Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

Anyone reading this review needs to keep in mind that I am a die-hard fan of the Ape Escape series, but I honestly feel that this title has a great deal to offer any fan of platformers or just fun games in general.
The third iteration of the series offers everything anyone could possibly want from a sequel. The core game mechanics and story that have built a loyal following are intact, but there are plenty of new gameplay mechanics to keep the concept fresh.
The original Ape Escape was the first title to really utilize the dual shock controller. Number 3 continues this control setting by having players move with the left analog stick and direct all attacks with the right analog stick. Jumps are performed by using the R1 or R2 buttons. The controls take a little time to get used to, but are highly responsive and accurate.
Ape Escape 3 adds a new ¿morph¿ mechanic to the usual platforming action. Players can morph their character into different forms (like a knight or ninja) for a short period of time in order to perform certain tasks or attacks. These morphs come in very handy during certain combat or puzzle solving challenges, but developers were kind enough to make it so that players do not have to be masters of the techniques to complete most tasks.
There is loads of content, and this game includes plenty of unlockables. This makes the game as deep as the player wants it to be. You can simply finish the basic story mode or go through and find all monkeys, unlock all sorts of secrets, and purchase all sorts of extras (like soundtracks, movies, photos, and stories). All of this showcases a tremendously high level of production value that players have come to expect from Capcom.
The graphics are definitely cartoony, but are a step up from other Ape Escape titles. The voice acting is still top notch, and many players will recognize some of the voices from the Pokemon TV series. Music and sound is also very high quality and sets the tone nicely.
Basically, this is solid platformer that is just plain fun to play. This is a must have for Ape Escape fans and I highly recommend it to any platforming fan.