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

Hit the jump for the right answers and the bitter hate. Mmmmm, hate. Delicious!

Note: Answers or links were fine for this contest as we didn't specify.

1. Valve Party. http://kotaku.com/360423/drunk-guy-tries-to-steal-portal-song-at-valve-party
2. A Final Fantasy XIII 2008 release date. Final Fantasy XIII 2008 Release Date Rumors "Erroneous" http://kotaku.com/350801/final-fantasy-xiii-2008-release-date-rumors-erroneous
3. TheIrishNinja, EnigmaNemesis, Kirbytheslayer and PapaBear434. http://kotaku.com/338344/the-king-of-kommenter-finalists
4. Jamzy. http://kotaku.com/gaming/jamzy/japan-xbox-360-fanboy-replies-to-kotaku-readers-328260.php
5. Women dressed up like Santa. http://kotaku.com/gaming/ebay-madness/the-proper-way-to-gift-rock-band-327976.php
6. Master Chief chocolate. http://kotaku.com/338849/master-chief-is-made-of-chocolate
7. Seven. http://kotaku.com/342635/dont-let-totoro-die-we-can-wash-him

The answer to number seven is seven? Brilliant! As long as you didn't cheat, we don't care how you got the number seven — just as long as you did. Regarding where that number came from, it's in the text:

ONE: Mrs. Bashcraft points out the vague outline of Totoro's belly.
TWO: I make a beeline to the hotel, tell them what happened and ask for something to get it out.
THREE: A hotel attendant I spoke with ambles over, carrying a broom.
FOUR: The custodian returns, carrying a long pole he's fashioned out of two shorter ones.
FIVE: The hotel clerk now has a crow bar and is trying to get it under the manhole.
SIX: He can't, so he gives it to another hotel attendant, who is able to get it under the manhole cover.
SEVEN: He's hollering at a sanitation worker across the street, asking for a pair of gloves. He gets them and flips over the manhole covering.

And because this was an easy contest, you could've just counted the seven people in the pic and send that along (even though two of them are not helping!). Let me kick off the comments, "I hate that mean human, Bashcraft."

Contest time! Oh goodie goodie goodie. We're having another scavenger hunt. You remember our scavenger hunts? You search for clues, there's counting involved, you get pissed off at me and cry. This time we are giving away Patapon-themed Be@rbrick figures. These are being sold in Japan, but not America. So, what we're going to do: Give away four of them. Well, we're not going to give them away. You've gotta win them! Our scavenger hunt will consist of seven questions. When you find one question, that will lead to another one. How do you know if you are correct? You'll find a pointing fish to, well, point you in the right direction. Here's the first question:

We butcher a theme song and don't get invited to the best parties! Which party did we miss out on?

Good luck! Send your answers to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom. The first four people to submit all seven answers to the email will win a bear. That's it, no deadline, no random drawing for finalists, so you better hurry the heck up.

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]

Never fear, loners of the world. If your heart's gentle song goes unheard on Valentine's Day, you can always turn your affections towards free electronic entertainment. Like the Patapon demo, which will be out tomorrow. And not just out on the slightly-annoying PC-PSP store, but the PS3 one as well (just for downloading purposes, you can't play it on your PS3), which should make things a little easier for you.
Valentine's Day Demo Download [PlayStation.Blog]

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]

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.

Patapon(TM) Coming to North America Exclusively for PSP(R)
(PlayStation(R)Portable)

Rhythm-Based Action Blends with Abstract Art to Deliver a Unique New Gaming
Genre to the North American Market in February 2008

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) announced today the February 2008 North American release of Patapon(TM), available exclusively for PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable).
Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment WorldWide Studios Japan Studio, Patapon is a highly stylized, 2D platform/action adventure game that transforms players into a mystical leader in charge of guiding a tribe of small, quirky warriors called Patapons. Through an innovative use of musical beats, players will march the Patapons against opposing armies and gigantic monsters in an attempt to find the far end of the world. In Patapon, players will encounter a new style of gameplay that blends rhythm and action, where various drumbeats are used to command the Patapons to march, retreat, attack, and defend, all in the ultimate quest for survival and victory. The game presents a variety of warrior types, along with a wide selection of weapons and shield upgrades, allowing each player to customize their Patapon army and strategize for each mission. Using character designs by popular French graphic artist Rolito, who served as chief artist for the game, Patapon introduces a distinctive art style incorporating abstract shapes, vibrant environments, and larger-than-life boss enemies.
"Patapon is a unique experience for gamers of all ages because it combines two key forms of entertainment: rhythm and music, and stellar platforming action," said Jeff Reese, director, software marketing, SCEA. "Music is a huge part of the PSP's multifunctional feature set, and we are excited to deliver a new genre of music and action gaming that further adds depth to the PSP software lineup."
For years the Patapon tribe has lived in the desolate frontier, driven from their home by the evil Zigoton army. Behind the Patapons' cute exterior, lies a fierce warrior spirit that can only be commanded by the beat of the war drum. They wait for the day the "Almighty" will return and lead them against their enemies, as Patapon legend states the glory of the ancestors will be resurrected when they reach the far end of the world. The wait finally comes to an end as the drums of war are heard once again.
Set among a variety of colorful 2D backgrounds, Patapon unfolds through more than 30 missions with more than 20 different environments, where players are tasked with outfitting the Patapon army, collecting resources, and using strategy to grow the tribe into a devastating fighting force. Incorporating various button-timed drumbeats in real-time to control the Patapons, players will strategically traverse through each environment, battling enemies each step of the way. The game presents a variety of warrior types such as archers, infantry, cavalry, and more that players can unlock, along with a wide selection of more than 100 weapon and shield upgrades, allowing players to customize their forces throughout the funky adventure. Additionally, Patapon features five unique music-based mini-games to earn additional Patapon upgrades. Players will revel in the addictive nature of the game, collecting rare weapons and items, and earning more points to upgrade and amass an army of Patapons.

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!

I watched the screen, noticing that the woman's pause was timed to a sort of sing-song gibberish coming from the game, the silhouette.

After the pause I tapped square, square, square, circle, to the beat of the woman's claps and my character hopped forward a bit on the screen, moving a bit more toward the center of the screen.

Pause.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Pause
Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Each time I tapped out the combo the character's pace sped up. And each of the buttons made a specific sound. One was Pata and the other Pon. Eventually he, and a few friends he picked up along the way, made it to the end.

The next level involved attacks, something I initially thought with the same combination of PSP buttons at the same temp. But to attack, it turns out, you want to tap out circle, circle, square, circle.

After tapping my way through that level I was faced with the prospect of choice. I had to decide when to advance my growing army of faceless, single-eyed creatures and when to shift, with a change in combo taps, to attacks.

By the fourth level, my smiling companion shifted from clapping to a sort of dance. She stood mostly still, bopping up and down titling her head side-to-side smiling. It was, I quickly realized, a great way to subtly help out players keep their rhythm in the game.

All too soon the demo was over, but I was left with the feeling that this was going to become a new favorite of mine. I'm not clear if the game will include more than the two combos I used to attack and move, but I suspect it will. And if it does the game will be simply sublime. The beauty of the game is that it's not just another rhythm game, it actually gets you thinking about music and rhythm as a means to an end. If I wanted to move I would tap out pata, pata, pata pon. If I wanted to attack it was pon, pon, pata, pon. It sounds simple, but the effect, coupled with the incredibly unique look of the game, was magical.

Of course, I also loved LocoRoco.