Customer Rating:  
Summary: Fun, but not as portable as I would like.
Comment: This game is truly amazing, one of the best PSP games ever. If you like rhythm games at all you will enjoy patapon. It's a bit like an rpg in that you get to gear out your army with all sorts of weapons and armor that you find in battle. The controls however are all based on hitting the x, square, triangle and circle buttons in rhythm to the beat of the game. This makes your army move, and if you continue to match the rhythm perfectly your army fights better. If you mess up they don't throw their spears as far or attack as fast. There is also different rhythm patterns that you have control over which allow you to dodge, attack, defend, or use a special power. The game is truly unique and you should get it if you're into rhythm games in the slightest.
My only con with it is you have to wear headphones with this when you're on the go, and for me it was impossible to concentrate on anything but this game when I was playing it. If I got distracted for even a second I always lost the beat. Basically I only ended up playing this game at home, and played games like daxter and ratchet and clank on the go. I should mention that the levels are short, so you can play a level in about 5 minutes or so.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fun, Fun, Fun!
Comment: This game is a rare example of a perfect balance between game play, difficulty, adventure, simple interface, and inspired graphics and design. You control a band of one-eyed Patapon warriors on their adventure to Earth's End. You don't control your troops directly, but instead tap out drum beats on the buttons to issue general commands. The control is simple, but mastering the beats, the "fever mode", and proper timing to go off-beat to escape danger make the play mechanics interesting.
The graphics are simple 2-D shapes, mostly black and white, but with wonderful design and animations. There are many items to pick up and equip your troops with, but getting them takes time. The music is an important part of the game, fortunately, it's a great mix - upbeat and disturbingly catchy. This game is ideally suited for the PSP format, and will make a great gift for a gamer of any age, except for the die-hard button mashers.
But the most important part is that this game is FUN. Lots of it! FUN, FUN, FUN. Definitely on of the most fun games I have played in a very long time. I strongly recommend it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Patapon Rocks!!!
Comment: Great game. It's so much fun. It's repetitive but in a good way. I recommend it 100%.
Customer Rating:
Summary: PATA-PATA-PAWESOME!!
Comment: I've played the demo of this game and I LOVED IT!!!! It's hard to give the huge eyeball people a bad grade.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pack it up, Parappa! There's the door, DDR! Say hello to Patapon!!!
Comment: When I picked up this game for rental at my local video store, I had no idea what to expect. After playing it, I can say this: Patapon is without a doubt, one of the most addictive and fun PSP games I have ever played.
The game is simple enough - we are the unseen God of a little tribe of people who look like walking eyeballs called the Patapon. We start out with a small group of soldiers called Yaripon, and embark on a quest to defeat the evil Zigoton tribe, and find the elusive "IT".
The soldier classes are the following:
Yaripon - Spear throwing soldiers
Tatepon - Foot soldiers
Yumipon - Archers
Kibapon - Soldiers on horseback
Dekapon - Ogres
Megapon - Soldiers with musical horns
Now like any good Role Playing Game (RPG), you have to decide which soldiers are the best suited for each mission. Some are good at hunting, others are not. Some rush headlong into battle, others wait it out and release devastating attacks from afar.
Here's the gameplay twist - for your platoon to perform any action, you have to tap out special drum beats on the PSP buttons.
For example:
Moving your platoon requires the beat "pata-pata-pata-pon"
Ordering your platoon to attack requires the beat "pon-pon-pata-pon"
If drum beats are played successfully a number of times in a row, you can unlock "fever mode" - this unlocks more powerful attacks and quicker troop movements. If you miss a beat, you have to start again. As you get more proficient at Patapon, you can unlock more advanced drum beats, create more powerful soldiers, unlock mini-games, find hidden artifacts, discover miracles, and more.
During each mission you can gather currency (known as ka-ching!), various raw materials, and weaponry. These items can be used to create more powerful Patapon soldiers during the level breaks.
There are a few negative items about Patapon:
(1) There is no pause button. Once you start a stage, it can take up to 7 minutes to clear. Any interruptions and it's bye, bye, fever mode.
(2) There is an item pickup error. Sometimes when Patapon finish their victory song, they will walk right over some items without adding them to the spoils of war.
(3) It's not clear how to "retire" a solider and create a new one. You have to delete a solider in the preparation screen with the select button - I had to go online to figure this out.
Patapon is a fun and very addictive little game. With over 30 levels and 4 mini-games, that's a lot of playability for a great price. This is the only PSP game I've come across that combines problem solving, strategizing, and bongo-beating into a hilarious little package.
If you like rhythm games such as Dance Dance Revolution or PaRappa The Rapper, you will definitely find a lot of enjoyment playing Patapon.
If rhythm games aren't your thing, or if the aforementioned issues would cause you frustration, you might want to skip this one.
Don't worry, the best way to know if you're addicted to Patapon is if someone in your house comes down with a temperature and the first thought in your head is:
"Keep it up!!!"
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