the first year since 2002 that no Ape Escape game had been released and the first year that no game had been announced within each region. It was released for the PlayStation in May 1999 in North America, and June 1999 in Japan. Metacritic calculated an average score of 90 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 19 reviews. In late 2006, PipoRacer was released in Japan for PlayStation Portable. The Hairy Ape. Spike defeats Specter after a final battle, and he is captured and sent back to the zoo. It is the first game in the series to have been developed for PlayStation 2. [13] Music from the game was included in Ape Escape Originape Soundtracks,[c] published on November 18, 2011 by Terada's label Far East Recording. Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. [38] Game Informer ranked it 100 on its list of best games in 2001, praising its gameplay and innovation. [29] Next Generation felt that the game's "general light-hearted cuteness makes it ideal for younger players, but its originality and challenge will also appeal to the most jaded hardcore players". 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