Ape Academy 2

Ape Academy 2, also known as Piposaru Academia 2: Aiai Sarugē Janken Battle! (ピポザルアカデミ〜ア2 あいあいサルゲ〜 ジャンケンバトル!, Piposaru Akademi〜a 2 Aiai Sarugē Janken Batoru!) in Japan, is the sequel to the PlayStation Portable party game Ape Escape Academy.

Ape Academy 2
European box art
Developer(s)Shift
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
SeriesApe Escape
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable
Release
  • JP: December 15, 2005
  • EU: September 29, 2006
  • AU: October 19, 2006
Genre(s)Party
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Similar to its predecessor, Ape Academy 2 is a collection of mini-games which can either be played in single player or multiplayer mode. Most of the mini-games borrow from elements of Ape Escape 3.

The original PlayStation Portable version of the game was released in Japan, Europe and Australia, but not North America. It was later re-released worldwide as a PSP classic for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on March 21, 2023, marking the first time the game comes out in North American territories.

Plot

The primary antagonist, Specter, introduces a new card game which becomes very popular among humans and pipo monkeys alike. Using this card game, he dominates the world through culture manipulation, concurrently introducing a card battle contest for monkeys to complete in. The prize for winning the contest is the rare "Platinum Specter" trading card and a year's supply of bananas.

Gameplay

The singleplayer mode is radically different from previous games in the series, most resembling a trading card game. The player travels to various levels, in the form of islands, to compete against other monkeys in an assortment of minigames. After a set number of victories, the player can then compete against a boss character. This cycle is repeated for each island visited, in increasing difficulty. Occasionally, the player will encounter unexpected battles. These challenges cannot be declined. The objective of the game is to collect cards and coins, eventually to the point that the player can attempt to defeat the antagonist and win. There is also a multiplayer component which includes a "monkey-shield" that ensures the second player cannot see the player 1 cards. This mode requires a second PSP and game cartridge.[1]

Reception

Ape Academy 2 received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] GamesMaster described it as "A real mixed bag, but if you really like monkeys and minigames, you might enjoy it."[5] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one six, one eight, one six, and one eight for a total of 28 out of 40.[3]

References
  1. "Ape Escape Academy 2 (PSP: 2006): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET. Archived from the original on 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  2. Kautz, Paul (2006-10-20). "Test: Ape Academy 2". 4Players (in German). 4Players GmbH. Archived from the original on 2023-05-14. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  3. "Collection of every PSP-game reviewed in Famitsu". NeoGAF. NeoGaf LLC. 2006-08-27. Archived from the original on 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  4. Cusseau, Thomas (2006-10-04). "Test : Ape Academy 2 : la bonne blague". Gamekult (in French). TF1 Group. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  5. "Review: Ape Academy". GamesMaster. Future plc. November 2006. p. 72.
  6. "Review: Ape Academy 2". GamesTM. Future plc. November 2006. p. 121.
  7. Romendil (2006-10-02). "Test: Ape Academy 2". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Archived from the original on 2022-06-26. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  8. "Ape Academy 2". Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine. No. 78. Future plc. November 2006. p. 94.
  9. "Review: Ape Academy 2". Play UK. No. 145. Imagine Publishing. November 2006. p. 94.
  10. "Review: Ape Academy 2". PSM3. Future plc. October 2006. p. 74.
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