Sarugechu Million Monkeys [PS2/JPN]

Default Controls (All face button functions are configurable)
TRIANGLE / Stun sword
X-Button / Fire gun
O-Button / Swing net
SQUARE / Dash + attack move

L2 Trigger / Lock-on to enemy. Press again to lock on next enemy.
R1 Trigger / Jump. Press again to double-jump.
R2 Trigger / Guard against melee attacks and projectiles

» The first mission in the game draws inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus where your protagonist battles a massive mechanical monster. As you shoot at its metal hide, it'll fire off laser beams that rip into the asphalt off the road and lob streams of missiles at its little enemy. The robot will also run towards the hero and jump up and down in an effort to destroy.

» When time runs out or if you're able to drop its energy gauge to nil, the robot appears to suffer from an epileptic fit before struggling up and launching away to rendezvous with its mother ship which is floating nearby.

» In the second mission a monkey in a suit of armor and a light saber is shown on the prep screen. The mission features a monkey mob that is wreaking havoc in Shinjuku. The first scene that opens up shows three monkeys wrecking a car. To defeat the monkeys, smack or shoot them and destroy their armor until they're defenseless. Swish the net to capture them in a blazing animated short sequence. If you're not fast enough to net an ape, an automatic portal appears over him and teleports it away.

» A scanner on the bottom-right corner shows the position of monkeys in the playfield as red dots. There's a monkey in an airborne machine in this level which may be targeted and shot from the sky. After the first few monkeys are defeated, three simians emerge from a building and attack with their stun batons. Various power-ups and bonuses may be picked up as the monkeys are defeated - one useful power-up is a flame-on power which encases the hero in a fiery ball which damages monkeys and pops them up. If you run under them as they fall, you can perform a fiery juggle of the monkey without using any hands. After defeating the second wave, a garage door opens up which reveals a monkey manning a massive mecha-tank. Shoot at the target indicated to defeat it. The final wave in the level consists of three knight-apes who brandish light sabers. They're not much of a challenge - once they're defeated, an area opens up where the rest of the city square can be explored.

» In the next area in the second level, a monkey in a green armored vehicle is shooting at a wall - defeat him and enter the vehicle by pressing the R1 trigger. Once inside, target various monkeys on the level and blast away with excessive force. After the vehicle gets a little worn down by attacking monkeys, exit by pressing the R1 trigger again. A highly mobile battle suit may be taken and worn later in the level which runs quickly and shoots off guided missiles. The mech also has a spinning whirling hand attack which creates a Dual Shock rumble effect. The end level bosses for the area are another three knightly monkeys. Once dominated, the game counts down on the score and ranks your progress.

» Mission 3 - A big truck is slowly rolling with ape weapon cargo and enters a gate. Destroy it before it reaches its destination while battling a crew of apes that attack and make pests of themselves. In this portion of the game, one wishes that the camera were controllable since the lock-on targeting cursor may lock onto an ape instead of the truck during the heat of play. The objective is to destroy the metal plating on the sides of the truck to reach the critical parts behind them - there are four core components to destroy before the truck will be stopped. While running around, it might be prudent to also shoot at all of the guns mounted on the truck since they'll do mass damage if you allow them to hit you while you're working. Due to the sparse time limit, one really has to concentrate on destroying the truck from the get-go without doing anything to the monkeys. Once the truck reaches the third gate, it's game over.

» Sarugechu MM is a welcome and refreshing mission based action game set in the Sarugechu universe. Famitsu's tempered rating for the game (26/40) is questionable but justified if their main point of contention is the wonky camera in some levels which leads to frustration and in the case of two NCS staffers, controller hurling... The objectives are varied enough to hold a jaded gamer's interest and the third mission is a tough exercise that will try one's patience.

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