Ape Escape (known as Saru! Get You! (サルゲッチュ Saru Getchu) in Japan) is a platform game published, produced and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. Originally released in 1999, it was re-released for the four different best seller versions, the Sony Greatest Hits and Best for Family line-ups in 2000; the Platinum Range in 2001; and the PSone Books line-up in 2005. The game was re-released as a downloadable game via the PlayStation Network in Japan in 2007. Ape Escape is notable as the first video game to require the use of a Dual Analog or DualShock controller for gameplay. A remake, Ape Escape: On the Loose (サルゲッチュP! Saru Getchu P!) also known as Ape Escape P in Europe, was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2005.
Gameplay
Ape Escape is a platform game in which the player controls
Spike, who must travel through time and capture all of the monkeys, thus
preventing them from rewriting history. The controls are centered
heavily around the use of the two analog sticks, and thus a Dual Analog
or DualShock controller is required for gameplay. The left analog stick
is used to move Spike around, with shoulder buttons used for jumping and
camera control, whilst the right stick manipulates the various gadgets
Spike attains throughout the game. The game also makes use of the L3 and
R3 buttons, which are used by pressing down the respective analaog
sticks. These control schemes are omitted from the PlayStation Portable remake
in favor of traditional controls due to the handheld's lack of a second
analog stick.
Spike begins the game with his primary gadgets, the Stun Club and Time Net, which are used by pushing the right analog stick in the direction the player wishes to swing them. The Stun Club is used as an offensive measure against enemy characters and to temporarily stun monkeys, while the Time Net is used to capture monkeys and send them back to the present day.As the player progresses, Spike will earn new gadgets, each with their own control schemes, which are explained in a mandatory training level when they are earned. Examples include a slingshot, which has players pull back on the analog stick to aim and release to fire, the propellor, which lets players reach highers areas by twirling the analog stick like a helicopter, and the R/C car which can be freely controlled with the right analog stick. Players can equip four of these gadgets at a time, which can be switched in real-time using the four face buttons. Additionally, there are vehicles such as a rubber raft and a tank, which requires the use of both analog sticks to control, and the water net, which helps Spike swim underwater and can also fire monkey capturing nets.
The monkeys are equipped with Pipo Helmets which feature a siren that represent their current state of awareness. A blue siren represents they are calm and unaware of the player's presence, yellow means they are cautious and red means they are alerted and will either try to run away or become hostile. Players can sneak up on some monkeys by crawling up to them using the L3 button. A monkey's personality is often determined by the color of shorts it is wearing. For normal monkeys, yellow shorts represents standard monkeys, light blue shorts represent timid monkeys and red shorts represent aggressive monkeys. There are also monkeys that are equipped with either long range weaponry, which can prove to be dangerous, or binoculars that let them spot the player from far away. Upon entering a stage for the first time, players will have a specified numbers of monkeys to capture in order to progress to the next stage, the exception being levels in which a boss character will appear. After a level has been cleared once, the player may revisit that level to capture any monkeys they may have missed, some of which will require gadgets obtained in later levels.
Spike's health is represented by cookies, losing a life if he takes too many hits, falls down a bottomless pit or spends too long underwater. The player can earn extra lives by collecting 100 chips or 1-Up shirts. Throughout the game, players can gather Specter Coins, which can be found in hidden locations in each stage, or by beating Spike's rival, Buzz, in bonus stages taking place between certain eras. Collecting enough Specter Coins unlocks three bonus mini-games; Ski Kidz Racing, Galaxy Monkey and Specter Boxing, which are playable for up to two players. Ski Kidz Racing is a skiing game in which players race against other opponents, Galaxy Monkey is a shoot 'em up where players fight against aliens, and Specter Boxing is a boxing game where players dodge and punch using the analog sticks. In the PSP version, Galaxy Monkey is replaced by two new minigames, Ape Ping Pong, a simple table tennis game, and Buzz Attacks, which are the same as the bonus Buzz stages, whilst Ski Kidz Racing is altered into Snow Kidz Racing, using snowboarding instead of skiing.
Plot
The story begins when Specter, a white-haired monkey at a monkey park, puts on an experimental 'Peak Point Helmet' (Pipo Helmet for short) created by a Professor, which increases his intelligence beyond that of a regular monkey, but also twists his mind, turning him evil. Embued with this new power, Specter gives Pipo Helmets to all the monkeys in the park and sets them loose, having them take over the local laboratory where the Professor and his assistant Katie (Natalie/Natsumi) are currently building a time machine. As Spike (Kakeru) and his best friend Buzz (Jake/Hiroki) arrive at the laboratory, they find themselves transported by Specter, along with all the other monkeys, to the various reaches of time. Realising that leaving the monkeys to their own devices could rewrite history in disastrous ways, the Professor tasks Spike with finding all of the monkeys scattered across time and sending them back to the present. However, Spike must also face off against Specter, who has not only built himself an advanced Peak Point Helmet further increasing his own intelligence, but has also brainwashed Buzz to his side.
Development
Ape Escape is the first video game to require the use of the Dual Analog Controller for gameplay. The music of the game was composed by Soichi Terada. The game's sound effects were created by Masaaki Kaneko, while the sound effects in the game cinematics were provided by Masatoshi Mizumachi. The voice acting of the American version of the game was recorded at Dubey Tunes Studios, with Sara Holihan serving as the voiceover director and Hunter A. Pipes III serving as the voiceover producer. The American voice cast consists of Scott MacGregor as Spike, Peter Bayhem as Jake, Michael Sousa as the Professor, Pete Burrows as Specter, Christiane Crawford as Natalie, Peggy Small as Casi, and Susan Michele as additional characters. The game is compatible with the PocketStation application. On-air promotions for Ape Escape were held on Cartoon Network during Sony Computer Entertainment America's winter holiday marketing campaign of 1999.
Spike begins the game with his primary gadgets, the Stun Club and Time Net, which are used by pushing the right analog stick in the direction the player wishes to swing them. The Stun Club is used as an offensive measure against enemy characters and to temporarily stun monkeys, while the Time Net is used to capture monkeys and send them back to the present day.As the player progresses, Spike will earn new gadgets, each with their own control schemes, which are explained in a mandatory training level when they are earned. Examples include a slingshot, which has players pull back on the analog stick to aim and release to fire, the propellor, which lets players reach highers areas by twirling the analog stick like a helicopter, and the R/C car which can be freely controlled with the right analog stick. Players can equip four of these gadgets at a time, which can be switched in real-time using the four face buttons. Additionally, there are vehicles such as a rubber raft and a tank, which requires the use of both analog sticks to control, and the water net, which helps Spike swim underwater and can also fire monkey capturing nets.
The monkeys are equipped with Pipo Helmets which feature a siren that represent their current state of awareness. A blue siren represents they are calm and unaware of the player's presence, yellow means they are cautious and red means they are alerted and will either try to run away or become hostile. Players can sneak up on some monkeys by crawling up to them using the L3 button. A monkey's personality is often determined by the color of shorts it is wearing. For normal monkeys, yellow shorts represents standard monkeys, light blue shorts represent timid monkeys and red shorts represent aggressive monkeys. There are also monkeys that are equipped with either long range weaponry, which can prove to be dangerous, or binoculars that let them spot the player from far away. Upon entering a stage for the first time, players will have a specified numbers of monkeys to capture in order to progress to the next stage, the exception being levels in which a boss character will appear. After a level has been cleared once, the player may revisit that level to capture any monkeys they may have missed, some of which will require gadgets obtained in later levels.
Spike's health is represented by cookies, losing a life if he takes too many hits, falls down a bottomless pit or spends too long underwater. The player can earn extra lives by collecting 100 chips or 1-Up shirts. Throughout the game, players can gather Specter Coins, which can be found in hidden locations in each stage, or by beating Spike's rival, Buzz, in bonus stages taking place between certain eras. Collecting enough Specter Coins unlocks three bonus mini-games; Ski Kidz Racing, Galaxy Monkey and Specter Boxing, which are playable for up to two players. Ski Kidz Racing is a skiing game in which players race against other opponents, Galaxy Monkey is a shoot 'em up where players fight against aliens, and Specter Boxing is a boxing game where players dodge and punch using the analog sticks. In the PSP version, Galaxy Monkey is replaced by two new minigames, Ape Ping Pong, a simple table tennis game, and Buzz Attacks, which are the same as the bonus Buzz stages, whilst Ski Kidz Racing is altered into Snow Kidz Racing, using snowboarding instead of skiing.
Plot
The story begins when Specter, a white-haired monkey at a monkey park, puts on an experimental 'Peak Point Helmet' (Pipo Helmet for short) created by a Professor, which increases his intelligence beyond that of a regular monkey, but also twists his mind, turning him evil. Embued with this new power, Specter gives Pipo Helmets to all the monkeys in the park and sets them loose, having them take over the local laboratory where the Professor and his assistant Katie (Natalie/Natsumi) are currently building a time machine. As Spike (Kakeru) and his best friend Buzz (Jake/Hiroki) arrive at the laboratory, they find themselves transported by Specter, along with all the other monkeys, to the various reaches of time. Realising that leaving the monkeys to their own devices could rewrite history in disastrous ways, the Professor tasks Spike with finding all of the monkeys scattered across time and sending them back to the present. However, Spike must also face off against Specter, who has not only built himself an advanced Peak Point Helmet further increasing his own intelligence, but has also brainwashed Buzz to his side.
Development
Ape Escape is the first video game to require the use of the Dual Analog Controller for gameplay. The music of the game was composed by Soichi Terada. The game's sound effects were created by Masaaki Kaneko, while the sound effects in the game cinematics were provided by Masatoshi Mizumachi. The voice acting of the American version of the game was recorded at Dubey Tunes Studios, with Sara Holihan serving as the voiceover director and Hunter A. Pipes III serving as the voiceover producer. The American voice cast consists of Scott MacGregor as Spike, Peter Bayhem as Jake, Michael Sousa as the Professor, Pete Burrows as Specter, Christiane Crawford as Natalie, Peggy Small as Casi, and Susan Michele as additional characters. The game is compatible with the PocketStation application. On-air promotions for Ape Escape were held on Cartoon Network during Sony Computer Entertainment America's winter holiday marketing campaign of 1999.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar