PaRappalliteration: Major Minor's Majestic March coming to the Wii

Once upon a time, in the age of the Sony Playstation, a strange rhythm game appeared. It was called PaRappa the Rapper. It told the story of a flat, cartoon puppy who wanted badly to be a rap star. The game wasn't especially popular against titles like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII, but its charming humor and bizarrely infectious music garnered a cult following. The game eventually saw a sequel on the Playstation 2 and, more recently, a remake on the Playstation Portable. To this day, a stuffed, singing PaRappa doll sits on a shelf in one of our editors' offices.

For the first time in more than half a decade, the team behind PaRappa is working on a new game. Majesco Entertainment announced Major Minor's Majestic March, a rhythm game for the Nintendo Wii. As its name implies, the game turns the Wiimote into a bandleader's baton. Players shake and wave through more than two dozen marching band songs. It could very well be one of the first games that involves leading a marching band.

Major Minor's Majestic March will feature the work of both developer/musician Masaya Matsuura, and graffiti artist Rodney Greenblat. Greenblat designed PaRappa's signature, quirky graphical style, while Matsuura designed PaRappa's gameplay and produced its soundtrack. This marks the first time since 2001's PaRappa the Rapper 2 that Greenblat and Matsuura have worked together. The collaboration could mean that MMMM will feature the same strange, entertaining style that made PaRappa so endearing. Major Minor's Majestic March is scheduled to release in late 2008 for the Nintendo Wii.