Hands-onApe Escape 2001

If you thought using vacuum cleaners in Luigi's Mansion was innovative, wait until you experience the gameplay system in Ape Escape 2001. The 3D action from the previous game returns in the sequel, but the gameplay is slightly different. Unlike in the first game, where you used a net to catch monkeys, this time around, the objective is to collect the monkeys' pants with a vacuum cleaner and clean them in a washing machine. Also, as reported, the total number of monkeys has now jumped from 204 in the first game to 2001 in the PS2 sequel. To bring you our first impressions of the game, we recently traveled to a game show in Tokyo.

In each stage of Ape Escape 2001, monkeys will be everywhere--they'll be in plain sight, hiding, or disguising themselves as other objects, such as cacti. You play as the young boy Kakeru, wielding a vacuum cleaner and collecting the monkeys' pants. When you're using the vacuum cleaner, the monkeys will attempt to run away, but if you're careful enough, they will remain in place and you can swipe their pants. You can then reverse the flow of the vacuum and launch the monkeys as projectiles onto other monkeys or targets in the 3D environment. A pants icon is displayed on the screen, indicating how many you have to gather. Kakeru is also shown dragging them tied in a rope behind his back. You'll have to make frequent trips to the washing machine located in every stage to deposit the pants you've collected--there is a limit on how many pairs you can carry.

Graphically, the game essentially looks like a cleaned-up version of the original title. The graphics and sound don't exactly push the limits of the PS2 hardware, and the game isn't even in the same ballpark as more visually intensive games such as Metal Gear Solid 2 or Final Fantasy X. Instead, some of the power is used to display more monkeys onscreen at one time. However, for those familiar with the series, the vital element of a fun gameplay system seems to have returned in the sequel. However, newcomers may be turned off by the lackluster graphics.

The game may not be visually outstanding, and it plays somewhat differently from the original, but it is still fun. Ape Escape 2001 for the Sony PlayStation 2 is scheduled for a July 5 release in Japan. It will be released on the CD-ROM format and retail for 5,800 yen in Japan. A North American release date has not been announced at this time.