LocoRoco is out - just what the PSP doctor ordered · 2006-07-14 18:25 by Damian
The PSP has had a bit of an uphill climb lately. After its successful launch, original good games have been few and far between. To make things worse, along comes the DS Lite, a much stronger contender than the original DS ever was. Then comes LocoRoco and things take a turn for the better.
Lots of people were duly impressed with the downloadable demo of LocoRoco that was released earlier this year. I know of several people who let go of their white-knuckled grip of 1.5 firmwares to actually play that demo. I for one have been eagerly awaiting the release, and on July 13th the Japanese version was finally up for sale, complete with a small LocoRoco-themed phone strap in the pack.
How’s the gameplay – well, if you played the demo you’ve already seen the basics. Of course the game is a lot bigger, with levels of every size and shape. There are things hidden in many new ways, and new enemies that need different strategies to deal with.
What takes LocoRoco the extra mile for me is the music. People who played the demo were quickly divided into two camps – you either love the childish fake-language background song, or utterly hated it. If you liked it, you’re in for a treat with the full game. There’s a lot more like it, and with several distinct styles to boot. When you run into your blue friends for the first time, the change is style is just amazing. Go listen to it in the store, then, after you get the game, hook your PSP up to a pair of good headphones or speakers – the music is that good.
So finally there’s a good original game for the PSP, not a day too late either. This won’t save the PSP on its own, but it’s a step in the right direction. The brutal momentum that the Nintendo DS has built up in Japan and elsewhere is beyond control, but the PSP can at least defend their second-place market share by doing things right. Get moving with more original games and peripherals, like the long-promised GPS receiver. The UMD Video market is already dying, so once again – good GAMES please!
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Panasonic's Blu-Ray drive is available for $793 Autumn has come in Japan, or?