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> Results: Ape Escape 3
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Specter, the villainous, super-intelligent monkey, is at it again! This time he's taken over TV channels all around the world and his army of silly primates are broadcasting TV shows that are so stupid they're turning everyone's brains to mush. We do that pretty well on our own, thank you very much! Even worse, the heroes from the previous Ape Escape games have been turned into mindless couch potatoes as well. It's up to newcomers Kei and Yumi to hop into the TV shows, catch all the monkeys, and stop Specter's plans to take over the world once more.
Nothing much has changed. You still tromp around 3D worlds catching an allotted number of siren helmet monkeys with your net. You still use the same gadgets from before to help you snag the primates and navigate tricky obstacles. The big Ape Escape gimmick is the dual analog control. You use the left stick to move around and the right stick to manipulate your tools. The right stick swings the stun club or the net. Spin it to twirl a handheld propeller that helps you jump higher and glide down slowly, or use it to steer around an RC car in small places that your character can't reach. You also use both analog sticks to drive around large vehicles. Play control is fantastic, except whoever thought up the controls for the race car should be run over with that car! You can choose to be a boy or a girl tromping through levels based on TV shows or movies. There are lots of film parodies in Ape Escape 3. Everything from Titanic, The Terminator, Superman, The Ring, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, heck, even Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle gets spoofed! Each stage has hidden movie cameras and if you can sneak up on it, you can film monkeys doing crazy things and view them later in the movie theater. The monkeys are also a bit trickier this time. They even take your net and try to catch you with it! If you get snagged by a monkey you have to start that level over again, so watch out.  The biggest new addition is that you can change into costumes in the TV channel levels. These costumes give you new skills and abilities for a limited time. The Fantasy Knight can shield against projectiles. Shoot enemies from a distance as the cowboy. And the way cool ninja outfit lets you run fast across walls and tightropes, make clones of yourself to fight enemies, and other neat things. More outfits become available as you play. Each costume also lets you catch monkeys in entertaining new ways, too. Graphics and music are as bright and bouncy as any Mario game. The voice acting is a little annoying, but doesn't hinder the gameplay at all, and neither does the sometimes problematic camera angle controls. With more than 400 monkeys to snatch and oodles of goodies to unlock with the coins you collect in the stages, there's plenty to keep monkey catchers occupied for a long time. You can even unlock mini-games that are like full games in themselves, such as a spoof of Metal Gear Solid with monkeys! 
Violence is only the cartoonish kind, and even then it's minimal. The only enemies you destroy are cute robots. You can bop monkeys with your stun club before capturing them, but you don't hurt them in any way. Some of the monkeys shoot you with laser pistols and toy-looking machine guns, but it's no worse than a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Even when your character loses all of his or her energy, all they do is sit down and say, "I need a rest" before tackling the level over at the last save point.
Some of the mini-games are a little bit more violent and mature, such as the monkey fighting game and the Mesal Gear Solid spoof. But even then you're only shooting other monkeys with banana guns, so it's more like a Looney Tunes cartoon than a violent game. There are a few fart jokes here and there, but that's it. Reading skill isn't necessary, as most of the instructions have spoken voice. The game isn't overly difficult either, but there's plenty to see and do. Even though the rating on the box says ten and up, I'd be OK letting a six year old play Ape Escape 3. It's highly recommended for the whole family. This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "ape escape" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Ape Escape 3 |
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