Game Info
Game Name: Beautiful Katamari
Developer(s): Namco, Now Production
Publisher(s): Namco Bandai
Platform(s): Xbox 360
Genre(s): Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): October 16, 2007
ESRB Rating: E
Get the hell off my screen!
The King of all the Cosmos is playing an innocent game of tennis when “BAM”, an accidental shot destroys the whole universe. Now it is up to the Prince and his Katamari to clean up his father’s mistake and reform the galaxy before all is lost.
The Katamari series has to be one of the strangest (but addictive) titles in gaming history. Beautiful Katamari is the fourth game in the series following the PS2’s Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari, and the PSP’s Me and My Katamari. The gameplay is so simple and there is a lot of replay value.
The problem with Beautiful Katamari is that it did nothing new and looked no different than the PS2 versions of the game despite being the first next-gen version of the game. All the Katamari games have somewhat obnoxious variations on the rolling and Beautiful Katamari is no different. There are levels where you need to collect specific items (like tires) and a particularly frustrating level where you have to heat up you Katamari….avoiding anything that might cool it down. The fun of the game is just getting to roll over all sorts of crap…not “missions”. Fortunately, the series did stick with the trend of having bizarre accompanying music.
Got to get me some of that crap in my Katamari!
The game is really, really short. Yes, it is fun to replay the levels and try to find new items, but there needed to be more worlds, more obstacles, and new ways of rolling. By the time you get going, it is over. Nothing is more fun than the big final level of any Katamari game and this one is no exception with the Prince rolling up the cities, the world, and the galaxy.
Another problem is that the King has a habit of getting in the way. It is obviously planned to be funny, but it just comes off as obnoxious. It causes you not to be able to see the screen and it pretty much just ends up ticking you off. The King’s bizarre behavior between scenes and during load screens if fine, but keep him off the center of the screen.
First the house…now the world!
There is online play which allows you to roll against other Katamari fans. It involves you collecting items and trying to rally for position. It isn’t a bad idea, but Beautiful Katamari wasn’t very popular and it is difficult to find a game. The best bet is find a time online to meet up with challengers and possibly get those last few achievements.
Beautiful Katamari was a pretty big disappointment. It is my least favorite of the Katamari games, and I had a lot of hope for it. Beautiful Katamari was followed up by the app I Love Katamari and the PS3’s Katamari Forever which did improve on the graphics and gameplay. I hope Katamari returns to the Xbox 360 someday, but the chances are slim.
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