PSP Lover

LocoRoco had massive amounts of hype, but fell flat during a time when the PSP needed another Lumines. But the developers of LocoRoco are back with a new title called Patapon, a mix of rhythm game, RPG and RTS that’s even more beautiful than its predecessor.

Oh, and apparently it’s amazingly good.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview on Patapon—every review you need to read before deciding that it’s time to dust off that PSP after all.

Game Almighty
Your band of Patapon are controlled by issuing commands, which are nothing more than rhythm-based drumming performed with the four main PSP buttons. Want to move your Patapon forward? Press square-square-square-circle. Want to attack? Press circle-square-square-circle. Your ability to maintain perfect rhythm while issuing a variety of commands is the essence of Patapon. Now add to this mix that you have three types of Patapon, including close-combat axe-wielders, mid-range spear-throwers, and long-range archers and you now have strategic elements to consider…

GameDaily
It might sound a bit burdensome, especially if you don’t usually get your kicks from strategy games, but this is not a game that gets bogged down in the details. You will have to do some management between levels, but the interface is clean and fun to use. Furthermore, the battles themselves are a delight, and using music to perform all of the commands is such a unique and enjoyable experience that just about anyone can get into it.

Variety
While music is the blood of “Patapon,” the game’s art direction, which combines cartoon silhouettes with a shadow-puppet look at times, helps make it captivating. The screen fills with these little one-eyed creatures as a gamer progresses through 30 levels, culminating in sweeping battles that are nearly as fun to watch as they are to orchestrate.

GameSpy
Patapon is like a cleverly designed trojan horse, built to sucker you in with cute graphics and then beat you down with its primal, rhythmic challenge. It’s great fun, but you may find it tough to actually play the game on the go considering the amount of attention it requires.

GameSpot
Patapon is unlike any game that has come before it, and with a retail price that’s half of what many PSP games sell for, our recommendation of this ingenious recipe that has been masterfully realized is a no-brainer.

It’s good to see software titles that do the PSP’s excellent hardware some justice. At $20, it seems like a must-buy.

via http://kotaku.com/361666/frankenreview-+-patapon-psp

PSP is on a bit of a roll with the addition of Skype and some updates of three old favourite games that aren’t sensational advances but excellent timekillers - which is what the pocket size PSP is all about.

The new software update (version 3.90) lets you make and receive Skype calls - but only if you have the slim and lite PSP versions and the GoCam

On the games front, I’ve been enjoying a few new Sony studio sequels to old favourites on my handheld:

Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice (M) is the nice-looking sequel to the 2006 cop action movie and has the usual car chases, shootouts and now the obligatory gunfights are on helicopters and atop speeding trains as you try to save Capital City from gangs terrorising the streets. The Convicts are once again loose from jail and it’s your job to round ‘em up!

In the 30 single player missions, chases and vehicle-hopping are the most fun types. And when you’re talking about vehicles to drive, it’s not just cars but taking a leaf out of the Grand Theft book, you can ride everything from motorcycles to hovercrafts, speedboats and even jet skis! At times cheesy but fun.

Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow (M) finds Gabe Logan still at his game saving the world. This time the spy mission involves a revolutionary new weapon falling into the wrong hands in the Middle East. The involved story has been developed by DC comics’ Batman writer Greg Rucka. It’s similar to its very pleasing PSP predecessor, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror but the coolest addition is the new underwater combat complete with new physics with weapons like spear guns and bolt pistols. Yet again great gameplay, solid graphics and an entertaining game that had my PSP batteries run dry.

Wipeout Pulse (PG) comes three years on from the first Wipeout Pure game on PSP. It has 24 reversible circuits, new types of those futuristic high-speed vehicles and new powerups and weaponry. An additional feature acts a bit like a magnet and temporarily locks ships to the levels, enabling loops and vertical drops.

Of course Wipeout is a very old favourite - one of the original releases on the original Playstation and a favourite of mine.

And this is familiar fare - the hectic racing, techno music (or play mp3s from your memory stick) and wild racing tearing around the circuits in cities 200-odd years from now. But the single player mode is especially cool and also the photo mode which lets you grab awesome screenshots.