Where's the Ape Escape love?

[Manhattan Sports Club]

I am a big fan of the Ape Escape series in general and am surprised by the real lack of love it gets from game fans. I mean, every now and then there's a nod to the first (which in my opinion is still one of the greatest platformers ever) but the real praise seems to elude it. It was obviously bigger in Japan as the game entered the greatest hits line, but in the west only the first got any notoriety and the others kind of slipped under the radar. I'm not as fond of the spinoffs although they're not bad by any means. My only gripe about the main series is that they felt like more of a rehash half of the time but still good nonetheless. This may be why they're holding off making the fourth, to avoid exhausting the series (like the original Spyro team did with the first Spyro trilogy). So it's understandable. I also think this is a better trilogy than Jak or Sly, which had good stories and humor but weren't as addictive to me. So who else is a fan?

[IHatedSega]

I FREAKEN LOOOOOOVE Ape Escape on PS1!!!!!! I got all the apes and defeated Spectar after a bug happened after I beat the Machine Knight and caused my game to freeze years later. It has an awesome soundtrack, and I love the graphics so Japanese and 32 bitty. Its criminally underrated, but with so many great titles for older audiences on the PS1 I can see ho it was over looked by them, and I guess not as many kids had it like me. I got it and the Spyro games and those were all I needed for a while on the system. I still play it from time to time on my computer and it brings a smile to my face. :)

[SEGA_Queen]

I haven't heard anyone talk about the Ape Escape series in a long time! I remember picking this up on a whim from a pawn shop, not knowing what to expect.

I popped it in and was surprised at how addictive it was. It definitely has one of the most unique control schemes of any platformer I've played.

On the topic of the first Ape Escape, I discovered that you can actually save your progress mid level. Here's how to do it:

1) Exit the level you're in.

2) Go to the save pedestal/stand, and save your game.

3) Now, if you go back into the level you've exited from, you'll notice that the amount of monkeys you've captured is still the same. You don't have to restart the level from the beginning.

Believe me, this method saved me from a lot of frustration. Especially since some of monkeys are quite difficult to capture.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I know its no substitute for a new full-fledged game, but, if nothing else Spike and Specter appear in Playstation All Stars Battle Royale!

Vita seems like a good place for a new Ape Escape game, the touch screen mechanics could handle all sorts of new gadgetry.