Thanks to all the fans out there for the great photos. For their effort they will all score a limited edition Patapon tee based on the HOME shirt we made.

For the Pata-faithful who are craving one of these shirts, be sure to join Jeff and crew for the meet up at E3. Word is he might have some Pata-luv to share as well.

Great weekend to everyone and thanks for all the Patapon support! If you didn’t catch the Launch trailer yet, here you go!

In addition to these vouchers hitting the store shelves, on Thursday, May 7th, you will all be able to download Patapon 2 from the PlayStation Network and the Patapon 2 mass consumption can begin. Nom, nom, nom, nom…

But that’s not the only thing happening on May 7th.

We also wanted to announce really exciting Home exclusives (two actually). First: yours truly will be featured in the Home Theater, answering a few of questions posted in the forums by the Home Community.

Second: We’ve decided that this Thursday is also Home avatar makeover day…so we are giving you an exclusive Patapon 2 t-shirt (for boys and girls!). It’s definitely time for you to upgrade your Home look with something more Eyeballish and warrior like.

Now, be honest…wouldn’t you want to dress up your Home avatar with these fine threads? If so, be sure to head to the Home Mall since they will be flying off those virtual shelves. You know you will look good…in fact, tell us which shirt you think is the best. Maybe we’ll make an actual real-life one. Just hop on over to the official PlayStation Home forums to start-a-votin’ and get-a-wearin’ or just let us know on the comments.

So what else is there to do on these two days between Cinco de Pata-yo and Thursday-download-o day-o? Well, you can hop on over to the Patapon 2 website to download or make your own custom wallpaper:

Of you could just try your luck at winning a Limited Edition Lilac Purple PSP (to go with the stylish Patapon 2 logo), or some Patapon 2 toys, or a big screen tv.

There you have it folks! Happy Cinco de Pata-yo!

What you get, get, get with this fantastic free download is five levels of pure greatness full of Hero Patapon, Patagate, Mater the Tree of Life and all the evolution you can shake a Darwin-sized stick at.

So let’s rewind a bit: back in the glorious days of Patapon 1, this majestic perennial (above) was the birthing (and reviving) spot of all Patapon warriors. If you had a couple of rare items and coffers full of ka-ching, you could grow yourself some Rarepons…but it was a bit of a gamble.

Enter Patapon 2, and introducing Mater 2.0, now with Evolution System! It’s Patapon creation and reanimation minus the guess work! With the new Evolution System you can clearly see your Patapon’s potential and work towards getting him there.

The Evolution System can be simplified into two separate portions: transformation and brawn. The transformation portion is fairly straightforward and linear.

As you progress through the game, you’ll find basic materials and ka-ching that you can bring back to Mater to transmogrify each Patapon to a much deadlier Rarepon. Each evolution has a neat little tag that will tell you exactly what you need. So if you are one Kuneri Fang short of a Pyopyo…you know what to do (hint: kill some more enemies!)

Now that you’ve transmogrified your cute little Patapon into a menacing Pyopyo, you have two options: continue the transmogrification (into another Rarepon) or you can put your Pyopyo through bootcamp and make him stronger. This is the brawn portion of the Evolution System, where you’ll be able to unlock each Rarepon’s special power.

So what are the benefits of leveling up vs. transmogrifying? Well for starters, you can only unlock some of the new Patapon troops. For example, a Robopon can only be unlocked if you’ve fully transmogrified a Tatepon (unlocked all his forms). Each Rarepon also has special abilities such as resistance to fire, ice or sleep attacks while some Rarepons can attack faster or take more damage. It’s important to have a diversified army of various types of Rarepons. This will ensure supreme victory over the Karmen.

In contrast, leveling up does not unlock new Rarepons, but instead it makes your Rarepon’s abilities much stronger.

Level 1(Buff)————————–Level 5 (Semi-Buff) ——————–Level 10 (Ultra Buff)

The difference between a baseline Pyopyo (who is somewhat strong against ice attacks) and his ultra-buff version Pyokora (which can never be frozen and is lighting quick) can sometimes mean victory or defeat, especially when you are battling a level 5 Manboth (yikes!).

Right about now is when I’ll stop yapping about the great new Evolution System and let you get started on the downloading the demo and experience it yourself. Greg Miller over at IGN gives a pretty cool breakdown of Patapon 2, which might help you on some of your missions as well. Just try to ignore the awesome 9.5 rating we got…no really…don’t even look at it (pssst! We got a 9.5!).

With all this talk about the new Evolution System and the awesome reviews Patapon 2 is getting, I almost forgot to let you know that your PSP or PS3 can also be transmogrified into a much better PSP or PS3 by downloading the free new Patapon 2 Battleground theme available now on the PSN!

That’s it for today, and next week we’ll celebrate the Cinco de Pata-yo!

- Chris HM

One of the most appealing factors about the first Patapon was building your army up out of nothingness into an unstoppable fighting force. Picking the right soldiers for battle, setting them up with all the right weapons and equipment, and evolving them to make them stronger was key to victory. This hasn’t changed in Patapon 2, but this time players will get a revamped evolution system and some new Pata-faces…presenting:

THE PATA-NEW SCHOOL!

Air support anyone? (Toripon)
If you remember the original concept art of Patapon 1 you’ll remember the Toripon. These bird-riders didn’t make the original cut, but now you can finally bring death from above as they administer surgical strikes upon your enemies.

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto! (Robopon)
Armed with robotic enhancements, these troops can pummel their way through enemies and barricades and when you get them all fevered up, they can fling boulders their way too!

Do you believe in Magic? (Mahopons)
Mages, Magicians, Wizards…whatever you call’em these sharp dressers have the ability to heal your troops, throw fire balls, icicles, and can even bring the thunder faster than you can say Abracadabra.

Of course the original troops of your army return, ready to dispense the pain on your command.

THE PATA-OLD SCHOOL

Hatapon- your faithful Banner-bearer and keeper of the Mighty Drums

Yaripon- There are no better hunters in your crew than these masters of the spear.

Yumipon- Bringing the longbow action, these dudes are as bad-ass as Legolas, but better (because they have no relation to Orlando Bloom).

Tatepon- Your first line of defense and attack, no one has swung a sword and held a shield as well as these guys since the Govenator back in the day.

Kibapon- Lance in hand and their mighty steeds set to charge, they’ll knock back to the curb.

Megapon- If you want a real sonic boom, be sure these special troops toot their horns.

Dekapon- The bruisers of your crew, these big fellas may not be fast, but they sure know how to club.

Combine these troops with a little strategy and a whole lot of mighty beats from your war drum, and the Pata-pain will fall like the rain.

Next Pata-post – The New Evolution System! Great weekend to all!

Q – What happens if accidentally erase or lose my Memory Stick?
It doesn’t matter how many times you erase, break or lose your memory stick. The magic of Patapon 2 is that can re-download it (for free) as many times as you want off the PlayStation Network using the PSN ID you bought or redeemed the voucher with.

Q – I fiendishly back-up all my digital entertainment; can I do that with Patapon 2?
Yup, you can back up the Patapon 2 game on a PC with Media Manager, a free application available at store.playstation.com. It’s easy-peazy-lemon-squeazy.

Q – How much Ka-ching will I have to drop for Patapon 2?
Patapon 2 is priced at a wallet friendly $19.99 USD for both the retail voucher and the PSN download.

It is very clear to see how passionate you guys are about Patapon 2 and we’re thankful for all your feedback and opinions. Of course there are many other questions, but since we did promise a breakdown on multiplayer, we best jump into this sweet new trailer before Jeff cuts me off again…

Now that we have raised your eyebrows, a couple of weeks back, we chatted about Hero Patapon, his mighty powers and his customization features. Today we’ll dive a bit more into customization and how to unlock new masks via multiplayer, the Patagate, Eggs and Game Sharing.

Multiplayer mode takes place in a parallel universe accessible only to Hero Patapons. The gateway to this realm is the Patagate, and it is here that you’ll join forces with other Hero Patapons in order to fight through all the levels you’ve unlocked in single player mode. This is a mortal eyeball-to-eyeball battle, and your rhythm skills will be tested as you and your three friends fight without the support of your vast Patapon army.

To kick off a game, just go into the Patagate and select from one of the options: Bring Mysterious Egg, Game Sharing or Play Alone.

Bring Mysterious Egg
What are these eggs? Where do you find them? Wasn’t Easter a long time ago? Well, as you make your progress through Patapon 2 (single player mode), some of the bosses you defeat will drop an egg as part of the reward of beating them, and inside these eggs are the special masks available for Hero Patapon…so once you’ve acquired an egg, you’ve got to take it to the Patagate to crack it open and whisk the insides into an omelets of musical greatness. But before you can get a crackin’, you must first prove your worthiness by defeating the enemy you got the egg from!

The mission is simple: Work together to carry the egg from Point A to Point B within a set amount of time. Simple enough right? Trouble is, you’ll have at least one nasty boss or a ton of angry Karmen soldiers in your way. In single player, you had a full Patapon army that had your back, now it’s just you and 3 other friends…well…“super-powered” friends that is. If this sounds a bit difficult, worry ye not, victory is actually quite simple.

Just make sure to outfit each Hero Patapon with the best armament available…and when in battle, make sure that you and all your friends keep true to the rhythm of the earth! If all four of you work together and coordinate when you all March, Attack, and Defend together as a unit, victory will be yours!

Once you and your merry band of Heroes beat all the obstacles before you, the game changes to “DON CHAKA” mode. Here you and your co-players rhythm are tested once again. By hitting the right drum beats at the right time, you will be awarded great riches that you can spend in single player. If you hit every beat, you crack the egg and get the secret that lies within!

Game Sharing
If by some horrible chance, your friends don’t have Patapon 2 (if this is true, why even call them friends?) well, then you must teach the ways of the drum via Game Sharing. This way, even if they don’t have Patapon 2, they can still help you out in your Egg breaking mission. Just fire up the Game Sharing option and have your friends download multiplayer mode from your PSP to theirs. Once that’s complete, they will be able to join you in battle in cracking the Mysterious Egg and unlocking Mask greatness.

Play Alone
But what if you happen to be flying solo for the night with no wing-man to help you out? If that is the case, just select Play Alone and fill in the other three spots with ComPons – A.I. Hero Patapons that will help you crack the Mysterious Egg.

Note: Every voyage through the Patagate requires four Hero Patapons, but don’t worry if you are short of one person for Game Sharing or Bring Mysterious Egg modes. You’ll be able to fill in any empty slot with a ComPon.

That’s about it for multiplayer and Mysterious Eggs; however, finding them in the single-player mode is not so easy. You’ll need to beef up your army with brand new warrior types who have joined the Patapon army…something we’ll dive into a little further in the next Pata-post!

We’ve got some great news and then we’ve got some other great news. So let’s skip the formalities and jump right in.

First off, I wanted to invite you all to the epic launch party we’ll be having for Patapon 2. Location: your house.

Now you might be asking yourself: how the jebus are we planning to host an epic pata-party at *your* house? Quite simple actually, we’re going to harness the mighty power of a little thing I like to call “the internets” and give you all a chance to download Patapon 2 directly to your PSP.

Now the mighty power of the drum is but a point-and-click away.

Yes, the rumors are true (way to ruin a surprise, ars technica!): Patapon 2 offers fans a new way to get their Pata-on with a digital-only release for your PSP.

For the Patapeeps who want and need a box on their shelves:
No worries, on May 5th, (Cinco de Pata-yo) Patapon 2 voucher cards will ship out to retail stores in the normal PSP packaging along with a printed manual. The voucher will have a code which you can redeem on the PlayStation Network so you can get drumming.

For those of you who don’t want to change out of your jammies to go shopping:
On Thursday May 7th, Patapon 2 will go up on the PlayStation Network for your download pleasure.

What about us, the faithful pre-order-ees?
Well, you guys will get what’s coming to ya… via mail, or whatever form of shipping you requested from the online shop you pre-ordered from. If you have any questions, please contact the retailer you pre-ordered from.

Of course there are hundreds of questions you must have about Patapon 2 as a digital only version, how to download, how to install, other Patapon 2 features, etc… and the answers will come to you via this blog, on the same pata-time, in the same pata-channel so stay tuned.

Did someone say epic party? Yes, I did, which leads right into the second great news: Patapon 2 Multiplayer!

So this is how it works….

Chris…sorry dude, you’ve run out of Blogspace…come back next week…like Wednesday-ish. – Jeff

Oh man…looks like I we got Pata-pushed today…

So I guess more details (and maybe a new trailer?) on this great feature on Patapost Wednesday!

See you then!

Yes, yes…I know that there was a Patapost earlier this week, but the timing on that was off due to my .beat clock being a few beats off beat. I’m fully synced to the rhythm of the Earth, so there should be no problem from this point on, so consider this week’s double post a once in a pata-lifetime experience.

Now, moving forward onto the topic of the day and one of the new great features of Patapon 2: the great masked warrior Hero Patapon.

Hero Patapon is a mythical creature (like a yeti, but cuter and real-er), with magical powers and a heart of gold. His fighting skills are second to none and it’s rumored that he beat Chuck Norris in a staring contest (with one eye!).

True this: he is the most powerful Patapon in the WORLD!

So your question is: how do you tap into this awesomeness and channel his amazing-ness into complete Karmen oblivion? Well friends, I have two syllables for you: fe-ver.

That’s right, Fever Mode, the magic point in time when your rhythmic prowess sets the Patapons into a frenzy is also the time when Hero Patapons special abilities come to shine. So here is how it will work: lets say you are headed down a jungle, spear in hand chanting Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon (march command) to you heart’s delight…and then you see a Kachidonga in the distance…and you strike Pon-Pon-Pata-Pon (attack command).

Under normal conditions, this would set of a hail of spears and arrows from your troops, and if you are in Fever Mode, the hail would blacken the skies with fury. But if you perfectly strike each drum to the rhythm of the earth, Hero Patapon will charge his energy and unleash an extra-deadly attack, covering enemies in a world of hurt.

But how will you know if you have a perfect strike? Simple: after each perfect command (four perfect drum beats), you will hear a cymbal ding. This is the sound of hurt (for the enemies that is). As soon as you hear the cymbal ding, you will see that Hero Patapon charge and his special power icon will glow above him and he will launch his attack.

What could be greater than that? Perhaps customizing his attack? Maybe you’d like to change his appearance? Perhaps being able to level-up his powers? Would you like to make sure that he never leaves the battle and fights endlessly? Well, if these are your requests, your wish is granted.

Customizing his attacks and his look is done with a simple swap of his mask. Each mask grants the Hero Patapon with a special property (attack, defend, speed, etc) and combined with the fact you can also morph him into any type of specialized soldier (Toripon, Yaripon, etc.), you can truly create a universal soldier just to your liking.

Because of his battle-hardened skills, Hero Patapon will always take the lead in any battle, so it’s only logical that he will take the most hits in any confrontation…and he’ll take each hit like a champ. But what happens when he takes one too many hits? Will he bite the dust? Technically, yes, he will bite it, chew it and spit out diamonds. That’s how tough he is. Of course it takes a while to create diamonds, so each time his energy drains to zero, the Hero Patapon will take a quick breather to regain his energy before joining the battle again.

But what about his masks you ask? Where do you get them?

Well friends, that is a topic for another (read: next TGIPBD) day, where we will dive into multiplayer, eggs, and discovering new masks by breaking those eggs in multiplayer mode (see how it all ties in?).

Till next week!

- Chris HM

However, simplicity is not always without dire consequences, a lesson the Patapons quickly learned as they battled bravely against insurmountable odds and sacrificed themselves for their beloved Earthend…every fallen warrior honored as brick on the road to their ultimate glory.

Patapon 2 is the continuation of this epic tale, and here we find that the mighty warriors have sailed into the unknown in search of Earthend.

Their time at sea has taken its toll on their sanity, and as they stare into the abysmal eye of madness their ship is attacked by a gigantic sea creature, killing almost all. Now shipwrecked on a strange unknown land, a lone Patapon struggles to keep the secret of the drum alive…and only with your help, the Mighty One, will they succeed in finding their glory.

This new strange land is the home the Karmens, a strange masked warrior tribe who are not too keen on having the Patapons in their territory. They quickly take an offensive stance to these Patapon intruders.

Soon the Patapons learn that this unknown land is not so unknown after all. They quickly make camp in an old abandoned Patapon village where they begin to strategize their next move.

They must battle through ice storms and sand blizzards as well as bigger and evil-er monsters.

Indeed, it’s a daunting task that is set before the brave Patapons and their new Mighty Leader (that would be you). But that’s just the story…so what about gameplay?

First off, we added an easy mode for the rhythm impaired. In this mode, the game is extra forgiving for those that can’t simultaneously tap their feet and clap their hands so they too will be able to have fun and not throw their PSPs at the wall in frustration. For the rhythm prodigies out there, we’ve added a mode for you to challenge your inner metronome. And finally, for those that can keep a good beat but still fall one drumstick short of a drumline, there is a mode for us as well. Now there really is no excuse.

Second, we added new attacks and miracles (Juju). These will help you increase your attack strength and defense strategy. We’ll be diving into those in upcoming posts.

Third, we added a cool Patapon theme that you can download from the PlayStation Store. OK, that might not really help with your game skills, but it will be cool to have, and any Mighty One, such as yourself, would be foolish to do without…we’ll be releasing it this coming Thursday, April 9th.

It doesn’t end here my Pata-friends…more details to come.

My official mission with today’s post is to begin recruitment of a select number of individual who enjoy the following special qualities:

• Enjoy lively music with a catchy rhythm.
• Love to dance.
• Like drums
• Enjoy wearing funny (yet powerful) helms.
• Is not a grouch.

If you think the qualities above describe your personality, then get your thumbs ready for the brand new (to us at least) Patapon 2 Demo (now in English!).

For those new to the Patapon tale, here’s a crash course: a band of loveable warriors dance-chant-kill through treacherous battlefields in search for the homeland of their ancestors, much beloved (and praised) Earthend.

Patapon 2 is the next chapter, and you’ll find that their search has led them to be shipped-wrecked on foreign shores with little to survive except their sacred drums,their fever for Earthend, and you their “Mighty One” to guide them.

So what’s in the demo you ask? Well, first of all there are five amazingly jive-tastic levels for you to pata-pata-pata-pon your way through, which I should add, is just a small sample of the smorgasbord of 80+ levels your fight through in the full game.

You’ll also be introduced to the new Hero Patapon as well as test your troop evolution and customization at ye ol’ Mater Tree of Life.

You’ll also unlock the secret Patagate, an entrance to a mystical world of multiplayer! Yes, Patapon 2 has gone the way of ad-hoc, so you and up to 3 friends will be able to march, attack, and defend your way to victory, as well as unlocking new secret abilities for the Hero Patapon.

Plus, as an added bonus, we’ve thrown GameShare, so you can set up an impromptu ad-hoc session you’re your friends (even if they are Patapon-less).

But that’s not all! For all your early adopters (that means you) out there, we’ll also be giving you a very special Lordy Hairpiece, a one of a kind Helm only available to everyone that gets the demo.

We know that you will rub your thumbs raw playing the demo, so to honor your hard work and dedication, all your progress and items collected during the demo (including the super-stylish Lordy Hairpiece) will transfer over to the full version.

The greatness that is the Patapon 2 Demo is available exclusively to all you warriors out there that reserve a copy in advance! So now that you’ve all been edumacated on the way of Patapon, Patapon 2 demo and the rule of drums, all that is left for you to do is click on one of the two links below:

Step 1: Click here for GameStop pre-order.
Step 2: Click here for Amazon.com pre-order.

You can do it!!

(Each retailer is different so be sure to check the program details!)

So now that your bestest wish has been granted, what more could we do for you? Well, for starters, we could also include a couple of cool outfits to dress up your Sackboy.

Obviously your next question is: when can I get my hands on this greatness? Well friends, here’s the catch — you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I know it must seem like an eternity to some, but if you factor in eating and a good night’s sleep, you are looking at a little over 16 hours of wait time. Then of course if you consider school/work you’re practically down to 8 hours; and take into account commuting and you are down to 5 hours; and let’s not forget those 5 hours you spend daydreaming about Hot Shots Golf and clicking through YouTube. So you see, if you factor in all those events, the download is but a few minutes away!

Once today has whizzed on by, you’ll have to follow these simple steps below:

• Turn on PLAYSTATION 3 console and log onto the PlayStation Network
• Go on to the PlayStation Store and purchase Sackboy
• Insert Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds disc into PS3
• Go to the online portion of HSG, download new patch
• Voila! You are now the proud owner of one Sackboy and his many outfits.

See you out there on the links!