Ape Escape: On the Loose
released on May 22, 2005
A remake of Ape Escape
Based on the Ape Escape series, Ape Escape: On the Loose arrives on the PSP with multiplayer functionality and a variety of minigames. The new adventure begins when Specter--a monkey-turned-monster--and his army of monkeys travel back in time to change history and take over the world. Now it's up to you to pursue Specter and capture more than 200 monkeys in eight different worlds, which span more than 20 levels.
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Like I said in my Ape Escape review, this version was actually the first one I experienced, and while the conversion is not perfect, I think it is a perfectly fine way to play the original game.
In some aspects, I actually prefer it over the PS1 original, as I'd rather mash the button corresponding to the gadget I want to use, rather than rotate the stick.
With this one, I played with the British English dub, and I think it was fine. Nothing amazing, but it does the job.
If you're curious about playing Ape Escape, and you don't have access to the original version, I think you can't go wrong with this one, in spite of the limitations.
In some aspects, I actually prefer it over the PS1 original, as I'd rather mash the button corresponding to the gadget I want to use, rather than rotate the stick.
With this one, I played with the British English dub, and I think it was fine. Nothing amazing, but it does the job.
If you're curious about playing Ape Escape, and you don't have access to the original version, I think you can't go wrong with this one, in spite of the limitations.
I remember when I first played the console version of Ape Escape, I wish I could jump with X instead of pushing up on the right analog stick. Now that I've gotten so used to them in both 1 and 2, reverting to a new inferior control scheme massively hinders the enjoyability here. Play the console version on PS1, it plays so much smoother.
This is my first time playing the Ape Escape series, and while I don't know the original control scheme or how it really played out, the remake does it best to bring it portable and make it more than a fine addition to your psp collection. I do think there is some problems with it's hit boxes, camera controls, and button layout, but making such a game portable at the time feels like an equal trade off to me.
On The Loose showed me everything I need to know to love the Ape Escape series as is, and effectively shows me why my current girlfriend loves it too! It has a fun charm of seeing apes run around and cause havoc while you try to corral them all to beat a level. It challenges the player to solve fun little puzzles of either getting to or stopping the apes from escaping. All the environments and levels in the game are fairly unique so it always stays fresh when you get a new level to explore, this is especially enhanced by levels getting more difficulty and lengthy as you progress through the game. While boss battles are often sparse, they were always a delight from the change of pace it brought, and I hope future games in the series give me more to enjoy. Overall Ape Escape: On The Loose is just a very good sandbox puzzle platformer that understood that 3D can't be as linear as 2D is. Honestly, the fact that you only need to capture so many Apes while still having more in the level also adds into a replay and speed run factor that just continues to make the game far more interesting to me compared to other 3D platformers at the time like Croc or Crash Bandicoot.
Ape Escape: On The Loose may not be the best port out there, but what it did for me still made me like the series compared to driving me away. Perhaps Ape Escape is just that whimsical of a 3D Puzzle Platformer? Maybe the environments are just far too neat or music far too bouncy to really get hindered by the PSP control performance issues, or maybe people just don't like to do extra work in using the controls they are given. Regardless, Ape Escape is a 3D platformer done right. While I'm glad I have 2 other games to explore; overall this was a great start to a series that deserves far more love than Sony ever gave it.
On The Loose showed me everything I need to know to love the Ape Escape series as is, and effectively shows me why my current girlfriend loves it too! It has a fun charm of seeing apes run around and cause havoc while you try to corral them all to beat a level. It challenges the player to solve fun little puzzles of either getting to or stopping the apes from escaping. All the environments and levels in the game are fairly unique so it always stays fresh when you get a new level to explore, this is especially enhanced by levels getting more difficulty and lengthy as you progress through the game. While boss battles are often sparse, they were always a delight from the change of pace it brought, and I hope future games in the series give me more to enjoy. Overall Ape Escape: On The Loose is just a very good sandbox puzzle platformer that understood that 3D can't be as linear as 2D is. Honestly, the fact that you only need to capture so many Apes while still having more in the level also adds into a replay and speed run factor that just continues to make the game far more interesting to me compared to other 3D platformers at the time like Croc or Crash Bandicoot.
Ape Escape: On The Loose may not be the best port out there, but what it did for me still made me like the series compared to driving me away. Perhaps Ape Escape is just that whimsical of a 3D Puzzle Platformer? Maybe the environments are just far too neat or music far too bouncy to really get hindered by the PSP control performance issues, or maybe people just don't like to do extra work in using the controls they are given. Regardless, Ape Escape is a 3D platformer done right. While I'm glad I have 2 other games to explore; overall this was a great start to a series that deserves far more love than Sony ever gave it.
I started playing this because I was getting frustrated at the PS1 Ape Escape controls. 6 years of hindsight somehow did not work the magic I thought it would've and the controls for this game are somehow WORSE. Couldn't get passed it and went back to PS1 Ape Escape with newfound respect. Though, for the niche of people who don't own a PS1 but own a PSP - it's Ape Escape. Also the voice of Billy from Billy & Mandy voices your character.
Richard Horvitz voicing Spike in the US/NTSC dub couldn't save this one, I'm afraid.
I've long heard tale from other people of the Ape Escape remake that sucked, and...yeah, they were right. I will be nice to this clunky adaptation and say that I actually prefer the button taps for Sky Flyer and Dash Hoop over twirling the second control stick, but I can't shake off my "look at how they massacred my boy" gut reaction for this remake. Valiant effort to make this portable! Wish it wasn't trash!
It's still a version of Ape Escape, so the skeleton of a banger game still exists, but hot damn they ruined most of the gadgets. It's bad enough that the Stun Club and the Time Net have their movement severely limited from "move second control stick freely and gracefully" to "tap button once to do the same pathetic swing over and over with zero variation", but they seriously expect me to control the RC Car with a D pad?! Why not ask me to rub my ass with sandpaper while I'm here?
This game also makes the interesting choice of making the graphic and sound design somehow worse than the PS1 original. The graphics are your traditional "upscale the PS1 polygons but somehow making the colors muddier in the process" fare of the 2000's era of remakes, and the music is mostly left intact with the occasional Interesting Choice (Crumbling Castle, this is about you), but the sound mixing is where things get really fucked. Great idea to give Spike the loudest footsteps in all of gaming and have his footsteps sound wet somehow. Even better idea to have the explosion noises go from "too quiet" to "WAY TOO FUCKING LOUD".
Great game to give to an Ape Escape fan if you absolutely despise them. You can even say "What's wrong? I thought you LIKED Ape Escape?" as the twinkle forever leaves their eye during a failed net swing that would've been completely doable on the PS1.
At least you can Platinum this game on PS Plus Premium at a mere 60% completion on your save file since there's absolutely no "catch all the monkeys" trophies. This is a blessing in disguise.
I've long heard tale from other people of the Ape Escape remake that sucked, and...yeah, they were right. I will be nice to this clunky adaptation and say that I actually prefer the button taps for Sky Flyer and Dash Hoop over twirling the second control stick, but I can't shake off my "look at how they massacred my boy" gut reaction for this remake. Valiant effort to make this portable! Wish it wasn't trash!
It's still a version of Ape Escape, so the skeleton of a banger game still exists, but hot damn they ruined most of the gadgets. It's bad enough that the Stun Club and the Time Net have their movement severely limited from "move second control stick freely and gracefully" to "tap button once to do the same pathetic swing over and over with zero variation", but they seriously expect me to control the RC Car with a D pad?! Why not ask me to rub my ass with sandpaper while I'm here?
This game also makes the interesting choice of making the graphic and sound design somehow worse than the PS1 original. The graphics are your traditional "upscale the PS1 polygons but somehow making the colors muddier in the process" fare of the 2000's era of remakes, and the music is mostly left intact with the occasional Interesting Choice (Crumbling Castle, this is about you), but the sound mixing is where things get really fucked. Great idea to give Spike the loudest footsteps in all of gaming and have his footsteps sound wet somehow. Even better idea to have the explosion noises go from "too quiet" to "WAY TOO FUCKING LOUD".
Great game to give to an Ape Escape fan if you absolutely despise them. You can even say "What's wrong? I thought you LIKED Ape Escape?" as the twinkle forever leaves their eye during a failed net swing that would've been completely doable on the PS1.
At least you can Platinum this game on PS Plus Premium at a mere 60% completion on your save file since there's absolutely no "catch all the monkeys" trophies. This is a blessing in disguise.
It's good