Ape Escape (PS1)

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Crummylion
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Joined: February 10th, 2017, 11:20 pm

Ape Escape (PS1)

Postby Crummylion » June 13th, 2022, 12:29 pm

Well, the fans have cried out and Sony finally added a handful of ps1 and psp games to their PS5/4 catalogue with more to come soon. One of them being Ape Escape. Naturally, I hopped on that and Ape Escape's been a good time so far. Emulation is what you might expect. Save states and rewind mode, and video settings to adjust to your nostalgic gamer needs. Ape Escape is a 3d collectathon where you capture apes with an arsenal of tools and gadgets. Having only played the portable remake and the sequels, the game itself is competent but rough in its edges. What makes this game stand out is its use of the analogue sticks, as in you need to use the right stick to use them like in Grabbed by the Ghoulies. That means stiff camera controls. While in Ghoulies, both bumpers are used to control the camera, Ape Escape is relegated to the d pad to move the camera and L1 to reset. The reason why you can't use both bumpers is because R1 and 2 are used to jump, as your thumb will be stuck on the stick. The X button instead is used for selecting gadgets on a whim, along with the other face buttons. The gadgets you use will aid you in finding the monkeys, like a stun baton, a catching net, hula hoop, and radar to name a few. They all utilize the right stick well, but may prove to be unnecessary as the psp port used them fine without. Personally, I thought they were fun to use, especially the slingshot that required you to pull back the stick as if you were pulling an actual sling. I think I'll write a more complete review when I finish the game and elaborate on my thoughts, but overall it's a good time despite its age.
Heads up, it's unfortunately not like Xbox where you can just insert a disc and download the game. You either need to pay the game digitally (supposedly free if you owned it on ps3) or be a PSPlus member.

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