Ape Escape

Some games could not exist at all without their controller — and Ape Escape from 1999 is a shining example. This inventive action platformer was, after all, the first game designed directly around the two analog sticks of the DualShock controller, and without them you simply cannot play it. It was a technically pioneering decision that today's players take for granted, but at the time it was a bold step into the unknown.

The principle is brilliantly simple: with the left stick you control the hero's movement, and with the right you catch scattered monkeys using a net and other ingenious gadgets. This two-handed choreography made monkey-catching a surprisingly addictive and satisfying activity — you had to learn to coordinate running and swinging the net, time your approach and outwit the clever evasive maneuvers of your furry targets. Sony's Japan Studio moreover loaded the game with an arsenal of varied gadgets, from a snapping short sword to a telescope or a water cyclone, so that each new toy changed the way you approached your prey.

Beyond its technical novelty, Ape Escape also captivated with its playful humor, colorfulness and unrestrained Japanese imagination. Monkeys with blinking helmets, time travel and a world full of wild ideas gave the game a distinctive charge that meshed wonderfully with the playful gameplay. The variety of environments and situations kept the pace fresh and constantly supplied you with new challenges.

Ape Escape wrote itself into history as proof that new hardware can give birth to entirely new game mechanics, not just prettier pictures. It demonstrated how fundamentally the method of control can transform an experience, and opened a path that many later games followed.

Today Ape Escape is a reminder of an era when people experimented with the controller as enthusiastically as with graphics — and at the same time a still fun, inventive game with infectious energy.

Why play it: A technically pioneering game designed around dual-stick controls, with infectious humor and unexpectedly addictive monkey hunting.