Katamari Damacy is a strange, strange game. This is a fact of which its fans are patently aware. I'm an Xbox guy, so my experience with Beautiful Katamari Damacy at E3 was my first with the series. Considering this is also the first time the series will be showing up on Xbox, it seemed like a good fit for me to try it out. For the uninitiated, the object of Katamari is to roll things up into a ball. By things, I mean all things. Thimbles, cats, bushes, people, cows, buildings, boats, everything: it's all up for grabs. You do this by manipulating the thumbsticks. That's it. That is the game. But most of you already knew that, so the next question is "why should I buy this game again on the Xbox 360?"
Check out our updated gallery with new shots from E3
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There are few features that set Beautiful Katamari apart from its predecessors, though the core gameplay is the same. Pulling directly from the game's fact sheet, we can tell you that it features HD resolution (720p), a new "catchy" soundtrack, new levels, new characters, offline and online multiplayer, and downloadable content. It's those last two bits that are likely to grab most people's attention. The game supports 1-2 players on the same Xbox and 2-4 over Xbox Live. Multiplayer includes both competitive and cooperative play, so everyone should be satisfied. Another interesting addition is that players can participate in mini-games inside the online game lobbies. We don't know what these mini-games are precisely -- though they are promised to "spread the world of Katamari Damacy" -- but they should ease the pain of waiting for more players to join.
The Namco Bandai representative at our demo station also told me that the controls have been tightened and made more accessible (i.e. easier). There are also some new and interesting challenge levels that require players to do more than simply obtain the largest ball of stuff. For instance, one level is filled with hot spicy food. The object of the level is to have your Katamari reach a certain temperature. Hot items (naturally) increase your Katamari's temperature. Cold items will lower the temperature and should be avoided.
Is it worth it for Katamari fans? If online play is your cup of tea, then yes it probably is. Of course, Xbox fans who've never played a previous Katamari have a good reason to check it out, too. If Namco Bandai has the sense to put a budget price tag on it -- according to GameStop, they do -- Beautiful Katamari could introduce lots of new players to the King of All Cosmos and bring in plenty of old fans itching for some online play.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-19-2007 @ 4:03PM
Modeps said...
Just how many "roll stuff up in a ball" games do we need? I liked the first Katamari, don't get me wrong... but there's just no reason to keep playing the same game over and over.
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7-19-2007 @ 4:04PM
Grant said...
Katamari is so simple, so wierd, yet so entertaining.
i bought the sequal the day it came out for PS2, and even after 2 games i will gladly buy another.
after this one though... they might need to find something to spruce up the formula. even though XBL support is a nice way to go.
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7-19-2007 @ 4:43PM
chenry said...
I can't wait for the Katamari 360!
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7-19-2007 @ 4:47PM
Rick said...
I love the first game and I'll buy this one (at any price) just so I can play it on the same system as the rest of the games I play these days. It's a lot of fun and is great to pop in when your friends are over (and if you're like me, your friends are not a bunch of hardcore gaming geeks).
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7-19-2007 @ 5:00PM
Tony said...
How many is enough is the age old question as far as sequels. I suppose, for me, they're not there yet and I'm interested in picking this up if it turns out.
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7-19-2007 @ 5:01PM
razer said...
I thought this was going to be on XBLA? So they are actually making this a retail game? If so, anything over $30 is a no buy for me. This game just isn't worthy of a retail disc IMO, especially with such a great delivery system like Live Arcade.
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7-20-2007 @ 2:17AM
JMW said...
I just got OXM #74 (Sept. 2007 issue) two days ago and it contains an excusive demo of Beautiful Katamari.
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7-20-2007 @ 2:48AM
ccc said...
You know, After reading Mitchell's blog here, I was surprised to read he had never played the first Katamari. And that made me think how much it would have sucked if I had never played it before. God knows what other sweet game expierences he has missed out on due to the fact that he aparently never had or played games on a PS2. Somehow, this made me realize that I will miss out on a few good expierences myself by not getting a ps3. I do plan on getting a Wii , and last gen I had all the consoles. Not to mention that I have had every console of every gen in the history of gamming. I am amazed with my 360, however I am a gamer and have always been a gamer. Not a product of MS. To put it in another way, I love games, not Microsoft.I am very greatful for this realisation I have come to thanks to this Blog.
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7-20-2007 @ 10:15AM
Richard Mitchell said...
ccc,
I hope you're not implying that I am a product of MS. I did skip out on the PS2, but that was for financial reasons (before I was out of school and had my own job, etc). Just for reference, the consoles I currently own (or owned at one time):
Atari 2600
NES
Genesis
Sega CD
32X
Sega Saturn
Nintendo 64
PS1
Dreamcast
GBA
GBA SP
Xbox
Gamecube
DS Phat
Xbox 360
and the occasional game on PC.
I plan on buying a Wii at some point, but I just don't have the disposable cash right now. I'll *have* to get one when Smash Bros. Brawl comes out. Smash Bros. Melee is *by far* the most value I've ever gotten out of a game. I still play it.
If anything, I am a SEGA fanboy. It's very difficult to watch the amount of crap they put out now. At least Virtua Fighter is still good.
Anywho, there you go.
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7-20-2007 @ 11:11AM
Preston Crawford said...
Either way you missed out buy skipping the PS2. The PS2 had some amazing gaming experiences that no other console has had. Granted, some of them (like Katamari) are finally going cross-platform, but even then you don't always get the original experience. I love that I got to play Katamari Damacy, We Love Katamari, God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, etc. All great games that you indeed missed out on.
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7-20-2007 @ 11:19AM
Richard Mitchell said...
Preston Crawford,
Oh, believe me, I know it. I may have to go and pick up a PS2 one of these days. I've managed to play a few of the big ones, God of War most notably. If I had to guess, what will eventually happen is that I'll go crazy waiting for Silent Hill 5 and I will buy a PS2 and Silent Hill 3. That's one game I'm particularly miffed about missing. I'll never figure out why it didn't get ported to the Xbox.
Others I've always wanted to get a crack at: Maximo, Devil May Cry, Virtua Fighter 4 (drool), MGS3 (maybe), and many others.
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7-20-2007 @ 11:46AM
Preston Crawford said...
Frequency, Amplitude, Disgaea... the PS2 has an amazing library for almost anyone's tastes.
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7-20-2007 @ 4:21PM
ccc said...
@9
No way, not in any way shape or form did I mean that. Just saying, this helped me realize some things. My comment was all about ME, no1 else.
P.S. Kudos to Saturn and Dreamcast:0
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7-23-2007 @ 1:21AM
BananaBoat said...
To answer number 1's question; I think the added horsepower of the 360 will allow for alot more items on screen at once, and a higher draw distance. Then, the 360 enables online multiplayer, which is a greatly anticipated feature. Honestly I wish they had done an original Katamari Damashii remake on the 360, instead of attempting to "Further" the story (what little of it there is..a drunken king destroys the cosmos)
I think what I'm hoping for with future Katamari games, is an MMO Katamari world, where everyone is constantly battling for control of lands on which they can enlargen their katamari. Other than the amazing (ecclectic for sure) music that I love, I really see no other need for further Katamari games that aren't MMO's. Or atleast online co-op =P I'm reasonable
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