Space Chimps

Space Chimps - (Wii,PS2,DS,Xbox 360)
Developer: Brash Entertainment
Format: Wii,PS2,DS,Xbox 360
Genre: Arcade

Space Age Simians!

A heavy dose of humour and the very keen ability not to take itself too seriously is what elevates this port from the movie franchise above the turgid cash-in titles of other flicks.

Having been fired through a galactic wormhole by NASA, our bunch of super simians find themselves battling alien bosses on alien worlds with very inhospitable (i.e. alien) obstacles. All manner of platformer cliches abound here, but add to this mix a Prince of Persia-worthy amount of chimp dexterity and you have a real test of skill.

What sets the game apart is the level of personality of the two main heroes, Ham 3rd and Luna. While you're wracking your brains about how to negotiate the alien 3D maze without alerting the guards, Ham 3rd will be quietly scratching his bum, doing strange animal impressions - generally passing the pause time until you get back to the button pushing. As always, the devil's in this detail, in the exquisitely rendered animations and cut scenes, in the little facial ticks of the programming that bring the title to surreal life. There's nothing totally new here but for once there doesn't really need to be. It's a quirky story that finds the chimps in space in the first place and there's enough hidden moments of delight to keep the most ardent of player interested.

Space Chimps is aimed at a slightly younger audience (they need to make their movie tie-in bucks), but anyone who's ever timed a jump from Jet Set Willy through to Tomb Raider and Prince of Persia days, will love this.

Armed with a cool four way co-op multiplayer and tons of levels with the requisite bosses, Space Chimps is a title that exceeds everyone's cynical expectations.

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