Ape Escape 3 is sure fun, but for who and for how long?
Apes Escape 2 was a good game but still felt like Ape Escape but with better graphics. Apes Escape has the same problem but the game feels more childish than the previous titles. I do not have anything against games that are "childish" but this game is really made for young kids to enjoy. To me it is truly hard to make a game that has a kid appeal but is able to attract and please adult gamers. Nintendo has been able to do that with Mario games and Sony's Sly Cooper series does an excellent job at that as well.
Ape Escape still uses the same controls as the previous titles. The game play is still fun and simple. But the problem is that it gets old quite fast. There is really no challenge and the game play never varies. The game is broken up into stages and each stage has a theme that pertains to a movie and monkeys run around in funny outfits that fit the certain stage. For example there is a "Horror" stage where you encounter a monkey with a hockey mask (Jason from Friday the 13th).
The game has a great sense of humor that provides laughs early on but then later it proves to be the same monkey with a different costume.
The graphics are okay at best. It looks like a first generation PS2 game.
The game is a good length but it drags due to its repetitive nature. Catch monkeys in that place and catch some more at another place, thats pretty much what you do all game. You do get different gadgets as well as different costumes that you can use to alter you abilities but it just feels like a gimmick.
The game has some camera issues and controlling player movement is a pain sometimes. The game is easy but the only thing that makes the game somewhat of a challenge is the camera.
Once you beat the game a Metal Gear Solid monkey style game is unlocked. It is really the best part of the game but in order to play the five missions you must beat the game. I felt that it was not worth it, as being a huge Metal Gear Fan, that says a lot.
Ape Escape 3 seems like a game that caters mainly to children. The game still is entertaining to a certain extent. But with platformers like Jak, Ratchet and Clank and Sly Cooper on the PS2, Ape Escape 3 has a hard time staying up for the fight.