Koei, creators and long-time milkers of Dynasty Warriors came out yesterday with an announcement I didn’t quite expect. An iteration of Dynasty Warriors on the PSP which might not suck. It contains monsters, which I don’t think anybody was expecting, and looks a bit like Shadow of the Colossus. Good to see they’re doing something a little different from the usual 1v10000000000000000 gameplay though, despite bending our perception of what a Dynasty Warriors game really is.

Strikeforce promises 4-player coop which sounds great if it works, and DLC. It also features weapon customisation and intriguingly drops the special move ability for a Final Fantasy-style power which allows you to summon big-ass monsters once you’ve filled your gauge.

Wait a minute… haven’t we heard all this before on the PSP? Hang on, this is just Monster Hunter Portable with magic! I knew it!

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“Extra, extra, read all about the best burgers in town from all around, people from around world come and get it; the line goes around like a merry go round”

That hopefully has caught your attention. Some of you gaming geeks out there will recognise these lyrics from the popular cult game, Parapper the Rapper 2. You should also remember that Parappa is a rhythm game. The Parappa series gained a cult following which I am secretly a member of so it only seems fit that I am reviewing a game that has just as big a following. The game I am talking about is… Gitaroo man, Publisher Koei’s first foray into the Rhythm game genre.

The story is centred around a shallow nob-head who calls himself U-1, a translation from the original Japanese name, Yu-ichi. The plot involves guitars that save the world, a love triangle, a mad bastard hell bent on world-domination… you get the picture. Also there’s an archetypical “cute” sidekick animal, with an annoying voice (Which is strangely reminiscent of Inspector Gadget’s - Ed), helping/hindering you along the way.

First impressions are good, with a wacky intro the sort you’d expect from a game strictly aimed at the Japanese market, similar to the like of Parappa, Um Jammer Lammy (which came from the creators of Parappa) and We love Katamari. The style is similar to Parappa, with a more Anime/Manga advertising edge. The game throws you straight in at deep end with a brief tutorial, then pack your bags and off to your first opponent.

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