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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Patapon - The Drum beats on, 14 July 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
We all know the Japanese to be a bunch of folks that enjoy strange TV programs such as Endurance, Takeshi's Castle (and probably nearly every other Japanese program :-)). We all know the French to be a bunch that like looking at odd Artworks. Well here is an example of what happens when the French and Japanese decide to make a game together. Extremely strange 2D art combine with extremely weird yet compelling and strangely addictive gameplay. Ignore the 1 star reviews try the demo and if you like the demo you'll love this game. However it appears that it might be a Marmite game, i.e. you're either going to love it or hate it. Most people however seem to love it.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great little game., 15 April 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
This is my most favourite game for my Psp, at the moment.
Basically, you are an almighty god to a tribe of eyeball-like beings.
It's your task as their god, to make different beats with four different drums.
Each of the Psp's buttons acts as one of the four drums.
Different beats command your tribe to do different things.
Like: Advance, defend, retreat, attack etc..
You must guide the small clan through several levels, battling not only huge bosses.
But also another tribe called the Zigotons. (the baddies)
It doesn't sound like much of a game, but it REALLY is VERY addictive.
I found myself returning to the game every five minutes.
This really is worth getting.
The graphics, colours and animation is well done indeed.
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21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Patapownage, 12 Mar 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
In the summer of 2006, LocoRoco was released for the PSP - and with precious little in the way of fanfare. With the exciting launch of the first next-gen console to anticipate and a crowded release calendar which included new instalments of such venerable franchises as Half-Life, Tomb Raider, Splinter Cell and Final Fantasy, it wasn't a surprise to see this excellent new IP fall under most gamers' radar. Today, however, it stands shoulder to shoulder with Katamari Damacy as among the most unique and innovative platformers to come to video games in decades. Its simple yet distinctive aesthetic proves uniquely appealing, while its gravity-oriented gameplay mechanics are a breath of fresh air next to more traditional fare. LocoRoco is a brief thrill, admittedly, but an unforgettable one nonetheless, and considering how much it has in common with Patapon, one can only hope that Japan studio's latest proves able to carve out a more appealing fate. And let it be said: this game demands your recognition.
Patapon won't be for everyone. Simple rhythm-game controls belie an experience that is equal parts God game and real-time strategy, but it straddles these genres with such conviction you'd be forgiven for thinking its creators have made such games before; assuredly, they have not, and Patapon is all the better for their invigorating new approach. You do not so much control the titular creatures - a tribe of eyeballs with legs, fallen on hard times - as inspire them. Each of the PSP's four face buttons is mapped to a particular sound, be it pon, pata, don or chaka, and by combining these voices according to the songs your army discovers throughout its journey, the player is able to drum out certain rhythms which the Patapon understand to mean such things as attack, retreat, charge and defend. There are no on-screen prompts beyond the initial tutorials: you will memorise these songs, or you will fall to the Zigaton, a warring tribe which controls the East of the island. The earliest stages of the game are thankfully rather easy going, giving the player enough time to grasp the importance of both your growing army's make-up and load-out and the competing rhythms of the Zigaton forces. It isn't long, however, before you realise that what might appear a cutesy cash-in on the increasingly mainstream rhythm-game franchises is instead a deceptively deep simulation, as rewarding as it is taxing.
None of which is to say that Patapon isn't worth your time. It's an incredibly satisfying title which hooks you in and refuses to let go until you've stamped out every last Zigaton and gazed, ultimately, upon the mythical 'it' which awaits your army at the end of their hardship. The clarity of the simple graphics are a perfect fit on the handheld platform, and a courageous challenge to all those developers bent on low-res realism. The music and audio effects are as madcap as can be - utter nonsense, and yet utterly infectious. The controls are intuitive and effective; and this is surely a fuller and better developed experience than LocoRoco offered. Sadly, however, some of Patapon's length is a cheat: believe it or not, there is grinding to be done here, and plenty of it. Kids and the otherwise attention-challenged aren't likely to have the patience to see it through, but should you - and you should, I urge you - there is a bittersweet lesson to be learned of the uncomplicated narrative that guides you, and an experience to be had that is unlike any other, in any genre of video games and in any medium of entertainment. Flawed, then, but absolutely inimitable, and unequivocally brilliant.
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