User Rating: 9.3 | PaRappa The Rapper (PlayStation the Best) PS
Kick, punch, it's all in the mind, if you wanna test me, I'm sure you'll find, the things I'll teach ya, are sure to beat ya, never the less, now get a lesson from teacher, now kick! Anyone who played the smash 1998 hit, Parappa the Rapper is sure to know about how great the game is. It's truly a gem, and a surefire classic that defined a genre, and is highly innovative. Since the release of Parappa the Rapper, we've seen many other rhythm based games, like UmJammer Lammy, Britneys Dance Beat, and the ever popular Dance Dance Revolution. Parappa, by Interlink, and published by SCEA became a hit almost immediately after it's release. People bought it, just because it was so strange. This game is basically the defining moment in niche game history. Every so often, game companies will take risks in making a game that is odd enough not to appeal to a mainstream audience, but quirky enough to be a sleeper hit. Strangely, Parappa the Rapper overcame that and became a mainstream hit, yet still kept it's quirky niche game additude that appealed to many hardcore and casual gamers alike. Parappa the Rapper is the story of a shy dog, or puppy if you will, who sets out to win over his love interest, Sunny's heart. Now Sunny is a big Sun Flower, oddly enough the two of them have chemistry. Parappa is too shy to ask out the beautiful Sunny, so he somehow has to impress her. All of the levels in Parappa consist of him taking lessons, or encountering certan incidents while rapping. The premise of Parappa the Rapper is quite strange, the first level you are in a Karate Dojo, taking lessons from a talking onion, the second level you are taking driving lessons from a giant female moose. If this doesn't sound odd enough, I don't really know what else to say. The game features four different teachers, the Chicken, the Frog, the Moose, and the Onion. Each teacher has their own The gameplay in Parappa the Rapper is very addictive, which is probably why the game was so great and spawned off many other knock off games and franchises. You use the entire Playstation controller, virtually all the buttons are usable, and you have timed motions for when you are supposed to push each button. It relies soley on the players rhythm ability, so if you're not exactly the most musical person, you might be out of luck on this one. Every time you hit the button, you will start rapping, and if you hit the buttons at the corresponding time, you will actually flow quite well. Let me tell you, the rhymes and beats in the game are actually quite impressive, considering the cute and kiddy premise it's working off of. Parappa is armed with the slogan, "I gotta believe!," which helps him get through the rough spots to impress Sunny throughout the game. The graphics in Parappa the Rapper are great, they feature crisp animations of a very unique style. The games are all paper thin, for what reason? I couldn't tell you, but it really works and gives off a great sense of style to the game. All the backgrounds seem to be 3D, which gives off marvelous effects and make the game more immersive. It's actually quite good looking for a game so old. The sound in Parappa is awesome, the sound effects and soudtrack are absolutely fabulous. The game features four different teachers, the Chicken, the Frog, the Moose, and the Onion. Each teacher has their own distinctive rapping styles. The Frog is the most amibiguous, he raps using a flaire of reggae. The other types are house rapping, pop rapping, and old school hip hop. The differences in the rapping adds much more style to the game, and the soundtrack. The value of Parappa is decent, the game is very short, about an hour long, and there isn't really anything to unlock. But the game is so much fun, you'll keep playing your favorite levels over and over again, because it's a good time. Overall, Parappa the Rapper is a game that has really stood the test of time for me, and has become one of my favorite games of all time. Parappa the Rapper is incredibly hip, and would be loved by people of all ages, I reccomend it highly to anyone who enjoys a good game.
