PaRappa the Rapper 2

"A worthy sequel to the highly innovative Playstation music game"

Story:
You play as Parappa, a love sick puppydog with a gift for lyrical freestylin'. He also happens to have a crush on Sunny Funny, the local cheery girl. After Parappa wins a 100 year supply of noodles, he sets out to find new food, but his quest is hindered by the Noodle Syndicate, who is turning all of the food in the town into Noodles. Help Parappa to stop this evil group and brings sweets back to Parappatown once and for all! (There aren't many plot twists here, it's just a silly story full of puns and jokes that's around to tie together the rap stages)

Graphics:
The 3D models are completely flat, lacking any depth. This is a good thing, however! It adds a completely new depth so to speak, to game (I know that's completely contradictory hehe). The cartoony look suits the game perfectly, and gives a lot of personality to the characters. You'll see lots of expression on the characters faces, too. From subtle eye movements to dancing and flailing of arms, it's all there.

Music:
Without music, this game would be nothing other than a tech demo of a weird graphics technology! The music is great, and each 'master' that you rap with has their own unique style of rap. Some of the beats are a bit weird, but it just completeles the atmosphere of sillyness that Parappa creates. The second level is strangely homoerotic though... I wonder what the developers were thinking there lol

Gameplay:
The lurning curve is about as low as is can get for any game. Mastering it on the other hand, may prove to be more difficult. As each master performs a rap, buttons such as circle, L, triangle appear in a line across the screen. After they finish their verse, you have to repeat the line. Some of the lines can get pretty complicated, but in the end the game is fairly easy. There is also a 2-player mode where you can have a freestyle rap battle against a friend or the computer.

Replay value:
There are only 8 levels, each with four degress of difficulty. There are a few secrets such as earning more hats for Parappa and unlocking the soundtracks and the bonus track. Although the game seems complete in almost every respect, you probably won't find yourself coming back after you unlock everything and the novelty of the game wears off.

Conclusion:
Completely original games seem rare these days... With every solid rehash of Street Fighter, Tekken, and Resident Evil pushed out the door for a quick buck, it's harder to wade through the pile to find a game like Parappa. Parappa the Rapper 2 features a gimmicky but fitting style that completely separates it from anything you've ever seen before.

Rent or Buy?
I recommend renting first to see how you like it, and if you are completely engrossed with the game, purchase it then.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/01/03, Updated 01/01/03