Parappa the Rapper

I haven't completed a game since... December? That's why I'm an Incompletionist. 

While I wasn't the biggest gamer back in the late 90's I do remember the launch of the PlayStation and it's effect on what video games were becoming back then. I loved the PlayStation, and its ability for full motion video sequences, expanded soundtracks, and three dimensional adventure games. The loading screens were somehow tolerable, and games themselves seemed leagues ahead of their 16-bit predecessors.

Parappa the Rapper stands out as one of the most interesting games I owned from that era. I vaguely remember the few commercials that ran sometime around 1997 or 1998. I don't suppose that the game was as incredibly popular in America as it was in Japan, but I could be wrong. I ended up picking it up because I was intrigued with the crazy characters, and the music. I had no idea what the game was like.

While reading some of the first issues of the Official Playstation Magazine, it seemed like the editors were nuts for this game. They went as far as having most of  their photos taken with the iconic Parappa beanie. In the first  issues of that publication, there is constant mention of Parappa the Rapper. I didn't read these magazines until later, so I wasn't part of the initial fanaticism around this game when it was brought over from Japan almost a year after its initial release.

I ended up with the game around 1998 and I was amazed at the goofy lyrics and my inability to match the rhythm with the PlayStation's controller buttons. The songs were memorable, and it was a game that my younger siblings could enjoy as well because it wasn't technically difficult. The game is a early rhythm-music game, much in the same respects as Guitar Hero and Rock Band were a decade later. I don't know if people give Parappa the credit it deserves when it comes to rhythm type music video games, but it definitely was something that stood out amidst the other games that were being made by Sony at the time.

Parappa the Rapper had a spin off called UmJammer Lammy, a sequel on the PS2, an anime television show, and will now be featured in the upcoming game PlayStation Allstars Battle Royale. It seems that folks love this rapping dog.

What's funny is that for the better part of over a decade, I've kept the insert poster on my dorm wall, bedroom wall, and now it is on my office bulletin board. I'm always reminded of Parappa's catch phrase "I Gotta Believe!!"

Origianal Japanese insert poster

North American insert poster

NOTE: There's different poster for the PAL version of the game, from what I can tell, it matches the orange cover. I've looked all over the internet for a scan, but came up empty handed. 

Box Art

PAL cover

Japanese Cover

I like that the Japanese art tries to describe and cram all the stuff from the game on a small CD cover. Was that a nineties thing? Love the flying toilet with wings by the way.

American Cover

PSP re-release cover

Development

The music stands out as the strongest point of the game. Depending on how well you repeat the rap, the key will change and elements of the song start to get crazy. It's almost worth losing a few times on each level to see the different animations for each stage. The games seems limited in terms of content from today's standards, but six levels, a bonus stage, and all of those short full motion movies between stages was a lot for 1997.

The artwork for the game was created by American artist Rodney Greenblat. His work was the basis of the two dimensional look of the characters. He also went on to design characters for the Anime series that aired in Japan, as well as create and produce the popular manga Thunder Bunny.

Sony Magazine cover designed by Rodney Greenblat

The game was developed by Masaya Matsuura who has since created many games that focus on interactions with rhythm and music. He was part of a popular Japanese music group called PSY S. After Parappa the Rapper, Matsuura went on to produce Vib Ribbon and various other music video games. Its interesting that Matsuura has focused his career in video games around music, especially as the PlayStation allowed for better sound quality in games. Perhaps it was ironic that PSY S broke up around 1996.

Results

The first thing I noticed while playing the game is that the full motion videos have really shown their age. They  look like bad quality computer animations from kid television, and at the same time they have this cartoonish appeal that make them worth watching. Each of the stages are as I remember them: freaking amazing. I like how they made everyone two dimensional in a interesting kind of papercraft kind of way. Sequels to the game improve on the graphics of the character, but in my opinion try to make Parappa a more three dimensional character than he was originally designed to be.

Playing through the first couple levels is easy enough, and then the game ramps up the difficulty, or becomes out of sync with the rhythm.. I can't decide which. The hardest level is definitely the 5th level where you must battle rap the other characters in order to cut in line at the bathroom before you soil yourself. I think at the 5th level there's a definite problem with the note delay or something, because it can be difficult. The final level is a breeze and reunites the entire cast of the game for a final song.

If you beat the game you can go back and attempt to reach a "Cool" rating on each song. If you complete every level with that ranking, a secret Bonus Stage opens up. I haven't been able to do that yet. I'm just not that good freestyling the rap, and there are still sync issues with the music and beat. I'll see if I can pull it off later.

Over all, it was a nostalgic trip to play and finally beat Parappa the Rapper.

VICTORY!

statistics:

lives: 2? levels: 6 continues: 1 game overs: 1saved games: 5 approximate time: 30 minutes