The concept behind Ape Escape 3 is exactly what you would expect. Those crazy monkeys in yellow pants have gotten their hands on some of those intelligence boosting helmets again, and this time around they are broadcasting television shows so stupid that they turn anyone who watches them into mindless drones. It falls into the hands of the two new main characters Kei and Yumi to catch those monkeys and take down the television stations broadcasting the monkey’s odd shows. Catching hundreds of monkeys seems like it could be a very tedious and repetitive task, but the gameplay really pulls through. The game starts you out with your high-tech monkey net and a stun baton, both of which are used in different ways. You can swing each weapon in any direction by pushing the right analogue stick in that direction, but each has a very different use. The baton is your basic attacking weapon, while the net is used exclusively for catching monkeys. With each new level, you gain a new gadget that helps you do new things to proceed though the levels and catch more monkeys, adding a surprising amount of gameplay variation to what would have otherwise been a game that would have gotten old quickly. My only gripe with the controls is the problematic camera controls. The camera is set up in such a way that prevents you from freely moving it around, allowing you only to re-center it. This can become very frustrating when chasing around an especially elusive monkey, but with practice you can learn to more or less keep your camera under control. On top of the fact that the act of catching monkeys is itself a fun task, the game also shines with the variety of levels it showcases. Since the theme of the game is TV shows, each level represents a stereotypical TV genre, so levels range from fantasy castles to old west towns. All of the levels are filled with corny monkey jokes, and the overall atmosphere is lighthearted and lovable. Another good point with Ape Escape 3 is its sound. The music is generally catchy, and the sound effects are well done. Even the voice-overs, which I fully expected to cause bleeding in my ears, were surprisingly well done. I strongly recommend this game to anyone who wants a little break from all the dark plots and violence of our generation’s more high profile games, and anyone who likes monkeys and just wants to have some fun.