Dear Patapon fans, I am pleased to announce the official rebranding of TGIF to TGIPBD aka Thank Goodness It’s Patapost Blog Day.
Yes, yes…I know that there was a Patapost earlier this week, but the timing on that was off due to my .beat clock being a few beats off beat. I’m fully synced to the rhythm of the Earth, so there should be no problem from this point on, so consider this week’s double post a once in a pata-lifetime experience.
Now, moving forward onto the topic of the day and one of the new great features of Patapon 2: the great masked warrior Hero Patapon.
Hero Patapon is a mythical creature (like a yeti, but cuter and real-er), with magical powers and a heart of gold. His fighting skills are second to none and it’s rumored that he beat Chuck Norris in a staring contest (with one eye!).
True this: he is the most powerful Patapon in the WORLD!
So your question is: how do you tap into this awesomeness and channel his amazing-ness into complete Karmen oblivion? Well friends, I have two syllables for you: fe-ver.
That’s right, Fever Mode, the magic point in time when your rhythmic prowess sets the Patapons into a frenzy is also the time when Hero Patapons special abilities come to shine. So here is how it will work: lets say you are headed down a jungle, spear in hand chanting Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon (march command) to you heart’s delight…and then you see a Kachidonga in the distance…and you strike Pon-Pon-Pata-Pon (attack command).
Under normal conditions, this would set of a hail of spears and arrows from your troops, and if you are in Fever Mode, the hail would blacken the skies with fury. But if you perfectly strike each drum to the rhythm of the earth, Hero Patapon will charge his energy and unleash an extra-deadly attack, covering enemies in a world of hurt.
But how will you know if you have a perfect strike? Simple: after each perfect command (four perfect drum beats), you will hear a cymbal ding. This is the sound of hurt (for the enemies that is). As soon as you hear the cymbal ding, you will see that Hero Patapon charge and his special power icon will glow above him and he will launch his attack.
What could be greater than that? Perhaps customizing his attack? Maybe you’d like to change his appearance? Perhaps being able to level-up his powers? Would you like to make sure that he never leaves the battle and fights endlessly? Well, if these are your requests, your wish is granted.
Customizing his attacks and his look is done with a simple swap of his mask. Each mask grants the Hero Patapon with a special property (attack, defend, speed, etc) and combined with the fact you can also morph him into any type of specialized soldier (Toripon, Yaripon, etc.), you can truly create a universal soldier just to your liking.
Because of his battle-hardened skills, Hero Patapon will always take the lead in any battle, so it’s only logical that he will take the most hits in any confrontation…and he’ll take each hit like a champ. But what happens when he takes one too many hits? Will he bite the dust? Technically, yes, he will bite it, chew it and spit out diamonds. That’s how tough he is. Of course it takes a while to create diamonds, so each time his energy drains to zero, the Hero Patapon will take a quick breather to regain his energy before joining the battle again.
But what about his masks you ask? Where do you get them?
Well friends, that is a topic for another (read: next TGIPBD) day, where we will dive into multiplayer, eggs, and discovering new masks by breaking those eggs in multiplayer mode (see how it all ties in?).
Hey, remember Koei's PS3-exclusive action title, Ni-OH? You don't? Well, maybe that's because it all but vanished after making a brief, non-playable appearance at TGS in 2006, never to be heard from again -- that is, until the latest issue of Famitsu confirmed that Koei is, in fact, still working on the title. Admittedly, we'd probably be more excited about this development if we'd have heard anything about the game over the past three years. You don't call, you don't write, and now you expect us to let you just walk right back into our lives? It's not that easy, pal.
Gamers are getting their chance to go Bionic this May when Grin extends it's retail arm to deliver Bionic Commando. In a new series of trailers (dubbed "Lab Reports") the developer showcases some abilities gamers will use to navigate and survive the treacherous landscape.
We know. You're worried about the journey ahead, but you have the wits and will to complete your mission and the heart to continue when the going gets tough. We believe in you. Also, you will have a gigantic bionic arm capable to decimating foes and traversing the world in any direction... so, stop crying about it!
Our impressionsofBayonetta have been consistently favorable, and now we must invent new heights for our appreciation to soar. Following our viewing of this latest trailer -- the highlight of which is the game's heroine suplexing a giant dragon because we weren't lying in the headline of this post -- we've come to believe that Bayonetta's release cannot come soon enough. And it doesn't even have a release date yet, so it's that much tougher.
Sure, it looks a lot like Devil May Cry, but is that such a bad thing? Let us hold hands through this near two minute video ride together, and embrace the action. And maybe watch her suplex that dragon 3 or 4 more times.
Concept art for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has surfaced online and it's looking absolutely gorgeous. The images show some very ambitious action sequences and intense environments (such as a gun battle on a moving train, and deadly drop zones like the gutted train car hanging over a cliff pictured above).
Of course, concept art can only show the intent of designers and not the final content found in the game. Though, those lucky enough to have seen the leaked GDC gameplay footage might attest that the transition from concept to game is working out just fine. IGN has a few more concept paintings to check out, including an area that looks like it could be Shangri-La.
Can you spot the difference between the four Katamari Damacy Tribute images seen above? All four pictures showcase a different visual filter used in the game, and according to Siliconera, this change in art style and appearance can be adjusted by the player. The four filters are: classic, colored pencil, wood grain and cel-shaded.
Now, the question is: Which image corresponds to the right filter? We could just tell you, but we thought you'd have more fun playing a guessing game. So which one is which? Answers are after the break, no peeking!
Advent Children Complete hits Japanese retailers next Thursday, April 16 and Square Enix is getting ready for it. The company recently held a launch party and early screening for the reworked and completed film. Celebrating in style, SE's party hosted many items fans could only dream of owning -- like a 1/1000 scale Midgar replica (pictured) or a life-sized Buster Sword (after the break). Three Advent Children Complete sets were also on display, and there were Final Fantasy XIII kiosks too -- most likely as a reminder of the demo that comes packed together with ACC.
It seemed like a night to remember. We wished we were there. We'll just have to settle for the next best thing: photos. Luckily, UFFS has more of those, so head over there to see it all.
Team Ninja wants Ninga Gaiden Sigma 2 to be "sleek and sexy" rather than focus on ultra violence, a major selling-point for the original Xbox 360 sequel. Speaking with CVG, Sigma 2 producer and director Yosuke Hayashi said the team working on the upcoming PlayStation 3 revamp wants to shy away from retreading the waters of the Xbox version because the team is "kind of egoistic" and gets "bored with the same continuous concept."
That doesn't mean Hayash wants to turn Sigma 2 into Flower but the team would rather pursue a different direction for the franchise and "start evolving this game." As long as the first piece of the evolutionary Ninja Gaiden puzzle is a working camera, we're all in.
Lately, Sony has taken a Skittles-esque liking for more PSP colors. Japan just got the new Carnival set and a lilac system is heading to North America soon. And, as it would appear, a lime green PSP is also in the works. According to Chinese website VGSky.com, the lime green PSP-3000 model pictured above was produced in a Sony factory in China. It's currently unknown whether this specific color is being mass-produced or just a prototype.
Japan already has 12 different PSP color variants released on the market, and North America will soon have six. Where will this new color go, if it is indeed legit?
As long as you promise not to break or burn anything, we'll allow you to view these video clips of Tales of Vesperia PS3 and the PSP-exclusive Tales of VS. Above, you'll find a Japanese trailer for Vesperia. It features the all-new pirate character, Patty.
After the break is a trailer for Tales of VS, which is very much like Dissidia: Final Fantasy in the sense that both are cameo-based fighters. VS gathers 35 characters from across the Tales series. Popular personalities such as Yuri, Luke, Richter and Shing are all confirmed. Also, you may have noticed that the trailer was entirely done in English. What could that mean, if anything? Tales of Vesperia and Tales of VS are scheduled for Japanese releases in autumn and summer 2009, respectively.
