Bargain Bin Gaming- Episode Five: LocoRoco

LocoRoco_CoverartLocoRoco can be found at Gamestop for  $17.99 and as low as $10.99 on Amazon.com

Combining classic 2D gameplay from games like “Marble Madness,” while taking a page or two from games like “Mercury” and “A Boy and His Blob,” LocoRoco is one PSP game that every gamer should play regardless of what their taste in games may be. Powered by colorful backgrounds, intuitive control and a fun and engaging story, LocoRoco is a blast to play.

Playing the role of the LocoRoco, gamers simply have to roll their little blob through beautifully colored environments [that will remind many old school gamers of Yoshi’s Island] trying not to get killed. Along the way, their blobs will get bigger, making certain obstacles harder to pass, forcing gamers to break their LocoRoco into smaller pieces and control them all at the same time.

Using the shoulder buttons on the PSP, gamers can turn the direction they want their LocoRoco to roll in and use the same buttons to make their friendly blob jump over surfaces and advance in the game.

Of course many will be turned off by a game with this type of premise, as it’s equally ridiculous as it is weird, but after a few minutes of gameplay, the game controls like second nature and that’s when the real fun begins.

Feeling a lot like the PS2 super hit “Katamari Damacy” at times, LocoRoco eventually engulfs gamers in its beautiful world with great music and plenty of challenge. The game is also helped significantly by remarkable loading times, making it a great game to play on a bus or train on your way to work or school.

The game also boasts a boatload of secrets and hard to find objects throughout each and every level, forcing gamers to replay the same level various times in order to finish the game completely.

Overall, even though some may be turned off by the cutesy aura that surrounds it, those who give LocoRoco a whole-hearted chance will be rewarded with not only sore fingers from its addictive gameplay, but one of the best games on the PSP.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13821 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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