You gotta believe it’s been 20 years already.
PlayStation has confirmed that a remaster of PaRappa The Rapper, one of the console’s flagship games in its first generation, is expected on PS4 for the game’s 20th anniversary.
The paper-thin rapping dog was created by music producer Masay Matsuura and artist Rodney Greenblat and debuted in 1996 in Japan, before hitting western shores a year later. One of the earliest rhythm games to find commercial success, PaRappa returned in 2001 and even roped in De La Soul to appear on its soundtrack.
That's right! #PaRappa The Rapper is being remastered for PS4 for its 20th anniversary. And there's a demo releasing today! #PSX16
— PlayStation EU @ PSX (@PlayStationEU) December 3, 2016
The game’s original soundtrack made it to 51 in our 100 greatest video game soundtracks of all time.
As we noted then, “just as the game was a breakthrough moment for rhythm games, it was ahead of its time in both its soundtrack and its unique spin on 3D graphics (PaRappa is a 2D boy in a 3D world – we know the feeling). Also – “turn and pose”? Was Chop Chop Master Onion appropriating ballroom a full decade before Soundcloud?”