Shockingly different from the previous games, yet still maintains the charm that we all expect from Patapon.
I remember the hype over Patapon 2, and how well it evolved, yet still managed to get bagged on for being "too much of the same."
Now, it's Patapon 3. At first glance it looks like every other Patapon game, but it certainly is not. A lot of changes have been made to Patapon 3 to create a unique experience not yet found in the previous games.
Instead of being a Patapon God, you are now a hero commanding an army of 3 other Patapons. Yes... 3. I miss being able to command an entire army, but in a way you feel more involved with your tribe this time due to the small number. The gameplay is technically the same. You input a series of beats into 1 measure wait for the patapons to perform their action, and repeat. However, everything else has had a major revision.
The main hub is no longer a village, rather a cave. There are no longer mini-games, but rather trading posts and level-up stations. You can also level up weapons this time, which is a welcome addition.
The story is much more deep in this game, and should last a bit longer than the previous story modes. Most of the time you're in story mode your focus will be collecting loot and leveling-up. This is alright, but I miss the old formula of strategy REQUIRED to win instead of advanced weapons.
A huge flaw is the fact that online mode requires an entitlement like most recent PSP games do. It's kind of a let down. Do they think this will stop piracy? Or is this just some kind of money stunt? Sony confuses me a lot.
While good, I still don't think this game had the same "Wow" impact on me during the first playthrough. You will spend a lot of time on this game, and it is quite fun, but it just can't compare to the classic original Patapon games.