PaRappa the Rapper 2
| PaRappa the Rapper 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | NanaOn-Sha |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Designer(s) | Masaya Matsuura |
| Artist(s) | Rodney Greenblat |
| Writer(s) | Gabin Ito |
| Composer(s) | Masaya Matsuura Yoshihisa Suzuki |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Rhythm |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
PaRappa the Rapper 2 (パラッパラッパー2, Parappa Rappā Tsū) is a rhythm action video game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by NanaOn-Sha for the PlayStation 2. The game is the third title in the PaRappa the Rapper series following Um Jammer Lammy. On December 14, 2015, the game was made available for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Network.[1]
Gameplay
Gameplay follows that of its predecessors, in which the player must press buttons to make Parappa rap in response to a teacher's lyrics. Players earn points and progress by rapping in time to the music and maintaining a Good rating through to the end of each level. By successfully improvising raps, the player can obtain a Cool rating, during which Parappa will be given the chance to rap freestyle by himself. If the player performs badly, however, they will drop down a rating to Bad and Awful, with the player losing if they drop below Awful or end the song with a Bad or Awful rating. PaRappa 2 features some tweaks to the gameplay, as some of the teacher's lyrics may change based on the player's performance. For example, the lyrics may become simpler if the player is struggling, or become tougher if they perform well. After clearing two stages in a row, players can participate in a minigame where they must hit targets held out by Chop Chop Master Onion's Tamanegi students, earning bonus points which are added onto the previous level's score. Clearing each level with a Cool rating unlocks music tracks that can be listened to after completing the game. Each time the player clears the game, the color of Parappa's hat changes from blue, to pink, to yellow, with each hat remixing the lines in each level. In addition to the single player campaign, the game features a two-player Vs. Mode, in which players are given a line to rap to, which they must improve upon by freestyling better than their opponent.
Region differences
Similar to Um Jammer Lammy, the North American release of PaRappa the Rapper 2 features some censorship when compared to the Japanese and PAL (European) versions of the game, replacing lyrics referring to alcohol and religion in order to ensure an E rating from the ESRB. In the Beard Burger Master's rap, the line "Tastes better than wine" in the Japanese/PAL versions was changed to "You better get in line!" in the North American version to avoid an alcohol reference, which would've led to a T rating. In Guru Ant's rap, the line "I am the lord, everybody knows my name" was taken as a religious offense by the ESRB, so the developers had to change it to "I am the man, everybody knows my name."
In Japan, McDonald's released a demo disc alongside its Happy Meal, containing a demo of the first level which has been changed to resemble a McDonald's restaurant, alongside a demo of Ape Escape 2001.[2]
Plot
Parappa, having won a century's worth supply of instant noodle products, has become nothing short of weary from eating nothing but noodles for every meal every single day. When Parappa complains about being served noodles by his crush, Sunny Funny, he becomes shocked when she calls him a baby, causing him to question his own maturity. When Parappa and his friend P.J. Berri go to eat at Beard Burger instead, they learn that a mysterious phenomenon is turning all the food in town into noodles. From a poster, the Beard Burger Master, the one who opened Beard Burgers, helped Parappa make a "Traditional Parappa Town Burger". As Parappa and Sunny's respective fathers, Papa Parappa and General Potter, try to develop an invention that can stop the "noodlelization", they inadvertently shrink themselves and everyone else in the process. After That, Parappa And P.J. unknowingly participate in a workout on an adult show run by Chop Chop Master Onion not knowing that Parappa's dad and Potter are stuck small by Papa Parappa's Invention. Parappa presses a remote for a different T.V. Show but accidentally shrinks both P.J. and himself along with some other people. but they are soon helped out by the Guru Ant and return to normal size. After undergoing army training under Instructor Moosesha, Parappa helps rescue a Hairdresser Octopus from being possessed into giving people afros, discovering "Food Court", a video game cartridge, to be the cause. Parappa's father warns that if the player loses the game, the cartridge will curse them to only be able to eat noodles. Despite this, Parappa insists that he be the one to win the game.
Upon winning the game, Parappa's father reverse engineers the cartridge to create a device that can reverse the noodlelization. Parappa and the others use sweets and the de-noodlelization devices to combat against the Noodle Syndicate, who are behind the town's noodlelization. They soon confront the mastermind, Colonel Noodle, who is revealed to be the son of Beard Burger Master who, similar to Parappa's situation, had grown nothing short of weary from eating burgers all his life and decided that noodles should rule the world instead. Thankfully, Parappa manages to convince him to be more open-minded about various types of food as everyone celebrates with a party, Sunny assures him that he's more mature than what he thinks of himself to be. Everything returns to normal minus the situation repeating itself when he wins a lifetime supply of cheese
Soundtrack
| PaRappa the Rapper 2 | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Yoshihisa Suzuki and Masaya Matsuura | |
| Released | 2001[3] |
| Genre | Video game music |
| Length | 65:41 |
| Label | Sony Records |
PaRappa the Rapper 2 had its soundtrack named after its game.
All tracks are written by Yoshihisa Suzuki and Masaya Matsuura
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Noodle Monster" | 0:28 |
| 2. | "Boring" | 1:07 |
| 3. | "PaRappa appearance 2" | 0:47 |
| 4. | "Say "I Gotta Believe!"" (featuring De La Soul and Double, also written with Kelvin Mercer, Dave Jolicoeur and Vincent Mason) | 4:15 |
| 5. | "Now Loading" | 0:06 |
| 6. | "Door Opening" | 0:07 |
| 7. | "Noodle Talk" | 1:02 |
| 8. | "Sea boy practice!" | 1:14 |
| 9. | "Jump in the delusion Part 2" | 0:10 |
| 10. | "It is possible! Part 2" | 0:11 |
| 11. | "Toasty Buns" | 2:53 |
| 12. | "Nude completion" | 1:28 |
| 13. | "Opening theme of Romantic Love" | 0:51 |
| 14. | "This is pleasant" | 0:20 |
| 15. | "Romantic Love" | 3:34 |
| 16. | "Mini-Game" | 2:20 |
| 17. | "Channel war" | 1:46 |
| 18. | "BIG" | 4:00 |
| 19. | "Maneuvers meeting" | 1:58 |
| 20. | "As for you, PaRappa" | 0:11 |
| 21. | "Sista Moosesha" | 3:38 |
| 22. | "Gym Agitation" | 0:58 |
| 23. | "Forest" | 0:27 |
| 24. | "Cute Hairstyle" | 0:11 |
| 25. | "Hair Scare" | 3:04 |
| 26. | "Secret of father" | 2:41 |
| 27. | "Food Court" | 3:51 |
| 28. | "Candy Attack" | 2:48 |
| 29. | "Noodles Can't Be Beat" | 3:21 |
| 30. | "Come A Long Way" | 4:08 |
| 31. | "Always Love!" | 5:02 |
| 32. | "Boring again" | 1:59 |
| 33. | "Say "I Gotta Believe!" (Funkyboard Mix) - Bonus Track" (featuring De La Soul and Double, also written with Kelvin Mercer, Dave Jolicoeur and Vincent Mason) | 4:29 |
| Total length: | 65:41 | |
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 67/100[4] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1Up.com | B-[5] |
| AllGame |    [6] |
| Computer and Video Games | 6/10[7] |
| Eurogamer | 7/10[8] |
| Famitsu | 31/40[9] |
| GamePro | [10] |
| GameRevolution | C-[11] |
| GameSpot | 6.6/10[12] |
| GameSpy | 81%[13] |
| GameZone | 6/10[14] |
| IGN | 7/10[15] |
| X-Play | [16] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C-[17] |
The game received "mixed to positive" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4]
GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann gave the game a 6.6, stating that "an almost total lack of innovation makes the game seem pretty dated when compared with other games on the market. ... Even when played to perfection, though, the rapping still sounds just as stuttery as it did in the previous game. While it was excusable then and perhaps even a little charming, it would have been nice to see the developers make better use of the PlayStation 2's higher specs." Though the game "features the same 2D graphical style as its predecessor, but it's not without its share of enhancements," he added, "The music in the game covers a lot more ground, genre-wise, than the original did, but none of it is especially funny or toe-tapping – with the exception of the level that takes place inside an old video game machine. PaRappa 2 isn't a bad game, but it doesn't have as much of the same off-beat charm that the original – and to a lesser extent, Um Jammer Lammy – had."[12] However, IGN's Douglass C. Perry gave the game a slightly better score of 7, saying, "The game concept hasn't changed, leaning neither toward an evolutionary or even a moderate change in the way gamers play music games. ... [PaRappa 2 is] not as hard as Um Jammer Lammy (which may be good for some folks), and it certainly covers familiar territory when it comes to the essentials – gameplay, graphics, and sound – but it's still fun and happy-making."[15]
References
- ^ Copeland, Wesley (Dec 11, 2015). "PaRappa the Rapper 2 is Coming to PS4". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved Dec 11, 2015.
- ^ Spencer (14 February 2008). "PaRappa, Sony and the McDonald's Happy Disc part 2". Siliconera. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
- ^ https://vgmdb.net/album/1511
- ^ a b "PaRappa the Rapper 2 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ "Parappa the Rapper 2 Review". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ Miller, Skyler. "PaRappa the Rapper 2 - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ Scott, Dean (2002-02-23). "PS2 Review: Parappa the Rapper 2 Review". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on 9 March 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ Taylor, Martin (2002-04-21). "Parappa The Rapper 2 Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ "プレイステーション2 - パラッパラッパー2". Famitsu. 915: 89. 30 June 2006.
- ^ "PaRappa the Rapper 2 Review". GamePro. January 23, 2002. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ "PaRappa the Rapper 2 review for the PS2". Game Revolution. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ a b Gerstmann, Jeff (2002-01-22). "PaRappa the Rapper 2 Review for PlayStation 2". GameSpot. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ Alupului, Andrei (2002-01-31). "Parappa The Rapper 2 Review". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2002-06-11. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Bedigian, Louis (2002-01-28). "Parappa the Rapper 2 Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ a b Perry, Douglass C. (2002-01-22). "Parappa the Rapper 2 - PlayStation 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
- ^ Keil, Matthew (11 January 2002). "'PaRappa the Rapper 2' (PS2) Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on 17 January 2002. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ Robischon, Noah (1 March 2002). "Parappa the Rapper 2 Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 September 2012.