I stumbled upon Patapon the other day here in Japan and realized, after a bit of research, that it is being released in North America for the PSP (Playstation Portable). I can only describe it as some insane combination of Loco Roco, Pikmin, and Taiko Drum Master. If that doesn’t have you running out of your house with $19.99 in hand to buy it than I will elaborate.

In Patapon (パタポン), you play God. Don’t worry, there is no sewing monkey heads onto walrus bodies or anything to that effect. You are God to a race of… things called Patapon. They resemble walking eyeballs with 3 tufts of hair and are often wielding various weaponry.

The Patapon were once a proud race of things until they were defeated by a rival tribe of things, the Zigaton. The Zigaton in contrast are not cute at all (although some might argue –ed.):

As God, you can control the Patapon’s in battle against the Zigaton by means of a war drum. You need to hit different beats (square, circle, triangle, X) in different patterns to give orders to your troop of Patas. If you can keep the beat steady, then they will go into a kind of frenzy, and fight harder. Here are the available commands:

• March
• Attack
• Defend
• Power-Up
• Retreat
• Use Magic

One of the coolest aspects of the game in my opinion, is the ability to change the little Patas’ equipment, which alters their appearance and stats. I saw a variety of tiny swords, spears which can be thrown, as well as shields and helms for defending. Some units are even able to ride on horseback. New items can be won via a variety of bizarre mini-games, or as spoils from completing a level.

The music in the game is probably one of the coolest parts. Unless you have no rhythm at all, you will have no problem getting into the beat. The art is also very unique and fun, with beautiful backgrounds and scenery.

This is a great addition to the somewhat lacking number of quality games for PSP. If my preview wasn’t sufficent in selling you, there is a playable demo available at the Official Patapon Site.

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As I was working on an upcoming post concerning Patapon (パタポン), I became slightly nostalgic for the music of LocoRoco (ロコロコ). I figured I would try to find the OST for free somewhere in the vast ocean of the Internet.

I managed to find a Japanese blogger who posted it as well as a variety of other great OSTs and images. You can check her blog out here. Or if you just want the OST, you can download it here. I highly recommend it!

The soundtrack is great to listen to when doing something mindless. It is the epitome of blissful glee, occasionally featuring singing children or just cute sounds. There are 6 versions of the main song, each sung by a different LocoRoco featured above. The style of songs range from reggae, to J-Pop, to completely unclassifiable.

The password for the soundtrack is: rpgmm

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I found a few screenshots of some of the new content of Persona 3 FES.

A new Persona

A new area called “Empyrean“, nocite the team is being led by Aigis.  This may be the area in the exclusive artwork, as they are both a desert.

Mitsuru possibly in Junpei’s room

Probably has something to do with changing clothes

It appears your allies can change their outfits as well.  It is not confirmed if you can control this or not.  Most likely not.

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Atlus e-mailed me this exclusive artwork, just figured I would share with the loyal Persona fans out there. Aigis, the Progonist, and Metis in front of some kind of tower, but not Tartarus. Looks like there may be some of the new Personas or enemies in the background.

Previous Articles on Persona 3 FES English release:
- Atlus Officially Announces English Persona 3 FES
- Persona 3 Merchandise: Headphones and Cell Phone Strap
- Persona FES Countdown Over

Roy artwork, atlus, persona, preview, ps2 0 comments

Since man first realized that swinging a stick or throwing a rock could inflict bodily harm, there has been fighting. As these fights became more and more important, so too did the sticks and rocks. I have decided to start a several part post on the history and myth behind legendary weapons in some of our favorite video games to get a better appreciation for the thought that goes into weapon design.

Part I –Lances & Spears
The benefits of these weapons are fairly obvious: increased range. That scary looking guy in the picture is a Yamabushi (山伏), or roughly mountain monk. They were known to typically use naginata (長刀) or a Japanese style of spear which had a long curved blade at the end. These are also the guys who would live in the mountains, meditate under waterfalls, walk through fire, and die on their feet. They chose to use naginata as it gave them the advantage of range. In a country where the most fearsome adversary (a Samurai) uses a katana (刀), a mid-length weapon, that little difference in range can present a huge advantage.

Japan is not unique in the spear being an impressive element of military technology. Each nation who experienced the early stages of warfare, can vouch for having made the same discovery. For that reason there are a variety of famous or legendary spears which you may have noticed in the video games you play:

Longinus 

• The spear that is believed to have stabbed Jesus in the side while he was on the cross per John 19:31. The Roman soldier wielding the spear was named Longinus, thus his spear carries his name as was customary at the time, though the actual Latin would read: Lancea Longini, or “The Lance of Longinus”. Since the lance was covered in Jesus’s blood, it is generally given a holy attribute in games.
• Found in: Disgaea 1 & 2.  The Longinus, or Holy Longinus, is the second best spear in the game, meaning that if you want to acquire the best spear in the game, you will need a Legendary Longinus.

Gungnir 

• According to Norse mythology, Odin–the God of all Gods–carried the spear Gungnir. Its name is roughly translated to “Unwavering One”, as it never missed its target, and would always return to Odin’s hand. The spear was forged by the Sons of Ivaldi, a group of blacksmith dwarves. The supreme power of Gungnir is what led to a rival group of dwarves to forge Mjolnir, or Thor’s Hammer.
• Found in:  Final Fantasy Series.  When you summon Odin in some versions, like Final Fantasy VII, Odin will perform ”Gunge Lance“ or “Steel Bladed Sword” (zantetsuken) depending on the battle.  Gunge Lance is just a bizarre translation.

Gae Bolga 

• A spear carried by a legendary Irish warrior by the name of Cuchulainn. The spear’s name means “notched spear”, as it had a series of notches along the blade. These notches made extracting the weapon from an unlucky individual especially painful. For this reason, the spear is occasionally given a thunder attribute in games. The spear was made out of a single bone taken from a dead sea monster by the name of Coinchenn.
• Found in:  Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne.  Cu Chulainn is a demon who you can get to join your Protagonist in battle.  He is equipped with the Gae Bolga.

These are only a few legendary spears, but they are the ones which appear the most in video games. Try to keep your eyes open for them! If this article interested you, come back next Wednesday for the second installment of History of Video Game Weapons: Part II –Katana!

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