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Patapon
One of the most memorable games on the year
and probably since Loco Roco arrives on the PlayStation Portable called
Patapon, a game involving rhythm and some of the cutest and plainest
graphics to have ever be seen on the PSP.
Although Patapon is a rhythm game on the
PSP, it also features a very entertaining story about a tribe of
warriors called the Patapons who have been driven from their homeland by
the nefarious Zigotons.
To compound the situation, their recent
devastating history may have begun when their god, only known as the
"Almighty" disappeared which meant that the war drums of Patapon could
not defend their homeland. Fortunately for the Patapons, their god has
returned and it's time for Hatapon to raise the banner of the Patapons
in order to reclaim their former homeland.
Gamers are transformed into the "Almighty"
who uses the magical drums of the Patapon (hopefully in rhythm) to
reclaim their homeland. Unfortunately for the Almighty, your drums have
been scattered across the world which means you need to hunt for these
drums. Interestingly enough these drums allow the gamer to control the
Patapons from movement to battles.
The gameplay of Patapon is pure simplicity,
yet extremely addictive and sometimes frustrating as you must not only
push the correct buttons on the PSP D-Pad but also keep in time. The
tide does go in the gamers favour as there is display on your screen to
assist you with your missions, whether moving your Patapon armies or
fighting the hoards of Zigoton soldiers.
Sometimes by increasing the speed of the
drums, your Patapons will be spurred on even more as they run, fire
spears and fight their way to victory. This "Fever Mode" must be
mastered early in the game which will assist the gamer to complete the
title. You also have 6 different patapons under your "control", each
with different abilities and attributes and this is where the game
almost takes on a real-time strategy aspect of this entertaining
rhythmatic game.
The title contains a variety of different
missions and some great entertaining cutscenes which really draw you
into this title and match that with items and "Ka-Ching" which you
discover throughout the gaming environment and this title almost has it
all. I almost forgot to mention that the title does contain a slight RPG
system where you organise upgrades, levels and classes of your troops.
However the main method of gameplay is
keeping with the beats but it's how you get to the end that is the real
treat. As you progress, you'll unlock a variety of mini-games that push
this title to next evolutionary stage in the gaming world.
Although graphically, Patapon may not be the most visual game in the
world, what really sets this title apart from others is the gameplay
which is truly addictive at best. The star of the title however is the
music and that damn "Pon Pon Pata Pon" which will get stuck in your
brain for a long time. With that said, the graphics may be a little
bland but somehow they have made it quite "cute".
In conclusion Patapon is a brilliant and
addictive game for the PSP which we could recommend to the gamer who has
seen it all and wants something a little different. Brilliant from start
to finish! |
