Posted Mar 13th 2008 5:00PM by Majed Athab Filed under: News
Those silly balloon creatures in Loco Roco are doing more than their usual passive in-game combining and dividing -- they're taking those skills and teaching kids how to do it for themselves. Wait, before you get confused, we don't mean kids are attaching themselves to one another to make one giant kid ... we mean that the Loco Roco are actively teaching kids all about multiplication, division, and basic arithmetic. Don't get any funny ideas.
While the actual Loco Roco game isn't used in the classroom, its characters are presented in visual aids. According to Famitsu, this unique way of teaching mathematics to children has been done recently at an elementary school in Chiba, Japan. The next class? Physics 101 with Dragon Ball Z.
It's great to see the Loco Roco helping out with what they do best, and we can't wait to see this become a fully institutionalized part of the teaching curriculum. Maybe, someday. It's also nice knowing that the PSP is becoming more and more edu-friendly.
As expected, the Japanese PS Store was updated today with a "new" Christmas demo of LocoRoco. The problem? It's not new at all. It's the same demo as the one we featured last year, unfortunately. Most likely, a lot of new PSP owners haven't experienced the glory that is LocoRoco and this revival of the Christmas demo will serve as a gateway drug for more of these blubbery critters. Good move, Sony -- but we want some new LocoRoco fun ... soon.
The team behind the award-winning LocoRoco is working on a brand new PSP game ... and they're looking for help. Imagine! You could be working on the next game from this imaginative group ... provided you live in Japan. We're glad to see the team moving onto something new, something Kouno has been hinting at for quite some time now.
In an interview with Joystiq at Develop conference, LocoRoco director Tsutomu Kouno confirmed that a LocoRoco sequel was certainly going to arrive on PSP, in addition to the recently unveiled PS3 "extra chapter." Kouno revealed to Joystiq that "I'm thinking about a sequel for the PSP right now. I got a lot of feedback from players that they bought a PSP just to play Loco Roco so I feel like I have to make a sequel for them."
The full interview will arrive on Joystiq later this week.
How many times did LocoRoco get rejected from Sony, before it became a heavily promoted, greenlit project? Two times. At Develop conference, Tsutomu Kouno revealed that rejected the idea of a tilting 2D platformer twice. Why did Sony finally give in on the third time? He provided them with a playable demo. "It is very important to make a demo and show something that moves," he said.
It looks like Kouno-san's persistence paid off ultimately, considering the dedicated following the PSP platformer has. Considering his success, Kouno will continue making games in the vein of LocoRoco. According to Next Generation, his future games will also be "peaceful," going against the increasingly popular trend towards violent games. He also added, "In the future, I want to invent new gameplay using physical calculations and crowd AI."
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?
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.)
Download Video for PSP Access m.pspfanboy.com from your PSP internet browser to download.
Handheld gaming has a dedicated fan base, as those that frequent our very own site can attest. When the allure of new releases wears its welcome, it can be interesting to scour the web for sites that cater to very specific game tastes. In case you missed our recommendation for these game sites earlier, Pocket Gamer reminds you of gems like Beyond Loco, which caters to everything LocoRoco, offering wallpaper, music and even themed demos. Dark Alex also brings a unique flavor of PSP homebrew for those daring enough to visit. Something new and for the slightly older crowd that welcomes a trip down memory lane, there's even the HandHeld Museum where you can revisit handheld gaming's finest. The included pictures of box art should jog a few memories, if the title alone isn't enough. We can't be the only ones to remember those Galoob titles, can we?
Posted May 18th 2007 1:00PM by Andrew Yoon Filed under: News
There are a few people that purchased a PSP system to play the innovative LocoRoco. To this day, the title stands out as one of the happiest, most original titles on the platform. While there's nothing wrong with the large number of mature games on the platform, gamers that enjoy LocoRoco have been thoroughly neglected by Sony. Tsutomu Kouno, creator of LocoRoco, spoke at the Nordic Game Conference about PSP's lackluster offerings for that demographic: "We have to increase the number of casual games, games that LocoRoco players will want to play."
"There are too many sequels for PSP, only sequels, so I want to make a new game for PSP ... I have five or six new game ideas either for PSP or PS3, but I actually want to make them for PSP - for the people who bought LocoRoco, or bought a PSP because of LocoRoco, and like casual games."
It's great to see a developer want to work exclusively for the handheld. Certainly, we could use some original titles in addition to the stellar sequels that we'll also be receiving. But Kouno ... didn't you also talk about a LocoRoco sequel at this same conference?
Offering a peek into his inspiration for LocoRoco, designer Tsutomu Kouno once again touched base on its concept, design and production during a presentation at the Nordic Game Conference in Sweden. Fearing a "scolding," he didn't give too much away, though he did cite nature documentaries and the animal behavior of his pet fish as inspiration for some of the characters. I wonder what kind of game we'd be playing if he had a sloth as a pet?
LocoRoco was the first game he worked on alone and wasn't initially approved on its first or second presentation. Only when a demo was shown on the third attempt did LocoRoco's approval come through. We can only imagine how frustrating those attempts at describing game play would have been on a mere PowerPoint presentation. As far as the sequel is concerned, Tsotomu Kouno said the sequel would contain, "new game play based on physical calculation and crowd AI" amidst other surprises. Ideally, the "use of color and music" is the central focus for the series, attempting "to create the fun and dramatic atmosphere of a live musical." Sounds great, as long as we don't end up playing Chicago: The Game Based on The Movie Based on The Play. Personally, we welcome new ideas, but prefer more the same game play that made LocoRoco so unique. It it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
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.
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.
