PlayStation Move Ape Escape – Full Written Game Review

Hooooo boy, where to begin. Okay positivity is good, so I’ll start this “PlayStation Move Ape Escape” game review by saying I liked “Ape Escape” on the PS2, when it was fun, fresh and a bit silly. The “Ape Escape” franchise has been bobbing along for over ten years and in that time we’ve seen a couple of great additions, sadly “PlayStation Move Ape Escape” is not one of them.

Female gamer angle, right, well the overall story is built around an all female affair, with two girls trying to find their missing granny. The story isn’t going to keep you gripped, there’s little depth and sense, but then the “Ape Escape” games aren’t overly known for their in-depth character driven stories. Still at least there’s some female character goodness.

There’s two ways to play “PlayStation Move Ape Escape”, Story Mode and Mini Games. Unlike other “Ape Escape” titles, the idea here isn’t to catch mischievous monkeys, these monkeys sort of drop in via UFO’s, again, with little sense. Things are also now on rails, rather than running around an open level looking for the cheeky guys. So what we have is an on rails shooter that sees you shoot the monkeys and the UFO’s or use the net to catch them. The whole thing feels more than a little flat.

The PlayStation Move controller does the job, it just doesn’t help the game is a bit of a dog after the initial fun wears away. I hate writing such a short review, but fellow gamers, there really isn’t much more to say, this is an average video game aimed – one imagines – squarely at the kiddie market, with its bright colors, simple setup and naff story.

Given just how good the initial couple of “Ape Escape” titles were, this is a sad state of affairs, the addition of the PlayStation Move does little to add to the game, even though it does work accurately. The charm and fun of the original is lost in “PlayStation Move Ape Escape” which feels like a free demo as opposed to a full game. No monkey business here, just an unpolished, slightly below average title. Shame.