Ape escape 3
I ain't got the power because I got the monkeys. I got the power because I'll let the monkeys loose.
The premise for Ape Escape 3 is just about as bananas as any of the previous games' plots. Specter, the evil leader of those crazy, kooky monkeys, is back once again. His latest scheme? With the help of a human scientist named Doctor Tomoki, Specter's turned the monkeys loose on the airwaves, creating a host of cripplingly silly TV shows that are melting the minds of humanity into mush. Even the previous heroes of the series--Jimmy, Spike, and the professor--are all caught up in the insidious shows. That leaves the task of rounding up all these ridiculous monkeys to Kei and Yumi, a brother-and-sister combo that doesn't exactly have a lot of experience in the field of monkey wrangling; but after a quick tutorial, it becomes clear that they're absolute naturals. All this plays out through a series of hyperactive cutscenes, with dialogue traveling at a blindingly fast pace. The characters definitely have some majorly anime-centric inflections going on, and the translations of the dialogue are a little suspect in spots. All that hyperactivity can get a bit cloying after a while, but the humor is so goofy and over the top that you can't help but love it.
Whether you choose to play as Kei or Yumi, Ape Escape 3 plays basically the same as it always has. You're initially armed with a light-saberish club that stuns monkeys and destroys angry robots and other nasty things that occupy the game's various levels. You'll also have a monkey net, which you must use to trap the 400 different monkeys scattered throughout the game. Yes, that's right, 400. It's not nearly as daunting task as it sounds, however. Each of the game's levels contains a mere fraction of that number--but there are also quite a lot of stages to play through, each with their own bizarre TV-show theme. Sets like the Old West, the Arabian desert, the Arctic tundra, a martial arts dojo, a picturesque beach resort, and a series of airplanes that must be leapt across high up in the sky are just some of the more obvious examples. The monkeys themselves typically fall into the same themes. When you're wandering through the desert, it's not uncommon to come across a monkey in a turban spitting fire or running around with a fake scorpion tail attached to its bottom.
The monkeys all have their own personality types, too. Some are slower and easier to sneak up on and catch, while others are more aggressive, quicker, and more likely to turn the hunter into the hunted. Whether they're armed with the aforementioned scorpion tails, breaths of fire, laser pistols, or Uzis, these monkeys aren't interested in being caught and will fight you to the death if need be. It's hard to view them as much of a threat, though, because they're just so darned cute as they run around, sporting that anime-meets-Paul Frank look, squealing their monkey squeals with their little siren-light hats. It's all fun and games until one of them knocks you back on your ass and steals your monkey net, though. That's right, the monkeys can actually take your weapons this time around, and if you get caught with your own net, it's game over.
Though the heroes of this series are largely interchangeable, the action remains the same--catch monkeys, and catch them often.
Fortunately, there are plenty of other gadgets and abilities to use to trap these dastardly simians. As you go through the different stages, you'll earn new gadgets and forms. Gadgets are assigned to the four face buttons on the controller, and you simply press one of the buttons to switch between them. There's more than four gadgets, mind you--including such wonders as an RC Car that can be used to traverse narrow passages and surprise hidden monkeys, a handheld helicopter blade that lets you fly over big gaps and reach higher ridges, and a crazy hula hoop-looking thing that lets you double your speed and damage anything you run into. But only four gadgets can be assigned at a time, and only one can be used. You use the gadget in your hand with the right analog stick. If you have, say, the monkey net in hand, you simply press it forward to slam it down on a hapless monkey, or spin the stick around to do a sideswipe move. If you've got the hula hoop on, you start spinning the right analog stick around as fast as you can to get it going. From there, you simply use the left analog stick to move around and the right trigger buttons to jump and double-jump. If you've never played this series before, it might take a bit of getting used to, but after a while, it becomes natural and proves to be a tight method of control.
Apart from the gadgets, Kei and Yumi can actually transform themselves into different characters of sorts. For example, you can turn yourself into a knight, a cowboy/girl, or a ninja. Each form has its own unique benefits. The knight, for instance, is much better at defending against attacks, and can dish out more powerful attacks. The ninja is quicker, can walk on walls and tightropes, and can actually generate two phantom ninjas to fight alongside him or her. And there's even an Arabian costume that lets you control a crazy dancing genie that can teleport between assorted genie vases contained in some levels, and whose dancing will hypnotize monkeys, making them easier to catch. All these forms are limited, mind you. A meter drains each time you use one, and you have to either wait for it to slowly build back up, or collect enough energy containers to refill it (and there's no shortage of them around). These different forms don't radically change the Ape Escape formula, but they're all unique and fun enough to provide some variety to the equation.