Ape Escape: Difference between revisions
→Main series: http://apeclubhtml.yolasite.com/about-the-series.php Relased as OnTheLoose In US only. Uk, Europe and Japan had "P". Plus apeclub. lists it as Ape Escape P |
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* ''[[Ape Escape (video game)|Ape Escape]]'' ([[PlayStation]]) - June, 1999 |
* ''[[Ape Escape (video game)|Ape Escape]]'' ([[PlayStation]]) - June, 1999 |
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* ''[[Ape Escape 2]]'' ([[PlayStation 2]]) - July, 2001 |
* ''[[Ape Escape 2]]'' ([[PlayStation 2]]) - July, 2001 |
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* ''[[Ape Escape (video_game)#PSP version|Ape Escape: |
* ''[[Ape Escape (video_game)#PSP version|Ape Escape: P]]'' ([[PlayStation Portable]]) (a port of ''Ape Escape'') - March, 2005 |
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* ''[[Ape Escape 3]]'' (PS2) - July, 2005 |
* ''[[Ape Escape 3]]'' (PS2) - July, 2005 |
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* ''[[Ape Escape 4]]'' (PS3) - Q3/Q4 2010 |
* ''[[Ape Escape 4]]'' (PS3) - Q3/Q4 2010 |
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Revision as of 12:40, 29 June 2010
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| Ape Escape | |
|---|---|
 Official series logo | |
| Genre(s) | Platform game |
| Developer(s) | SCE Japan Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable |
| First release | Ape Escape December, 1999 |
| Latest release | Ape Quest January, 2008 |
Ape Escape (known as Saru Get You (サルゲッチュ, Saru Getchu) in Japan) is a series of video games made by Sony Computer Entertainment, starting with Ape Escape for PlayStation in 1999. The series often incorporates ape-related humour, unique gameplay, and a wide variety of pop culture references; it was also the first game to make the DualShock controller mandatory.[citation needed]
Games
Main series
- Ape Escape (PlayStation) - June, 1999
- Ape Escape 2 (PlayStation 2) - July, 2001
- Ape Escape: P (PlayStation Portable) (a port of Ape Escape) - March, 2005
- Ape Escape 3 (PS2) - July, 2005
- Ape Escape 4 (PS3) - Q3/Q4 2010
Side Series
- Pipo Saru 2001 (PS2) (Japan only) - July, 2001
- Ape Escape: Pumped & Primed (PS2) (Japan & USA only) - July, 2004
- Ape Escape Million Monkeys (PS2) (Japan only) - July 2006
Spin-offs
- EyeToy: Monkey Mania (PS2) - August, 2004
- Ape Escape Academy, also known as Ape Academy (PSP) - December, 2004
- Ape Academy 2 (PSP) (Japan & Europe only) - December, 2005
- Ape Escape Racing (PSP) (Japan only) - December, 2006
- Ape Escape: SaruSaru Big Mission (PSP) (Japan only) - July 2007
- Ape Quest (PSP) (released exclusively on the PlayStation Store in North America and Europe, Piposaru Senki in Japanese) - January, 2008
Story
One of the main story elements of each of the main games involves a white-haired monkey named Specter obtaining a helmet known as the Peak Point Helmet (Pipo Helmet for short) which boosts his intelligence. After equipping an army of monkeys with Pipo Helmets, and using an enhanced helmet for himself, Spectre sends his monkey army to take over the world. It is up to the game's protagonists, equipped with various gadgets, to capture the monkeys and restore order to the world.
Gameplay
The Ape Escape series is notable from its radical departure from the tried-and-true control method in most other games. It was the first PlayStation game to require the use of a DualShock controller; the left stick moves the character while the right operates whatever gadget the player has in his/her possession. Again, unlike many games which use 
to jump, both the R1 and R2 buttons are used, while the 'shape' buttons are used to cycle through the available items in the inventory.
In the PSP spin-offs, a more conventional control scheme must be used, due to the PSP's lack of a right analog stick.
The main objective through the majority of the games is to use your available array of gadgets to locate and capture monkeys. When a monkey has been found, he needs to be caught with the Time Net gadget. On the first through, players will have a set number of monkeys to catch before progressing towards the next level. Once each level has been completed, they can be reentered with the gadgets necessary to catch the remaining monkeys.
Minigames
In the main series, there are three unlockable minigames that can be played at the hub. These can be accessed by clearing the necessary amount of stages and/or having the necessary amount of coins. In Ape Escape and Ape Escape: On the Loose, you had to collect a certain amount of Specter Tokens to unlock a minigame.
In Ape Escape 2, you could obtain these three minigames by betting ten coins in the Gotcha Box, but here the stage-clearing was much more vital, yet it didn't mean it'd be based on your percentage on your record.
In Ape Escape 3, because coins were far more abundant than Ape Escape 2 and the fact that you could hold coins past 999, the prices went up for the mini-games as well. Another thing is that this time it was based on your percentage, so clearing stages, beating time attacks, or purchasing things from the shops would get you faster to making the mini games become available to purchase. The minigame Mesal Gear Solid seems fuller and more of a game of its own rather than just a simple unlockable. This game has a plot and more traditional gameplay of the AE series, and could be the start of more fuller minigames based on a series already established, like Metal Gear Solid.
In Ape Quest, the player randomly encounters mini-games in a very similar fashion to classic JRPG random enemy encounters.
Characters
Cameo appearances
Other media
- Saru Get You -On Air- (anime series based on the franchise)
- Ape Escape (cartoon series) (animated shorts created by American studio Frederator Studios)
- Manga (CoroCoro comics)
