By far one of the more creative games on the PSP. If you folks in the US are looking for something "different" to play give it a shot when it hits the shores there!

Sweet game this. The style and the micro-management. (Y)
Hope ill find myself some time to play it soon.

I can't wait for it to come out, hopefully Sony will give us a demo soon.

This game is a rhythmical tactical rpg. And it's only for $20. SOLD!

Maggie you torment me with one of the bosses that I HATE the most with that picture. D:

Hmm, not my cup of tea but the amount of praise its getting is certainly refreshing

Between this, Echochrome, and LBP the creativity bug is hard at work

Patapon is definitely my most anticipated title on PSP right now. Crisis Core and God of War are all well and good, but Patapon looks like some mold-breaking, stylish, customisable, strategic goodness. I think I'm in love with the whole speech bubble thing, too. Very Comix Zone.

The PSP is really the little system that could. It has a strong, and continually growing library, some really fun titles, neat functionality, and exceptional industrial design. I am glad to see it hold its own in the wake of the DS.

The sad thing is, this will be an incredible game that wont sell ( though, I'll buy it :) ). Where are you gamers? The world (of gaming) needs us now more then ever!

but the PSP has no games?!

@-EDGE-: they're busy playing the jap version on their hacked PSPs. gaming's doing fine as well btw, the industry's as a record high.

I'm trying to fight the urge to get a psp, but it's hard when more info comes out on Patapon. It looks like the type game I'd be all over. Too bad I have to save my money for school and to pay off a loan or two.

@nolifedopestar: Care to get banned for using the term "jap"?

You do realize that the PSP is region free right? Or are you just trying to troll?

@Witzbold: no offense intended or implied, i wouldn't be offended at the term brit in a similar way.

and no i'm not trolling, just pointing out the attach rate situation, which if i'm not much mistaken will kill the already destined to be poor sales of a non-traditional game. confused as to where trolling came from.

@nolifedopestar:
Thank you, perhaps a name change to "Captain Obvious" is in your future? ;)

I was more refering to people (gamers in general) who keep snapping up the derivitive crap that keeps coming out, instead of supporting games like this regardless of the system they are on. But I hear what your saying.

On an aside can we try to refrain from using the word "Jap" (though I'm sure you meant nothing by it).

@-EDGE-: i didn;t mean to offend you man, just that's been the situation since the dawn of gaming time, if you look through, say, the SNES catalogue you'll find a ton of crap for every gem. same with hollywood, for every masterpiece that comes out there's a load of derivative forgetable films, but that's the way average joe consumer likes to entertain himself and the way both industries make their money.

This game looks sweet. I'm a sucker for stuff like this. I wonder when it will be released over here. Is there a release date in the wild? Or have I been like, not paying attention lately?

@-EDGE-: just out of general interest, do we refrain from using, brit, ozzie, kiwi, yank, canuck, scot, etc. as well? if i've offended anyone with any of those i apologise in advance...

No offence taken (as I said I'm sure you meant nothing by it). But like the aforementiond "Joe Consumer" these derogatory terms get thrown around as if they are innocuous. I assure you to some, they are not.

Moving on...

I agree with your crap to gem point. I guess what I am trying to get at is "We" the game players and consumers have the ability to shape the market. Case in point, I give you the Wii. If we speak loud enough, spend our dollars wise enough we will get less crap and more gems. It is simple enough really in theory, yet seems so hard in practice for some.

Considering how good (and underrated) Loco Roco was I'm already sold on Patapon, regardless of its budget price.

@-EDGE-: yea, it's a shame with the amount of shovelware on the wii and DS compared to it's potential. although i've gotta admit i have to chuckle when i think of my rabid nintendo fanboy friend telling me how nintendo are all about the games and how every game for the other consoles would be ported and play better with the wiimote.

@-EDGE-:

Agreed, it's like I've been saying all along: how many games do people have to buy in order to kill a nazi or a terrosrist before they realize its the same damn thing? I mean come on, army games (especially WWII) have been so played out there's nothing new anymore.

Then again the whole space marine thing is getting played out too, it's like there's no creativity in that genre anymore.

this game is BORING, far less interesting than loco roco. also it's more for CU instead of LU, as you will have to collect materials etc.

I'm a complete sucker for rhythm games and Patapon looks like it will own much of my free time in the foreseeable future.

I'm glad to see another interesting game being added to my PSP collection. I'm looking up at my shelf now, eyeballing a nice spot between Crush and Loco Roco. Or perhaps between Pursuit Force and PQ2? Lumines and Syphon Filter Dark Mirror? Or right on top of Daxter? Or wedged between any of the many other games I own for it right now?

Oh who am I kidding? The PSP doesn't have any games, right? Whatever.

Bah, I was all hyped up for this game, now I just can't seem to care. The more I hear the more I have a feeling it'll be frustrating and annoying. Hopefully that isn't true.

I'm just adding this to the list of games to buy when I finally get a PSP. It's no longer a "if" decision but a "when".

@Techknow: Mine will sit between Valkyrie Profile and MGS Portable Ops. Or between Jeanne d'Arc and Brave Story. Or maybe Ratchet & Clank and WipeOut Pulse. Or next to Silent Hill Origins, if Patapon aren't too scared of big, bad, cleaver-wielding psychos. Or next to any other game I just made up because they couldn't possibly be on the PSP. :)

@Witzbold: I'm confused, why is "jap" an offensive term? It's short for japanese, that's about as far as i care? It's not like UK players get offended by "brit" or australians by "aussie".

Enlighten me, i'm genuinely curious, and i'm probably ignorant. It's not like he said they're busy playing the "ching chong version" or some other such outrageousness.

@Sunjammer: Jap was a deragatory term used during WWII.
It was designed implicitly to insult the Japanese people.
It was often used in phrases like "We'll make those dirty Japs pay."

It's actually kind of like the word "nigger". By itself, the word has no actual dark meaning or connotation. It's because a negative use and connotation were placed upon it by racist individuals.

Just like the N-Word, Jap is still a sensitive term form many Japanese people.

@Kirbytheslayer: Consumer Whore: Yikes. Color me corrected.

@MoeB: Holy crap. It's only $20?
I didn't know that.
It just went from a "must-buy" for me, to a "Must-Buy, day one, at 10:00, when the store opens".

Patapon on PSN please.

@Sunjammer

I think jap was just a derogatory term used during the second world war. It's all in the history I think. Although jap version is an innocent shortform to just save yourself from typing it all out.

I love my PSP, great little system. I'll check this title out,don't know if it'd be my cup of tea though from the basic overall info I know about it.

Something known about the playtime of Patapon?

Pata-pata-pata-pon.
Pata-pata-pata-pon.
Pata-pata-pata-pon.

I love the concept of this game and am addicted to videos of it being played, but I can't bring myself to buy a PSP. What do I DO?!

@Sunjammer: @nolifedopestar: Just a random search on the old Wiki, to help better explain the cultural meaning of the term "Jap". It's actually considered to be an ethnic slur, and one that I've also seen as offensive.

"Jap is a term originally used as an English abbreviation of the word "Japanese." Today it is regarded as an ethnic slur, though English speaking countries differ in the degree they consider the term offensive. Japanese Americans have come to find the term controversial or offensive, even when used as an abbreviation.[1] In the past, Jap was not considered primarily offensive; however, after the events of World War II, the term became derogatory.[2]"

We should all make an effort to be a bit more culturally sensitive.

@Saint Anima (PSN = PoeticMassacre): February 26th. I'm also a sucker for weird Japanese stuff that doesn't really fit into existing genres. I will probably wait until God of War and Crisis Core come out and see how they work before I make the call on buying a PSP, but if I do I will certainly go back and grab this game.

Correct term would be JPN as everyone has correctly stated the other term is racist.

@Krytha: Find a puny little kid, beat him up and steal his PSP. Then, when you get arrested and your story gets posted on Kotaku, I can come here and act outraged by your inexcusable barbaric actions.

[Disclaimer: I decline all responsibility in the event that any harm should come to blablabla...]

@パラノイア: Scary. I swear to god, I was going to reccomend the same exact thing.

Maybe video games do desensitize us to violence?

dont know if its accurate but the pricing on gamestop says 20 bucks...thats freakin cheap. i'm not complaining. cant wait to get this game.

@thischarmingman: It's not that big a deal in Norway where i'm from i guess. A lot of the perceived racial slurs out there, i feel at least, are given more power than they're entitled to, and constant fear of them, especially slurs that have more power in some nations than in others should be phased out, especially considering how much of the actual power of the term comes from its context.

Pardon my ignorance, but when i see the word "jap" i think "it's short for japanese". If i'm supposed to somehow transport myself back in time and into a WWII US mindset that was applied much like the European "Jerry" for germans every time i see a logical short for "Japanese". I don't know. I don't feel the urgency, particularly not to the point of threatening to ban for it.

As a complete sidenote, I don't think the parallel to "nigger" is accurate either honestly. It's not like africans dive bombed the american coast. At war, it's basically mandatory to speak of the opposition in derogatory terms.

Anyway i'm getting in way over my head here. I just think some words carry more historical heft than others.

Please guys you're getting drool all over me because of this game.

@Sunjammer:

Ignorant and trolls sony... who would have guessed.

@Sunjammer: A good example of the proper abbreviation is the Olympics. Japan is shown as JPN. As others have stated.

@Sunjammer: Ugh. Slapping isn't enough for you.

If a culture considers a word derogatory, and you know it, and you use it anyway, you're an ass. Explaining why you're justified in your ignorance is a bad move - don't do it.

Only $20 on February 27th. Hells yes. I think this could be something akin to katamari. Comes out cheap and gains a following. Cannot wait.

@Kirbytheslayer: So... A) Do you have a PSP? B) Where do you live?

Just curious. You know.