Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

In the realm of the platformer we have seen a wide range of engines, with a multitude of features and styles across all platforms. And among these thousands of engines Loco Roco stands mostly unique; the visuals look like something straight out of Macromedia's vector-based "Flash" product, with bright colors, sharply defined lines, but no real texture, only solid colors.

Loco Roco is a game very much rooted in music, and it's obvious much effort has gone into this area; most levels feature cute, 1950's hip-hop style songs with "Alvin and the Chipmonks"-esque vocals, while other levels have your current Loco Roco singing their particular theme song. The melodies are a little hit-and-miss; some are charming while others embarassingly remind me of something the big dancing robots at Chuck E Cheese would sing.

Loco Roco, the protagonist, is a ball-shaped creature, and hence can roll. The game is played by tilting the board left and right (to a maximum of maybe twenty degrees) in order to roll your character through a series of platform stages. Tilting is done with either trigger, and pressing both triggers simultaneously will "bump" the board, causing your character to jump. There are over 40 maps, and the maps are fairly creative, but they sorely want of variety, challenge, and boss encounters.

It's very obvious that Loco Roco's designers have played Gish, as they have blatently copied it, except made it cute instead of witty, and bland instead of expressive. That's not to say that Loco Roco is a bad game; in fact, it's a great deal of fun, especially the levels that borrow from Sonic and feature lots of rolling loop-de-loops that whip your character around at a frenetic pace. As far as 2d platformers go, Loco Roco is a solid entry into the PSP's library, but could have been much more if it would only have some variety.