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Very creative - great fun for kids!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: July 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The reviews here really surprise me a lot. It's hard to believe that such a fun (and funny) game could get so many gripes. However I notice that most of those come from people comparing it to the original which preceded this title by 5 years. I think UBI Soft intentionally abandoned those players and aimed this game squarely at today's young children (5-12) rather than the teens that the original's players are by now.

Given the target audience, I think the difficulty level is appropriate and even challenging at times. This comes from the fact that the controls are very different from ordinary games, though they are perfect for this one. The buttons are used merely to switch between your many devices rapidly while all game controls actually are executed with the 2 joysticks. It works quite well once you get used to it. It also requires a bit of puzzle-solving and critical thinking for young children to determine which device is best for a specific job.

The main point is that the game is just plain fun to play. The action is fact-paced but not stress-inducing. The presentation is refreshing. The graphics are good but nothing stellar. A key is that the big bosses are very funny and novel. Who but the Japanese could present as a major enemy a petite, karaoke-singing monkey girl who grows enraged after you disrupt her chance at stardom? Others are equally zany.

Honestly my kids (5&9) love this game and revisit it often. My son often plays the Monkey Soccer mini-game even when he doesn't want to play the normal game; and it's knid of cool that the only monkeys that you can add to your roster are monkeys that you have already captured in the real game. My daughter loves the Dance Monkey Dance mini-game. Rare to find a game that girls and boys enjoy equally like this one. Highly recommended for kids... not good for teens or more edgy audiences.

Best game sequel since Crash Bandicoot!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 12
Date: May 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This will be an excellent game. First off the graphics are improved and much better (even though the first games graphics were the best to). Second all the gadgets are updated and are better looking, for instance the monkey radar now shows how full their stomach is because the monkeys will throw poop now. And third, ALL THE MONKEYS LOOK EVEN COOLER!! So please don't live a boring life, GO OUT AND GET THIS GAME!...

Just to straighten things out.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: November 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I would like to say this: 1. You don't have to beat the game twice to get Spike back.[yes ,the game just doesn't revolve around Jimmy].You have to return to different levels to get the monkeys you haven't caught yet. 2. Jimmy's voice is not Ash Ketchum. Veronica Taylor [yes,Ash is a girl] had nothing to do with the game. 3. The camera can be reseted by pressing L1. I enjoy this game especially because of the music. There are 51 songs including the Pink Monkey music video, Escape the Ape. Control systems are very original compaired to what is available today. You can walk along with your RC card beside you. I hope this review helps to clear what the game is like.

Much bettter than the first!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: October 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Ape Escape 2 is a highly entertaining, fun game. The music is great, my favorite songs are from the Simian Citadel level and Lookout Valley. The other levels have great music too. It also has some new gadgets like the Bananarang, the Water Cannon, and the Magnet. New vehicles include the summerine, Snowmobile, and the Pipo Mech. In this game there are 300 monkeys out there to catch and over 20 vast levels. The storyline isn't to in-depth but it's creative. My favorite new feature it the Gotcha Box, where you can trade in your gold coins for some fun secrets that can be viewed at the entertainment center. These various extras include: Monkepedia, Enemy Photo Album, Secret Photo Album, Movies, Soundtracks, Monkey Fables, Art Collections, Bonus RC cars, and Mini-Games.

There were some problems in this game though. One was that they brought back the Boat. The boat is probably the most hard-to-control gadget in the game. I've tried and I've tried but I still can't seem to get the hang of it. Maybe you'll have better luck than me. The Tank is another ridiculous gadget. Another down side to this game is the 5th monkey in the Freaky Monkey Five. He is nearly impossible to beat. It is impossible to dodge his spinning attacks and his flaming attacks. I am still stuck on him.

Well anyway, I'd recommend this game for you if you enjoyed the first Ape Escape, it's even better than that one.

Ape Escape 2 rocks!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

At first when i got Ape Escape 1, i thought it will be another of those childish boring games. I started playing just to make fun of it, but then i relized i was playing for hours and hours. I was wrong. Ape Escape 1 was the best game EVER!!! Then when i heard that Ape Escape 2 was coming out, i was super excited. First, it came out in japan, and i had to wait, like a year!! Finally it came out and i had to get it!! I do miss spike though and the charaters are diffrent. But it is an awsome game for kids under 16

What happend?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The only reason I gave this game 5 stars because I had Ape Escape1.I hope someody can tell me what happend to Spike which in the old game was the main character, his friend was captured and brainwashed and you saved him at the end of the game.You know,I really miss the good old Ape Escape.

Outrageously fun(ny)!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: October 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

OMG, is this game fun or is this game fun!? Those who haven't played this game are seriously missing out on a good time! Although there are some flaws and stupid stuff, Ape Escape possibly is the underated game of the year.

Story- The story is actually pretty cheesy. You send a huge crate of new monkey pants to the Monkey Zoo for them to try on. The main character Jimmy accidently send a shipment of Monkey Helmets, which make monkeys that wear them really smart. So the old villian Spectre grabs a hold of one, and lets all of the monkies loose, threatening to destroy the world with his army of 300 monkies........whatever dude, at least they tried. Although it may seem funny at first, it gets pretty old. After the main sequence, hardly any parts of the story move on, and nobody really talks to one another.

Characters- The characters are badly done as well. There are basically four main characters: Jimmy, the monkey catcher, Natalie, the genius girl, Proffessor (???), the professor, and Spectre, the evil monkey!There are also the Fab Monkey Five, but they never really do anything. The bad thing about this game is that no one really comunicates. I mean sure, they give you useless hints and stuff, but there is almost no dialouge.

Gameplay- The gameplay is fantastic! You use the right analog stick to move and the left one to use your weapons. You can double jump and stuff like that too. The only real bad thing about the gameplay is that the camera angles suck monkey, and really annoy you when you need it in a correct spot! I believe there are over 13 different weapons, some returning from the first game like the RC car and Super Hula Hoop, others new, like the Bannana-rang and the super soaker cannon. This adds lots of depth to the game. Erm, 300 monkeys, so you will use all the weapons you can get!

Toughness/replay value-..............this game is VERY VERY VERY easy. I sadly beat it in less than 4 hours. It kinda stinks to have this short a game, with so many monkeys! There are bosses as well but the only one that offers a descent challenge was the final boss. The monkeys do have weapons occationally like machine guns and bombs, but they cause no real threat. Very easy.
In terms of replay value, this game's is gi-normous! After you beat the game, you can play time trial on all the levels. If thats not enough, you can cash in your coins into this vending machine thingy and recieve new RC cars, pictures, monkey stories, music, comics, and tons of other crap! And if thats boring to you, you can unlock three intense mini games: Monkey Soccer (extremely addicting, played it longer than the game itself), Dance Monkey Dance (DDR style stuff with an analog and monkey twist), and Monkey Climber (This one bites, and is hard). All of these can be played with a friend, and when playing monkey soccer, you use the monkeys you caught in the game as your players! They all are extremely addicting, and a lot better than the minigames in AE1.

Sound/Music-Nothing really caught my ears here. Some catchy tunes, but they get repetetive. Yet, its always classic when you sneak up on a monkey and it goes, "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!" then chucks a bomb at you.

I only gave this game 4 stars because it lacked a good challenge, as well as characters and story. If you are sick to death of finger busting games like Ratchet and Clank or boring shooters, definately give AE2 a try. I can guarentee you won't put your controller down, at least not when playing Monkey Soccer. (Its also worth it to see monkeys slide by on sushi platters in the credits)

Great Game for all ages!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: July 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I loved this game on the first Playstation and now It's on the ps2. This game is fun for all I love it and my kids love it. Pick this up you can't go wrong chasing monkey's around all day!

Ape Escape... TWO!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: July 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Out of every game I have ever played, Ape Escape was always my favorite. It was always fun and thrilling, and never left me bored. It was full of action and it required some complex thinking, but it was SO MUCH FUN!When I first heard there was a sequal to that brilliant game, I was SO excited! It was only in japanese for about a year, until it *finally* came out in english recently! I am going to go out and buy this game and write another update about it, but im POSITIVE it will not be a disappointment or a waste of money AT ALL! I loved ape escape and I'm sure I will love ape escape 2 even more. For anyone who lives ape escape, ape escape 2 is a definate MUST!

Gotta Catch 'Em All!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: October 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Let me start off by saying this: I dont own Ape Escape 1. I have never played it. I havent even seen it in a store to tell you the truth. So, I can honestly review this game as if it were something brand-spankin-new. Nope, not even the least bit hyped or full of expectations. Just a plain and simple, straightforward review of the game itself. Ready? Here we go!

The first thing that I noticed about this game is the way the controls are handled. They are great! The developer has managed to utilize all the features of the dual shock to the fullest extent. At first it may seem a bit oberwhelming to run in one direction and swing your net in another, or use one analog stick to move and the other to control your little RC car. I am happy to report that this feeling soon wears off and you will find yourself pleased with the fluidity at which the game can be handled.

Ape Escape 2 is your standard platformer. Run, Jump, Catch monkeys, Beat Bosses. Thats the gist. Not really too complicated or anything like that. NO questions about the fate of mankind, nothing deep and philisophical like the ponderings of the human soul. Just a bunch of rowdy monkeys that need to be taught a lesson. Along the way, pick up some coins so that you can buy things like songs, concept artworks, pictures and even monkey fables. All in all, its an entertaining concept.

The graphics seem as if they could use a bit of polish, particularly the monkeys- those darn primates seem to be rendered with as much un-imagination as possible.(And I wont even go on about the big yellow freaky one!) Otherwise, the worlds are colorful and bright. The control, as mentioned earlier, is fluid and awesomely quick and responsive. Jimmy can run, jump, roll, climb, swim, dive, fly and hang on ledges. You have a variety of weapons available to help you get all the primates into captivity. Helicopter, Radar, RC car, and a Bananna-rang just to name a few.

I though this game was fun, if a little to easy and basic in terms of storyline and challenge. It is something that a family with small children and a PS2 should buy, as there isnt any over-the top violence, gore, language or mature themes. Ape Escape 2 provides a whimsical diversion from the "heavier" games that we are starting to see, ie Metal Gear Solid series and the Grand Theft Auto franchise. This game is fun (and thats what games are all about)silly and whimsical. I would suggest it to anyone with small children and to those who sometimes want to take a break and play someting fresh and new.

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