I’ve been a PaRappa the Rapper fan since the days of the PS1. It’s what got my into rhythm games, and I’ve been hooked ever since (except for DDR, I just couldn’t bring myself to look like a complete fool in the middle of a mall). It’s been a while since we’ve seen a PaRappa game (2002 to be exact), and the rhythm game scene has changed dramatically. We’re now in the days where Guitar Hero is a household phrase, but there’s never been another rapping rhythm game like PaRappa… until now. Sony is bringing PaRappa back to the PSP. The game fits the portable genre perfectly. But how well does it work this go-around? Here is a breakdown of some of the facets of PaRappa the Rapper for the PSP:
Presentation and Graphics: PaRappa has always had a unique graphic style, with paper-like characters and environments. The PSP version of the game is no different. The graphics here look very similar to the PS2 version, which is great for the PSP. I did have an issue with the menus, as they aren’t the easiest to navigate. Once you get past that, the presentation is pretty damn good. There’s some cool phrases scrolled across the screen during loading to refer to waiting to play, such as “soon enough…”, which is fairly amusing. The graphics of the cutscenes are crisp and provide a good story to follow through the game. Overall, it’s not the best looking PSP title we’ve seen, but it does keep to the PaRappa style very well. 4 of 5
Sound and Music: This is the area where PaRappa has always shined. The tracks has some very catchy beats and you’ll find yourself nodding your head along as you play. The lyrics are cheesy, but that’s what makes the game fun. There are only 6 stages to the game, so there are only 6 tracks that ship with the title. However, there will be some free remixes and extra tracks available for download from the internet browser of your PSP to add to the gameplay. 4.5 of 5
Gameplay: The core gameplay is pressing buttons in time with what’s on screen. The Rap Master will perform a phrase, which you then have to match. Get your timing right, and your Rap Meter will stay at Good, which what’s needed to beat the stage. Hit the buttons too early, too late, or not at all and see your Rap Meter drop to Bad or Awful. There’s no indication, even in Practice Mode, if you’re timing is early, late, or just right. This is something that should be added, at least to the Practice, to help newcomers get their rhythm. The game does offer an Easy mode, where you can go through the first 3 stages of the game. You cannot save the game in Easy mode, so once you run through those three stages, it’s back on to Normal mode. Once you beat a stage, you can replay it to try to get a Cool rating, which will enable Master Course mode. In Master Course, you have to freestyle to keep up your rap meter; you can’t just repeat what the Rap Master is doing. This adds to the replay value of the game considerably. PaRappa the Rapper only features 6 stages, each with one song. Once you get through all 6, there’s nothing left from a single player standpoint. As mentioned early, Sony will be offering free remixes and extra tracks to download which will significantly improve the replay value of the game. 4 of 5
Multiplayer: The PSP version of PaRappa the Rapper offers both Ad-hoc multiplayer and Game Sharing. If you have friends with the game, you can have rap battles with each other in any of the game’s six Stages. And if you want to convince someone to pick up the game, fire up Game Sharing, where you can perform a rap battle in Stage 1 only. This is great for some added gameplay with friends. 4.5 of 5
Lasting Appeal: PaRappa the Rapper for PSP, as is, should provide a good hour or two of single player gameplay the first time through. You then have Master Course replay value, as well as additional downloadable songs and remixes coming soon from Sony (which will be free). If you have friends around with a PSP and a copy of PaRappa, the multiplayer modes are extremely fun. At launch, there isn’t a great deal of replay to PaRappa with only have six songs to play through. Once the new tracks are available for download, the game will have much more replay value and provide fun for hours.. 4 of 5
Final Word: If you’re looking for a fun portable rhythm game, PaRappa the Rapper for PSP is definitely for you. With it’s catchy beats and solid gameplay, along with free downloadable tracks coming from Sony, this game will stay in your UMD drive for while. If you have a chance to pick this one up, do so immediately.
Overall: 4 of 5
1 = Not worth the bandwidth.
2= Demo is enough, not worth your money.
3= Game is good, depending on the price, seriously consider picking it up.
4= Worth your money. Should provide some good times for quite awhile.
5= Buy the game. Lock your door. Pick up a case of beer. This could take all night.
Sounds addictive. I’ll be getting the case of beer soon.
The original was addictive and this one sounds the same. Looking forward to gettig this into my PSP soon.
[...] Loot Ninja The core gameplay is pressing buttons in time with what’s on screen. The Rap Master will perform a phrase, which you then have to match. Get your timing right, and your Rap Meter will stay at Good, which what’s needed to beat the stage. Hit the buttons too early, too late, or not at all and see your Rap Meter drop to Bad or Awful…In Master Course [mode], you have to freestyle to keep up your rap meter; you can’t just repeat what the Rap Master is doing. Kikizo New additions to the PSP version do exist however, but rejoicing should be held for the time being – there are remixes of the original tunes available for free download, but these simply replace the soundtrack to each level, with raps remaining exactly the same and tunes just not quite fitting. It’s an opportunity missed, that’s for sure. Gamespy Multiplayer options are a nice touch, with up to four-player ad hoc support. The songs aren’t really that conducive to competition, however, so it’s not a big boost to the package’s value. Game-sharing allows several people to download a demo at once, but you probably know whether you’ll like the game or not already, and I don’t consider free friend demos a “feature.” GameBrink The port to PSP is well-done. The game can be played in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, or switched to 16:9, in which the game has been accomodated for; there’s no screen stretching to be found. Parappa’s graphics were simplistic ten years, which acutally has helped the game in aging well, but even then, it still looks rather dated. Other than adapting the game for widescreen, Sony didn’t do anything to upgrade the visuals Yahoo! Games With six levels, each over in a matter of five minutes or so, it’s a short game. You might complete all six levels in an hour or two, even if you really suck…at its $29.99 price tag, it’s short on value. I have to agree with those who wanted to see the game as a PSN download. The potential microtransactions alone could have made this new version worth the time of gamers and developers alike. [...]