PaRappa The Rapper

Ports of titles that have already made solid homes for themselves on the “big boy” consoles have almost been the downfall of the sleek PSP. Though the power held inside that sexy black casing can’t be questioned, it’s still running too few original titles for my liking. Which all means that I approached PaRappa The Rapper with more than a mere hint of fear. Though a rapping dog proved to be an exquisite title on the PS1 and was successful enough to spawn a sequel, this PSP release is simply a remake of the original with a few added tweaks.

For the uninitiated, PaRappa The Rapper stars a rapping dog by the name of Parappa, who utilises the power of rap to woo a strangely sunflower-like girl by the name of Sunny. It sounds a little hokey, and maybe even obscenely childish for a generation gamers obsessed with Gears, and God of War, but it gives birth to some glorious tunes to hum along to. Released before we were all well aware of what a rhythm action game was all about, PaRappa seems much more simplistic than the current kings of the genre. After first viewing the button presses required, you simply repeat the pattern that the on screen character you’re starring alongside utters. Luckily, the raps themselves, and your fellow characters, are of such a high standard that they make what could have been an incredibly simplistic title into something astonishingly enjoyable.

Released at a price mid-way between full and budget status, Parappa The Rapper on the PSP does exactly what you’d expect. The visuals have been given a slight tweak, seemingly much more rounded than the angular originals. A few extra downloadable stages are available to add to the mere 6 that comes on the UMD, but that’s all in terms of changes. Which leaves PaRappa in a strange state. Fans of the original might crave some “kick, punch,” action on the move, but the price makes the small tweaks seem entirely insignificant for quite a chunky financial outlay. Equally so, those who have never seen or heard of the game previously will no doubt find its simplistic gameplay massively dated, and hence are encouraged to pick up the original for the spare change it regularly goes for on eBay.

Good try Sony, but you might have been better making this available as a cheap download for PS3 owners instead. We might not feel so cheated then.