|
 We've got to hand it to Sony. When we got our hands on Patapon 2, we were stunned at the level of content included in the sequel to one of the best PlayStation Portable games. While we expected new levels and a couple of tweaks here and there, we certainly weren't expecting... this.
Patapon 2 is, far and away, a superior sequel to its predecessor. If you played the original game, you know that's no small task. Patapon 2 still manages to maintain the same level of charm, whimsy, and charisma that made the first game such a wonderful gem of a title. But look closer, and you'll see that this isn't just a cheap cash-in for Sony and Pyramid. It's easily a 40+ hour game for people that want to take the time to get into it, and at just $19 for a brand new copy of the game, it's one of the best values for a PSP game in the current retail market.
And while it's not without its faults, they're minor compared to the overall content of the game.
Pick up a drum and head through the jump. You are the new God of the Patapon, and with great power comes great responsibility.
Patapon 2 picks up right after the ending of its predecessor. The boat upon which the Patapon embarked at the end of the first game is attacked by a kraken, destroying the ship and leaving the Patapon stranded on a new land. Finding the natives to be less than friendly, the Patapon must start hunting and building up their stores of items in order to reach the promised land. And it's your job, as the God of the Patapon, to help them conquer their enemies, survive the elements, and become a force to be reckoned with.
Like its predecessor, Patapon 2 functions on a basic concept. Bang out drum beats using the four face buttons, keeping in time with the pulse of the planet, and you're able to order your cute little Patapon soldiers to move, attack, defend, and perform special abilities. Keep the beat steady for a long enough period of time and you'll reach Fever mode, earning temporary bonuses for your troops. Each command for your Patapons requires a distinct set of four button presses, the sequence changing depending on the command you're issuing, but never reaching a point of mental hassle because you've got too many combos to remember. It's a simple concept that works like a hybrid love child of Rock Band and a platformer game, but remarkably, the concept is simple enough that just about anyone can play.
The sequel introduces a few new concepts that you didn't find in the original game, but the most important upgrade in Patapon 2 is the Evolution tree. Each of your Patapons starts out at a basic level in whatever class you assign them, but the Evolution tree allows you to take the various items you collect during your missions and use them to upgrade your troops. It starts out simply, by increasing the basic statistics of your Patapon troops, but as time passes and you make your way down the branching paths of the tree, you'll be able to evolve them into different classes entirely. It's a smart little addition, and we were surprised at just how user-friendly and accessible the feature was, regardless of whether or not you've played a Patapon game before. It lets you really customize your party to focus on the skills you want/need, and gives a greater emphasis to managing your Patapon without becoming too much of a burden. Patapon 2 introduces brand new classes, such as the Toripon, bird riders which attack while in the air, to help improve over the original experience.
From a gameplay perspective, you're not going to see a huge difference in Patapon 2 compared to what was offered in its predecessor. Rather than trying to improve upon the wheel, Pyramid instead focused on improving and eradicating some of the more prevalent and bothersome issues in the original Patapon. Thankfully, Fever mode has been given a new visual indicator and alarm tone to let you know when you're a beat away from losing your combo level, a change that seems minor on the surface but makes a huge difference in the overall game. One of our biggest frustrations with Patapon 1 was being in a boss fight, only to completely fall out of Fever mode because we had no idea we were tapping out beats too fast or too slow.
The game also tries to give you a better grasp on some of the game's less-explained concepts by presenting a selection of 80 different hint screens while the levels load. Fortunately, you can review these at any time once they've been viewed, making it easier for a new player to understand just what the difference is between a Tatepon and a Yaripon.
But while the game's focus on polishing out the minor hiccups in the Patapon experience is admirable, we're still annoyed that some of the more glaring issues in the first game are still left unsolved. And yes, we're talking about the total absence of a Pause function. While we understand/appreciate that from a creative standpoint, the idea is to keep the beat going in your head and in your fingers, it's simply not a practical decision to exclude it. If you come upon a situation where you've got to stop playing, at best you'll be faced with a loss of your Fever meter. But if you're in the middle of a boss fight, with fiery arrows raining down upon your army of marching eyeballs, you can either let them die or choose to abort the mission, a Catch-22 decision that no one should have to face in modern video games.
It also doesn't help that some of the deeper concepts in the overall Patapon experience are still left unexplained, with only the power players likely to find them and understand their necessity. While Pyramid's certainly taken a step in the right direction with the aforementioned hint screens, the game still needs to better explain some of the less obvious content for new players. We feel sorry for the newer players that might not recognize that entire chunks of game content are totally inaccessible unless you visit just the right level, and only during a certain weather pattern.
Ultimately though, these are minor nitpicks. The game's lack in a few features is made up for with a bevy of content, with over forty main missions and enjoyable minigames that help diversify the overall Patapon 2 experience. We're also pleased to see that multiplayer has taken a strong step forward in Patapon 2, tying it right back into the single player experience by taking the Eggs you win from boss battles and using them as your focus when playing with friends. It's not a revolutionary step up, but that doesn't stop it from being incredibly fun.
Patapon 2 is available only as a downloadable title in North America, and the 360MB download and install went off without a hitch. If that's the future of digital distribution, sign us up. And speaking of seamless integration, if you played the original game, Patapon 2 imports equipment and units from your old save file into the new game. Likewise, if you played through the demo of Patapon 2, the full version of the game imports your demo progress into the full version save, preventing you from having to replay the first few levels of the game unless you really want to. Both imports work smoothly, with no hiccups in any of the tests we ran.
At first glance, Patapon 2 appears to be a cute little game, with adorable eyeball warriors marching towards a cartoon-ish victory against their opponents. But look beneath the surface, and you'll find a game that's brimming with content. A lot of those 40+ story levels have alternate versions you can play once you've finished them, and the game encourages multiple playthroughs and power-levelling. It introduces concepts like squad-based tactics, class balancing, inventory management, and environmental effects in such a gentle way that it's hard to feel overwhelmed despite the weighty concepts. Casual gamers will enjoy Patapon 2 for its surface appearance, but the Patapon devotee will see an experience much deeper.
We're still bothered by the fact that Pyramid hasn't felt the need to introduce a Pause function, a glaring oversight which serves as the main reason this title doesn't get a perfect review grade. Minor issues, such as the lack of explanation on the game's deeper features, serve only to hamper the more determined players among us, but still need to be addressed in future sequels. But ultimately, we're truly pleased with Patapon 2, and hope this is just a sign of things to come, both for the franchise and for the PSP overall.
Final Score: A-
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
