Patapon
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Joystiq hands-on: Patapon (PSP)
Beneath its charming exterior is a complex, deep game. Patapon is not as simple as its childish graphics may lead on. The dying tribe of the Patapon need their God to command them, and after a mysterious absence, you are ready to return to their lives and lead them.We've been spending some time with a localized near-final version of this PSP exclusive, and we have to say we're impressed. We wouldn't expect any less from the team that brought us LocoRoco. It's hard to pinpoint a genre to this innovative title, as it fuses elements from the music and strategy genre. At its core, it's a rhythm title, as you're required to input commands using various drums at your disposal. At first, you only have two: the Pata and the Pon drums. By inputting notes on the beat, players will be able to command their growing Patapon army. For example, by pressing Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon, the creatures will advance forwards. Then, attacks can be executed by inputting Pon-Pon-Pata-Pon.There are a number of drum entires possible, and we've yet to learn them all. Eventually, you'll be able to tell the Patapon to hold, or retreat. We're certain that more advanced moves will be unearthed when we unlock the other drums. (Each drum is assigned to a face button, for four drums in all.) Crucial to successful gameplay is keeping with the beat. As you input commands in sequence, the combo meter increases. When a 10 combo is reached, the Patapon enter Fever mode, which greatly increases their killing power. The spears they throw, for example, can traverse from one side of the screen to the other (as seen in the image above). Timing is crucial, as telling the Patapon to advance at the inopportune moment can lead to a number of unfortunate deaths.%Gallery-11837%
PSP Fanboy hands-on: Patapon
Beneath its charming exterior is a complex, deep game. Patapon is not as simple as its childish graphics may lead on. The dying tribe of the Patapon need their God to command them, and after a mysterious absence, you are ready to return to their lives and lead them.We've been spending some time with a localized near-final version of this PSP exclusive, and we have to say we're impressed. We wouldn't expect any less from the team that brought us LocoRoco. It's hard to pinpoint a genre to this innovative title, as it fuses elements from the music and strategy genre. At its core, it's a rhythm title, as you're required to input commands using various drums at your disposal. At first, you only have two: the Pata and the Pon drums. By inputting notes on the beat, players will be able to command their growing Patapon army. For example, by pressing Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon, the creatures will advance forwards. Then, attacks can be executed by inputting Pon-Pon-Pata-Pon.There are a number of drum entires possible, and we've yet to learn them all. Eventually, you'll be able to tell the Patapon to hold, or retreat. We're certain that more advanced moves will be unearthed when we unlock the other drums. (Each drum is assigned to a face button, for four drums in all.) Crucial to successful gameplay is keeping with the beat. As you input commands in sequence, the combo meter increases. When a 10 combo is reached, the Patapon enter Fever mode, which greatly increases their killing power. The spears they throw, for example, can traverse from one side of the screen to the other (as seen in the image above). Timing is crucial, as telling the Patapon to advance at the inopportune moment can lead to a number of unfortunate deaths.%Gallery-11630%
Cute and deadly: a new Patapon animation
They may be cute, but the critters of the upcoming PSP game, Patapon, are absolutely deadly. This new animation from ROLITO, the toy house responsible for these demons, shows how mighty the Patapon can be when in large numbers. Watch, and enjoy this brand new animation.
Patapon to arrive in U.S. in February 2008
If the above trailer for Patapon that we showed you a few days ago got you salivating for the odd rhythm game, we've got good news: Sony announced this morning that it would be soon be coming to the U.S. The game, developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's Japan Studio (the same house that brought you LocoRoco), is currently slated for a February 2008 release.We took it for a spin at TGS 07, and were entranced, if just a bit perplexed by the intricacies of the gameplay. As you can see, it's ... well, it's bizarre, allowing you to control a little army of one-eyed dudes by hitting buttons in rhythm and making music. It's just like being a Civil War-era fife player, except with drums. ... Oh, and also, you're insane.
Patapon coming to America in February 2008
Sony has announced today that the upcoming rhythm/action game Patapon will be making its way to America in February of next year. We played the game at the Tokyo Game Show and thought it was great fun with a lot of potential. The game promises to expand on the basic idea of pressing the right button at the right time by providing customizable characters via upgradable weapons and shields. We very much look forward to this game's release in the new year."Patapon is a unique experience for gamers of all ages because it combines two key forms of entertainment: rhythm and music, and stellar platforming action," said Jeff Reese, director, software marketing, SCEA. "Music is a huge part of the PSP's multifunctional feature set, and we are excited to deliver a new genre of music and action gaming that further adds depth to the PSP software lineup." Check out the first English screenshots in our new gallery: %Gallery-11630%
Japanese girls go crazy for Patapon
People keep telling us that there are these strange creatures called "girls." Supposedly, they shy away from the things we love, like games and violence. Not so, says Patapon. Sony is targeting their Japanese ads towards the finer half of our species, most likely trying to recreate the success that LocoRoco had with the traditionally non-gamer market. We think the combination of cute cuddly creatures and horrifying war violence will really target a more feminine taste.
Today's most tribal video: Patapon
Rhythm games seem to be in abundance these days, but Patapon's a little different than most. For starters, it's cute, reminiscent of the super-huggable LocoRoco. It's also not about being in a rock band, or just tapping buttons to the beat of your MP3s -- It's about war.As seen in the trailer above, players control a tiny army of one-eyed minions of by pounding on drums, which the little men respond to by performing certain actions. It's part Lemmings, part Space Channel 5, and after spending some time with it at this year's Tokyo Game Show, it's definitely got our attention. To adorable battle!
New Pata-pata-patapon trailer
Hope you like cute things, because we certainly do. A brand new Patapon trailer has emerged, and it is filled with sugary Patapon goodness. This video will attempt (in Japanese) to teach you how to play the game, and show you some of the epic battles that will ensue in this clever, unique music-war game.
Patapon takes over store, wins Japanese affection
Sony's upcoming PSP-exclusive music-war game, Patapon, took over Sample Lab!, a members-only store that specializes in giving sneak previews of upcoming goods to consumers. It appears that the combination of the game's winning art style, accessible gameplay and overall charm got the audience pretty excited. Patapon really is like nothing you've ever played, and it'll be interesting to see how the Japanese market responds when it releases later this month.[Via PSPHyper]
Patapon and Yuusha box arts revealed
Japan is getting two hotly-anticipated PSP games soon. First is the rhythm + cuteness + war game, Patapon. This game has you controlling a rather vicious group of adorable cuddly things on their conquest to destroy everything in their sight. Of course, you do so with the power of music.Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikda is a RPG where you try to stop potential heroes with your minion horde. This reverse-dungeon crawler features some old school graphics, but maybe that's part of its charm.
TGS hands-on: Patapon
Patapon, a PSP title which we've seen very little of so far, is proving a great hit at the Tokyo Game Show. With a line that was sometimes longer than Metal Gear Online we were curious to see what all the fuss was about. Finally we braved the Dreaded Public and got our hands on the goods.Stepping into the Patapon enclosure a Sony booth attendee talked us through the gist of the game. We couldn't understand some of the Japanese, though we did enjoy it whenever she sang instructions to us. "Pon pon pata pon ... pata pata pata pon." Lovely.Your tribe of one-eyed worshippers are required to go from one end of the level to the other (with two levels in the demo on the show floor). The only method of getting them there is to command them to act by performing different beats with the circle and square buttons, which correspond to the sounds "pata" and "pon", respectively. By stringing combinations of these two sounds together your minions will perform different actions.
Patapon has you commanding through the power of music
So what is Patapon? This mysterious PSP game surfaced briefly during E3, and was never heard from again. The game has you controlling creatures not directly, but indirectly through the power of music. As translated by PSPHyper, "different combination of drum beats can instruct the Patapons to do actions like advance, protect and attack."Famitsu has the incredible artwork the game is based off. Like LocoRoco and echochrome, it looks like Sony's taking inspirations from all over the world for its newfound taste in unique, quirky games for the handheld. Hopefully, we'll be able to play the game at Tokyo Game Show in two weeks.
LocoRoco fans may fall in love with Patapon
Patapon looks very early from the above video, but what's already there is certainly smile worthy. The visuals look like an animation that you'd see at an indie festival. It's obvious that music will play a big role in the title as well, even though it has yet to be scored. From the video it's very unclear how the game plays, but even with the little we do know about Patapon, we already want to play it.[Thanks Krelian!]
