Review: Patapon
Publisher: SCEA Developer: SCEJ Platforms: Sony PSPPosted on March 26th, 2008 at 10:10pm by Jimmy
Be warned though, don't be fooled by the child pleasing look of this title, underneath its warm fuzzy lovable exterior is a thick lump of steel toe capped boot ready to plant its self squarely in your nut-sack the moment you stop taking it seriously. This IS kick in the balls tough. The first few levels are no doubt pleasant enough easing you into the idea of the game but soon afterwards you'll have to step your game up. Not all levels are so hard core but often you come across one that will require you to go back and do some hunting missions 3 or 4 times then defeat a boss, then grow more Patapon, then sit in a sound proof padded room with a metronome. As an example at one point you have to perform a miracle, and truly it was one that I pulled it off at all. You make it rain by getting up to fever while the flames of the desert are licking your balls, then do the little sequence which in turn sets off another sequence for you to perform. This "miracle" of rain last about 5 seconds giving you just enough time to get a little way across the desert before having to perform it again but not only that you have several sodding rocks to clear and a dam snail in front of you slowing you down. I'm not kidding a mother fucking giant snail that takes a Spartan army's worth of spears to kill!!! Maybe it's because I'm a lazy westerner spoilt by years of Need for Speed or driving Miss Daisy difficulties in WW2 shooters or I guess I'm missing some of bionic implants and seriously honed Japanese gaming skills our friends in the east posses. I shouldn't complain really, if you focus and remember your training you will be able to complete these levels.....eventually. It will take a few goes and several teeth marks in your PSP, but then the wave of satisfaction you get after will be worth it.
The visuals although basic in hardware rendering terms are as much super kawaii as a they are a real delight to gaze at and are perfectly formed for the PSP. Patapon really makes great use of the uber large wide-screen you have as well as giving you some of the fastest load times I've ever seen on the system, finally a game which is perfect for the PSP, I even found the battery seemed to last longer than usual. The themes and styles here are very Japanese, from the shadow puppet look to the very Zatochi dancing you're treated to when completing a mission. I think I'd go as far as describing it as one of the few examples of a game really being a work of art, standing comfortably alongside games like Silent Hill 2, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus despite the lack of polygon counts, odd how Sony often have to make these themselves.
There is not much more I can say except never before have I seen a game so well crafted for the PSP; if you don't buy yours a copy when your PSP dies the Sony, the creator, will judge it's life and see the PSP's unfulfilled potential and wasted life then surly let it burn in silicon hell for all eternity, and you wouldn't want that to happen would you?
10/10
