Imagine a playful game where you must tilt a world, guiding a happy orange blob to its destination. Imagine, eating fruit along the way, and having the ability to split the blob into smaller pieces. No, it's not LocoRoco. It's a very uninspired clone.

Blobular takes stealing ideas to a whole new level: not only does it feature copycat game design, it doesn't even do it very well. They say mimicry is the best kind of flattery ... but what if it's this bad?

[Via PSP-Vault]

You may have missed this one. At the time of writing, less than 20 people have seen this seen this excellent video interview with Loco Roco's Tsutomu Kouno. It's a fairly lengthy feature, clocking in at over 9 minutes. However, it provides some excellent insight into game design. One of the key points Kouno focused on was the international gaming community, and the reluctance of Japanese gamers to try Western games, and vice versa. (Of course, the recent success of Grand Theft Auto in Japan suggests a changing attitude.)

Be warned, though -- the interview can be a little too telling. I mean, did we really need to know his blood type? (Spoiler alert: it's A.)

I went to Anime Boston a few weekends ago, and found a PSP related toy, but delayed on writing about it. That toy is the LocoRoco plush charm things you see above. I'm not sure the purpose of them, as they are too big to be a cell phone charm, and too delicate to put on your keychain. They came in randomized boxes, like most Japanese trading figures do, and had nearly the entire cast available. I delayed in writing about this though, because I hoped to find a place to send our readers, so they could pick it up for themselves. Unfortunately, either I fail at the internet, or they're relatively difficult to find online. I attached the black LocoRoco to my bag, and it brings me joy daily. If anyone knows how to buy these online, please post a link in the comment section. I know I'd like to pick up more for myself.

Do you want to share your PSP-related fan art? Send us an e-mail. A new piece of fan art will be shared every Friday.

LocoRoco may be getting a bit old, but love for the title certainly hasn't diminished. With new demos constantly coming out as well, new fans are always coming into the fray. Because of this, I've chosen the above LocoRoco fan art that was made by Blackmago. I've always appreciated illustration that uses clay, and so that makes me doubly enjoy Blackmago's work. The image looks good enough to be official game art and Blackmago certainly captured the playful innocence of LocoRoco. Hit up his deviantART account to see his other amazing gaming influenced art.

What? Another LocoRoco demo? You bet! We're certainly not going to complain. Fresh from the Japanese website, this demo boosts the number of playable LocoRoco demos up to five. (Check out previous demos here, here, here, and here.)

1. Download the demo EBOOT file.
2. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
3. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.
4. Create NPJG90002 folder.
5. Copy EBOOT file into the NPJG90002 directory.

Check out our new demos site:
demos.pspfanboy.com

Loco Roco is easily one of the happiest games ever made, and it stands as the most critically acclaimed on PSP. Beyond Loco, a fan site dedicated entirely to the blubbery wonders, has somehow managed to capture Greg Tavares for a fan-driven Q&A session. This man clearly knows his stuff: one look at his blog will unveil a plethora of secrets that have remained hidden since the game's release. Codes for the game, such as how to unlock all levels, can be found at his blog.

Members of the Beyond Loco fan site are free to submit questions at their message board. Certainly, the Loco Roco hardcore now have no choice but to register and bombard the site. Get your thinking caps on soon, as your burning questions won't be accepted after next Wednesday, the 18th.

You're probably tired of these stories. We are too. LocoRoco continues to receive praise from critics around the world, and it's nominated (yet again) for a new award. This time, educational charity D&AD has nominated the happiest PSP title for a Yellow Pencil award. Yellow Pencil awards aren't just for kids games, though. Previous winners include Resident Evil 4, and other fare, like Nintendogs.

LocoRoco joins Shadow of the Colossus, Buzz!, Brain Training and Wii Sports in this year's nominations. Hopefully, next time Sony gets nominated, it'll be for a new game.

Surprisingly, LocoRoco wasn't included in today's Greatest Hits update. Maybe it didn't sell enough copies? Regardless, import retailer Play-Asia is offering the blubbery platform game for cheap: only $14.90, plus shipping. Although this is an import version, this package offers English text ... even though of all games, this probably doesn't need it.

[Via CAG]

There are way too many awards ceremonies for the video game industry. Thankfully, PSP's darling platformer LocoRoco is always there to represent the system. This year, LocoRoco has earned a Game of the Year nomination from NAViGaTR (National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviewers). With 1,150 videogame critics, analysts, and journalists on the voting board, it's clear that LocoRoco's quality has impacted quite a lot of people.

Feel free to watch the hilarious embedded video, which shows off an empty audience as the award nominations are announced. Something tells me they should've simply stuck to a press release instead of a video.

[Via IGN]

Tsutomu Kouno, director of the beloved LocoRoco PSP game, told to an enthralled GDC audience: "I wanted to make a game that was easy to play, so that women and children, and people who have never played games before would be interested in playing it. ... I wanted to use AI to make people laugh. That's why I included actions like the LocoRoco stacking up."

Many of the inspirations for LocoRoco's craziest moments come from observing Discovery Channel-like programming. One character, the Musukusu (pictured), came from watching the antics of one of his tropical fish. He knew that his game was a success when he saw children playing the game, laughing and moving their bodies. Undoubtedly, a PS3 version of the game will meet much success: "I can't tell you now [about a possible PS3 version]. [But] I'm not going to betray your expectations, so you can count on us."

See also:
Joystiq: Making LocoRoco players smile
Gallery: LocoRoco (PSP) design process

If LocoRoco's soundtrack doesn't get you smiling, then clearly you've been born without a heart. Sony's heavily promoted platformer got two wins at the AIAS awards, one for original soundtrack, and the other for "Best Children's Game."

Congrats to Sony, and everyone at the LocoRoco team.

[Via Joystiq]

See also:
LocoRoco wins two awards at BAFTA
LocoRoco theme song karaoke!

Sony loves promoting the friendly blobs of LocoRoco. Although the game a lot of critical acclaim, it still hasn't garnered the sales warranted by such quality. Well, Sony's not giving up yet. Sony has announced that the game has entered "The Best" status in Japan, which is similar to America's Greatest Hits program. The game will be reissued as a budget title on February 22nd for the low price of 2800 yen.

LocoRoco joins other recent additions to "The Best" series, such as: Initial D: Street Stage, We Love Katamari, Metal Gear Acid 2, and Bleach: Heat the Soul 2.

Hopefully, we'll see our American version reach budget status soon.

Sony's official PlayStation website now has a complete, downloadable strategy guide for Loco Roco, which reveals the locations of every MuiMui, Pikorie, berry, and yes, Loco Roco. Think of it as a holiday gift from the kind folks at Sony.

Every major video game site loves to do an end-of-year "Best of" awards feature (something we'll undoubtedly lash out at you, PSP Fanboy reader). Contrary to popular belief, the PSP has done quite well for itself, and some of the awards its received may surprise you. Here's a run-down of everything I've seen across the Internet:

Gamespot
Best Platformer: Daxter
Daxter beat out three Nintendo DS games, including New Super Mario Bros, thanks to its incredible technology, great personality and fantastic gameplay. "The gorgeous visuals and sound are wrapped in gameplay that is as polished and enjoyable as any full-fledged PlayStation 2 game. While not wholly original, Daxter sacrifices nothing and is simply an all-around amazing game."

Best PSP Game: Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
"Portable Ops not only delivers some of the best presentation quality to date on the PSP, but makes some meaningful, interesting changes to the MGS formula. The resulting game is very well suited to playing on the go and also achieves a better balance of gameplay and storytelling than previous Metal Gear Solid games."

IGN
PSP Game of the Year: Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
"What's most impressive is the depth of the action -- no second analog stick required! The control scheme enables you to do everything from operate a set of gadgets and diffuse bombs to snipe enemies and sift through different enemy types, all without slowing down the pace of the action."

Games Radar
WTF Award: LocoRoco
Games Radar certainly took a non-traditional approach to awards this year. "We also loved that you couldn't play this game without cracking a smile - the nonsense songs were insanely catchy, the bright colors and curvy shapes were captivating and the overall theme was almost relentlessly happy and fun. By forcing our jaded, stone-like faces to grin once again, LocoRoco earns its Platinum Chalice like few other games on this list."

The "It Doesn't Actually Suck" Award: PSP
Games Radar understands what we've known all the time: PSP is a great system. The plethora of excellent exclusive titles and fantastic PS2 ports has Games Radar and PSP fanboys everywhere asking "this is a bad system?"

Next Generation
23rd Best Game: LocoRoco
In its top 50 list, LocoRoco managed to break into 23rd place. "Eminently cute and weird as a $3 bill, LocoRoco had players controlling a world and tilting it in order for a smiling blobbish thing to collect goodies, get fatter, and eventually roll or drop past a finishing point. It was as if someone's strange drug-induced hallucination had come to life on the PSP, complete with a dandy soundtrack and a punishing difficulty factor."

The Associated Press is one of the world's leading providers of news and opinion in the world. So, when such a huge mainstream press outlet says something good about the PSP, I take note. AP chose Oblivion as their Overall Game of the Year, and gave LocoRoco the award for Portable Game of the Year. "Sony's PlayStation Portable finally received a great, original game this summer with LocoRoco. Heaps of cuteness, creativity and charm made what could have been another boring platformer into one of the year's most original and irresistible video games."

Surely, this comes as a surprise to those that expected a DS game to win. However, it's not all roses in Sony-land. The PLAYSTATION 3 got the dubious award of "Worst Console Launch."

[Via Online Athens]