Here’s how much I love the PaRappa the Rapper franchise: When I see a used copy of any of the series games in a store, I rage. I play Unjammer Lammy on almost every flight I take, and I fly about 100,000 miles a year, so that’s a lot. I play PaRappa the Rapper 2 at least once a month, every month. I sing the NanaOn-Sha jingle to myself at random during the day. I don’t just like this franchise. No, I live for games like this. I live for the day that NanaOh-Sha makes another.
I’ve found new hope in the recent statements from series creator Masaya Matsuura. He told Joystiq that newer business models and/or systems like the PS Vita could bring our favorite rapping dog back. Matsuura says that he likes consoles like the Vita for his rhythm games, as their built-in screens reduce input latency. So the PlayStation Vita represents a “good chance” for him NanaOn-Sha to move forward with a sequel.
NanaOn-Sha director of development Dewi Tanner explained that the business has changed since the first games were released, and now it might be hard to get gamers “to pay $50 for something with 5, 6 stages.” Newer forms of distribution could help, though.
“We feel now that there’s so many different ways of purchasing games and evaluating games that maybe there’ll be one that matches Parappa well,” Tanner said.
