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Ape Escape 2 for PlayStation 2
Ape Escape 2 for PlayStation 2 has you catching escaped monkeys in a three-dimensional platform adventure. Specter uses intelligence-boosting helmets to build another monkey army. You travel through different areas to retrieve the animals with a catching net. It takes more than simply running up to them: some monkeys flee, others hide or defend themselves with their own equipment. You watch their behaviour and choose how to approach.
The two analogue sticks each have their own job. The left moves you through the environment; the right operates the selected device. You therefore swing your net towards a monkey rather than simply pressing an attack button. Along the way, you gain more gadgets, including a radar to locate monkeys and tools for moving faster or crossing greater distances. A practice area lets you learn how to use them.
New devices also give you reasons to revisit earlier areas. You search for remaining monkeys, collect coins and unlock extras, including mini-games. Pipotchi, a small flying monkey, accompanies you on the journey. The variety comes from platforming routes, bosses and working out an approach to each new monkey. You play the main adventure alone, with an expanding set of tools to continue the search.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Ape Escape 2 for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Ape Escape 2
Ape Escape 2 appeared in Japan in 2002 and reached Europe in 2003. SCE Japan Studio developed this sequel for PlayStation 2; Sony Computer Entertainment published the European release. It built on Ape Escape from 1999 for the original PlayStation. That first game was designed around the DualShock controller and required its two analogue sticks for movement and using devices.
The sequel retained that division of controls on PlayStation 2. Catching a monkey therefore remained a directed movement with a device, alongside finding a route through the environment. The developers added new gadgets and situations, while Specter returned as the antagonist. The playful presentation also remained important: monkeys had different activities and equipment, so exploring an area brought a succession of different scenes.
This was the series’ second numbered main adventure. It brought the original PlayStation game’s structure to a new console without abandoning separate control of movement and equipment. Ape Escape 3 later followed on PlayStation 2, with disguises and new abilities for its protagonists. Ape Escape 2 shows the intermediate step: a larger arsenal of devices built around the original idea of locating, approaching and catching. This disc contains the original PlayStation 2 version of that adventure.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Ape Escape 3 retains the search for and capture of monkeys, but adds disguises that give its protagonists different abilities. Ape Escape 2 chiefly builds its progression around gadgets operated with the right stick. In both, you revisit areas with new capabilities. The difference mainly lies in how you use those extra capabilities.
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy connects platforming areas with collecting Power Cells and Precursor Orbs. In Ape Escape 2, the collection instead consists of monkeys that react and try to escape. Both reward looking around and discovering side routes. In Ape Escape, the final part of the search also requires a precisely directed catch.
Ratchet & Clank uses a growing collection of weapons and gadgets to explore planets and defeat enemies. Ape Escape 2 gives you devices for locating, reaching and catching monkeys. The similarity is that new equipment changes your approach. In Ape Escape, you operate that equipment directly with the right analogue stick.
Sly Raccoon combines platforming with sneaking past guards and finding a safe route. Ape Escape 2 sometimes also asks you to approach a target carefully before it runs away. Sly moves through a story about theft and family history; Ape Escape makes catching individual, often eccentric monkeys the core of each environment.
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc uses temporary powers to deal with platforming obstacles and enemies. Ape Escape 2 adds devices that remain part of your equipment. Both ask you to recognise which tool fits a situation. In Ape Escape, you can then return to catch monkeys you previously missed using that addition.
