PaRapppa the Rapper 2
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 "Chinese! Chinese! Chinese! Chinese! Anything goes, even Chinese!"
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PaRappa the Rapper 2 (パラッパラッパー2 PaRappa Rappā Tsū) is a rhythm action video game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by NanaOn-Sha for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2002, the game is the third title in the PaRappa the Rapper series following Um Jammer Lammy.
In 2015, the game was made available for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Network.
Gameplay
The gameplay follows that of its predecessors, in which the player must press buttons to make PaRappa rap in response to a teacher's lyrics. Players earn points and progress by rapping in time to the music and maintaining a Good rating through to the end of each level. By successfully improvising raps, the player can obtain a Cool rating, during which PaRappa will be given the chance to rap freestyle by himself, although it can be lost if the player performs badly, which will drop the rating down to Good. However, they will drop down a rating to Bad and Awful if they are currently on Good, with the player losing if they drop below Awful or end the song with a Bad or Awful rating. PaRappa 2 features some tweaks to the gameplay, as some of the teacher's lyrics may change based on the player's performance. For example, the lyrics may become simpler if the player is struggling, or become tougher if they perform well. After clearing two stages in a row, players can participate in a minigame where they must hit targets held out by Chop Chop Master Onion's Tamanegi students, earning bonus points which are added onto the previous level's score. Clearing each level with a Cool rating unlocks music tracks that can be listened to after completing the game. Each time the player clears the game, the color of PaRappa's hat changes from blue, to pink, to yellow, with each hat remixing the lines in each level. In addition to the single player campaign, the game features a two-player Vs. Mode, in which players are given a line to rap to, which they must improve upon by freestyling better than their opponent.
Why It Can Still Believe
- The story is very creative, revolving around PaRappa getting tired of eating noodles.
- Great graphics and better animations, even with the paper-thin models.
- Catchy songs, of course.
- Just like "Toasty Buns", "Noodles Can't Be Beat" and "Hair Scare".
- Even the starting theme "Say I Gotta Believe!" is strangely catchy.
- Just like "Toasty Buns", "Noodles Can't Be Beat" and "Hair Scare".
- The gameplay is much snappier than the first PaRappa game and there isn't much input lag present.
- Some of the teacher's lyrics change depending on how well you're playing, a feature not seen in either of the other PaRappa games.
- Each time the player clears the game, PaRappa's hat changes colors.
- Clearing the game additional times also changes the lyrics of the songs slightly, increasing the difficulty.
- The game has a 2 player versus mode, which is actually quite fun.
- The game has many funny moments, both in the cutscenes and stages/songs.
- After completing two stages in a row, you can play a bonus minigame which allows you to earn extra points.
- Upon clearing a stage in Cool mode, a song corresponding to that stage is unlocked. Songs unlocked this way can be accessed through PaRappa's house on the stage selection screen.
- If you hold R1 and R2 down while entering a stage, you can play the stage in an "easy mode" where the buttons in the song are replaced with yellow ninja stars, which indicate that any button can be pressed instead of one specific button.
- The game has been ported to the PlayStation 4, and there are no gameplay issues, unlike the PS4 remaster of the first game.
"You Not Romantic" Qualities
- The practice mode that is played before each stage is extremely annoying, making the player play a slowed-down lyric from the current stage ten times, with failed lines not being counted. However, it can be skipped after a few seconds by pressing the Start button.
- The game, sadly, did not sell as many copies as its predecessor. (Therefore, physical copies of the game are generally harder to find and more expensive.)
- Just like in the original game, you aren't allowed to "pause" the game. Upon pressing the pause button, you are only given the options to restart the current stage or return to the stage selection screen.
- If the game is played in an emulator, there are significant depth issues. This will result in either a black rectangle covering about ¼ of the screen, or parts of the lyric bar being covered by objects in the stage. However, a custom version of PCSX2 can be used to resolve the issue.
Trvia
- The game spawned the famous "chinese" video, which has garnered over 5 million views on YouTube.