I remember liking the original PS1 Ape Escape game. You run around, catching rampaging chimps in your net. I never completed it, because I ran into some tough bits near the end and other games came along... but I still harbor a fond feeling toward monkey incarceration of all kinds.
The sequel is much the same. More monkeys, same idea. The Ape Escape series uses a cool dual-fisted control setup that precious few PlayStation games attempt. The left analog stick is for movement and the right analog stick is for your weapon attacks. This makes any given monkey-spanking session an exercise for both thumbs. You switch between your weapons using the X-square-O-triangle buttons, which pushes your jump to the slightly awkward R shoulder buttons. (Although if your right thumb is on the stick, there's really no where else for jump to go and still be instantly useable.)
Most of the gameplay revolves around you searching out monkeys among the various themed levels, adjusting your tactics according to its movement, aggression and personality.
Despite the interesting controls and easy, charming style, no one bought the first game. In fact, sales were so low (for a Sony title) that there was some question if 2 would even be released in the US. If I remember correctly, this game is actually a couple years old... which would explain some of the distance-rendering problems I've noticed.
To boost sales for AE2, they featured a gun-toting monkey on the cover art, instead of the game's eminent villain, a white monkey named Specter. YOU'RE not even on the cover, just a mafioso monkey surrounded by other novelty apes. Sorry Specter, but you're a little too placid looking.
Between levels in AE2, you can spend your collected coins on a vending machine that spits out unlockable items... soundtrack cuts for the juke box, multi-part monkey fables to read, concept art, enemy screengrabs, life-ups. Sort of like the Trophy machine in SSBM. Unlike Smash Bros., I would swear that this machine is not random. Or at least it's a controlled sort of randomness, so you only get unlockables related to your current status in the game. For example, once I found part one of the monkey fable entitled "The Monkey Statues," I did not see any other fables until I received all five parts of the story. Pretty good story, too.
The worlds all have this bright, happy pastel-colored look about them. The game isn't as bright as Mario Sunshine, but it's still a welcome change from every dark and grim game out there. The main characters have some great voice work, done by the lead voices from Pokemon (Ash and Misty.) Natalie - your initial game guide - is a particular standout, especially given all the should-be-boring stuff she has to tell about controls and weapons. She ought to be paraded as an example of first-rate voice acting in gaming.
