The PlayStation Move is an interesting control system, however just like the Nintendo Wii, there are far too many older titles that are being updated with this new control system. Although some of these games work, they don't offer the world of games anything new and from a gaming viewpoint, developers should be trying something different as opposed to porting older games to the PlayStation Move system and then tweaking the gameplay. Although not a direct port, the game oozes with oldness and unoriginality but for younger gamers... this may be the non violent answer that their parents are looking for.

So here we are again but of instead of catching apes on the PSOne, we're doing it again on the PS3 but this time, we're using the move controller as opposed to the DualShock controller. In essence the player must chase the nefarious Specter through time and space in order to put an end to his banana stealing by stopping those cheeky chimps.

With that said, Ape Escape is definitely aimed at the younger game as you use the Move controller to interact with this colourful and cartoon inspired environment as you attempt to capture the monkeys in order to ensure that your bananas are not stolen. The morphing move controller can change into a variety of tools to assist you such as a net or a slingshot that allows you to snare bananas or stun those pesky monkeys. My favourite item is the vacuum that allows you to vacuum the monkeys up in order to get them out of the way. Okay... for a little bit, I was enjoying all this monkey mayhem.

Other objects include a fan that can be used to blow items back into the gaming environment or the transmuter gun that transforms certain items into bananas. Even though there is only a handful of items available to the player, you need to work out the strategy of how to use these with the various stages that you are working on. It works but unfortunately gets a little too repetitive. From all the monkeys that you capture, Ape Escape also features a monkeypedia which goes into some detail of the various moneys that you have captured and does serve as a little distraction to the player.

Although no online multiplayer mode for the main mode, the game does contain a leaderboard which allows you to see your scores against other Ape Escape players from around the world. In terms of local multiplayer, there are three mini-games that you can embark on but these are relatively unimaginative and really serve no great gaming purpose.

Graphically, Ape Escape on PS3 looks like a stylised cartoon series with its simplistic characters and backgrounds that contain a wealth of colours. There some nice animation employed by the game that does look good on a FULL HD TV. Sound effects contain all those whacky monkey noises, not to mention the very boppy soundtrack that works well.

Final Thoughts?

In conclusion, Ape Escape provides a relatively short game for the gamer and doesn't add anything new to the franchise nor makes good use of the Move capabilities. It's unfortunately one of those stock standard Move games that seems to be the go at the moment. Here's hoping that in the upcoming months, we will see something more exciting than just rehashes of old titles.