Creationists would love the Ape Escape franchise, because after three games and a few spin-offs in between, it's clear that these apes don't evolve. They still run around like 6 year olds on sugar binges until your spiky-haired avatar scoops them up with his butterfly net. The gameplay and analog stick-based mechanics haven't changed since the original game debuted on the first PlayStation, but for some reason, collecting these Darwin-defying simians is still a blast.
It's the series' trademark sense of humor that keeps us from demanding an upgrade. The power-ups are bizarre and random and usually worth a chuckle or two. One, for instance, manifests a genie that dances at your command, prompting all nearby enemies to suddenly dance with it. Huh? But don't assume the franchise's lack of change equates to a lesser challenge. Underestimate these monkeys, and one will disarm you and catch you with your own net, essentially making a monkey out of you. Who's the peak of evolution now?
MVP 06 NCAA BASEBALL
By EA Sports (3.5 stars)
Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox
Rated: E
In retaliation for EA Sports intercepting the exclusive NFL license, 2K Sports has stolen the MLB license in an attempt to send EA back to the minors. Instead, EA has gone back to college, creating the first NCAA baseball-inspired game. The top-notch mechanics from last year's MVP Baseball make for a good ball game, if you don't mind the NCAA teams and a roster of fictional players.
MEGA MAN MAVERICK HUNTER X
by Capcom (4.5 stars)
Platform: PlayStation Portable Rated: E10+
It looks like Capcom's taken a lesson from George Lucas: Why make something new when you can gussy up something old and sell it twice? With newly enhanced visual effects, this Special Edition version of Mega Man X's first (and best) 2D adventure from the Super Nintendo has the blue bomber looking right at home in three dimensions.
PETER JACKSON'S KING KONG
by Ubisoft (2.5 stars)
Platform: PlayStation Portable
Rated: T
Putting this game on a handheld system is like cramming a 25-foot gorilla into a monkey cage. Doesn't quite fit. What was already a painfully short six hours of play on the console version has been halved to accommodate the PSP. What remains is a brief, disjointed jaunt to Skull Island, for which even Carl Denham couldn't con us into spending $50.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].