Today, with this blog post, I wish to share with you guys my experience with one of the first PlayStation (PS1 not PSOne) games I ever owned. This game was one of the best experiences of my young childhood life and after looking back at that game from an older perspective, I can truly say it is a burst of awesome nostalgia. The name of the game is Ape Escape.
First let's start by talking about the story. The story starts pretty simply, Spike and Buzz, the names of the main characters in the PAL version of the game, are running to meet up with the professor who has been working on a brand new time machine. When they appear at the lab however there is trouble afoot, the monkeys have taken over the professors lab and has tied up the scientist as well as his assistant Katie, also known as Natalie in the NTSC Version. The monkeys seem to be led by this mysterious white monkey that is actually Specter, the little monkey from the amusement park that used to entertain audiences every day. With the help of Specter, all of these monkeys have been outfitted with PiPo helmets that increase their IQ as well as their strength to unimaginable levels. These pesky marsupials manage to start up the time machine and before you know it Specter, the monkeys as well as Spike and Buzz are teleported to different time zones. It is up to Spike to stop the monkeys from creating mischief and stop Specter's plans for world domination.
The story, even today, stands par to some of the other stories of the genre. The characters are developed really well as the game goes on with a few twists coming at the player every so often such as finding out that Specter has mind controlled Buzz to be his loyal and evil servant. Spike is a great lead character, although his voice actor makes him sound very much like a female. His passion for doing the right thing as well as save his friends is something reminiscent of the classic anime series such as Dragonball Z and even the newer anime such as One Piece. Overall the story gets you involved greatly as you cannot wait to get your hands on the evil white warlord.
Now let's talk game play. For it's time it was revolutionary. Released at the time of the first Dual Shock controller, Ape escape took full advantage of the two completely new thumb sticks. The right thumb stick would control Spike as the left would control your weapons whether you swing your stun rod, spin your radar around your head or even drive around a little remote controlled car. Combining this new element with the classic platforming antics of jumping, fighting enemies and solving puzzles makes the game a complete game play experience. However, the game play can only be complete thanks to one thing, the net. Without this brilliant gadget, catching monkeys wouldn't be possible at all, but how you can use it is pretty damn awesome. You can simply try your luck at running up to a monkey and swinging your net hoping to get him but sometimes the most effective method is to be sneaky. Whether it is using the RC Car to grab the attention of the monkey so you can capture them easier or simply flying above your opponent with the propellers so that you can simply drop down from above to land a very tricky but awesome Ariel capture attack. The diversity of the controls as well as the enemy types, types of monkeys and the puzzles make this game play experience that needs to be played to be truly believed.
One final thing to be brought up would have to be Specter himself. I have to say that he is one of my favourite video game villains. Why? It's simply a combination of his power, his need to take over the human race, his hate for what he has been doing all his life to this point and his fantastic voice actor in the PAL version of the game. It all adds up to make Specter one amazing villain, but of course a villain cant be as bad ass as how he looks. From the beginning of the game you see him in red pants and with a PiPo helmet, not the most intimidating of looks. That is until you next see him when he goes from cute and cuddly to lean and mean. He dawns some armour, a cape and also wears a unique PiPo helmet that increases his powers so much that he can now use his mind as a weapon. His hair is spiked up, his eyes are the kind that stare straight into your soul and the robots he uses to fight spike are just brilliant. Specter is truly one of my top five video game villains.
This is what Specter looks like as of the new Ape Escape anime series going on in Japan.
I only give this badge to the games that have truly taken my breath away and that I can personally recommend to anyone and everyone. This game is truly a gem in the PS1 library and deserves a true HD remake, HD Collection or at least a PSN release. It is currently available on PSN in Japan, however I think it's about time we in the UK got bananas again.
If you have an experience with Ape escape that you would like to share please comment on the post, It would be great to hear what you have to say about this great game.
Until next time, I hope you have enjoyed another one of my Xplosive reviews, this is That Guy With The Trilbe.......Signing Off.
