Ape Escape 3

Ape Escape 3
US box art
Developer(s)	Sony
Publisher(s)	Sony
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release	JPN July 14, 2005 JPN November 2, 2005 (PS2 the Best) NA January 17, 2006 EU May 5, 2006 AU May 18, 2006
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single player

Ape Escape 3 is a platforming video game published and developed by Sony for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was first released in Japan on July 14, 2005, and was later released in North America on January 17, 2006, in Europe in May 5, 2006, and in Australia on May 18, 2006. It was re-released in Japan under the PlayStation2 the Best on November 2, 2005. It is the third entry in the Ape Escape series.

Plot

The villain of the first 2 Ape Escape titles, Specter, the Pipo Monkey's Leader, finds an awesome pipo helmet, and hires the human scientist Dr. Tomoki (Tomuki in JPN/EUR version). They establish villages protected by the Freaky Monkey Five. The TV shows that are broadcasted on every television put every human except the twins, Kei (Satoru in JPN/EUR version), Yumi (Sayaka in JPN/EUR version), their aunt Aki, and Natalie (Natsumi in JPN/EUR version) into a mindless trance. When Natalie informs Yumi and Kei that Spike (Kakeru in JPN/EUR version), Jimmy (Hikaru in JPN/EUR version) and the Professor were all infected by the TV show, Kei and Yumi go out to catch monkeys and thwart Specter and Tomoki.

When they reach Tomoki City, Tomoki, after being humiliated by Specter lets them take his rocket to space to defeat his former partner. Once Specter is defeated for the first time, Monkey Pink releases him and the rest of the Freaky Monkey 5. To complete the game 100 percent, all the 442 monkeys have to be caught, all the time trials have to be completed with a gold time, and all the items, CD'S, Video Tapes (except 28), Car Skins, Genie Dance tracks, books, etc. have to be bought. The game holds a total of 434 monkeys if the secret code monkeys are not caught.

Gameplay

Though its gameplay is similar to its predecessors, Ape Escape 3 features new changes to the series. The game allows the player to choose between a playable male character (Kei) and a playable female character (Yumi) at the beginning of the game. It centers on one of the two playable characters venturing throughout television programs to capture invading monkeys. There are now 400+ monkeys to capture in this game. A new feature in this game is the ability to morph into different outfits through a device built by Aki. Another addition to the game is "Monkey Steal!" If you attack a monkey too much not only will it try and face you head on, it may even steal a Gotcha Gadget. If that Gadget is the net, the player may get caught and will be brought back to the hub (any monkeys caught will be given back as will any previously stolen items, including the net, also no lives are loss). The stun club and the monkey net are the only gadgets that can get stolen.

FORMS-

Fantasy Knight- A Knight form for Kei and Yumi. Has very good defense and offense, but they can't catch monkeys from a distance.

Cowboy/Girl (called "Wild West Kid" in European version)- Normal cowboy/girl abilities. Features chaps and hats. Can target monkeys to shoot and capture.

Miracle Ninja- Ninja outfit for Yumi and Kei. Can walk on walls. fly *to an extent* and dopplegang. They also become quicker and somewhat stronger in this form. Kei looks almost like Strider Hiryu in his Miracle Ninja morph.

Genie Dancer (Genie Charmer in European version)- Character gains Arabian-esque outfit and the control of a genie who can teleport and make monkeys dance. In the game, Aki said she modeled the genie after Yellow Monkey.

Dragon Kung Fu Fighter (Kung Fu Master in European version)- Asian kung fu suit. Yumi sort of resembles Mint from Tokyo Mew Mew. Player can crash blocks, do high kicks, fast fury fire attack, and rapid strike catching ability.

Cyber Ace/ Cyber Princess (Gotchaman Thunder/Fairy in European version)- Kei becomes a power ranger-esque, and Yumi blonde lolita princess. They have an attack called Pulse, can fly, and can also catch multiple monkeys. The strongest form for the two characters.

Monkey Suit- A giant Pipo Monkey suit. When worn, the characters can distract monkeys/make them dance, sniff out bananas, and find secret rooms.

Monkey Movies

In each level there is a camera which can be used to film monkey movies by filming monkeys. The movies can then be viewed in the Monkey Cinema in Market Street. Each movie is 15 seconds long. If you catch the monkeys before you film them you cannot film the the movie until you unlock freeplay mode so that you have another chance to film the monkeys. If you unlock Monkey Studio you can make your own monkey movies.

Gotcha Coins

By defeating enemies, the character gains coins or stars, which can be used to purchase pictures, genie dance tracks, mini-games, movies, health, and other objects in the game's market.

Characters

Main article: List of Ape Escape Characters

Minigames

As in the first two games, Ape Escape 3 contains minigames. To get them, the player buys them from the Hobby Shop. The minigames are:

Monkey Throw Stadium / Monkey See, Monkey Throw

In this minigame the player chooses a primary and a secondary monkey from a list, the primary monkey then sees how far he can throw the secondary monkey. More monkeys will pop up when you capture them. At least 2 throwers and 2 hammer monkeys can be found from Space Station Saru 3 / Cuz' you love it! Specter Tv / Space Tv Fortress stage.

Ultim-ape Fighter / Fists of Furry

This game's story parodies Jackie Chan while the minigame's play parodies versus fighting games. The player is Ukki Chan/Jackie Chimp, who dedicates his life to finding his long lost parents by fighting against other monkeys.

Mesal Gear Solid

File:Mesal Gear Solid.jpg

Mesal Gear Solid: Snake Escape.

The mini-game Mesal Gear Solid: Snake Escape (the word "mesal" is a portmanteau of the words "metal" and "saru" for ape), a collaboration between Sony and Konami, is available at the Hobby Shop, when the main game has been beaten. It is both a tribute to the Metal Gear Solid series and a side story to MGS and Ape Escape. In it, the player controls Pipo Snake, a monkey with the battle data of Solid Snake. Colonel Roy Campbell contacts the Professor, telling him that Solid Snake has gone dark at a base housing the latest version of "Mesal Gear." Monkeys are running the base. They have demanded ten billion bananas within 72 hours, or else they will fire Mesal Gear's "Lazy Cannon." Spike, Jimmy, Kei, and Yumi are at summer camp, and the Monkey Net is broken. The Professor decides to download the battle data of Solid Snake into a monkey and send him to rescue Solid Snake. Pipo Snake is that monkey. The game is a hybrid of Metal Gear Solid's "tactical espionage action" and Ape Escape's humor. Pipo Snake must get through several areas guarded by monkeys in order to reach Mesal Gear and save Solid Snake. Along the way, he can stun guards and take out cameras with his Banana Gun, attack bosses with Pineapple Grenades, and blow up computers with Watermelon Bombs. He can collect Monkey tags, rescue hostages, evade security systems, and wear a cardboard box. There are several boss battles that reference both MGS and Ape Escape. This mini-game parallels a previous mini-game within Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater called Snake vs. Monkey, in which Snake must capture enemy monkeys from the Ape Escape series.

Trivia

• Some of the tracks in Ape Escape 3 are remixes from Ape Escape and Ape Escape 2-for example, Cyber Ace is a remix of the Freaky Monkey Five Battle. Specter's theme from the first game is also reused in this game for cutscenes and for the second final battle. While some of the tracks are written in Ape Escape's futuristic style or Ape Escape 2's "smooth monkey" style, a couple of the songs are also parodies of other music. For instance, at the Saru Mon's Castle level, you can hear an Ape Escape version of Strauss's Kaiserwalzer. Some tracks are not at all remixed, and are just added on a new arrangement, like in the Wild West level, where the music is exactly from the slingshot level in Ape Escape Pumped and Primed. In the Mesal Gear Solid minigame, the level where you have to battle Mesal Gear has the same soundtrack as going against the Shagohod tank in Metal Gear Solid 3.
• There are more naked monkeys than any other Ape Escape game combined.
• One of the monkeys on the cover of the European version is Kei or Yumi in a monkey costume.
• This is the first game to get the E10+ rating.
• Yumi is the first playable female protagonist, whereas the majority of the heroes of the original series were boys.
• Kei's dances after beating a stage is an exact copy of Jimmy's in Ape Escape 2 when either he has finished a Time Attack or is without Pipotchi in some situations.Yumi's,however,may be a feminine version of Spike's dance in Ape Escape.

• In Banana Heat, there's a scene where a Pipo Monkey blasts out of the telephone booth into Pipo-mon. This scene is a parody of Clark Kent going through doors and turning into Superman when he comes out, except that the Ape Escape 3 version is from a telephone booth not a door.
• On Space Station Saru 003, in the last studio, before the Darth Vader monkey, there are three star destroyers and a death star behind it. This scene is recongized from the Battle of Endor from Episode 6: Return of the Jedi. The plane that the player rides on is exactly like the Rebel Alliance X-wing, except its wings are made of bananas, and the nose is shorter.
• In Arctic Wonderland, there's a scene of a ship called Bananatic falling while two monkeys fall onto a boat for safety. The way the Bananatic sink is similar to the sinking of the Titanic in the movie. The two monkeys that fall onto the boat play the roles of Jack Dawson and Rose Dawson Calvert.
• In Midnight Bay, there is a skit where a shining monkey and a monkey dressed in 1950's style clothing and an eye visor are fighting. When you record the tape, the monkey in the black biker jacket refers to the monkey as a robot, probably a pun of the movie I,Robot. When watching it in the Simian Cinema, he uses the famous line, "I'll be back!" Another monkey in Ape Escape 2 used the exact same line in the Code C.H.I.M.P level.
• The Mesal Gear in the Mesal Gear Solid minigame is the same design as the Mesal Gear tank which appeared in one of the levels from the Snake vs Monkeys minigame in Metal Gear Solid 3.

External links

• Official website (North America)