PaRappa the Rapper

PaRappa the Rapper is back - or as the kids might say: ‘bizack!’ This time he’s set to rock your PSP. Ten years have elapsed since PaRappa first hit the PlayStation; in that time Hip Hop has seen some drastic changes, none of which have affected the two-dimensional rappin’ dog’s attitude: he’s still positive, spouting his catch phrase “I gotta believe!”

For those not down with the dog, PaRappa the Rapper helped usher in the rhythm game; combining bizarre beats with quirky visuals, PaRappa definitely polarised the PlayStation audience. Love him or hate him, PaRappa was a blast of fresh air in the PlayStation lineup. Like most rhythm games, the gameplay involves hitting buttons in time to the music, for which PaRappa will spit some dope rhymes. This latest incarnation for the PSP is essentially just a port of the original - complete with the same songs and plot.

The PSP version retains the same visuals and music that made the original such a hit. Rodney Greenblat, a designer from New York, was responsible for the bold, paper-thin 2D characters that inhabit a 3D world, and his original vision is presented in a gloriously crisp 16:9 display. The original cast of characters, from Master Chop Chop Onion to Sunny Funny, is all present and accounted for. And naturally Matsuura Masaya’s music also returns, and is the perfectly strange companion to Greenblat’s design. Despite the nostalgia, an obvious complaint would be the miniaturisation of the rhythm bar for the PSP’s screen (prescription for glasses not included). The cut scenes also suffer from a slight degradation in resolution, and haven’t been altered for the 16:9 output.

Although a port of the original, PaRappa does sport a few new additions, notably a multiplayer ad-hoc mode and downloadable tracks. However, these additions are actually just a fancy bit of spit n’ polish. For instance, the four-player multiplayer mode does not graphically represent your opponents on your PSP; instead it merely compares each player’s scores for a given song to determine a winner. News of the eight downloadable tracks was a welcome addition, and had me salivating. But unfortunately they’re nothing more than remixes of the original songs.

Despite its shallow new offerings, PaRappa is still a fun, unique experience - even the second time around. Although it definitely would have benefited from some original new tracks, the six existing songs are each classics in their own right. The visuals and music are out of this world and firmly stand the test of time.

No price point has been announced yet, but it seems that a more fitting home for this release would be the PlayStation Network on PS3. The current PlayStation titles on the PSN are downloadable for a fraction of the price of most PSP releases; they can then also be played on your PSP.

If you missed it first time around, then the PSP version is sure to pique your interest. PaRappa is the type of game that has to be experienced before it can be fully explained. It seems a shame that the only improvements are minimal - yet it could be argued that it would be sacrilege to mess around too much with a proven classic. The price point may keep it from reaching a broad new audience, which is a real shame - something that the PlaySation Network could have allowed.