Whew! Our Patapon contest is so over. We didn't plan for this one to be tricky, we wanted it to be easy! But, apparently, we are tricky bastards. A buncha entries we got only answered one question — the first one. Not much of a scavenger hunt if there's only one question, don't cha think? Reading comprehension is so important. Too bad more folks didn't read the Totoro post! What's more, too bad some people gave SEVERAL ANSWERS to number seven. The four folks who hit all the high notes and got everything right are:

nolifedopestar, Paul M., Pat O., sander_dutch

Frankenreview - Patapon (PSP)

LocoRoco had massive amounts of hype, but fell flat during a time when the PSP needed another Lumines. But the developers of LocoRoco are back with a new title called Patapon, a mix of rhythm game, RPG and RTS that's even more beautiful than its predecessor.

Oh, and apparently it's amazingly good.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview on Patapon—every review you need to read before deciding that it's time to dust off that PSP after all.

Quite a few titles out this week but I only have eyes and ears for one game... Patapon. I'll also be checking out Lost Planet on my PS3 if I can manage to tear myself away from my little rhythmic friends. What's on your list this week?

Patapon (PSP)
Action plus rhythm plus great art style equals awesome.

Frontlines: Fuel of War (X360, PC)
Battle for control of the earth's depleted natural resources.

Lost: Via Domus (X360, PC, PS3)
Solve the mysteries of the island.

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (X360, PC, PS3)
The Nazi's won WWII and boy are we in trouble.

Naruto: Ninja Destiny (DS)
A Naruto 3D fighter for your DS.

The Sims 2: FreeTime (PC)
Exactly what the Sims need. More free time. Bastards.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (PS3)
The world of giant bugs comes to the PS3.

Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed (WII)
Aliens and penis jokes: a winning combination.

Mazes of Fate DS (DS)
Determine your fate in this RPG with mazes.

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None (WII)
Live (or die) through Agatha Christie's greatest mystery.

ArmA: Gold Edition (PC)
ArmA: Armed Assault and ArmA: Queen's Gambit together again for the first time.

Heavenly Guardian (PS2)
Animated 2D shooter action.

Puzzle Guzzle (PSP)
Guzzle this puzzle!

Patapon Launch Trailer

Artist Rolito, the man behind the stylish graphics of Patapon has produced this vinyl toy based on the upcoming PSP game. The toy, which is part of the custom BearBrick series, will be available in stores on Feb. 26th. There's no word on the price, but given the size and what I've seen of other BearBrick prices it should be around $5.99 or so. But, don't quote me on that.

[via A Little Bit of Awesome on the Side]

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I'll be playing a very realistic driving in a matter of hours, a sort of Need For Speed Most Wanted recreating using a rented Chevy Impala controller. It should be very, very exciting following the blue line from Vegas to LA. When I finally get home, expect me to unwind with a few rounds of Team Fortress 2, a title I've been chatting about a lot with colleagues and developers and DICE. Demos for Patapon and God of War: Chains of Olympus were stashed in the DICE schwag bag, so I'll be giving those a spin, too. Yeah, I'm late to the party. So what?

Enough reading of this drivel. Make with the comments about your weekend gaming plans, pronto. Anyone going to grab a copy of Professor Layton this Sunday?

We're not sure whether to be amused or saddened by Sony's announcement that the stylistically sexy rhythm game Patapon for PSP is getting the unusual budget price of twenty bucks. On the one hand, we very much like cheap combined with our rhythm games. On the other, it's quite clear that someone in charge of making things cost a certain amount realizes that Patapon, no matter how favorably it has been previewed and may be reviewed, will be met with plenty of consumer head-scratching and dandruff shedding. Hopefully, the budget part of the brain will win out over the disapproval of a game that has no cars, no guns and a weird name.

Patapon Pata-Price: $19.99 [PlayStation Blog]

More Details On Patapon Strategy From Sony

I shamefacedly admit that in the midst of present buying frenzy this holiday season, I broke down and bought myself a PSP on a whim. While it's currently collecting dust with the rest of my consoles and handhelds, I'm already anticipating the release of Patapon, the game that Crecente fell in love with at TGS and Stephen Totilo gave a favorable review to. The more I see of it, the more I see a game that I'm going to have a hard time putting down - and a post by one of Patapon's associate producers just reinforces that feeling:

As many of you already know, there was a special holiday card making the rounds ... and many first impressions started to pop up. One thing that caught our attention was how surprised some people were at the depth of gameplay and customizability, and that's without taking into account the topography of Patapolis and surrounding lands - - it's something fierce. Each mission will require special attention on troop formation, be it for hunting, or fighting huge monsters, or hijacking Zigoton WMDs - - it's hard out here for a Patapon.

The gameplay sounds like a blast and I can't get over how much I like the whole look of Patapon. The entry is a flying tour of some of the battlelicious aspects of the game, and worth a quick look if you've been keeping your eye on the game as some of us have been.

Patapost Friday: Pata-strategy [Playstation.Blog]

Patapon CES Trailer

I was stepping into the mini-van this afternoon, bound for Kansas on the way to Georgia, when the FedEx guy stopped by and handed me this nifty Patapon card. As if the nifty tribe celebration wasn't enough to put a smile on my face, inside the signed card was a demo of the game, due out in March. I know what I'll be doing during the trip.

Another Look at Sony's 'Patapon'

Patapon, the rhythm-loving, artsy-looking Playstation Portable game that I fell so deeply in love with at the Tokyo Game Show, is hitting North America this February.

The game will include 30 missions, 20 environments, more than 100 weapon and shield upgrades and the abstract look of French graphic artist Rolito, who served as the chief artist for the game. It will not, unfortunately, include booth bots.

Hit the jump for the full release.

How to Sell the PSP to Japanese Girls

Patapon Ad [PSP Fanboy]

On the PSP screen the silhouette of a small, spear-toting, single-eyed creature jittered and hopped across the screen left to right. To my right a woman dressed all in white smiled and pointed to the portable's square and circle buttons, repeating something in a gentle Japanese voice.

The woman looked at the screen, pausing, for effect, before clapping four times in a steady cadence. She pointed again at the buttons and then looked at me.

Smile.
Clap four times.
Pause.
Repeat.

Ah!

Patapon

Sony's Patapon probably got lost in the noise of all that shooting in Killzone and the rushing drool over Echochrome, but this PSP game looks like one of the few totally unique first party efforts for the handheld. I believe during the liveblog of Sony's keynote that I said it reminded me of Sega's Dee Dee Planet and LocoRoco, but this second look shows that it's something totally different.