2nd Op By

Dale Weir 9.0 RATING

If nothing else PaRappa The Rapper broke all the rules. I remember like Chi, when PaRappa was released and some people dogged it because it was very simple looking game. It didn't have the latest in 3D graphics and state of the art Artificial Intelligence (AI). No one knew for sure how the gaming public as a whole would except it. It didn't fit into any particular genre and to call it unconventional was an understatement. No one saw a market for this type of game and no one was willing to even test the market until this game was released.

I liked this game too. I have to admit that I was not expecting to like it as much as I did because it was so new and different. It's obvious that Sony put a lot of work into making sure that someone like me would come back to it. When I finally beat some of the stages through mimicking the "teacher", I was pleasantly surprised to see that the game was not over. There's the option to free-style that Chi mentioned where I was encouraged to add my own combinations and style to the rap the teacher provided. It offered a great new dimension to the game as I could add further personalize the experience. That's a unique feat that definitely scored points with me.

When Chi called PaRappa special I remembered when I first saw the Jamaican frog's stage. It was so strange to be playing music in a game but it was even stranger to be doing so to Reggae beats. It was actually true to the music, not too stereotypical which was rare in a game from Japan. It showed that the developers cared about the product they were releasing. As a result, PaRappa offered one of the best and most refreshing experiences I have ever had as a game player. It's just good-natured fun. I find myself using the word "fun" very often to describe the game but I believe that's the highest compliment I can give any game.

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