Me and My Katamari Review

[wraggster]

Gameradar posted a review of Me and My Katamari (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?products_id=7784&lsaid=219793), heres some info of the game:

http://image.lik-sang.com/images//large/psp-boku-katamari-jap1.jpg

This PSP followup to 2004's most original title looks just like its PS2 counterpart -- that is, full 3D, lots of objects to pick up, a similar looking prince as the main character, a similar screen layout and even the same visual style. One day, the island of Paradise Commonwealth Island, where many different kinds of animals live together in peace, is struck with a giant tsunami and is left a mess. A single turtle, who'd been separated from the island due to the tsunami, washes ashore on the nearby Prince Island and speaks of his misery to the Prince. This Prince is the very prince that has caused much havoc in previous Katamari games. Katamari Damacy PSP features one big change from previous titles: dynamic levels. The levels change based on the time and season. Levels also feature changing paths which make the game different each time you play.

Heres an excerpt from the review:

<blockquote>Me and My Katamari: a title that shows just how connected people feel to the videogame generation's little Prince. Already a miniature hero, he's been squeezed even tinier in order to fit his gentle games of world-scouring and star-building into your pocket.

Except that, for this adventure, instead of shooting skyward to form new constellations, the Prince's clumps of bric-a-brac are allowed to fall to Earth, forming new island homes for scores of animals left homeless after a tsunami.

Despite this change, almost every other element of the previous two games is in place. Indeed, it feels closer to the first game, limiting its environments to the townscapes and interiors rather than flower gardens or gingerbread houses, and liberally raiding the original's soundtrack.

Even the process of learning the digital controls may remind you of your first, slightly clumsy attempts at the game. The twin-stick input has been directly translated on to the D-pad and face buttons, and the hour or two it takes your brain to rewire is time painfully but valuably spent.

The engine has also survived the miniaturisation process successfully: there is minimal pop-up on some of the busier levels, and the moments when your katamari expands are rather more intrusive, but on the whole it's smooth and competent.

In short, it's a game with its spirit, its satisfaction and its structure intact. It's no longer just the King of All Cosmos who can hold the Prince in the palm of his hand.

Overall: 7 / 10</blockquote>

Me and My Katamari (http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?products_id=7784&lsaid=219793) is out now in Japan.

[MaxSMoke]

I would second the fact that the controls take a little time to get used to. Instead of just jamming down on the sticks, you instead need to learn to tap the buttons, kinda like driving the original Ridge Racer on the PSX. But once you do get a hang of the controls, the gameplay is very smooth and impressive. If you thought Katamari was a 10/10 game before, you'll think it's a 10/10 game now! A score of 7/10 seems very low for such a fun game.

The only downside is that they do reuse the same handful of levels quite a bit. I don't know why they didn't include some other environments, but those they did include are pretty detailed and varied. And, of course, you get to try your hand on Katamari 2D after you beat the last level of the game.

Interesting note, Katamari 2D comes with several levels. You get to play each additional level by rebeating the last mission. The last mission takes nearly half an hour, and goes from the size of a gumball, to big enough to roll up the islands and even your Father. I've played through it about 3 times, and by the 3rd Katamari 2D level, the difficulty had risen sharply. Katamari 2D is a self-pushing environment, where you are in a constant race with the end of the screen behind you. Miss one important patch of objects, and you might not have the bulk to move past the next obstacle, on the later levels. On the upside, they do let you restart if you loose all 3 Lives during your first go.

I haven't had a chance to play "We Love Katamari", so I can't judge how good the PSP game is in comparison, but "Me and My Katamari" is definitely better then the first Katamari. I really don't understand why more people don't have this game by now. Sure, I can't read Japanese either, but it's not hard to figure out how to get through the game menu, and this is one of THE Best games ever made for the system. Then again, if you wait another month, I believe the US release (in English!), will be out at the beginning of March. Still, I wouldn't wait. It's only like $60 on Ebay, shipping is REALLY fast, and it's not like there's a ton of new releases right now.