Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
LocoRoco Best PSP Game, Clearly a Hit..., September 8, 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
At TGS (Tokyo Game Show) 2005, Sony of Japan announced that they were developing an original game for PSP: LocoRoco. Instead of the usual ports or re-creations or compliations of retro games, LocoRoco is a completely new venture. It focuses on a fictional planet where happy LocoRocos (yellow blobs) and MuiMuis (blue figures) live. One day, it is invaded by the Moja Troop, who eat LocoRoco. Your job is to tilt the surface to lead LocoRocos through their planet without getting eaten. You collect flowers, which gives you another LocoRoco. You can combine and separate LocoRocos, as well. You collect bugs as a food source for LocoRocos. Additionally, when you collect MuiMuis, you can get house parts.
The game is very easy. As a PSP player of Tekken:DR, complicated combo moves and annoying nuisances with the analog stick make PSP games hard to play--especially ports that we're used to seeing on PSOne and PS2. With LocoRoco, you use 3 buttons during gameplay. The shoulder buttons (LEFT and RIGHT) are used to tilt, tapping the circle button separates LocoRocos, holding the circle button combines them, and holding down both shoulder buttons makes your LocoRocos jump. A lot easier said than done. A demo disc found at EBGames and a demo for download on the PSP Memory Stick show these capabilities and can be found for download at http://www.us.playstation.com/locorocopcdemo. You must have v2.71 for this to work, I might add.
Besides a "career" mode, which pivots you into different courses with different color LocoRocos, there are "mini-games" like a Mui-Mui Crane, Chuppa game, and more. You must collect a certain amount of bugs/pickories every game to play these games. Also, there is the LocoRoco House Editor feature that allows you to create a house for your LocoRoco. I haven't yet tested it out but it is an excellent feature, I presume. By collecting MuiMuis in games, you get house parts and you can build a house for your LocoRoco.
Besides all of the gameplay features, a large soundtrack is full of bubbly, interesting, and catchy jingles with unique voices. While some find it annoying, it is very catchy and it gets stuck in my head. LocoRocos even sing along in gibberish while the song goes on. MuiMuis do, as well. The graphics are 2D like Mario, which make loading times non-existant and shows off the capability of the PSP's high-performance graphics.
In the end, LocoRoco is a game that is intuitive, simple, and beautiful to look at. It is fitted only for the PSP, and it should. Additionally, the gameplay is excellent, pivoting you into many different scenarios with many different characters (like Moja, who attack you or Chuppa, who catapults you into hidden areas). It is clearly worth $40--clearly.
PROS-
Intuitiveness and Simplicity: Easy to play, fitted for the PSP
Shows off PSP Graphic Capabilities: Beautiful to look at
Different Maps, Characters, Colors: Very unique and fresh
Not a Port or Re-creation/compliation: A completely original game
No Long Loading Times: 2D graphics prevents this
Mini-Games: Lets you take a break from main gameplay
CONS-
Longevity: Only 40 levels makes you wish for more...
Should've Used Characters More: Some characters pop up once...
You have to pay money made in career to access mini-games
5/5: FUN
5/5: GRAPHICS
5/5: GAMEPLAY
4/5: PLAYABILITY
19/20: TOTAL
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addictive and Innovative, December 18, 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Simple yet extremely fun to play, LocoRoco is an excellent contender for the most innovative game of any platform this year (Okami is the only other contender in this area). With a unique graphics style and easy to use but difficult to master gameplay, LocoRoco at first seems easy. You just use the shoulder buttons to shift the world and help the LocoRocos escape the evil invaders. Then you try to find all the LocoRocos per level, all of the MuiMuis and other bonus items and this game suddenly becomes a lot harder. The brilliant thing is you can still advance even if you do not find all of these items. With fantastic music and gameplay, this game is rapidly becoming my favorite for the PSP.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great, gorgeous fun for all ages, July 23, 2007
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
With all the games I play, there are few that are simple, delightful fun. Loco Roco definitely falls into this category. The game is easy to learn, has great replayability, and can really be enjoyed by all ages.
Here's the basics. You begin as a yellow, happy blob. When you use the shoulder buttons, you tilt the world left or right, making the blob roll. You can also press both buttons so the blob springs into the air. As you eat certain flowers, the blob grows in size. If you hit an area too narrow for your big blob, you can break up into all of the mini-blobs, and later regroup.
This may sound odd - but it is a TON of fun. The backgrounds are all works of art, with a wide variety of themes. You can be in an ice world and slide along on super-slick pathways. There are lots of hidden rooms and secret bonusses to search for. The little blobs are just so happy! They sing along with the music, enjoy the sliding around and celebrate at the end. It's really a game that you have a great deal of enjoyment at every step of the way.
There are little mini-games, and you unlock "house pieces" that let you build your very own blob maze. By positioning the various house pieces, you can create an endless set of loops for your blobs to go around in.
With all the games out there that have you swearing at your machine in frustration because of the inane controls or frustrating enemies, it is really a joy to find a game that is always fun. Even if you don't do well, it's fun, and it encourages you to try again to do better. You only get 10 of the little blobs to the end of the level? That's a great start - and give it another go to see if you can find even more! Between the catchy songs and the beautiful backgrounds, you really do want to leap into the fray again and explore every little angle.
This is a great game for young kids, mature grandparents, and everyone in between. The gameplay is easy enough to learn, and fulfilling enough that you'll be addicted soon.
Highly recommended.
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