PaRappa the Rapper

Infobox VG| title = PaRappa the Rapper


developer = NaNaOn-Sha
publisher = SCEI
designer =
engine =
released = vgrelease|JP=December 6, 1996|NA=October 31, 1997|EU=September vgy|1998
genre = Music
modes = Single-player
ratings = vgratings|ESRB=K-A
platforms = PlayStation, PlayStation Portable
media =
requirements =
input =

"PaRappa the Rapper" ( _ja. パラッパラッパー, 1996), also known as "PaRappaRappa", and "PaRappa the Rappa" is a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura (the former leader of the Japanese "Hyper Pop Unit" PSY S) and his NanaOn-Sha company. Released in the mid 1990s, it was one of the first rhythm video games of its time. While the gameplay is simplistic on a certain level, the game is remembered for its unique graphic design, its quirky soundtrack, and its bizarre plot. The game is named after its protagonist, PaRappa, a rapping dog, with the motto "I gotta believe!"

It spawned a merchandising campaign in Japan, a spinoff in 1999, an anime series, and a direct sequel for PlayStation 2 in 2002. A PlayStation Portable port of the original game was released in Japan in December 2006 and in North America and Europe in July 2007.

Gameplay

Considered revolutionary and slightly ahead of its time in its day, "PaRappa the Rapper" is fundamentally similar to the classic 1980s game "Simon", in which the player is required to repeat a sequence of sounds and light. "PaRappa the Rapper" demands that the player not only get the sequence correct but also the timing of the sequence. The game provides small portions of spoken vocals that are triggered when the appropriate buttons are pressed. Pressing the buttons in the correct order, with the correct timing, provides an intelligible imitation of rap, while pressing the buttons in an incorrect order or with lousy timing rewards the player with nothing more than unintelligible garbage.

Points are awarded for correctness and "style". By simply following the given sequence, the best a player can attain is the "U rappin' GOOD" rating. To get a higher rating, the player must "freestyle"; that is, to deviate from the given sequence but still keep in time with the song's rhythm. Through this method, the player can attain a "U rappin' COOL" rating. A player needs to have completed a level first before a COOL level can be obtained (this is not the case in its sequels). Alternately, if the player continues to play poorly, they may lose points and attain "U rappin' BAD" and "U rappin' AWFUL" ratings. A player drops down a rank after playing 2 wrong lines in succession, or on occasion an utterly ridiculous line, and can only go back up a level by getting two consecutive good lines.

If the stage is completed with a BAD or AWFUL rating, or if at any point the "U rappin'" meter falls below AWFUL, the stage is failed and the player is offered an option to try to attempt the stage again or to quit. If the stage is completed with a GOOD or COOL rating, the player continues to the next stage. If all stages are completed at COOL rating, the player is awarded with an alternate game ending, and a bonus song can be accessed.

Rank-changing aspects of a level are only apparent during the first of every 2 lines. If the player successfully times the first line of a pair, but fails on the second, the rank meter will not blink BAD or AWFUL. Likewise, once the game has been cleared, a good play is only necessary on the first of every two lines to get a shot at COOL mode on the second line. This is fixed in the game's sequels, but not in the PSP remake.

Plot

The player takes on the role of PaRappa, a paper-thin rapping dog. He is trying to win the heart of a flower-like girl named Sunny Funny. He is aided by his friends Katy Kat (an enthusiastic cat) and PJ Berri (a fat teddy bear DJ with a huge appetite). Also vying for Sunny Funny's attention is PaRappa's arch rival Joe Chin, a rich, narcissistic dog.

To impress Sunny Funny, PaRappa learns to fight at a kung-fu dojo, takes a driver's education course to get his license, learns the art of flea-market training to raise money for a new car, bakes a seafood cake, uses the bathroom, and finally, performs a hip hop song on stage at a party.

Visual style

The unique visual style is that of Rodney Greenblat, an American graphic artist who is popular in Japan. All of the characters appear to be flat, two dimensional beings cut from paper while the surroundings are primarily three dimensional. (Similar to the Paper Mario series) While the setting is a bright interpretation of an urban city, the characters range from anthropomorphic animals (frogs, spiders, dogs, etc.) to lively versions of normally inanimate objects (onions, hammers, flowers, etc.)

PSP version

"PaRappa the Rapper" was released for PlayStation Portable in Japan in December 2006 and in North America and Europe in July 2007. It's a port of the original game with an added ad-hoc multiplayer mode for up to four players and an ability to download remixed versions of the existing songs. [cite web | author=Navarro, Alex |date = 2007-07-18| title=PaRappa the Rapper PSP review| work=GameSpot| url=http://www.gamespot.com/psp/puzzle/parappatherapper/review.html | accessdate=October 31 | accessyear=2007 ] In conjunction with the PSP release, Sony, for a limited time, freely released the soundtrack for the game through the [http://www.pspfanboy.com PSP Fanboy website] . [cite web | url = http://www.pspfanboy.com/2007/07/23/psp-fanboy-presents-parappa-the-rapper-soundtrack/ | title = PSP Fanboy presents: PaRappa the Rapper soundtrack | date = 2007-07-23 | accessdate = 2007-07-23 | last = Yoon | first = Andrew | publisher = PSP Fanboy ] It was recently revealed in an interview with Masaya Matsuura published in Famitsu that a bonus song created for the PSP release, "Believe in Yourself," was cut due to development time constraints. The song featured PaRappa training with Chop Chop Master Onion at a Buddhist temple on top of a mountain. [cite web | url = http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1214787_1124.html | title = Masaya Matsuura: Creator Interview | date = 2008-04-21 | accessdate = 2008-04-23 | last = Okuhara | first = Keisuke | publisher = Famitsu ]

equels and spin-offs

"PaRappa the Rapper" is regarded as the first "modern" popular rhythm game. It was followed by a spin-off titled "UmJammer Lammy" in 1999, which featured a new cast of characters, multiplayer modes and focused on guitar play, but very similar game play. A bonus mode was included in which the entire game could be replayed with PaRappa as the protagonist, complete with his own versions of the game's stages.

A direct sequel, "PaRappa the Rapper 2", was released in 2001 on PlayStation 2. The franchise has spawned a large range of merchandising and a children's anime TV series, "PaRappa Rappa(パラッパラッパ)", in Japan.

References

External links

* [http://www.us.playstation.com/content/ogs/scus-97167/site/parappa1024_win.html Official PaRappa Homepage]
*moby game|id=/parappa-the-rapper
* [http://www.whimsyload.com/ Rodney Alan Greenblat´s page - the main game illustrator]