Developer: NanaOn-Sha
Genre: Rhythm / Bun Toasting Simulator
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform(s): PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4
Original Release date: JP August 30, 2001 / NA January 21, 2002 / EU April 5, 2002
PlayStation 4 release date: December 15, 2015
Price: $9.99 ($7.49 with PS+ discount) / £7.99 / €9.99
Size: 3 GB
Trophy List (No Platinum): http://psnprofiles.com/trophies/4155-PaRappa-the-Rapper-2
PaRappa the Rapper is a 1996 PlayStation title that is widely considered the first modern rhythm game. The game stars PaRappa, a paper-thin dog whose only aim in life is to win the heart of a flower named Sunny Funny. To accomplish this goal he trains under 4 “rap masters” who teach him life lessons through the power of funky fresh beats. Though the game is very short, with only 6 stages and a playtime of roughly 1 hour if you watch all the cutscenes, it garnered high praise for its originality and great music. It later received an enhanced port for PSP in 2006 (also playable on Vita) which featured upgraded widescreen graphics and (crappy) downloadable song remixes.
A spin-off, UmJammer Lammy, came out in 1999. While the gameplay was unchanged, this installment focused on a guitar-playing lamb named Lammy who has a serious lack of confidence. After waking up late with only 15 minutes until her big concert, she partakes in a series of misadventures in order to reach her show on time, ranging from putting out a burning building to flying an airplane alongside a pilot suffering from severe war flashbacks. While the story was utterly bizarre compared to PaRappa’s, it was still beloved by many gamers. And, perhaps to remedy the complaints of the previous game being too short, after beating the game PaRappa becomes a playable character with his own unique rap remixes of nearly every song in the game. UJL was later released as a PS1 Classic on PSP, Vita, and PS3 (though due to various issues relating to HDTVs, the game is very difficult to properly play on the latter).
Finally, PaRappa the Rapper 2 was released in 2001. Thanks to the increased power of the PS2, the game features greatly enhanced graphics and animation, as well as (IMO) the best music in the series. Much like the first game, PaRappa seeks to impress the love of his life Sunny Funny, but this time he must also take on an evil syndicate attempting to… turn everything into noodles. Despite (or perhaps because of) the game's adherence to the typically quirky PaRappa formula, it received a mixed reception upon release. Now, over 14 years later, the game is getting a second chance with a PS4 rerelease. What do you think of it?
• Tired of Boxy Boy’s training shenanigans? Sure, you can simply press the Start button when he appears to send his ass packing, but you can also hold L1 + L2 while selecting a stage to skip him entirely. However, note that this will also skip the cutscenes.
• Are you absolute garbage at the game even with Boxy Boy’s teachings? Try holding R1 + R2 while selecting a stage to accommodate your shameful skills!
• Wanna make PaRappa repeat a word? Hold Right on the D-Pad and he'll "COOK C-COOK C-COOK COOK THOSE BURGERS" as much as you want.
• Those meters at the bottom of the screen that you obtain throughout the game ain’t just for show. The blue Imitation Meter gauges how close you are to the master’s rap, the orange Free-Style Meter measures your deviation from the original lyrics, and the purple Funky Flow Meter shows your, uh… “rappin’ funkiness”. (Your guess is as good as mine.) If you wanna reach Cool Mode in every level, you better make sure those orange and purple meters are off the charts!
• That title screen tune is pretty cool, but I wonder if you could get a song with a little more "De La" soul if you waited on the title screen for a long time… and I wonder what would happen if you waited on the title screen even longer than that after you beat the game 4 TIMES…
• Only check this tip after you've beaten the game!
You'll notice PaRappa's beanie is blue now, but that's not all - the raps will be slightly remixed and more difficult. This is the game's attempt at extending the replay value, but the songs are still pretty much the same as before, so don't feel obligated to check them out. (Also, you can't play the original versions of the raps again unless you start a new file.) If you do choose to keep playing, there are still two more hat colors/difficulties to unlock by completing the game again!
The contest has ended, but you can still see the questions (and answers) below!
