Welcome to another edition of For What it's Worth where bargain titles are examined to see if they are worth your bottom dollar. Tonight we take a look back at a classic from the days of the original PlayStation, that was considered to be rather revolutionary for its time, as well as a pre-cursor for how popular rhythm based games would become.
PaRappa the Rappa was released in Japan on December 6, 1997 and was one of the very first rhythm based games to hit the market. The game became a huge hit and was released in North American on the Halloween of the following year and become a hit much like it was in Japan and is still considered to be a cult classic to this day. A PSP port of the game was even released in 2007 to mark the game's 10th anniversary.
I have to admit I was in sixth grade when this came out and I found it to be really good, well actually I considered it one of my favorite games on the PlayStation. But nostalgia aside, are these beats still fresh after all this time or has this pup's free styling become stale?
Story: This tail revolves around a young puppy named PaRapper who is desperately trying to get his crush Sunny Funny (I think she's a daisy, although I could be wrong) to notice him. A dog is in love with a flower. huh. Don't look me. I didn't write it. Anyway, he tries everything he can think of to get her attention, like studying the martial arts under Master Onion (talking Onion = dope?), getting his drivers license, working at the flea market, baking a cake for her birthday and performing in a rap concert in front of the entire town. How does he over come these obstacles? Through rap music of course. It's not the best piece of work when it comes to video game storytelling but the characters are likeable enough and even though the story is very kiddish and geared towards younger players I have to say that I respect the messages about believing in yourself and working hard to achieve a dream. It gives kids a positive message without being preachy. Something you don't see too much of in video games.
Graphics & Design: All of the characters were designed by American artist Rodney Greenblat who happens to be popular in Japan. His style consists of two dimensional characters who appear to be paper thin cut outs, living in an otherwise 3D environment, which is pretty cool. The characters do look rather cartoonish but again the game is aimed at younger players so that should go without saying but I will admit that it adds to the games overall charm.
Sound: The voice acting is actually rather solid. The performances seem as though they are part of a Saturday morning cartoon show and considering the game's art style and subject matter, that is as it should be. The music is good and the songs are actually rather catchy, so catchy in fact that they tend to get stuck in your head rather easily. I wouldn't say it is the "For the love of God get out of my head" type of catchy, like say Lady Gaga, more along the line of being Rick Rolled. Not the greatest song in the world by any means but fun enough that you get a good chuckle.
Gameplay: Each level involves PaRappa trying to learn a new skill, like how to perform martial arts moves or how drive a car etc, which turns into a rap battle between PaRappa and his sanseis. To successfully clear each level, you must win the rap battle. The sansei recites a line and the player must repeat the line exactly by pressing the buttons shown on top of the screen in the correct order at the right time. Your score will depend on how well PaRappa repeats the lines. You'll get a U Rappin Good ranking if he performs well but if he messes up his lines twice in a row, you will get a U Rappin Bad ranking and if he continues to mess his up lines, you will get a U Rappin Awful ranking and eventually have to start the level over again from the start of the song. It sounds easy enough but as the songs progress, it does get harder to match the beat of the song, offering players a fair and enjoyable challenge.
Extra Features: Cool Mode is unlocked after beating the game. This new mode allows PaRappa to get a U Rappin Cool ranking if he can repeat the lines correctly twice in a row, while adding extra words at the end of each line. Once this happens, the level's sansei will step aside and allow you take complete control over the level and begin a free style. The free style is pretty much just button mashing but it is fun to see PaRappa do his impression of a record skipping on the turntable. If you manage to get a U Rappin Cool ranking in every level, you will get an alternate ending. The PSP port of the game also has an added on multi-player mode, in which up to four players can battle against each other to see who can get a higher score.
Replay Value: The songs are catchy and enjoyable enough to play through multiple times and the free style aspect of Cool Mode is fun and all but with the game only consisting of six levels, it can get old pretty quickly.
Overall Value: Retail Value: $10 -PlayStation version (eBay price)
$12- PSP version (eBay price)
What it's Worth: $10
PaRappa is a charming and entertaining enough title to warrant a whole-hearted recommendation but due to how incredibly short the game is I can't recommend spending more than $10 for it on either the PlayStation or the PSP. I would say to try finding it on eBay or at a bargain store because finding a PSP copy could cost up to $20-30 elsewhere. This is why it should have been a DLC on the PlayStation Network rather than a PSP port since it is sorely lacking in new content.
Until next time Happy Hunting!
