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Platform: PSP
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Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
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Developer: Shift
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Medium: UMD
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Players: 1 - 4
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Online: No
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Also on: (n/a)
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Wario Ware + Monkeys – Fun = :(
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Conceptually, titles such as Ape Escape Academy seem to be the perfect fit for a portable system. Full of various mini-games, each one lasting a few minutes at most, the idea is that the games are simple enough to be immediately accessible but enjoyable enough to actually warrant playing. For example, take Nintendo's critically-acclaimed Wario Ware: 200 mini-games, each 5 seconds long, and each, at most, using only the D-Pad and A button. The super-simple controls and the go-go-go pacing of the 5-second mini-games make the game well-suited for a brief pick up and play.
Unfortunately, Ape Escape Academy's attempt at the formula doesn't fare all that well. This is due to a number of factors, but the main problem is the mini-games themselves. Specifically, the games just aren't all that consistent. Some are marked by unresponsive controls that render the mini-game unplayable. Some spend more time loading and then showing the outcome of the event than the player spends actually playing. Some are ridiculously difficult, based more on luck than skill, more frustrating than fun. Some are vague in their goals, despite a tutorial video playing before some of the mini-games. Some allow multiple retries, others instantly fail, and there's no way to tell which game allows what. Some have clear time limits, while others leave the player clueless as to how long they have left.
With just under 50 mini-games, it's understandable that some of them won't be the greatest. But the problem is that even the good mini-games in Ape Escape Academy aren't that much fun. And the bad, well, they're pretty bad. For example, take the trivia game, which asks players to identify the flags and capitals of various countries. Don't ask me why a simple party game seemingly aimed at youngsters is asking for the capital of Morocco or the identification of Finland's flag from a brief one-second glimpse, but I will say that it seems quite out of place.
Progressing through Academy's story mode, cleverly labeled Academy Mode, only highlights these flaws. Each level randomly selects 9 mini-games and places them on a 3x3 grid, a la Tic Tac Toe. For each game passed, the player earns an O on that square, while a failure nets an X. The goal is to create as many rows of O as possible. Three coins are also placed on the backside of three squares, and if the player captures those three squares, they're rewarded with a special mini-game. But due to the wildly varying quality of the various mini-games, the formation of a row or the capture of those three specific squares is based more on luck than skill. And in the event that a player fails a pivotal square or wishes to try another mode, the only way to quit out of Academy Mode without completing all nine games is to reset the PSP itself.
Things only get worse as the difficultly ramps up. Sure, the mini-games get longer and harder, but not in an enjoyable manner. Now players must solve harder math problems. Now players must count 56 monkeys as they walk by, with no room for error. Now players must hit X even faster. As the games get more difficult, they seem to rely more and more on luck over skill, and that's not much fun.
Thus, Ape Escape Academy isn't much fun. With only a small fraction of its forty-something mini-games playable to begin with, the higher difficulties and random game selection make the game a chore to play. Even if a player were to solely focus on the good or decent games, they would still be bored after thirty minutes.
And sadly, nothing, not even multiplayer, not even an extreme amount of rabid Ape Escape fanboyism, can magically transform this into something playable or enjoyable. If you must, rent it, but please, for your sake and the sake of the gaming industry, please, please do not purchase, please do not show Sony that there is a market for poor titles like Ape Escape Academy.
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