Review: Patapon 2 (PlayStation Portable)
So, I have been spending time with my dusty, unplayed PlayStation Portable for quite sometime now after the release of Patapon 2. I was soooooooo addicted to the first Patapon game that when news of a sequel came out I was ecstatic beyond belief. To the uninitiated (shame on you), Patapon is a quirky rhythm / real-time tactics / ‘god’ game released for the Sony PSP last year. The game was developed by Pyramid and Japan Studio and is a PSP exclusive.
Patapon 2’s story carries over from the previous game — where the Patapons have journeyed over to a new land to reach ‘Earthend’ and see ‘It’. Now that I have played the game for a good four hours now, here are some of the obvious differences I have noticed from the first game:
- New unit upgrading system — In Patapon 1, units were made by acquiring different materials in order to be created by the tree Mater. In Patapon 2, the same system applies, however units are supposed to ‘evolve’ through different classes before reaching the player’s desired unit. Unit types are also INTERCHANGEABLE! Say you made a normal Patapon and upgraded it to level 10 and then you encounter a snow map wherein a Pyopyo (resistance to freezing) is more useful, you can evolve the said unit to one. If afterwards you feel like bringing your level 10 normal Patapon back to life, you can just simply change it back as simple as changing equipment.
- Hero — A hero Patapon unit is acquired after playing the first few stages in the game. Hero units can be transformed into the basic job classes in the game — either to a Tatepon (melee), Yaripon (spear), or Yumipon (archer) class. If you have unlocked the other special classes, you can also turn them into a Dekapon (giant hammer-wielding unit), Megapon (units that use the… uh, megaphone), Kibapon (cavalry), and the all-new class Toripon (bird rider).
- Eggs — As usual, there are bosses every now and then found in between hunting and event maps. Bosses still level up depending on the number of times you beat them up. Aside from rare materials, bosses may also drop eggs after your Patapon crew defeats them. These are then used in the…
- Paraget — A new location added to the Patapon camp. The Paraget can host multiplayer games via the WLAN. Multiple players can play as their Heroes in the game and level up the eggs and gain other special items — from new NPC heroes (Komupons) to masks. Not to shortchange your co-op guy, he can also get some items depending on the number of Parachiri he gets while playing the game. This is converted to treasure chests and Ka-Chings (spiritual coins) at the end of the mission.
- Skulls — In Patapon 1, the moment you lose your rhythm, you will go back to zero combo count. Skulls now indicate whether your previous chant is not up to the beat of the Kami’s drum. You will then be given a second chance to chant to the proper beat before the ‘fever’ status negates.
- New Genius Hats — Old mini-games from Patapon 1 such as the Tree Game (BON BON BONNNNN!), Rumble Thump (the annoying baby mountain), among others have also made their way to Patapon 2. New NPCs can also be found in the Patapon camp such as Shibara Yapon, the dance instructor to aid you in acquiring more Ka-chings.
Graphic styling still remains faithful to the original and I’m glad they kept the quirky art that way. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it, right? New songs (BGM title and map name is displayed at the start of the stage) and sound effects (Patapon chants and exclamations) have been added for extra flavor as well. Overall, the new stuff and improvements in Patapon 2 have made the game 10x better and more fun to play than the original title. I have to note that they still have not fixed my old gripe in the first game wherein you still need to rush to get the items at the end of the stage. Still, no biggie. I guess it makes the game more challenging to play in that regard.
The Verdict
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Patapon 2 Screenshot Gallery:
so where did you get your copy cheena?
@Jason Aldea – http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-b9-49-en-70-39hd.html