Conclusion:

You can either love it, or learn to love it. The little, helpless tribe of eye balls is bound to earn your sympathy, and when they do, it means you`re hooked. Their singing in order to confirm your drum beats will soon have chanting along and their frowning when spotting an enemy will make you start shouting Pon-Pon-Pata-Pon as you beat the drums. Or maybe not, and you`re a normal person, unlike me... With more content than a 20Gb PC game, more gameplay time than RPGs and more secret things to unlock than the Final Fantasy series, this has to be one of the best PSP games out there, and 20$ should be spent with your eyes closed.

Gameplay: 92

One of the best features of the game, as everything seems to be just right. Mission time is perfectly balanced with mini game time. The creation of your new Pons will have you trying out different combinations until you find the ones that suit your playing style and the hunting missions will be completed with your eyes closed. Once you feel the beat, it`s in your blood . Having a perfect mix of Pons, each made of only the finest materials and armed to the teeth with the best equipment in-game will prove to be quite a challenge. The increasingly difficult bosses provide a challenge even when you have a tribe full of elite warriors, and defeating every boss at level 99 will have you playing for months on end.

Graphics: 91

Simple in essence, just like the gameplay, but beautiful once you study it more, the graphics is definitely one of the games` strong points. Simple 2D backgrounds, but very colorful, and certainly a treat for the eyes since I can`t remember when the last time was when I saw a game look this good and use so few colors. The almost cartoony style is also great, your little frowning eye balls fitting right in.

Sound: 93

Patapon is truly a game of music and sounds. Headphones are a necessity, both for your health (you don`t want other train passengers to beat you up and shove your PSP down your throat, do you?) and for your success in-game. The drum beats will have you tapping your leg accordingly, the music will make you forget you have to get off at the next station, and the Fever mode (that causes the Pons to jump up and down a sing even louder and faster) will fill you with adrenaline. The mini games are a welcome distraction from the missions, their music being very relaxing and fun as well.

Multiplayer: n/a

Hardware: 99

With low loading times, and excellent performance, I`m sure that Patapon doesn`t push the PSP to its limits. One thing I must warn you about is the lack of a Pause button, so once you start a mission you`d better make you have time to finish it.