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'PaRappa' and 'Gitaroo Man' creators team up for 'Project Rap Rabbit'
PaRappa the Rapper and Gitaroo Man are some of the brightest, weirdest and catchiest music games I've ever played. They're crazy for sure — how many titles let you spit rhymes with a humanoid onion in a kung fu dojo? But they're also bold, imaginative and constantly surprising, begging you to tap X and see what happens next. Now, Masaya Matsuura, the creator of PaRappa and Vib-Ribbon, and Keiichi Yano, the mastermind behind Gitaroo Man and Osu! Tatakae! Oeundan (the original inspiration for Elite Beat Agents on the DS), are teaming up for a new game called Project Rap Rabbit.
TUAW's Daily App: Winta
I first covered Winta (styled WINtA on the App Store) back at GDC Online in October, and found it an enjoyable music game from the creator of Parappa the Rapper, Masaya Matsuura. It's a simple title -- different shapes appear on screen, and the player is meant to tap them in order, which ends up going along with the rhythm of the song's vocals. There's one free track included with the app (which itself is free to download), and then a number of different songs are available via in-app purchase, each with their own themes and displays. Plus, the whole project is part of the OneBigGame initiative, so 10 percent of the profits on each track purchased will go to two charities, Save the Children and the Starlight Children's Foundation, to support the lives of children around the world. OneBigGame has teamed up with both Matsuura and developers Triangle Studios to create the game, and Ngmoco has joined in to share the game (and some achievements) on its own Plus+ social network. It's definitely an interesting title -- I wouldn't say it has quite the appeal of a game like Parappa the Rapper, but it's an interesting multi-touch take on the music genre, and helping out OneBigGame and its cause is definitely an excellent idea. If nothing else, give Winta (short for "War is Not the Answer") a free download and see what you think.
GDC Online 2010: Hands-on and preview of WINtA
WINtA is probably the best brand new game that I've seen so far at GDC Online 2010 (this week in Austin, Texas). It's a title published by a group called OneBigGame, which is a nonprofit video game publisher. They commission and publish games, which are created for free by luminaries in the video game field, and then they sell them to customers for money that goes straight to charities around the world. Founder Martin de Ronde took the stage at GDC to allegedly talk about how to take an app from iPhone to the iPad, but what he actually did was show off this really amazing game and music platform, and he gave a road map to where the iPad version will eventually go. "WINtA" stands for "War is Not The Answer," which is what game creator Masaya Matsuura felt after September 11th, and that's what he wanted to transfer into game form. WINtA itself is actually a rhythm game -- Matsuura is well known in the gaming community for making PaRappa the Rapper, which is a highly regarded PlayStation game known for pioneering the genre that eventually launched Guitar Hero and Tap Tap Revolution. de Ronde approached Matsuura under the OneBigGame banner, asking if he would create a game to sell for charity, and with the help of Dutch developer Triangle Studios, Matsuura came up with WINtA. The app will be out on the App Store for free later this year. Check out more, including a video of the demonstration, after the break.
Parappa designer raps PS3 for being 'too big', plans Wii game
In what's either a stunning triumph of naiveté or a startling display of practical knowledge, Parappa the Rapper creator, Masaya Matsuura, has opined that the PlayStation 3's sluggish sales in Japan are largely to blame on its physical size. Speaking to GamesIndustry.Biz at the Nordic Game Conference (they have those, you know), Matsuura describes Sony's black behemoth as being "too big for the Japanese." It's not the only technological powerhouse having trouble finding a home -- the Xbox 360's critical flaw is "not the size of the hardware but of the AC adapter." Matsuura's obsession with size doesn't extend to his Wii though, as he's currently planning a title for Nintendo's comparatively diminutive box. He calls it a "very good piece of hardware," noting that the unique controls pose quite a challenge from the designer's point of view. He confidently asserts that development on the game begins "soon,maybe."
PaRappa creator to rock the Wii
PaRappa the Rapper creator Masaya Matsuura recently spoke with gamesindustry.BIZ about the current state of consoles and revealed that NanaOn-Sha is in the planning stages for a new game on the Wii. We couldn't be happier to inform you of this news, as PaRappa the Rapper was one sweet piece of gaming. Why not go with the PS3 for your new project though? "It's too big for the Japanese."OK, so the physical size of the console is preventing the Japanese from enjoying it? Sure, we'll go with it (we thought it was the price tag). So, the Wii should be just right? "Wii is a very good piece of hardware. Many talented people from Nintendo make great ideas for game hardware, of course. Already I've been starting to think about Wii software, but it's very hard sometimes. Because can you keep shaking the controller for hours? Players can't spend a long time on gameplay, so this can be tough. So I respect Nintendo's activities, but for software designers like us, it's very hard."We'll relay information on this new game as it comes in.
Masaya Matsuura thinks big is not always better
No one can deny the deeply-rooted desire for increased portability in our gadgetry. MP3 players, phones, PDAs and even Game Boys have all succumbed to its forward-moving push by getting smaller over the years. At the Nordic Game Conference in Sweden, revered designer Masaya Matsuura shared his thoughts on why Nintendo's Wii was outselling Sony's PS3: It's too big! Citing Japanese consumer tastes as the main reason, he believes the system itself is, "too big for the Japanese." Xbox fans should note that he didn't care for the power brick either.While praising the Wii for introducing new game play ideas, he also brings up an interesting point on longevity, not believing gamers would want to withstand hours of "shaking the controller." Those that get winded walking up a flight of stairs should consider this if choosing their second console. Hey Matsuura-san: it's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it. I've got my PS3 nestled in its rightful place inside my cool and spacious TV cabinet and don't frequently juggle it or take it out to play fetch with my dog. Maybe the PS3 was too Americanized for Japanese tastes, but a console doesn't get a lot of portability anyway so I fail to see its size as being an issue. As for exercise, we'll stick to curls (cheese curls) so we can focus our free time on PS3 time-suckers like Motorstorm and Oblivion.
Could Vib Ribbon go to PLAYSTATION Network?
Masaya Matsuura, of Parappa the Rapper fame, also created another one of our favorites, the higly creative Vib Ribbon. In a interview with Gamasutra, Matsuura-san said he was in talks with the powers-that-be to rework the title for release on the PS3. No dates were given, but further speculation by 1UP suggests the title would be more appropriate as a downloadable game on the PLAYSTATION Network than a simple rerelease. Originally released for the Sony PlayStation, Vib Ribbon allowed the user to insert any audio CD and transform the music of their choice into a playable level, where successes were viewed as an evolution of the main character you were controlling: (a common theme amongst another PLAYSTATION Network exclusive). [Via 1UP]
Parappa creator introduces book to Japan
Will Wright wrote the foreword for the original release of game designer Raph Koster's book, A Theory of Fun for Game Design. Now Masaya Matsuura, creator of the PlayStation hit Parappa the Rapper, has done the same for the Japanese edition. He has some interesting things to say about his career, and the difficulty of game design: "When it comes to the process of game creation, especially at the beginning of the process, it is difficult to share delusion of imagination with staff members. By the time they all got the idea of the image, it is already at the end of production schedule. That is why we often push ourselves to our limit and find it difficult to sustain. What’s worse is, the end results could be a total commercial disaster." He also said, "I made a lot of 'wrong guesses' and as a result, some titles were called “Kuso-gae (shitty games)”. I'm not sure what titles he's referring to; though it might not have been Parappa, I didn't think Um Jammer Lammy was that bad! He continues, "If I wanted to clean my tarnished image, I should make efforts every day to find innovative idea that lead to 'just fun.'" Or, like Patrick Curry, Matsuura-san could try making an effort every week to find innovative ideas.
