Portable power!

The most popular current-generation console is a handheld. Computer companies with limited experience in the console market are jumping in with handhelds of their own. There's no denying it: portable gaming is in the midst of a renaissance. But as companies continue to ?release handheld consoles, and as consumers continue to buy them, I'm struck by an interesting question: what was the last mainstream handheld game?

I'm not talking about a game that you can play on a handheld. At this point, you can play basically any game ever made on a handheld. I'm talking about a game built for handhelds, one that benefits from a small???er form factor, lower processing power, and increased portability. Handheld consoles are about as big as they've ever been... so where are all the handheld games?

Very important pockets

Think back with me on simpl??er times. Remember when companies like Nintendo and Sony would have two main consoles on the market at once? A chunky home device and its lean, mean, pocket-friendly little sister? And, crucially, remember when they had different libraries? There was a kind of separation of powers in those days, and it led to some really compelling design decisions.

[caption id="attachment_359259" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sony Interactive Entert??ainment[/cap?tion]

The limited power of the handheld has also always been of some import. Patapon, Loco Roco, and Echoshift are all wildly beloved PSP and Vita franchises, and it's hard to imagine any of them connecting on the PS3. While home consoles were in the midst of a graphical arms race, pushing more and more cinematic stories, Sony was quietly publishing some deeply innovative and interesting titles on their dedicated handhelds. At home, you get Halo and The Last of Us. O??n the go, you get a rhythm tactics side-scr??oller.

Most of these games are designed based on a simple philosophy: a great handheld game is built on the idea that it will be played in your hand. It's a game in which nothing is lost on the small screen, and, indeed, one in which something is gained. Patapon plays great on my PlayStation 5, but its miniature heroes, are built for a smaller world. The characters bear simple designs that are readable on a smaller screen. They address the player directly, assuming a level of intimacy that the PSP facilitates nicely. Most importantly, t??he tight, brief levels are the kind of thing that belong in a back pocket, not on a TV stand.

A delicious bite

When I talk about games that are truly built for handheld play, it's hard to avoid Pokémon: I have long believed that the original Pokémon games would have faded into the realm of the cult classic on home consoles. These games are full of smart design calls that make them sing on the go. Of course, Pokémon has some pretty foundationally pocket-sized ideas. A game about going on an adventure and findin??g new things outside was undoubtedly able to more fully resonate with young children who could actually take it with them on their own mini-journeys.

Portability in Pokémon is baked into its ethos, but it also plays a meaningful role in its design. Battles are tactical, but they're usually brief affairs. Every moment offers up t??he chance to see a cool new character, or to win a really tough fight. Satisfaction and engagement awaits around every corner... which also means every play session, no matter how bite-sized, is satisfying and engaging.

[caption id="attachment_359268" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

"Brief but satisfying" is the aim in a good handheld game. That's also why a lot of homebound games earned a revival in the back seat of Mom's car. Series like Final Fantasy and Persona earned second lives through handheld ports - where sprawling RPGs with intense stories were once considered TV-oriented affairs, ports like Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions and Persona 4 Golden posited that a sixty hour game with three minute fights might actually be more digestible on the go. These games were already satisfying in bursts, so they made for a natural fit on the PSP and PS Vita. Likewise, Tetris' earliest releases were on Soviet home computers, but its most iconic incarnation was on the original Game Boy. As it turns out, pe??ople like score-chasing dopamine hits in their pockets.

A necessary lifeline

Handheld design philosophy also left the door open to iterate on home concepts. When home gaming systems entered the 3D era, a lot of franchises made the jump with them. Handheld consoles needed games, too, but sprawling adventures didn't always play as well on the g?o. That meant older design phi??losophy met with handheld design philosophy to keep certain corners of the gaming world alive.

I often think of Metroid Fusion. This was a 2D Metroid game released on the Game Boy Advance exactly one day before Metroid Prime, which would become the "main" Metroid series for the following twenty years. My personal opinions on Fusion aside, it is a great portable title. It's fairly linear by necessity, because it is designed to be played in shorter bursts by more casual players. More notably, though, it's an actual 2D Metroid game - I can't help but feel that if the GBA wasn't around, 2D Metroid might have disappeared entirely. As a matter of fact, when a new 2D Metroid game finally arrived on ?the Nintendo Switch in 2021, it was a retooled version of a DS game.

[caption id="attachment_359263" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda followed similar trajectories: as the home console games got more expansive, the portable games tightened the bolts on?? classic concepts, offering up some of the best games in their respective franchises.

What now?

In 2023, the distinction between "handheld" and "home console" is becoming increasingly muddy. The Nintendo Switch, of course, exists to destroy that distinction entirely, serving as both Nintendo's current generation handheld and its home console. Games made for the Switch need to be both home console titles and handheld titles (and the handheld bit usually cedes itself to the big-screen bit). The Steam Deck, similarly, is a handheld that plays PC games. At least for now, basically nothing is built for the Steam Deck. It also bears mentioning that, while they do fit in your hand, neither of these consoles are especially portable, so the "on-the-go" philosophy that defines games like Pokémon isn't something developers need to consider.

I think the impact of this has been almost instantaneously obvious. It seems unlikely that we'll ever get, say, a new 2D Zelda game on the Switch. When an old 2D Zelda game was brought over, it was prettied up and converted to 3D to make it look and feel ?less like a handheld game. Sony has seemingly given up on its handheld platforms ?entirely. The company offers PS4 and PS5 remote play on mobile devices, as well as a meager offering of remastered PSP titles for its home consoles, but looking at a list of Sony-published games from the last several years, it's apparent that the portable design philosophy has vanished.

[caption id="attachment_359260" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

There have been proper handheld games developed and released more recently - Panic's Playdate, for example, is a comically underpowered monochrome handheld with a dedicated and compelling library. It's become something of a safe haven for independent developers looking for a quirky platform where smaller games can flourish. Developers want to make new games like Patapon, and the Playdate offers them that space. While there are plenty of Playdate games that would be comfortable enough on home consoles, the most beloved titles on the platform tend to be games like Bennett Foddy's Zipper, a tactical RPG full of brief, satisfying e??n??counters.

In terms of mainstream consoles, though? We're pretty much out of luck. Every game made for Nintendo's flagship handheld must necessarily be made for its flagship home system, and nobody else is even trying to offer a smaller counterpart to their massive offerings. There's a portable hole in?? the market, and I truly hope someone comes along to fill it.

The post Where have the handheld games gone? appeared first on Destructoid.

A blast from 2008

I haven't thought about Patapon in a while.

Not because of the quality of the series, mind! It's just that digging up my PSP to get a few rounds in can be a chore, espe?cially when my Vita and 3DS are pre-loaded with a ton of portable classics out of the gate. Well, it's going to be a lot easier to get back into the sequel this week.

As was previously hinted, Patapon 2 will arrive on the PS4 this very week on January 30. For the uninitiated, Patapon is a lovely little rhythm series that allows players to take control of a cute and deadly arm??y as they march across levels and take down enemies. ??It was pretty much universally hailed as one of the leading portable rhythm games at the time, and still holds up rather well.

The first Patapon hit PS4 in August of 2017, so you have that to look forward to if you're?? coming in blind.

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Tracking site spots new uploads

It's a Christmas miracle! Well, not exactly, but it appears that those looking forward to Square Enix' upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake?? might get the opportunity to take Cloud and co. out for a test drive sooner?? than they expected.

According to Gamstat, a website that tracks all upload activity on the PlayStation Store, a Final Fantasy VII Remake demo sho??uld be joining the PSN service in the near future. There is a single simplistic icon, but no informati?on regarding date or content. Of course, Square Enix are yet to confirm such a demo, so this is merely a promising rumour for now.

Also noted by Gamstat is the continued existence of Patapon 2 Remastered, which was first announced two whole years ago, before seemingly dropping off the map. The reemergence of the t?i??tle onto PSN would indicate that this new edition of the 2008 PlayStion Portable release is ready and raring to launch soon.

We will keep you informed if there is any official confir?mation of these rele??ases.

Final Fantasy VII Remake demo and Patapon 2 Remaster?ed PSN store [Gematsu]

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Feel the rhythm next year

During the opening ceremony of the PlayStation Experience Friday night, there was a lot said about Sony's position in the marketplace right now. The PS4 is doing wonderfully, its VR headset is probably the best selling VR machine on the market, and fans are flocking to play remakes and remasters of their favorite games on the system. With its massive install base, the PS4 is in a great position to revive franchises we haven't seen in a while. It's doing it with MediEvil, LocoRoco, Crash Bandicoot, and Patapon.

The original Patapon found its way to the PlayStation 4 earlier this summer. Next year, Patapon 2 will be? making its way there as well. It's been a hot minute since the game released on the PSP, ??but when it arrives in 2018 it will bring with it a new 4K presentation on the PS4 Pro.

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It's good for what ails ya!

This week gave us a good excuse to talk about Patapon. It's back! Well, in remastered-for-PS4 form, anyway. The rhythm-action title was one?? of my favorites on PSP. I need to get this new?? version.

Over on the PlayStation Blog, Sony has an interview up with producer Hiroyuki Kotani and sound designer Kemmei Adachi, as well as a free dynamic theme. The duo has some neat production insights, including how the art direction and design came to be ("I remember writing in the design doc that this would be a game for adults with good taste and an interest i??n art"), who dug this game ("40% of players were women"), and even a few tips for newcomers (the game can be tough!).

My favorite part has got to be this back and forth about the singing in Patapon:

Who did the singing?

Kotani: My son! (Laughs) I thought it would be fun to have children sing, but since we didn’t have the budget to hire, I asked my son to have a go. (Laughs) At the time he was about 10. We t??hrew the little bundle of energy into the studio and asked him to sing for us!

Adachi: It was our first time doing it that way, so it was as difficult as you might expect. It was really hard to have?? a child maintain the energy needed. It was?? the summer holidays and he just wanted to play, and he got brought into the studio when he was still half asleep.

Kotani: He laid down the ya-ho-hois and woo-ha-has w?hile listening to the backing track.

Adachi: It was all done quite spontaneously. Before working on Patapon, I’d worked on LocoRoco, which was a similar approach. My voice is actually in that game too. I got up in front of the mic and laid down some chorus and gradually added to it. Patapon ended up quite similar in terms of the method.

Kotani:. We rigged it up so my son could hear me throug??h the mic, and I sang an improved little song based on the backing track and had him copy me. Turns out even the recording utilised call and response! (Laughs) It felt a bit like a concert.

As for that free theme, you'll just need to enter an email address and name one of the War Drums in Patapon on the blog post. Pon, Pon, Pata, Pon!

Marching to the Beat of Their Own Drum —?? An Interview with the Creators of Patapon [PlayStation Blog]

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When the beating of your drum echoes the beating of your thumb

Patapon was one of the old greats of the original PlayStation Portable. Sony's hybrid rhythm-??tactical game captured hearts with? its unique art style and approach to gameplay, though in truth, its influence didn't stretch too far past the confines of the PSP audience and its own series.

Still, a lack of legacy is no reason to deprive people of the opportunity to fall in love with a cool game all over again, which as good a reason as any that Patapon makes a second debut on the PS4 this year.

Which, of course, leaves us?? with th?e question of how well it's held up so far.

Patapon Remastered (PS4)
Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Released: July 31, 2017
MSRP: $14.99

We're lucky, because it's held up quite well, and remains well worth playing for PS4 despite a fairly spartan porting job. Unlike recent remasters like Gravity Rush Remastered, Patapon Remastered doesn't pack in anything e??xtra beyond the game itself ??and the necessary work to keep it looking and playing well on the PS4. 

Of co?urse, a lack of extra doesn't diminish the game itself, as being playable at HD resolutions and on a home console is a good enough reason to give?? it a try.

One of the cooler things about Patapon is that there's simultaneously not much to the game and a lot more than initially meets the eye. For the uninitiated, Patapon places players in the role of a newly minted deity to the Patapons, a race of cutesy eyeball monsters. To restore the Patapons to glory, they must march the Patapons to the e??nd of the world in search of "IT", whatever that happens to be. In the way are deadly creatures, hostile environments, and the Zigotons, an adversarial race of square-shaped eyeball monste??rs. Both armies field a handful of different troop types, such as the shield-bearing Tatepons, the horse-riding Kibapons, and the spear-chucking and arrow-shooting Yaripons and Yumipons.

The actual marching is accomplished by tapping drums using the face buttons, all according to an unchanging, never-ending four-beat rhythm. Each song pattern corresponds to an action by the Patapon army?, with the core four representing a forward march, an aggressive attack, a defensive crouch, and a quick retreat. A last drum heralds the use of "JuJu", unlockable spells that do things like cause a rainstorm to ?hide the Patapons' presence, summon a tailwind to increase the range of projectile weapons, and more. 

The back end systems are about as deep as a player wants them to be, involving a rudimentary crafting and loot system. Enemies can ?drop materials that will allow players to summon stat-boosted "Rarepon" versions of their Patapon soldiers, while dropped weapons and armor can improve the performance of the regular troops. This can generally be ignored, though, in case one wants to keep things simple or avoid the need to grind simple minigames for more materials.

What can't be ignored, though, is ho?w much concentration it can take to keep on beat when there's a war on. It's one thing to tap out the songs and issue orders, but the stress comes when conditions on the battlefield change, and when players need to correctly tap in the patterns, change patterns, and think several beats ahead to anticipate the right pattern to use for a given situation. There's even more pressure to keep things precise thanks to the game's "Fever" mechanic. Well-timed "perfect" inputs (i.e. taps that are just right on the beat) can build a combo, and a long enough combo triggers Fever mode, whic??h sends the Patapons into a battle frenzy, greatly improving their performance and behavior. Every unit benefits in Fever mode, from Yaripons that jump to throw their spears farther to Yumipons that loose three-shot volleys and Tatepons that activate a defensive shield wall. 

Maintaining the Fever, however, requires?? precision, and a missed beat, or even a slight lack of coordination can break it. This becomes especially true during the game's scattered fights against giant creatures with varied attack patterns. Sometimes a good fever may even need to be broken in order to quickly tap out a retreat or defensive command.

There may also be a technical component to the challenge, as to me it seemed harder to maintain a precise rhythm than on the PSP. There may be some element of input lag involved, thanks to wireless controllers and modern TVs (an issue that affected the recent Parappa the Rapper remaster), or perhaps my reflexes have simply dulled after ten years. It could ei??ther, or both, honestly.&nbs??p;

Technical concerns aside, all of the above issues were as true of the original Patapon as they are of Patapon Remastered. The game feels as much an aesthetic marvel on the PS4 as it felt on the PSP, which is a feat considering that the PSP had a fraction of the screen resolution as the PS4. Playing on a base model PS4 I'm not sure what kinds of benefits might be in store for PS4 Pro users with 4K TVs, but the only thing that looks out of place in Patapon Remastered&nb?sp;ar??e that some of the pre-rendered video bits look a little grainy.

And of course, there's the music. Patapon remains a joy to listen to, as the beat adapts to the state of the game, with the Patapons chanting and dancing based on the patterns being used, the mission at h??and, and even on Fever state. Modern melodies and beats mingle with backing from digeridoos and instruments from more indigenous cultures than I'm knowledgeable enough to name.

Ten years after it debuted on a handheld a fifth the size of a PS4, Patapon remains an utterly unique experience. For the life of me I couldn't tell you what lessons it could hold for future games, but I'm glad it's in a p?osition for more folks to enjoy all over again.

_{[This review is based on a copy of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Patapon, my white whale

Oh, Patapon, you've eluded my grasp for far too long, but no more! That's right, Patapon, the 2007 rhythm game origin?ally on the PSP, is getting a remaster.

We already knew that, but now we kn??ow when. You'll be playing what many think is one of the PSP's best games on your PlayStat??ion 4 starting August 1, 2017.

I never got around to Patapon, but countless friends have told me it's right up my alley. So, I can't?? wait to get my hands on the remaster.

Sony hasn't announced a price yet, but I'd ima??g??ine it wouldn't run you more than $20.

Patapon Remastered comes to PS4 early August [Game Informer]

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You can't be serious

Ever since Overwatch's winter event started last week, unfrozen Chinese cryogeneticist Mei has been the center of attention. Her first new skin since the game launched turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for some folks, though the winter themed brawl that features 12 Meis firing snowballs a??t one another has been pretty popul??ar. 

That brawl features some great new voice lines from both Mei and Soldier: 76, and every time a Mei pauses to reload a snowball, one of the new lines has a chance to play. One line in particular stood out to Devin Ryan, who coded up a quick website to show it off. It's reminiscent of some older websites like Nyan Cat, where the viewer is challenged to see how long they can stay on the page without wondering if there's something better they could be doing with the precious gift of life. How long can you stand the cold?

Since that's not much of an article, please enjoy some A-Mei-zing drawings collected ??from Deviantart. Happy Mei day, Qposters.

Mei by Mvalentinus

Mei by XephrosART

Mei by RossDraws

Mei by Reivash

Mei by Krysdecker

[Thanks to Aaron for the tip!]

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You gotta believe!

That PaRappa game that was rated in Korea has been revealed as a remaster of the original game for PlayStation 4. LocoRoco and Patapon will also be getting PS4 remasters, as announced toda???y at PSX.

All three will play natively in 4K, and the demo for PaRappa is out today.

The post Pa?Rappa the Rapper, LocoRoco, and Patapon remastered for P??S4 appeared first on Destructoid.

A little later than expected, but Patapon 3 now has a release date -- a real one, this time -- and it's April 12. Over on the PlayStation Blog, the game's $19.99 price and dual PlayStation Network-and-UMD launch were revealed as?? well.

With this installment, you're visualized as a hero character rather than being an all-powerful off-screen entity like before. Th??ere's also expanded multiplayer functionality, and that seems to be where much of the emphasis is centered on.

Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon. You totally just read that in their voice, didn't you?

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PATA PATA PATA PON! The cries of the Patapon continue to haunt my dreams. They are a bunch of evil little creatures, sure, but they're my evil little creatures. They defile for me, not for anyone else. Plus, s??ome of them look like angry rabbits, and that's pretty darn cool.

I'm excited to check out Patapon 3, as I'm sure ??a handful of you are too. We're getting our chance on Tuesday! Just narrowly missing the long weekend is a multiplayer demo, which will be the game's first big outing since being briefly announced at E3 only to never be mentioned again -- until now, obviously.

I don't look forward to the inevi??table firmware update needed to download th??is, but I'll stomach it.

Coming to PSN: Patapon 3 Multiplayer Demo for PSP [PlayStation.Blog]

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Pata-pata-pata-pon!

Check out this teaser page from Sony Japan, but turn down your speakers??, as there's some crazy thunder sound effects that will randomly play. Or, you can just skip it, as I took a screenshot of the page (show??n above).

In Japan??ese it says "Beta test openining begins in 143 ho?urs..."

If you watch the backgro??und ?you'll see a Patapon-ish world when the lightning strikes.

While I'm always down for more Patapon, I'm hoping this is a teaser for a PS3 Patapon g??ame, and not another PSP one.

This looks timed for an E3 announcement...ki??nd of. We'll let you know when we ??do.

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Kyozo Kicks returns! The guy who brings us awesome Zelda and Phoenix Wright shoes that we can never wear because he only makes one pair of them has brought us another pair of shoes we can never wear. This time he hand painted a pair of Converse for his girlfriend's birthday from with Patapon. It's quite awesome.

I think this might be my favorite pair of these shoes just because they are so subtle. The tiny little im??ages around the sole wouldn't be noticed by most, but you'd have an instant connection with anyone who recognized them. Mr. Kyozo I am a size 12-13 shoe. Please contact me for my mailing address. It appears you do take custom requests. I can pay in love or blog posts.

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Last week's debate put two distinctly different games against one another, and I have to admit I'm surprised by the outcome. I knew it would be close, but I thought the cult classic PSP game was going to pull out a win. Here are the results:

• Patapon (18 votes) -- "Win-win-win-winner!"
• Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (14 votes)

This week we enter the PSP odd game debate finals bracket. I'm happy to see two polar opposites duel it out in the end, but I'm a little disappointed in how few votes have been cast so far for the PSP brackets. There's a healthy PSP community that has been able to keep ??up with the DS community despite the unbalanced amount of game sales, so now is your time to come out and support your favo?rites!

Which game?? do you think is better, and why? Give it some serious thought, get some PSP friends to share ?their opinions as well, and check back next week for the winner.

Bonus Question: What are some PC games you'd like t??o see in the n?ext few rounds of odd game debates?

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Last week's debate was the first round of the PSP odd debate brackets and it was a hell of a fight. For the first many votes, things were completely tied up. Then, as expected, LocoRoco took the early lead and didn't look back. Towards the end, Crisis Core gained some momentum and tried to catch up, but . . . wait a minute . . . wow. Congratulations Crisis Core on an epic comeback! Here are the results:

• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (27 votes) -- "Winner!"
• LocoRoco (25 votes)

Okay, you guys and gamer girls asked for it. Two weeks ago I had everyone cast their recommendations for PSP games, and here's two games many of you seemed adamant about. As usual with odd debates, comparing these two won't be easy, but that's why we're doing it. Which gam??e do you think is better, and why? Give it some serious thought, get some PSP friends to share their opinions as well, and check back next week for the winner.

Bonus Question: What was one thing you d?idn't like about the g??ame you voted for?

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