PaRappa the Rapper
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| PaRappa the Rapper | |
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| Developer(s) | NaNaOn-Sha |
| Publisher(s) | SCEI |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, PlayStation Portable |
| Release date |  December 6, 1996  October 31, 1997 September, 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Music |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Kids to Adults (K-A) |
PaRappa the Rapper (Japanese: 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.
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[edit] Gameplay
Considered revolutionary 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.)
[edit] Songs
[edit] Chop Chop Master Onion's Rap
After watching a Jet Baby movie with his friends, PaRappa and the gang go to a nearby diner for lunch. Through an inner monologue, we learn about Sunny Funny, PaRappa's crush. Not long afterwards, two bullies burst into the diner, and begin harassing PaRappa and his friends. Suddenly, Joe Chin, a muscular braggart whom Sunny admires, jumps into the scene, and begins a long-winded speech before attempting to fight off the bullies (this simply confuses and nauseates the bullies, and they quietly leave).
PaRappa, wanting to learn how to fight for himself, decides to go to the Fruites Dojo to receive martial arts training from Chop Chop Master Onion, a man with an onion for a head.
If PaRappa scores 'COOL' on this level, Chop Chop will kick all the walls down, allowing PaRappa to rap for himself.
[edit] Instructor Mooselini's Rap
Having mastered kung-fu, PaRappa takes Sunny Funny and the gang out to the burger joint, as usual. Joe Chin arrives in his stretch limousine, and everyone is stunned. Realizing that a car will impress Sunny, PaRappa heads to the driving instructor's to learn how to drive.
He is assigned Mooselini, a strict moose woman to be his instructor, and the stage begins.
This song samples from Can's "Turtles have short legs" and was not credited.
If PaRappa scores 'COOL' on this level, Mooselini will get her antlers stuck in the roof of the car, which flies off into the air and PaRappa will have to rap for himself.
[edit] Prince Fleaswallow's Rap
While out driving his dad's car with his newly acquired licence, PaRappa accidentally crashes the car, and is left with a gigantic bill he does not have the money for. Determined to solve the problem without his dad's help, PaRappa decides to get a job for the money.
PaRappa takes a job at the flea market, and is taught how to sell useless junk by the stand's owner, Prince Fleaswallow, a friendly frog with beard stubble. Interestingly, Prince Fleaswallow's rapping style is actually closer to that of Jamaican dancehall music than rap. This distinction is further aided by his Caribbean accent.
If PaRappa scores 'COOL' on this level, Prince Fleaswallow will say "Oh oh, you're too wicked for me, frogs need to hibernate, let me know if need anything, ribbit." allowing PaRappa to rap for himself.
[edit] Cheep Cheep Cooking Chicken's Rap
His car replaced with an even better one, PaRappa prepares himself for Sunny Funny's upcoming birthday. He buys her a small cake, but Joe Chin one-ups him and cooks her an incredibly large cake (one with 42 floors), and PaRappa accidentally drops the one he bought for Sunny, landing face-first in it. Strapped for cash after paying the bill, PaRappa decides he needs to prove his worth and bake a cake himself, too.
Tuning into a cooking TV program, PaRappa watches the skilled TV chef Cheep Cheep as the rap begins.
If Parappa scores 'COOL' on this level. Cheep Cheep will turn the TV off and PaRappa will have to rap for himself.
[edit] All Masters' Bathroom Rap Battle
Sunny's birthday party was a success. PaRappa and Sunny stay outside to watch the sunset, but PaRappa suddenly realizes he'd eaten too much cake, and he has to go to the bathroom immediately. He drives Sunny home, who mistakes PaRappa's discomfort for "looking really manly today." His car is low on gas, so he pulls into a gas station and runs to the bathroom. The karate master, moose, frog and chicken are all in line, and all of them have to go to the bathroom badly. They decide to rap for it, to see who gets to use the bathroom first.
If Parappa gets to "U RAPPIN COOL" level, he will have a psychedelic trip and chase a toilet on rail tracks while rapping by himself.
[edit] MC King Kong Mushi's Rap
PaRappa, ready for his date with Sunny Funny, drives to her house. He picks her up in his car, and drives down the road to the concert hall, where PaRappa will be performing a rap with the main attraction, rap master MC King Kong Mushi.
PaRappa gets there, and walks onstage as MC King Kong Mushi stands before him. Mushi gets the crowd going as the rap begins.
If PaRappa scores 'COOL' on this level, MC King Kong Mushi will leave and PaRappa will have to rap for himself.
[edit] 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.[1] In conjunction with the PSP release, Sony, for a limited time, freely released the soundtrack for the game through the PSP Fanboy website.[2] 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.[3]
[edit] Sequels 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.
[edit] References
- ^ Navarro, Alex (2007-07-18). PaRappa the Rapper PSP review. GameSpot. Retrieved on October 31, 2007.
- ^ Yoon, Andrew (2007-07-23). PSP Fanboy presents: PaRappa the Rapper soundtrack. PSP Fanboy. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
- ^ Okuhara, Keisuke (2008-04-21). Masaya Matsuura: Creator Interview. Famitsu. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
[edit] External links
- Official PaRappa Homepage
- PaRappa the Rapper at MobyGames
- Rodney Alan Greenblat´s page - the main game illustrator
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