LocoRoco - PSP

[englishbob]

I've titled the tread Euro because the JP and US releases are quite a way off yet, so you never know if they will be differences.

Anyway, its landed into my grubby hands today, not had chance to really give it a good go yet, but I know from reading the manual that it has 2 bonus games to unlock AND you can create additional areas (a "track" editor if you will). I guess the gameplay impressions won't really differ from that of the demo, but it will be in the overall experience that counts.

Oh, and its 2.60 firmware people, lets get that out of the way first!

[MonkeyWrench]

Paid a visit to my local indie today and managed to sweet talk him into selling me this early. I would have posted earlier but I've not been able to drag myself away from it

Explored a few levels so far. All I can say is that this is contender for game of the year. I've not played another game that has made me smile so much! The music has been fantastic up to now also. I've yet to encounter anything special outside of the demo, particularly any of the shape shifting things I saw in the review copy. I'll post more as I get further in the game.

Finding Mui Mui's awards you with pieces to build your own LocoRoco house. Basically it's similar to the menu screen where the LocoRoco move around on their own except you can choose the items that are placed on the screen and you can sit back watch the little buggers hop randomly around the screen.

There's a few mini games too but there's only one unlocked so far which is like one of those seaside crane machines were you can grab cuddly toys, except you grab big singing blobs instead. The more LocoRoco you can grab the more of them you'll have hopping around your house.

Finally there's a photo mode. Press select and you grab screenshots. I was trying to attach a screenshot but there's a 19.5k upload limit.

[NekoFever]

So the full game actually has a lower firmware requirement than the demo? Huh!?

[MonkeyWrench]

Yup, well the English demo anyway. The original Japanese demo was for 2.60.

[Montario]

My brain is burning in anticipation for this, got the umd demo and the downloadable one, perfected them both.. i need MORE

[englishbob]

This game makes me feel like I'm 10 years old again. Had a lot of fun playing this last night, managed to clear the first world. No localisation has been done to this game, its all as bonkers as the JP demo. The levels appear a bit shorter than in the demo.

Presentation is top notch, loading times are about 3-5 seconds. Game design feels a lot like Katamari with the blend of excellent graphics and sounds / soundtrack. Gameplay wise its like Super Mario, you have a total of 20 berries to eat per level, but if you don't get all 20 it will not prevent you from progressing to the next level, but might prevent you from unlocking some "events". So a bit of replay value there.

Downsides? The amount of noise I make with the L/R triggers on the PSP, but then thats not the games fault! I've also experienced (twice now) in parts of the game where I don't seem to be able to regain control of Loco, I've had to put my PSP in standby and back again to get control again??? Time to RFTM!? Let me know if its just me or maybe I'm pressing the wrong buttons?

I would say this game comes highly recommended if you own a PSP and have the slightest interest in proper videogames.

[MonkeyWrench]

I did one of the snowy levels last night, which had some great sonic-esque moments where you go sliding down a slope and get flung off the end of a ramp. There's also sections of deep snow where you're unable to roll any faster than a mere crawl. I'm currently on a level where I'm inside a big monster, rolling around it's internal organs

I've not seen anything that says otherwise, but I don't think there's any option for downloadable content, which would be massively missed opportunity considering how much Sony are advertising this. It would have been great if we could download additional worlds

The more I play it the more I feel this is going to be regarded as a classic.

[englishbob]

The more I play it the more I feel this is going to be regarded as a classic.

I can see a sequel!

One level later on is inspired by Tim Burton.

[Yoshimax]

New PSP purchase GET.

Excellent - this has come at just the right time for the weekend train journey to Crisps.

[bootmonster]

like the fact the demos are included in there too,great fun, although you could hear the music better in the early demo,now the locos sing over it.can't complain though,now just waiting for gitaroo man to arrive and then news of the final fantasy vii remake i'v been gagging for,then my psp might have been worth it's ridiculous import price

[Zanza]

This game is just so much fun it makes me giggle at times, the whole game reminds me of Katamari Damacy all over again!

The music is supurb too, I love the french lounge type music on the first stage of world 2.

[Zanza]

I can see a sequel!

One level later on is inspired by Tim Burton.

If you mean the last stage of world one, I was totaly thinking nightmare before christmas while playing it.

[englishbob]

Last stage of World 2

[Zanza]

Anyone been able to find all the locoroco pod type things on world 1 stage 2 yet? I can't find the 20th

[Spatial]

Fair play this game is excellent so far - executed in the same sort of way that made Katamari Damacy great.

It's simplistic yet totally absorbing because of it. The design oozes character and charm in everything from the little singing LocoRoco to the monsters and the catchy music.

Like Katamari, it all combines into a perfect game to chill out to.

Brilliant - and such a change to the sort of stuff we're used to seeing on the PSP.