Saturday, 26 October 2013

Currently Playing...

It probably won't come as too much of a surprise to readers here at Red Parsley to hear that I spend fair amount of time playing video games. A vast majority of this time, however, is spent playing them for blog-related purposes (i.e. to review them or grab screenshots). This leaves me very little time to play a game simply for the enjoyment of playing it, but I do manage it now and then. The latest example is:

LocoRoco by SCE Japan Studio (2006) - Sony PSP

I had been without a PSP for over a year after getting rid of my original model with the intention of buying a more up-to-date model for emulation and stuff. It ended up taking me over a year but I finally received one, from my video game-hating wife no less! I was therefore rather pleased that I'd kept all the games I had bought the first time round and one of these - the game I bought a PSP for to begin with, in fact - was LocoRoco; the happiest game of all-time!

For the uninitiated, it's a crazy platformer, but almost certainly unlike any you've played before. Here you don't have control over any actual characters but rather the planet on which the game takes place! Using the shoulder buttons you can tilt it left or right, rolling the little LocoRocos around its surface, or press both buttons to jolt them into the air. Using this simple interface it's your job to guide the spherical creatures around their world collecting flowers and berries and all sorts of other stuff, but also to help them fight the evil Moja Troop. The result is a very unusual game but also a tremendously enjoyable one.

It's quite easy but there are tonnes of things to collect, all sorts of weird locales to explore, and millions of secrets to find. Add to that the immensely appealing graphics and catchy soundtrack (featuring a language made specially for the game) and you've basically got a happy pill in video game form! If you haven't played it yet, you really should - it's worth buying a PSP for (unless you're allergic to happy, cutesy games). I'm currently playing it all the way through again, from beginning to end, and I'm loving every minute of it! Japanese insanity at its best!

RKS Score: 9/10


See full review of LocoRoco here...
 
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5 comments:

  1. Lukey Firebee27 October 2013 at 01:51

    Wont be getting PSP for this, but agree its wonderful! Should be released on PC.... :D

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  2. RetroKingSimon27 October 2013 at 01:32

    You could probably buy the system and game for the same price as a PS3/360 game nowadays but yes, it might be helpful if they released it on something else :P

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  3. MultiplayerMario6427 October 2013 at 13:16

    I'd really like to try this game out. The newest game, Puppeteer for PS3, from the studio behind LocoRoco looks just as brilliant.

    The SCE Japan Studio is imho one of the last truly creative design teams in the console game industry along with Team ICO and Ubisoft Montpellier. What they're doing now seem like a lonely echo from times when video games were the bizarre and surprising thing from Japan and when the universes were built to cater to gameplay rather than to give players a feeling of power and self-control of narcissistic proportions in some ridiculous "cinematic" environment.

    Anyway thanks for reminding us about this little gem of modern game!

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  4. Bryan Ochalla27 October 2013 at 17:02

    Fully agree with your comments on this game. It's so happy and fun! Really need to get my PSP and my copy of this game out again so I can play it. Like you, though, I've been waiting to buy a new PSP, as my current one (bought used) is rather banged up, which makes me not want to use it. (Ha!)

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  5. RetroKingSimon29 October 2013 at 12:14

    Hi MPM64 - I was actually going to download the demo for Puppeteer on PSN the other day but it's about 5000 terabytes or something stupid so I didn't bother. I did not, however, realise it was from the same studio as the great LocoRoco so I will now endure the enormous download! I agree with your comments regarding most modern games too - that's the main reason I don't really bother with them except for the odd indie game or something...

    Hi Bryan - I remember that you like this game rather a lot :) Have you played the third game (Midnight Carnival or something)? I've never seen it for sale, I only found out about it a little while ago. You should get a new PSP soon anyway - I don't usually embrace Sony hardware but it's got some great titles :)

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