The Five: Patapon 2: Don Chaka

10/23/2008 6:27 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 1

The Skinny: Pata-pata-pata-PON! One of the most addictive titles for the PlayStation Portable gets a much-expanded sequel in Don Chaka. You're still a worshipped god who gives battle orders to the Patapon by tapping out the proper beats. While the addictive, rhythm-strategy formula is the same for the most part, there's a truckload that's new in Patapon 2.

1. The Patapon discover on an unknown island a mysterious new Patapon. Wearing a tough-looking mask, this new Hero Patapon will help lead the rest of the Patapon to the true Earthend.

2. There are going to be a lot of new Patapon to discover, including the Bird Rider (Toripon), Robot (Robopon) and Wizard (Mahopon). There will also be 48 different types of rare Patapon, which should add plenty of new strategies for dispatching foes.

3. Don Chaka doubles the number of missions in the game, pushing the count to over 80. With new weapons, bosses and Patapon unit types, this is a much beefier game all around.

4. Up to four players can collaborate in multiplayer Mission mode via ad hoc play. Players must groove in sync to help transport a magical egg to a goal. Once safely transported, they play a rhythm game to hatch the egg and win the Hero mask. I would have opted for true Wi-Fi online play, but considering that you really have to get your timing down rhythm-wise, it's probably safer that multiplayer is just local. There's an option to share the game with one disc, so everyone doesn't need to own a copy to play along.

5. While the tactical strategy and proper planning are one of the focuses of Patapon, the music is one of the best parts of the game, and Patapon 2 has plenty of new music. When the Patapon are chanting and singing, especially in Fever mode, the music really adds fun and tension to the battle.

The Big Question: Is more always better? I wonder whether the gameplay could get bogged down with new stuff; one of Patapon's charms was the simplicity of its strategy elements. That being said, the four-player multiplayer looks like a fun bonus, and we are very excited to see how the Hero Patapon works in battle. Now if we could get Sony to create a PlayStation 3 version...

This preview is based on hands-on gameplay at Tokyo Game Show 2008.