Fans of the series must have the PSP version.
The PSP addition to the series captures the graphical feel perfectly. Even after you get over how good the PSP’s graphics are in general, gamers familiar with the series will see that this title fits in perfectly with the original PS1 Ape Escape and the PS2 Ape Escape 2.
The voice acting is again top notch. Many people will recognize many of the voices from the Pokemon cartoon series. I personally appreciate when developers pay the extra money to use talented and recognizable actors, and think it always helps give the game a more quality feel. The other sound effects are on par with the rest of the series.
While the entire gimmick behind other Ape Escape titles has been the revolutionary use of the dualshock controller, I feel On the Loose has done a good job converting the controls to the handheld. While players must get used to not having a right analog stick, the controls are accurate and responsive. The camera does a good job of following the action, and can be manipulated with ease.
The only flaws I find with the game are in the level design. The platforming and combat action are done very well, but some levels (especially the last) are incredibly long. This does not really lend itself well to a portable format, where gamers may not have a solid hour to finish a level. The PSP allows uses to pause any game at any time and put the PSP into sleep mode, but the lack of savable in-level checkpoints make it frustrating for gamers who like to switch between multiple UMD’s.
Overall, this is a high-quality title that does many things well. The only flaws come from the design being more appropriate for a console. While I do not want to see all future PSP Ape Escape titles contain just minigames, platforming levels must be shortened from the 1 hour to 15 minute range. Fans of the series owe it to themselves to check out this title, as well as platforming fans in general who own a PSP.