How big is Patapon 2? Well, take the original game ... and then multiply it by two. The upcoming PSP-exclusive sequel will feature a staggering amount of content which makes the original seem rather diminutive. While the first featured 37 levels, Patapon 2 Don Chaka will feature over 80. There were 187 weapons and items in the original -- and over 500 in the new game. Not only that, Patapon 2 will also feature a new multiplayer mode.
While critics and fans have embraced Patapon's unique gameplay, the new content expansion should make the sequel much more appealing to newcomers and veterans alike. The core gameplay remains largely untouched -- each of the face buttons represents a certain sound, and pressing button combinations to the beat will command the Patapon to march, retreat and attack. However, they've added a new twist to the formula. Enter: the Hero Patapon.
Players wanted a more personal interaction with their Patapon. With the Hero Patapon, they'll get just that. The Hero has an expanded set of moves and greater HP, making it far deadlier than the standard Patapon. While Patapon were fairly expendable in the original, players will want the Hero to stay alive. As it can be named by the player, many may think of it as their own unique "pet" in the game.
Is there a title more apt than Patapon 2? Perhaps not. The upcoming sequel to the critically acclaimed PSP exclusive will be double the size of the original, according to Famitsu (via PSPHyper). The number of stages to be found in the upcoming sequel is twice that of the first title, giving players a lot more to play. In addition, the story will be fleshed out even more, with hero Patapon getting their own special abilities throughout the adventure.
Although the gameplay concept was simple, it was very easy to lose the rhythm and meet one's doom in the original. Thankfully, the sequel will be a bit more accessible to players, as it will also indicate when a player is losing the beat. With more content, more enemies, more abilities, and multiplayer, it looks like there's a lot to be excited about when Patapon 2 releases in Japan later this year.
Patapon 2 has been announced for a Japanese Winter 2008 release, and the biggest new feature for the game is the four player ad hoc. You can see that multiplayer aspect in the screen above where the objective of the mode is to charge forward together with a Faberge egg, all the while fighting enemies. Sounds interesting. Check out the rest of the screenshots at Famitsu.
The original Patapon was critically acclaimed for its simple, endearing, and surprisingly deep design. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the PSP exclusive music game is getting a sequel. The big draw this time? Ad-hoc multiplayer for four players. Hiroyuki Kotani explains to Famitsu (via 1UP) that there's a lot more to look forward to this time besides multiplayer. "There are lots more bosses and midboss-type enemies this time. We've got about double the amount of content to explore, just in terms of the number of stages alone. Add the customization options to that, and to be honest, you may never get to fully explore every bit of it."
The game is being prepped for a winter release in Japan. Undoubtedly, the US will also get its own version some time in the future as well. Hopefully, we'll also be able to see more of Patapon 2 at E3 next week.
Posted May 30th 2008 10:33AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News
The teams behind the creative PSP games, Patapon and echochrome, will make an appearance at this year's Develop conference in July. Atsushi Li, director of Pyramid and Junichi Yoshizama, associate producer of SCE Worldwide Studios will discuss the tribal music game Patapon. Jun Fujiki and Tatsuya Suzuki will speak about the mind-bending echochrome.
"We are privileged to welcome Ii-san, Yoshizawa-san, Fujiki-san and Suzuki-san to the Develop Conference and are thrilled that we can offer our delegates the opportunity to be inspired by what can only be described as some of the most creative video games designers on the planet," said managing director of Tandem Events, Andy Lane.
Are you a Patapon master? Prove it in Sony's new official contest. Answer a series of trivia questions and you'll be entered in a contest where you can win a Be@rbrick figure, t-shirt and set of magnets. Twenty people will be randomly selected to win.
If you haven't played Patapon yet, you'll need to download the demo from the PLAYSTATION Store in order to get all the knowledge you need. Unfortunately, the Store is currently down for maintenance, but will be back up tomorrow.
We do not know who made this incredible fan art, but we want to know you. This Patapon piece is inspired by the blockbuster action movie, 300. Not only does the piece accurately recreate one of the film's most iconic moments, it does so with the blood-curling beat of the Patapon tribe: Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon.
Update: canecodesign is the artist. Check out the DeviantART page.
Patapon has managed to find its way into the hearts of many PSP gamers. Already, the game has a legion of dedicated fans, and they're pouring their love into some clever fan art. Benny T. sent us some of his art: a vicious reinterpretation of the musical warriors. Considering how blood-thirty these critters actually are, we find these drawings to be a rather accurate representation of the Patapon's true nature.
2P Start has a Patapon-inspired comic on their site, filled with puns (or as we call em, Pata-puns, get it?). It's a cute effort that managed to break through our cold, bitter hearts. Is that a smile that we're donning? How uncomfortable.
Posted Feb 28th 2008 1:00PM by Majed Athab
Filed under: News
According to EGM's Quartermann, their top guy for all things rumorlicious, something "Patapon-related" will be popping up on the PlayStation Network. It seems that this unique rhythm game might actually be getting some sort of spin-off.
Patapon has barely just been released in the west and already we're hearing rumblings of a sequel or a spin-off. Hey, we're not complaining; we're just a little surprised. It would be nice to have another Patapon game, little eye people and all.
Patapon comes out ... well, today. This video by SCEA attempts to answer some last-minutes questions the members of Sony's Gamer Advisory Panel. We think we recognize some of the user names in this vid as PSP Fanboy regulars! The questions and answers aren't too revealing, but act as enough of a primer for those that haven't been following the game until now.
BE@RBRICK TM & (c) 2001-2007 MEDIACOM TOY CORPORATION
This super-rare Patapon figure is not available outside of Japan. Enter our giveaway for your chance to win one!
Are you as excited for Patapon as we are? (Read our review to find out why we're so excited about this game!) To celebrate the release of this unique PSP-exclusive music action game, SCEA has provided us a very exclusive Be@rbrick figure to give away. To enter, have a Patapon avatar on your Blogsmith profile, and leave a comment here. The comment must be left before Wednesday, February 28th, 5PM EST. You may enter only once on PSP Fanboy, and once on Joystiq. Two winners will be selected in a random drawing, one from each site. Grand Prize Winners will receive this Be@rbrick figure. Click here for complete Official Rules. Eligibility is restricted to the legal residents of the 50 United States (including DC). You must be 18 years or older to enter.
If there is one genre that has really flourished on the PSP, it would be rhythm games. Titles like Lumines, beats, Parappa the Rapper, and Gitaroo Man have made Sony's handheld a must-have for any fans of the rhythm genre. And while all those games were fantastic titles, Pyramid's most recent PSP title, Patapon, manages to blows them all away with some of the most unique rhythm-based gameplay you'll ever experience.
Combining gameplay from a wide swath of genres, developers Pyramid managed to create a game that is part rhythm-based, part RPG, and part RTS. It's not always easy for developers to successfully combine genres to create a greater whole, but Pyramid absolutely nailed it with Patapon. The resulting gameplay makes Patapon one of the most unique titles to come along in years, on any system -- not just the PSP.
You play the roll of a long missing deity to a tribe of big-eyed warriors, called Patapons, who have been banished from their land and have lost the will to fight. In order to help the Patapons regain their former glory and achieve their final hope of seeing the mysterious 'it' at the end of the world, they need you and your mighty war drums to whip them into shape and get them motivated for some serious combat.
Not a bad week for PC Store content. The American store gets the same two demos as the Europeans have along with a full PSP game, Twisted Metal: Head-On. No doubt a timed cash-in considering the PS2 port was recently released. Here's the full release list:
MLB 08 The Show demo (free)
Patapon demo (free)
Twisted Metal: Head-On full game ($14.99)
Twisted Metal: Head-On Behind the Scenes video 3 (free)
Twisted Metal: Head-On Behind the Scenes video 4 (free)
Twisted Metal: Head-On PSP Wallpaper (free)
Have you started downloading the Patapon demo yet? Why not! Get it started.
Sony has a Valentines Day gift for those of you who are enamoured with the upcoming rhythm action game Patapon. Chances are you might've downloaded the Japanese demo of the game after it went online last week, but tomorrow you will be able to try it out in a language that is more familiar. The English demo will go online tomorrow and will be available from the PSN Store on PC and PS3. The demo has previously only been available by pre-ordering the game from Gamestop, so we're chuffed to see it being made available for all via "the power of the interwebs".
Check back tomorrow for the full list of PSN Store updates, as usual.
