Ape Escape 3

Platform: PlayStation 2
Manufacturer: SCEA
Review Type: Looky
Version: Screen Shots/Video

There's a reason why Nintendo has long resisted hiring actors to voice their characters; voice acting in video games sucks. Sure, occasionally a Psychonauts pulls off a miracle, but most of the time you get the kind of stilted and breathless dialog of games like Ape Escape 3. One could argue, I suppose, that the afternoon anime sound sorta suits the game, considering its cartoony look and feel.

It's a shame because Ape Escape 3 is a more-than solid game -- the culmination of two generations of dual-analog platforming. The apes throw a wide variety of puzzles, combat and platforming at the wall and almost every offering sticks. But its the sense of humor that drives the game. Face it, monkeys are funny. The game's first scene requires breaking up a marriage ceremony by catching the ape bride and ape groom. If a panicked monkey in a wedding dress doesn't make you chuckle, you're beyond help.

With simian parodies of Metal Gear Solid, House of the Dead, spaghetti westerns and a wide variety of other pop culture tropes, the opportunities for gags are plenty. I can't help but wonder, though, how many laughs were mauled by lazy localization. Ape Escape 3's premise is that mischievous apes have taken over the world's television stations and are broadcasting a brain-numbing schedule that turns viewers into catatonic couch potatoes. As it stands, Ape Escape 3 isn't much different than the in-game cathode-ray fodder it lampoons.