And to add another layer on, your units are upgradeable in Patapon 2 in a more classic RPG style - rather than just using different items to build better units, you can actually level up the ones you've got, further extending the time you'll spend building up your forces in the exact manner you want to. And since there are so many possibilities, no two Patapon armies will ever look exactly the same. I loved building my Patapon army in the original, but the sequel gives the player so much more to work with, it is almost (not quite, but almost) overwhelming. It took nearly a month of everyday play until I was satisfied with my Patapon force in the first game, but in the sequel, well… lets just say there might not be any new games on my Christmas list (It is April 30 today, in case you aren't reading this as soon as its posted).

I can already hear the people who have played the game (it's already available in Japan and Europe) chiming in: "He forgot the best part!" No, I didn't; I was saving it for last. Patapon 2 introduces a new character, simply called Hero. The first game didn't have "characters" per se (I guess Hatapon, the flag carrier MIGHT count…), just the same charming black eyeballs with different weapons and abilities. Patapon 2's Hero gives players a (ahem) hero to connect with on a more personal level, and his addition brings everything to the next plateau. In Hero, players have a leader to get behind and a singular unit that I'm sure everyone wished was present in the original. As a unit, he is clearly the alpha male; Hero can get up after being knocked out on the battlefield, he has access to superhuman (super-Patapon?) abilities and best of all, he can switch freely between the Patapon's once-static abilities. If you were looking for a sweeping RPG-style story in Patapon 2, you'd be disappointed, but fans of the first will eat up what Hero does for the story and overall emotional impact. Getting through the first game was never less than entertaining, but this one will have players much more emotionally invested in seeing their heroes - and Hero - through to the end of the adventure.

The remaining two important aspect of Patapon 2 - the boss fights and the newly introduced multiplayer component - I'll only touch on briefly; mostly because I have no use for multiplayer games and I don't want to ruin any of the boss fights for you. As far as the multiplayer goes, all I can tell you is that there is some multiplayer aspect to Patapon 2… but that's all I know. Being that I got the game a full week and a half before the rest of the country, I had no one to test out the multiplayer with. Being that it is a part of the Patapon universe, I have to assume it's a lot of fun. Sorry for the non-review on this part, but I'm sure you'll have enough fun with the rest of the game to make the price worth it even if the multiplayer sucks.

I hesitate to even mention this next bit for fear of ruining some of the game's surprises, but if I speak in vague, general terms, you won't have anything spoiled for you. In the simplest of terms, Patapon 2 has the very best boss battles I've seen in literally years - and playing video games eats up tons of my time. I feel remiss to say much more than that, but seriously… if for no other reason, you need Patapon 2 in your collection for the boss fights.

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