http://www.technobuffalo.com/gaming/platform-gaming/playstation-all-stars-leaks/attachment/ps-allstars-headshots-072012/
When I first saw Spike in the leaked pictures, I was surprised that Sony decided to use his Million Monkeys appearance. I knew that Sony has to put at least one Ape Escape character in the roster but I never expected his Million Monkeys attire. I was expecting Spike to be wearing the outfit he first wore in Ape Escape (1999) since most PlayStation gamers remember that game the most out of the series. He finally got a nose since the last time he ever had a nose in Ape Escape 2. He also looks very different from his usual appearances in the Ape Escape series but I guess they made him look like that to fit him with the rest of the roster.
I do not find it to be a problem for me since I have played Million Monkeys and watched the two seasons of Saru Get Chu ~On Air!~, but not for those who have never watched the anime or played that awesome game. They would be wondering how in the world did Spike get into this new outfit.
What's the point of putting Spike in an attire that most gamers outside of Japan probably have never seen before? Isn't it better to put Spike in the attire he wore for the very first time? It's not like it's foreshadowing that Sony will bring Saru Get Chu ~On Air!~ outside of Japan and be dubbed into English in the future or potentially foreshadow a sequel to Ape Escape 3 that has Spike in it with his Million Monkeys attire. Does it?
As far as I am concerned, as long as there are no mentions or references of PlayStation Move Ape Escape in PAS, I am satisfied. I think Sony is finally putting Ape Escape back in the right direction especially after grinding out a line of spin-offs for the past six years.
I think it's best to also share my opinions about Sony's attempt to make their own version of Nintendo's Super Smash Brothers (SSB). PAS is not the first game to create a game like SSB. There was another game which was released years ago on the DS only in Japan. It was called Ultimate Jump All-Stars. It had characters from Shonen Jump's mangas such as Naruto, One Piece and Kochikame. It also had items and stages based on their respective mangas and it's a very good game.
I still do not understand why people would get worked up and crazy over something like this. For instance, if you look back in the history of fighting games, there were games that almost resemble Street Fighter II such as Mortal Kombat or King of Fighters. People weren't complaining if Mortal Kombat's gameplay reminds them of Street Fighter II, they were too busy "FINISHING" their opponents off. Same for racing games too, ever since Super Mario Kart came out, every developer made their own versions of that game. To the readers who are worked up about Sony copying Nintendo's SSB, you need to chill out and relax.
I don't have anything against PAS and this is coming from a big fan of Super Smash Brothers. I knew eventually Sony would make a game like this ever since I laid my hands on Ape Escape: Million Monkeys and Pumped and Primed. I am not really into PAS and I do not have any intentions to get the game. There's nothing that I truly like about the game, but there are one thing that I had to nitpick about.
I dislike the fact that you can only defeat your opponents and earn points by using your super moves. I appreciate Sony by being different, but not at the expense of the gameplay. Imagine playing Super Street Fighter IV and the only way you can knock out your opponent is to either perform an ultra combo or a super combo. That would be lame and boring. As a fighting game fan, I always love to come up with a variety of ways on how to beat your opponent. By giving players a huge variety of ways to KO your opponent, the game's replay value will greatly improve.
I am actually somewhat forward into seeing how PAS would be like, even though I am not getting it.
-TechieWidget
