PaRappa The Rapper 2 - Reception

Reception

Unlike the first two games in the PaRappa series, which got generally favorable reviews, PaRappa 2 received generally mixed reviews. Metacritic gave it a 67 out of 100, while GameRankings gave it around 68%. GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann gave the game a 6.6, stating that "an almost total lack of innovation makes the game seem pretty dated when compared with other games on the market. ... Even when played to perfection, though, the rapping still sounds just as stuttery as it did in the previous game. While it was excusable then and perhaps even a little charming, it would have been nice to see the developers make better use of the PlayStation 2's higher specs." Though the game "features the same 2D graphical style as its predecessor, but it's not without its share of enhancements," he added, "The music in the game covers a lot more ground, genre-wise, than the original did, but none of it is especially funny or toe-tapping--with the exception of the level that takes place inside an old video game machine. PaRappa 2 isn't a bad game, but it doesn't have as much of the same off-beat charm that the original--and to a lesser extent, Um Jammer Lammy--had." However, IGN's Doug Perry gave the game a slightly better score of 7, saying, "The game concept hasn't changed, leaning neither toward an evolutionary or even a moderate change in the way gamers play music games. ... not as hard as Um Jammer Lammy (which may be good for some folks), and it certainly covers familiar territory when it comes to the essentials -- gameplay, graphics, and sound -- but it's still fun and happy-making."

Like the previous game in the series, Um Jammer Lammy, Parappa 2 received some slight censorship in its North American release to avoid a Teen rating from the ESRB. Guru Ant's references to 'being the Lord' was changed to 'being the man' to avoid religious implications. Beard Burger Master's line, "tastes better than wine", was removed due to references to alcohol and was replaced with "so you better get in line." He is also edited slightly in Stage 6, where "warm the buns" is replaced by "toast the buns", possibly to avoid double entendre. These alterations are not present in the Japanese and PAL releases of the game.