Video Game Countdown: #19 Ape Escape

Ape Escape is a game that proves by combining platforming, stealth, and monkeys you can create one hell of a gaming experience. The setup is quite simple in reality: super smart apes have escaped an animal laboratory and your goal is to catch them. Easy, right? Not when the primates are armed with machine guns, bazookas, and death rays. The game makes great use of the Playstation's analog control sticks, which were very innovative back in 1999. While the left stick controls the basic movement of the main character, Spike, the right analog stick controls the weaponry and devices needed to slow down the elusive apes. For example, by pushing the right analog stick up, Spike will swing his fishing net forward and by holding the stick down Spike will swing it backward. It sounds easy enough, but I fondly remember a person that I will refer to as 'The Big Show' for anonymities sake having a tough time initially and getting pummled by the devious monkeys. However, once one gets the hang of it, the control scheme becomes downright intuitive. There had been no game before it that had been able to successfully utilize the right analog control stick.

In conclusion, Ape Escape is by far one the greatest platformers not to mention one of the greatest games ever to be made. By providing a unique premise (seriously, how can't one love a game that stars super-intelligent monkeys armed with hi-tech weaponry?) and superb control scheme, Ape Escape has earned its way into my top 20 greatest video games of all-time.