Ape Escape: Pumped & Primed Critic Reviews

One of those games that tries to be ahead of its time, and tries to bend a genre to its will. Games that attempt the latter tend not to do a very good job.

It's a great rental for a slow weekend, and a decent gift for a kid. If you're older, though, Ape Escape: Pumped & Primed will seriously try your patience.

The game gets boring fast just playing with a friend or even a friend and two computers. The other problem with the versus mode is the camera. Opposed to the player following camera in the single player mode, the camera in versus mode pans out a wide range in most levels. While the camera does give a wide screen view of the battlefield, it rarely zooms back in when all the players are close together.

By combining the original's gadgets and controls with "Mario Party"-esque minigames, Escape fails to be more than the sum of its parts.

Due to the games short supply of play modes, Pumped and Primed suffers from a disappointing degree of lasting appeal.

7 / 7 / 7 / 7 - 28

But with party games, when all is said and done, it ends up being nothing more than button mashing, making it hard to recommend in the light of the other Grade-A titles out there.

The worst part about Ape Escape: Pumped and Primed is that it is not "Ape Escape 3."

A fun little party game with a very limited single-player mode. The monkey clubs are a neat addition, but as it stands, the game is average in every single department.

Pumped & Primed's minigames are all quite simplistic, and the single-player portion of the game can be completed in five or six hours. However, with a multitap and the right group of friends, there's no reason you shouldn't have some fun with it.

It's good enough for a little while, but if you're looking for a party game that will keep on going and provide kicks for more than one party you're looking in the wrong place.

The gadget-filled action gameplay has been deflated into a fairly typical party game.

It doesn't have much replay value aside from multiplayer battles, and the 28 arenas offered are uninspired and bland.

Cartoon monkeys are cool. This game is not.

If you're hoping for something with the depth and substance of a true sequel to the likes of Ape Escape, the discovery that you're getting a party game is a bit of a letdown. It's like working up an appetite for a deluxe pizza and being given a plateful of "Bagel Bites" instead.

Just as Double Dash's random nature levels newcomers and experts but means the game will never be as satisfying in the long term, so Gacha Mecha Athlete's flaws are initially forgivably amusing, but ultimately wearing.

Ultimately, though, even "five Pipo monkeys in different colored pants!" aren't enough to make the same repeated games and gadgets interesting—unless you're a 7-year-old or a stoner.

Playing Ape Escape: Pumped & Primed is like munching on a gob of bubble gum. For the first few hours of play, the action is oh, so sweet. But after a while, it gets stale, and you're ready to move on.

Maybe if the characters were more iconic. Maybe if this would’ve been a true sequel instead of a party game. Maybe if the game were fun. Maybe if monkeys could tango.

If turning the third installment into a party game is Sony's idea of fun, then the franchise (if you can even call it that) is dead. I like the cel-shaded graphics and the music is all right, but the gameplay is a huge let down, especially when you consider the other party games on the market.