In January they named the greatest horse of videogamedom, Epona, from the Legend of Zelda series. This month they selected the best dog, PaRappa the Rapper, of course.

The judges this time around were Leigh Alexander, of Gamasutra and Sexy Videogameland, Tofuburger of I Can Has Cheezburger, Evan Wells of Naughty Dog, and myself.... of here.

Hit up the site to read everyone's reasoning and their number two and three spots. I picked the dog in Duck Hunt and the zombie dogs of Resident Evil as my runners-up.

And The Award For Greatest Video Game Canine Goes To... [MTV Multiplayer]

I play drums, not guitar, but I had to PICK (get it?) them up.

"We are incredibly excited to be working with talent of this caliber and believe our game shares the same broad mass market appeal as successful music-based products like Activision's Guitar Hero and MTV's Rock Band."

Majesco Entertainment, Masaya Matsuura and Rodney Alan Greenblat Partner to Create New Game Exclusively for the Wii(TM) System

- The Creators of 'PaRappa the Rapper' Return With Music-Based Video Game

Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced a partnership with legendary multimedia musician and game designer, Masaya Matsuura, and famed New York artist Rodney Alan Greenblat, to develop and publish an original music-based video game scheduled for release in late 2008. Creators of the highly acclaimed, best-selling PaRappa the Rapper series, Matsuura and Greenblat will bring their engaging gameplay and distinctive art style to the Wii(TM) home video game system for the first time.

"Masaya Matsuura and Rodney Alan Greenblat are industry visionaries whose legacy was built on crafting groundbreaking, genre-defining entertainment experiences that everyone can enjoy," said Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco. "We are incredibly excited to be working with talent of this caliber and believe our game shares the same broad mass market appeal as successful music-based products like Activision's Guitar Hero and MTV's Rock Band."

Adds Masaya Matsuura: "Majesco's publishing know-how and retail relationships allow us to stay focused on creating a game that is conceptually unique and, above all else, fun. Working with Rodney is a true creative collaboration."

"Matsuura-san and I share similar artistic perspectives so I welcomed the opportunity to re-team with him and NanaOn-Sha to produce a one-of-a-kind music game designed from the ground up for the Wii system," said Rodney Alan Greenblat.

So make with the puns and emo imagery, kids, and let's do this.

E For All Loves Threadless [Threadless]

by Brian Ashcraft

Nana0n-Sha's office isn't an office. It's an apartment. For those who've been in Japanese houses, the entry way contains familiar items like a shoes box and slippers. A short hallway leads into a living room and a partition. On the other side of the partition, I can hear keyboard clacking and mouses clicking. The office is 60 percent women, and women drift in and out. "I want to make games that appeal to both men and women," Nana0n-Sha founder and PaRappa the Rapper creator Masaya Matsuura tells me. "It's the same as music. If music only appeals to men, it sounds very, very ugly."

Matsuura tells me he didn't really buy that many games before becoming a game designer. He was busy with other things, namely being a major Japanese pop star for Sony Music.

"The first time I became interested in music was I coming out of my mother's stomach," Matsuura says in English. He's drinking chilled tea. It's already dark, somewhere between 7 and 8pm, I forget. Matsuura's father was into Western music — mostly jazz and movie scores. "And the first song I can remember is Nat King Cole's," he continues, singing, "When I fall in love... I couldn't understand why this guy looked very black and how fat and low his voice was. I never heard that kind of voice in Japan." Matsuura was two or three years old. "There's a reason why I can say that," the designer points out. "My family moved when I was three. My memory is at the place we lived at before we moved."

At age 10, another family move took him from Osaka city center to suburban Hirakata. "I lost all my friends," he says. "I spent time alone in the classroom. The first few weeks were hard." Without friends to occupy his time, Matsuura took to the classroom's organ. "I started to play some unknown song. It was something that I had heard just by listening. I found I could play."

Matsuura was a natural, and he spent all his free time practicing. By the early 80's, he was playing in various types of New Wave bands. Not only was he an accomplished keyboard player, but also an accomplished bassist and guitarist — able to play the guitar right handed and left-handed. While studying at Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University, he made jingles for radio stations. One particular program had an American host and needed jingles in English. Matsuura asked around for a vocalist who could sing in English and found Mami Yasunori, who would later go by "CHAKA" when his band PSY S made its debut.

Through another part-time job at a broad casting station, Matsuura was able to convince a producer to send his demo tape to a record company. "Actually, maybe he just gave it to them," the designer adds, laughing. "That company was Sony Music."

Albums, tours and hit singles like Lemon no Yuuki and Angel Night. (Ashcraft side note: When I first came to Japan from Texas, I dated a girl obsessed with anime City Hunter, which used Angel Night as a theme song.) Domestic success had come, but Matsuura wasn't satisfied. Japanese pop in the 80's was hardly international, and records companies focused on the domestic market. "I didn't have enough power to make English versions of the songs," he explains.

While listening to scraped out-takes, he realized that they were actually great. "Maybe my initial judgment was wrong," Matsuura says. "There were so many good rejected tracks, and I wanted to show all of them together. There shouldn't be a certain sequence or choice, because it's subjective. So I started to think about that. Maybe, we should mismatch tunes. But maybe the user is lazy. So, I started to thinking about it as a game."

Making straight up music was out. Making music games was in. "Many subtle reasons resonated in my head, and I finally decided to switch to games," Matsuura says.

But how are games and music similar? I ask.

"Both games and music you play. When you have a new music score, you have to play it. Maybe something in your mind will judge how you play that. Maybe you don't play it very well, and you have to try it again and again and again. Then somebody says, 'You're really bad.' And that's game over."

A friend of Matsuura's knew how to program, and a simple sample program was thrown together. For the vocal track, Matsuura sampled the voice of Swiss animated character Pingu, which Sony owned in Japan. Sony was interested, but still not quite yet in the gaming business. Ken Kutaragi was working on the Sony created SNES-CD for Nintendo's Super Famicom. "I tried to have a meeting with Kutaragi-san. He was very close to this office," Matsuura says. "But we couldn't find a good way to coordinate and get the game to consumers."

Then in December 1994, it all changed. After Sony's deal with Nintendo went sour, the company released its first PlayStation in Japan. Matsuura didn't even know that Sony was making its own console and bought his own PlayStation. "I didn't play so many games. Just Ridge Racer or something." A year later, a letter came in the mail. It was from the Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment. "It said something like, 'You made some strange music player. How about the PlayStation platform?' Something like that. And I went to meet Sony and discussed the possibility of working with them."

The result: PaRappa the Rapper, one of the first modern rhythm games.

What does he think about music and rhythm games becoming popular in America, years after they hit it big in Japan? "America's market is smart. They watched how the Japanese market went. After it decayed, they released those types of games in America. Very smart."

For someone who's devoted his entire life to music, I can't find anything musical per se in his office's living room. There are a sofa and a large Sony Bravia, under which sit four consoles: PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and the Wii. I point to them and ask if he's making games for all consoles.

"No, no. Now the downloadable content, that is interesting," he says.

Are you interested in Xbox Live Arcade or the PlayStation Network?

"Both," Matsuura answers. "And the Virtual Console. I'm really interested in Folding@Home. We should think about connecting those very useful and great ideas for everybody into a game. Unfortunately, Folding@Home is not a game. I really want to do something with it."

Do you miss performing?

"I still perform. I play at game conferences," he says smiling. He's right. He does. Instead, of merely talking and showing slides. He does play and even brings Sony's Aibo out on stage. Back in 2003, he was involved with creating sounds for the Aibo. Matsuura himself is a dog lover and even asked to reschedule our interview so he could take his real dog (not his Aibo) to the vet.

It's kinda sad that Sony killed off the Aibo, I point out.

"The engineers behind the Aibo are doing the PS3. We are talking about making something like the new Aibo."

I ask if it will connect to the PS3. Because that's what I really want: A robotic dog for my PS3.

"I don't know. Connection is not hard. I'm sure some engineer could do that."

Today marks the release of Matsuura's latest game: Musika for the iPod. Originally called Rhythmica, the game was first shown at Australia's G03 back in March. In short, you play a song, and when a letter appears that's in that song's title, you select that letter from the alphabet. The letters bounce around and sway to the music, making it the perfect iPod-geared game — as opposed to other titles that have been shoe-horned into the platform. "Almost all the other games are basic and limited — like a simple puzzle. Our game will be very advanced compared to the others. This will last."

The windows are inky black, and it's night. A few blocks down, there's a large concrete slap of a house — I hear it's Takeshi Kitano's house. The neighborhood is a cluster of cafes and art galleries, expensive houses and European cars. I pass them as I head to the train station. Not exactly typical setting for a game designer. Not exactly the typical game designer.

How has the game aged? And how is it on the portable platform? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview: (almost) every single review in the whole entire world.

Loot Ninja
The core gameplay is pressing buttons in time with what's on screen. The Rap Master will perform a phrase, which you then have to match. Get your timing right, and your Rap Meter will stay at Good, which what's needed to beat the stage. Hit the buttons too early, too late, or not at all and see your Rap Meter drop to Bad or Awful...In Master Course [mode], you have to freestyle to keep up your rap meter; you can't just repeat what the Rap Master is doing.

Kikizo
New additions to the PSP version do exist however, but rejoicing should be held for the time being - there are remixes of the original tunes available for free download, but these simply replace the soundtrack to each level, with raps remaining exactly the same and tunes just not quite fitting. It's an opportunity missed, that's for sure.

Gamespy
Multiplayer options are a nice touch, with up to four-player ad hoc support. The songs aren't really that conducive to competition, however, so it's not a big boost to the package's value. Game-sharing allows several people to download a demo at once, but you probably know whether you'll like the game or not already, and I don't consider free friend demos a "feature."

GameBrink
The port to PSP is well-done. The game can be played in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, or switched to 16:9, in which the game has been accomodated for; there's no screen stretching to be found. Parappa's graphics were simplistic ten years, which acutally has helped the game in aging well, but even then, it still looks rather dated. Other than adapting the game for widescreen, Sony didn't do anything to upgrade the visuals

Yahoo! Games
With six levels, each over in a matter of five minutes or so, it's a short game. You might complete all six levels in an hour or two, even if you really suck...at its $29.99 price tag, it's short on value.

I have to agree with those who wanted to see the game as a PSN download. The potential microtransactions alone could have made this new version worth the time of gamers and developers alike.

PaRappa the Rapper Loves Threadless [Threadless]

• NCAA Football 08 (X360, PS3, XBOX, PS2) This football season starts early.
• All-Pro Football 2K8 (X360, PS3)
  And yet even more football!
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PC)
  Tom Clancy's tactical shooter makes another appearance from the shadows.
• Tales of The World: Radiant Mythology (PSP)
  Create your own custom characters in this new RPG for the PSP.
• Bomberman Live (X360)
  The classic comes top XBLA with online multiplayer mode
• PaRappa the Rapper (PSP)
  The rap master brings a bit of PS1 nostalgia to the PSP
• Hot Shots Tennis (PS2)
  Play tennis with little people with giant heads
• Battleground Europe: World War II Online (MAC)
  Holy crap! A game on Mac!

The name of the game is, of course, public internet humiliation. Send Sony your filmed rendition of one of three classic PaRappa jams and, if you're selected, wait for the community to pass judgement on your rapping skills. You rappin' good? Then maybe you'll win some sweet PaRappa goodies, like a beanie, PSP skins, or a copy of the PSP version.

The best of the best goes to Seattle for PAX. Oh, and that t-shirt? The first 100 entrants get one, so start rappin'. Michael McWhertor

Chop Chop Master Onion's Rap Showdown [PlayStation.com]

The shirt will be up for grabs at various unnamed online events and at this summer's social gatherings Wizard World, ComiCon, LollaPalooza, and PAX. It's designed to help promote the upcoming remake release of the original PaRappa the Rapper for the PSP shipping in mid-July.

Now how should I go about acquiring one...? Michael McWhertor

PaRappa the Rapper and Paul Frank Co-Designed Tee [PlayStation.com]

PaRappa the Rapper 3 is heading to the Playstation 3, according to the Quartermann's rumors in the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, 1Up reports. Yeah, that's a double attribution there folks.

Quartermann's other rumors include an inkling that Silent Hill 5 is coming to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 as the product of a U.S., not Japanese development team. Finally . QM guesses that Electronic Arts is looking to book exclusive deals with both the MLB and NBA to complete a lovely sports trifecta. I sure hope that last doesn't happen, I'm a huge fan of competition. Brian Crecente

PaRappa the Rapper [1up]

Matsuura believes that:

Examples of the relationship between music and games are rather shallow. There has been a lot of neglect and apathy. There are many incompetent music directors who cannot truly be described as musicians, since they do not have their own style, they are merely involved in production.

Which is true for most music directors who are not involved in a music-themed game. Nothing quite cheers me up like the soundtrack from Katamari Damacy, and some songs are so popular, they get covered by mindboggling talented people. Never let the music die or it will be like Footloose all over again (except without the dancing). Kim Phu

PaRappa Creator: Game Music "Incompetent" [Next Gen]

While developer NaNaOn-Sha is hard at work on Tamagotchi games and bringing their casual music game Rhythmica to, well, everything under the sun, Matsuura drops hints about another Vib-Ribbon release, this time for the PlayStation Network.

Rhythmica is a very similar idea to Vib Ribbon — it's about analyzing audio and creating a game from that data, but it uses MP3 audio instead of CDs. We are discussing the possibility of making a downloadable version of Vib Ribbon for Sony. But, I don't know yet - Sony only recently launched their downloadable service in Japan, so maybe we need to wait a while before releasing a title with that kind of appeal.

Um, who do I have to kill, bribe or sleep with to get this on the PlayStation Store? I'd love to play some lo-fi Vib-Ribbon with the tracks I've ripped to my PS3. Make it happen, Sony! Michael McWhertor

Q&A: NanaOn-Sha's Matsuura (Parappa) On The State Of Music Games [Gamasutra]

Wow, not too sure how to feel about a Parappa the Rapper re-release for the PSP. On one hand, it is one of my favorite games of all time and features my favorite song ever, "The Jet Baby":

When Jet Baby flies - She flies up there forever
When Jet Baby flies - She flies through any weather
When Jet Baby loves - She loves all of the children
She never lets them cry - As she sails through the sky - To save us from what fails us to make us love

On the other hand, part of the fun of Parappa was sharing it with other people, and the relatively small PSP screen makes that nigh impossible.

Then on the third hand, playing older games on today's TV sets can be very disappointing, so it could benefit from the smaller, sharper display.

I think the real question I need to ask myself is how the hell do I have three hands? Michael Fahey

PaRappa the Rapper is coming to the PSP in North America this July with four player multiplay and eight playable remixes.

Developed with musician Masaya Matsuura and New York artist Rodney Greenblat, the funky rhythm game first debuted on the PSOne ten years ago. A PSP version hit Japan last year.

The U.S. version of the game will be a remake of the original with the ability to play up to three other people head-to-head in ad-hoc match-ups, wirelessly share a demo level and download eight additional playable remixes.

If you missed the flat graphics and raptastic music of this game when it first hit, you've got to pick it up this time around. Personally, I can't wait. I sure hope they release new music down the line though.

H to the E to the R to the O
And here comes your hero
Ho! Here we go!
P to the A to the R to the A
Parappa's the name
I rap everyday

Brian Crecente

We're also working on the next in the series of our hit game for all the family! Yeh, that one!!

As NanaOn-Sha's most famous "hit game" is PaRappa the Rapper, a sequel seems likely. Sony Computer Entertainment just re-filed the PaRappa trademark a few weeks ago which expired last October.

The most interesting addition? A new service, beyond the "computer game software" stuff, "OPERATING A REAL-TIME GAME FOR OTHERS OVER GLOBAL AND LOCAL AREA COMPUTER NETWORKS". Whatever new PaRappa we'll get, it'll probably be online and use the PlayStation Network for multiplayer. Can I get a "Hell, yeh!"? Kim Phu

NanaOn-Sha Website

Kicking and punching? That should stay all in the mind.

In addition, the NanaOn-Sha staffer says that the rhythm genre he helped create is on the decline in Japan. That's in contrast to current Western tastes where music titles like Boogie, Rock Band and Guitar Hero are still hot. What's contributing to this downfall? Flat panel TVs, he says, and their delayed displays.

More of Matsuura's GO3 musings at Gamespot. Michael McWhertor

GO3: Make less-violent games: PaRappa creator [Gamespot]

Back in 2001, there was a PaRappa the Rappa anime in Japan. They only made 30 episodes, and apparently the character's creator wasn't exactly happy with the liberal changes that were made. However! The intro. (above) with music by Nona Reeves and the closing (after the jump) with music by Bennie K are great. No, actually, they are really great. Brian Ashcraft

PaRappa Cartoon [TV in Japan]

We must thank these fine people for a live action version of PaRappa the Rapper. Now if they could just explain what the hell is going on. Actually, we can. This is Andreas Wieslander's Bachelor's Thesis, who enlightens:

It's a project about marketing games through live performances, in order to focus on the games feel, rather than its graphics and sfx. This idea has been applied to the game PaRappa the Rapper to PlayStation.

Hit the jump for the original version. Brian Ashcraft

But Um Jammer Lammy enthusiasts with an extra 300-ish smackers in their smoking pockets can still get their strummin' hands on some very sweet licensed guitars. They may not sound all that great—built-in speakers, y'know—but the gaming nerd cred is off the charts here.

GameSetWatch's gentlemanly editor Simon C. helps clue in us Westerners with the details on how to snag these Japan-only guitars courtesy of collector Dan Amrich. Check out the handy write up and get spending, consuming public! Michael McWhertor

Uber-FAQ: Um Jammer Lammy Guitars GET! [GSW]

WARNING: You might want to lay down some plastic prior to clicking because this Parappa/De La Soul crossover might just blow... your... mind.

De La Soul Feat. Double "U Gotta Believe" [via GameSetWatch]