Never Too Old To Play™

It’s not very often that a video game sequel notably improves on its predecessor in almost every way. Left4Dead 2 for the Xbox 360 did it. From what I’ve read in magazines and various websites and heard from friends, Uncharted 2 for the PlayStation 3, the 2009 Game of the Year for most industry publications and gaming websites, did it (I have not yet replaced my broken PS3 and so have only played a little bit of the game on a friend’s system).

However, for every Left4Dead 2 and Uncharted 2, you’ve got games like Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 which is every bit as good as the first game but doesn’t really improve on it in any way, Knights of the Old Republic 2 which is technically on par with the previous game but is a creative disappointment with an underwhelming story and uninteresting characters, and Gears of War 2 which has even better visuals and underlying technology than the original game but feels like a confused mess half the time with new styles of gameplay that feel too disconnected from the core game.

The developer Pyramid, a branch of Sony’s respected Japan Studio, fortunately succeeded where Ubisoft Montreal, Obsidian Entertainment and Epic Games didn’t by making some minor (but important) changes and adding some new stuff without doing anything too radical: they built on the tried and true Patapon formula without messing around with it too much.

Very little has changed in the core game design. You still act as the Patapon’s deity, leading the little eyeballs who find themselves stranded in a new world with their former foes, the Zigatons, after their seafaring vessel is destroyed. You still issue commands to your army via timed four-press combinations of the PlayStation Portable’s four face buttons, each of which represents a talking drum -  for example, pressing circle-circle-square-circle results in the song “pon-pon-pata-pon” which orders the Patapons to attack any enemy, animal or structure within range. You still move your warriors through side scrolling levels set in various environments filled with opponents, obstacles and the occasional boss fight, and in between these levels you still return to Patapolis where you can play numerous mini-games or improve your units with harvested materials.

Indeed, for the first several levels of the game, it may seem like nothing has changed from the original Patapon. The developers took a smart approach by gradually introducing the new changes as the game progresses.

The first new feature you’ll come across is the Hero character, a special warrior who is able to act as any Patapon unit in your army and further transform into any Patapon species unlocked for a given unit. The Hero also has a unit-based special ability that is activated when you issue a certain number of commands with perfect timing – for example, the Yaripon Hero’s spears create a green cloud upon impact that damages any enemies it touches while the Tatepon Hero’s shield provides invulnerability for the entire army. Also, the Hero can wear attribute-enhancing masks that can only be acquired in the multiplayer mode.

After facing off against the giant dragon boss Dodonga from the original game and going on a few more simple missions, including one hunt, you’ll meet the first new boss in the game, a giant version of the Motiti birds you hunt named Motititi. It’s fairly easy with relatively weak attacks – including a rather lame fart attack – but is useful because it drops rare bones you can use to evolve your Patapons. Other new bosses include the much tougher Mamboss, a giant woolly mammoth who seems to shrug off damage and attacks by goring your warriors with its tusks or stomping them, and the relatively weak Sentura, a giant spider-like creature that spits acid , spears Patapons with one of its appendages and can only be damaged under certain environmental conditions.

Along the way, you’ll learn new drum commands for jumping (to avoid certain types of boss attacks) and partying (to immediately wake up from being put to sleep or frozen in ice from special attacks), a new Blizzard Miracle which summons snowfall during a mission, some new materials such as liquids and fangs, and a few new mini-games in Patapolis. There’s also a slew of new Rarepon species and a new evolution system where you can follow different paths of upgrades to get to the more powerful species.

A more noticeable change in the game, however, is the addition of three new Patapon units that each offer new tactics for the aspiring general. The first is the Toripon, an aerial unit that hurls javelins at ground-based units but is highly susceptible to anti-air weapons. The second is the Robopon, a mechanized unit that punches enemies with its two giant fists or hurls boulders that it digs out of the ground. The last – and probably the most useful – new unit is the Mahopon, a sorcerous unit that uses long range attacks such as fireballs and chain lightning strikes that change depending on what kind of staves you equip them with: once you acquire the more powerful staves, there’s really no reason to not include the Mahopon squad in your army.

Even with all the new additions and enhancements, the gameplay doesn’t really feel that much different from the original game. Rather, the changes work to open the game up further to new tactics and strategies, allowing for a much wider range of playing styles. Much of the fun is in trying out the new units for the first time to see how they fare against enemies you’ve already defeated.

Patapon 2 is a sequel done correctly. The developers didn’t try to do too much with their changes being the video game equivalent putting good sea salt on a steak: the Patapon flavor is still ever-present… it’s just kicked up a notch. The game is easily my favorite on the PlayStation Portable.

Final score: 5 out of 5

Parent to parent

As with Patapon, I don’t think there are any problems with letting your kids play this game. Children should love the appealing 2D artwork and the catchy soundtrack as well as the scores of cool boss monsters they’ll battle. The game forces players to both plan ahead and think on their toes, and promotes a love of music, all great lessons for kids. The only caveat is that the game may be a little too difficult for younger players who may not fully comprehend the nature of strategy. It’s one helluva way to learn, though.

Experience this for yourself!

• Patapon 2 (PSP) (Amazon)