Ape Escape Million Monkeys
Encyclopedia
is a platform
ing video game published and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment
for the PlayStation 2
video game console
. It was released throughout Asia a year after the previous title Ape Escape 3
. The game was planned to be released in the United Kingdom
in late 2006, but the game was postponed and later canceled due to Ape Escape 3 coming out on the same year. The game entered the "Best Of" franchise on March 15, 2007, which was less than a year after the original release date.
In "Team Kakeru" mode, the story starts with the main hero's gathering in Tokyo. The professor's computer program in the form of the character "Chall", alerts them of the disaster happening in the city. It is shown that Specter has joined forces with an alien race, to take over the world once more. However, it's later revealed that the "alien race" are mutant versions of the breed "Pipotron" which take the DNA of the Pipotron Monkeys, and uses it to create other creatures to help dominate the globe. You are left to destroy any of the Specter's Robot's and Monkeys and restore order to the world. Once Specter has been defeated, monkeys run wild throughout the city, and the game takes a turn in a different direction, and you are left to save the globe from being destroyed by mutant creatures around the world.
In "Team Specter", Specter is on vacation and is alerted by the Piposaru that the monkeys have started to take over the world, without his permission. He is shown that someone has created a Specter impostor, and Specter goes to save the world, before he is defeated. Once the impostor is defeated, it's revealed it was a Pipotron called "Meta" and it can take form of any living creature. The Pipotrons used Meta to take control of the monkeys, and now that he is gone, the monkeys have gone wild throughout Tokyo, and mutant creatures have taken over the city. It's now up to Specter and his team to save the world.
, and mixes it with the platforming ape catching of the original title. Players use different weapons to destroy machines, and creatures lurking throughout the city. Players also use Gadgets to defeat monkeys, and use the "Monkey Net" to catch them. Each mission requires a different goal. Sometimes you will need to defeat a boss, other times you will need to defeat a set of Targets, defend certain characters or weapons that will help you throughout the game or sometimes you just need to capture a set of monkeys. Each mission containing monkeys has up to 100 monkeys available for capture. The more you capture, the more "Gotcha Points" get added to your total score, which helps you unlock certain items in various ways. Missions eighteen and nineteen differ from the rest of the game. It requires you to solve virtual puzzles within a time limit. This is the only occasion where Gadgets are no longer necessary to win the mission.
*Tokyo Teleport Town (Mission 1 and 29)
*Shinjuku (Mission 2 and 28)
*Akihabara (Mission 3 and 27)
*The Tokyo Metro Subway (Mission 4 and 26)
*The Diet Parliament Building, Tokyo (Mission 5 and 25)
*Container Terminal (Mission 6 and 24)
*Yokohama Stadium (Mission 7 and 23)
*Odaiba (Mission 30)
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
ing video game published and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was released throughout Asia a year after the previous title Ape Escape 3
Ape Escape 3
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 on May 5, 2006, and in Australia on May 18, 2006...
. The game was planned to be released in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in late 2006, but the game was postponed and later canceled due to Ape Escape 3 coming out on the same year. The game entered the "Best Of" franchise on March 15, 2007, which was less than a year after the original release date.
Background
The game was released in Asia in July 2006. It was released in the "Best Of" series in Japan on March 15, 2007, only months after its original release. The holder of the #1 spot has won 13 consecutive 8-round online rounds. You are notified of being the leader as a crown appears on your progress screen. The current holder of the crown has held the title for 34 non-consecutive weeks, the longest of all #1 positions. Only one person has achieved the #1 spot outside Asia, which was a player from the US who only held the title for 4 days.Plot
The game has two story plots to play. One is "Team Kakeru" referring to the main hero's of the series, the other "Team Specter" which refers to enemy Specter and the monkeys. Each "team" has their own plot, which involves the same Gameplay, but the story has changed.In "Team Kakeru" mode, the story starts with the main hero's gathering in Tokyo. The professor's computer program in the form of the character "Chall", alerts them of the disaster happening in the city. It is shown that Specter has joined forces with an alien race, to take over the world once more. However, it's later revealed that the "alien race" are mutant versions of the breed "Pipotron" which take the DNA of the Pipotron Monkeys, and uses it to create other creatures to help dominate the globe. You are left to destroy any of the Specter's Robot's and Monkeys and restore order to the world. Once Specter has been defeated, monkeys run wild throughout the city, and the game takes a turn in a different direction, and you are left to save the globe from being destroyed by mutant creatures around the world.
In "Team Specter", Specter is on vacation and is alerted by the Piposaru that the monkeys have started to take over the world, without his permission. He is shown that someone has created a Specter impostor, and Specter goes to save the world, before he is defeated. Once the impostor is defeated, it's revealed it was a Pipotron called "Meta" and it can take form of any living creature. The Pipotrons used Meta to take control of the monkeys, and now that he is gone, the monkeys have gone wild throughout Tokyo, and mutant creatures have taken over the city. It's now up to Specter and his team to save the world.
Gameplay
The gameplay uses the action based gameplay from the party title Ape Escape: Pumped & PrimedApe Escape: Pumped & Primed
Ape Escape: Pumped and Primed, known in Japan as Gacha Mecha Stadium Saru Battle , is a video game that was developed by SCEI for the PlayStation 2. The game was published by Ubisoft and SCEI in 2004. It is the fourth title in the Ape Escape franchise...
, and mixes it with the platforming ape catching of the original title. Players use different weapons to destroy machines, and creatures lurking throughout the city. Players also use Gadgets to defeat monkeys, and use the "Monkey Net" to catch them. Each mission requires a different goal. Sometimes you will need to defeat a boss, other times you will need to defeat a set of Targets, defend certain characters or weapons that will help you throughout the game or sometimes you just need to capture a set of monkeys. Each mission containing monkeys has up to 100 monkeys available for capture. The more you capture, the more "Gotcha Points" get added to your total score, which helps you unlock certain items in various ways. Missions eighteen and nineteen differ from the rest of the game. It requires you to solve virtual puzzles within a time limit. This is the only occasion where Gadgets are no longer necessary to win the mission.
Reception
It was described as a "Recipe for Success" according to Yahoo Italy. They added "Take the beauty of butterflies, a few hundred monkeys out of your mind and mix well with a simple yet innovative game play and graphics up to date. Bake for a few minutes in a preheated oven of Sony Computer Entertainment, and voila, here is Ape Escape!" It was received positively noting that the game strays away from its previous titles, but for the right reasons. They also mentioned missions eighteen to nineteen as the most creative levels a game in this genre has ever seen, also mentioning how it fits within the game, despite the game being solely on action based gameplay.Trivia
- I Feel Love by Donna Summer was heard in the introduction cutscene in Coliseum Mode.
- Throughout the game, the following areas of Tokyo have been used as the setting for some of the missions in the game:
*Tokyo Teleport Town (Mission 1 and 29)
*Shinjuku (Mission 2 and 28)
*Akihabara (Mission 3 and 27)
*The Tokyo Metro Subway (Mission 4 and 26)
*The Diet Parliament Building, Tokyo (Mission 5 and 25)
*Container Terminal (Mission 6 and 24)
*Yokohama Stadium (Mission 7 and 23)
*Odaiba (Mission 30)
External links
- Official Japanese website
- Japanese Wikipedia article on Ape Escape