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Nice post! I'm crazy about the Patapon games. You did well explaining what makes them special.

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So I'm playing Patapon, and there are a couple of little things I really like that don't often get mentioned. One is how arcane it can be. I like this because it's strange and wonderful for things to be hidden in a game that is not only linear but actually plays along one dimension! They do it with tricks like the totem pole hanging out at the very first hunting plain that spits out a bent compass when you come back to activate it later after getting the necessary drums, and then that compass reveals an ancient place guarded by a boss where you can get a miracle. Actually, that example is a necessary part of the campaign and is well-clued because of it, but I am charmed by the way it works. There are similar things where you kill a particularly evasive beast and pick up something that points to a new location. Sometimes such a creature is only around during certain weather, which you can control.

The other thing I really like is the flexibility provided by the gorgeous art style. Notice that demon in Drem's post that seems to reverse itself but without actually changing its shape? There's a lot of that, and it's all thanks to the silhouetting-plus-color-shape style. There are a lot of huntable creatures that look like this guy, who is the most basic huntable creature:



And then you get close or start to attack it and it unfolds or reverses and is revealed to be:







And some of these imitators will attack you, so the art is actually providing the gameplay opportunity of surprising you. But who cares about that boring crap! It's just delightful to watch!

You can actually see both of these things that I like happening at the same time here:



Finally, I want to confess that I just like the world of these games in general. The story is surprisingly robust for a game that plays like this does. For example, when you're crossing the desert in Patapon there are these two guys manning a watch tower. One tells the other to go for help, but he refuses to abandon his friend; when you destroy the tower his friend dies and he is forced to run off. This guy, who is just a regular enemy guy who happens to be given a name, actually becomes a recurring character and increases his strength, eventually through dangerous means, in his pursuit of vengeance upon you. And I like how the zigoton forces' naming follows the same logic as your own: yaripon -> yariton. And I like that everything is legends and history and there are these different clans and demons and stuff. It all comes together nicely, and it's a fun place.

Having seen footage of the Patapon 3 demo, I have to admit that I'm worried about the more "realistic" backgrounds and the more angular art style. I love the flat, simple, graphic design look of any given Patapon scene, for one thing, and while I think the angular look is a cool riff on the series's visual idea I'm concerned that it will result in fewer transformations like I described above. I'm sure it'll be an awesome game; I just hope it doesn't lose what I most enjoy about it.

Here's the best footage I was able to find:

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Are you aware that Patapon 2 has difficulty levels you can set at any time? You can set it to Easy so that it's not as strict about hitting right on the beat. Regardless, in general, I find it imperative to nod my head while playing because it's otherwise hard to keep the rhythm while also thinking about the situation and commands.

Sorry; I dunno about the other thing. I haven't actually really played much of Patapon 2, so if there are level prerequisites for equipping things I don't know about it. I would be surprised if that wasn't made explicit, though. If you're just trying to change a dude's wooden helmet to an iron helmet you picked up in a mission, it seems weird that you wouldn't be able to.

What I do know is that only normals (whites, the basic evolution type) can equip helmets. Unlike weapons and other items, helmets in Patapon 1 can all be equipped by any class; so any class of normal patapon can equip any helmet, while all other equipment is class-specific and is used by all rarepon evolution types. Maybe some helmets can only be equipped by yaripons or tatepons etc. as a new thing in Patapon 2, but I'd expect that if any helmets are class-specific it would be made clear.

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IT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT THEY CHANGED EVERYTHING WOW

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I hope that we SB folk can get some multiplaying on with this. Honestly, I'm not actively working through the series at the moment since I'm doing Mass Effect, so I might be late (and also won't have any impressions of Patapon 3 to offer immediately when it comes out).

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http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-04-11-patapon-3-review

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Multiplayer sounds really terrific!

But what happens if I want to play this game two years down the line?

(Also, reminder: Today is release day!)

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http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/12/patapon-3-hits-psp-today-for-20-free-item-code-here/

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