I don't really make it a secret that enjoy music in games, and oftentimes it's the only reason I really dig something I play (take the NES Batman title for instance), so obviously I'm going to enjoy, or at least hope to enjoy, games that actually use their soundtracks as a mechanic. I'm not sure if there's a particular genre for this outside of "music game", but the majority of them fall into that timed button press thing that Guitar Hero has managed to make so popular within the last decade. Titles like Parappa, Um Jammer Lammy, Space Channel 5, and so on are the first ones that spring to mind, and last year when Patapon was released on the PSP, it got to join the club of awesome music games too.
So really, I can't say that I expected the sequel, simply titled Patapon 2, to really fail me in any way. I have no trouble looking at the game with a critical eye, and there are still some issues that carry over from the first game that bother me just as much here, but on the flip side of things Patapon 2 does manage to make improvements, most noticeably in giving me an idea of what I want to do next, and how to go about doing it, and really, it's just a fun title for the system that everyone should really try out.
If you missed out on Patapon the first time around, you won't be lost if you just start with this one. It's very friendly to new players, to the point that I kind of wish they allowed me to simply skip past a few of the beginning sections that serve as the tutorial. These sections might come off as tedious to fans of the first game, at least they did for me, but it doesn't take long to really get into the meat of the game, and sample the new units, abilities, and the awesome addition of the Hero unit as well. For first time players though, realize that Patapon has a bit of a learning curve to it. The idea of moving, attacking, defending and what not with button presses timed to a particular rhythm isn't something that you can pick up on instantly, and the game might feel obtuse at first if you're not willing to stick with it. However, once it clicks for you, it becomes a different story altogether.
There's a continuation of the story from the first game, and this time out you still play as the off screen god to the Patapons, so the control set-up is nearly identical to the first title, as far as what face buttons correspond to the different beats. Like I mentioned earlier, new units are introduced, and the biggest addition comes from the Hero unit, which makes use of his/her own particular set of special abilities that come in quite handy against certain monsters and bosses you'll encounter. The Hero can't die either, after being knocked out he'll come back to life in a short amount of time, and most players will find him to be the most useful addition in the game. As you progress you'll unlock more and more abilities to outfit him with, and in multiplayer you can even unlock different Hero masks which will alter his stats in different ways.
When I started with the original Patapon, I had a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around the evolution system the game had in place, where I could take certain Patapon and change them into different types, or rare forms. This isn't a Pokemon style evolution though, and it doesn't really occur from leveling up, instead it has more to do with the items you receive from enemies and bosses in addition to the equipment you can outfit them with. The first game really didn't explain much to you, it was something you either went to an FAQ to figure out, or just randomly had it happen, but this time out the game details the items and the quantity of those items that you'll need to make things happen. It does a pretty good job of keeping track of what you already have, and you can even go back to the different levels to do a bit of grinding to find the additional items you need. If you're a little lost on where to get it, the enemy list will actually tell you who drops what, so as long as your memory is good enough to tell you where you fought a particular enemy type, you shouldn't have much trouble in getting the army you want.
My only real carry over complaint from the original Patapon is that the game is still very reliant on multiple menus. You bring one up for outfitting your army, changing their types, selecting your stage, and so on, and it really slows down the action when you're trying to get the right group of Patapons together to tackle a particular level. Since each stage usually seems to look for a particular type of Patapon to complete it, you'll have to constantly go through the menus time and again, and chances are you'll grow a little tired of it, especially considering how much time can be spent with the game if you're trying to unlock everything.
On the surface the premise of Patapon 2 looks pretty simple, and really, it can be if you're willing to just go from level to level with the minimum amount of items and Patapon types needed to pass the boss fights. However, for those of you that enjoy unlocking the various types and gathering up the best equipment, be prepared to put quite a few hours into this game. The value you're getting from a simple $20 download is pretty tremendous, and there's still things I'm searching for within the game, including a couple Patapon types I have yet to unlock. It's a game that lends itself well to replays too, since each stage will have random weather types that actually affect the outcome of different levels, and does enough to noticeably change up how the stages play.
The best addition, outside of the Hero class to Patapon 2, comes from the somewhat unexpected multiplayer mode. Unfortunately, it's only a local wireless mode, but I wasn't really planning on seeing it in the game anyways, and the way it's implemented works quite well. You can play with three other players, and the host will select from the eggs you've gathered after finishing stages. Depending on the egg you select, you'll battle it out against a boss with friends, and once you finish the stage, the host can possibly attain quite a few items to take into their single player mode with them. Since the game allows for MP without the use of four versions of the game, as long as you have a couple PSP owning friends around, you can definitely get some use out of it. Even if you can't max out the game, there are AI characters you can bring in too, and the game is really quite a bit of fun with a few friends involved.
All together, I really enjoyed Patapon 2, and while it does bear more than a few striking similarities to the original, there's plenty of new stuff to bring the old players back again. For new players, it's entirely newbie friendly, and if you skipped out on the first for whatever reason, you can easily pick up Patapon 2 and get into the fun. PSP owners should definitely have this in their digital library, and at $20 I can't think of a single reason not to pick this one up.
