bit-tech Shopping: Sony Patapon (PSP)

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Fresh take on rpg genre

Weaknesses: Getting the rhythms can be frustrating

Summary: Right off the bat, the price on this is fantastic. It was fantastic at release at only $20 and often went on sale for even less. Additionally, I found the art direction excellent, in a minimalist manner and the sound, of course, topnotch. It starts off slow, in order to teach, but by the second hour, you realize the system is a lot deeper than it seems. Patapon is not flawless, however, and I wish it a little more forgiving with the timing elements. I am not very good at music games that require playing to the beat, and there were some attacks that I just could not get the timing down. The doublebeats especially seemed difficult and the onscreen help could not teach me. This didn't kill the enjoyment, but it did distract and make the experience less immersive. Also, it is almost impossible to play this game without decent headphones or a quiet environment, which undermines some of the portability of the psp. Still, as rpgs go, this was a solid addition to the library.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Unique, music, gameplay

Weaknesses: level grinding

Summary: Patapon is an unique game based on music and strategy. The gameplay requires some level of strategy and rhythm to control your army of patapon in its quest to rid the land of evil. There are many levels and each one is unique and requires some strategy. You can earn stuff as you move up the levels and create new type of patapon.Patapon is unique, addictive and surprising entertaining. If you like Loco Roco, you'll like this game.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 4 Months

Strengths: Simple interface, creative graphics, addictive gameplay, can play for 5 minutes or hours

Weaknesses: Hard game if you don't have rhythm... gotta keep the beat!

Summary: This is a great game. I haven't had a PSP for very long, but I like the idea of games that are versatile timewise-- this is one of those. You can choose to play it for a very short time or play for hours and it is just as entertaining. It is fairly difficult to play in noisy environments without headphones as you really have to keep the beat with the music. Once you get the hang of how to play, though, the game becomes addictive. I love the graphic styling-- it is very reminiscent of Samurai Jack and the like. Overall, great game, beautiful interface, simple control-- I would definitely recommend this game if you have a PSP!

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Stellar visual style, unique rhythm/real time strategy hybrid game play, budget price

Weaknesses: Level grinding required for certain items, no multiplayer support, no pause feature

Summary: From the development studio that brought you Loco Roco, Patapon offers players yet another unique gaming experience on Sony's PSP handheld system. The near universal applause this title has garnered from critics hails from a variety of attributes the game possesses, the very least of which is the $20 budget price. Using a cartoon visual style not unlike that of Loco Roco, Patapon sees you lead a small army of "patapon" creatures in thirty plus missions 300-style against a variety of other soldiers, monsters and bosses. Rhythm-based game play is used to issue commands to your troops, and you can scavenge weapons and armor from your fallen adversaries to further outfit and build your own army. Patapon doesn't necessarily sound like a lot of fun on paper, but as you may have seen with Loco Roco, developer Interlink knows how to put together a quality handheld game. Fortunately, Patapon was released at a more reasonable $20 price tag, so you can find it even cheaper if you look hard enough. Everyone who owns a PSP should at least try this game. With a low $20 price tag, no excuses should be allowed.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 1 Month

Strengths: music, different

Weaknesses: no pause

Summary: Probably one of the more unique titles I?ve played on the PSP. It?s a combination of a rhythm and SRPG game. You control your ?troops? using drum beats/sequences. As you gain more victories, your ?troops? get stronger. There are quite a few different types of troops that you can pick from as you move through the game. The strategy comes in when you choose which 3 types you use when you choose a task or battle. Each group has it?s own strengths and weaknesses. The only weakness in this title for me is there is no pause or save if you?re in the middle of a mission. You have to play it out to the end. If you?re looking for something different, pick up this title.