Beautiful Katamari (Xbox360)
- Publisher:
- Namco Bandai
- Developer:
- Namco Bandai
- Release Date:
- 29.02.2008
- Number of players:
- n/a
- Type:
- Puzzle
- Reality Factor:
- Fantasy
- Extra:
- Other World
We play Beautiful Katamari...
If there is one there is one thing the Xbox 360 gets constantly criticized for it is the lack of depth and diversity of its game library. Racers, Shooters, sports titles and well err, that’s about it. Sure, there are a few RPG’s here and there but in terms of being a games outlet for real creativity then it really does fall short. We’ve had a few games on its Live Arcade service like Space Giraffe but nothing that really stands out from the crowd and not nearly enough to persuade the doubters to purchase the console. In terms of quirky, creative titles Sony and Nintendo have always led the way. For the 360 to really show that it means business it needs
titles like Beautiful Katamari. In fact, regardless of this review, regardless of the score, the console needs a game like this.
You see, it really couldn’t be any weirder if it tried. A king is playing tennis in his garden and he’s so good at it that one of his power serves creates a black hole which starts to suck up the cosmos. The king, using his special powers stops the process but only after the whole the universe bar earth has been gobbled up (lucky, eh?). Ouch! What is a king to do? Appoint his prince to restore the planets and satellites in the universe of course! How will the prince (that’s you folks!) do that? Easy by rolling up various things lying around in shops and on the streets until your ball is big enough for the king to make a planet out of. I mean how else do you think you were going to do it?!
That’s what I mean by weird. Still, it’s all very charmingly presented with clean, bright graphics and a Jap-Pop soundtrack that is harmless enough but does tend to grate after a while. The presentation isn’t going to win any awards, but you must remember that this is essentially a PSP port of Katamari Damacy, so although the visuals are pleasing to the eye, they won’t exactly change the way you look at gaming from hereon in.
Still it’s all about design and Beautiful Katamari has got it in abundance. Crude shapes are compensated by they way in which the game uses them. Basically as your focus is on rolling over dogs, cats and dustbins in order to increase the size of your Katamari, realism suddenly becomes secondary in importance. So although everything looks primitive in terms of presentation, with no real curves and blocky characters, it works in terms of gameplay and isn’t something that hinders the game. Quite a change for a Xbox 360 game, eh?
The game itself is a series of challenges by the king to create Katamari’s of certain sizes in order to re-create the planets and cosmos whatnot needed. You start off only being able to collect things such as bottle tops and coins but after your Katamari grows in size you can move on to plastic bottles, tubes of paint, people and cars, all the way up to the very world itself you are rolling around in. The bigger the Katamari the more points you’ll receive and the happier you’ll make the king. However, it’s not as easy as all that as it all has to be within a certain time limit. Rolling up stuff is also very difficult. Not only because there are many obstacles in your path but also to do with the control system itself and the camera.
You move the prince around with the left and right sticks. Push both forward and yes you’ll go forward, but there are various combinations of movements and actions you can do by say, pushing the left stick right and the right stick down etc. I had real trouble keeping the prince behind the ball at all times and although the game was still very much playable I felt I was always fighting with the control system. Just as I thought I’d cracked it and tried an evasive manoeuvre, it did the opposite to what I expected. After some sustained periods of play my fingers actually became slightly cramped too which is never a good sign.
As if the controls weren’t enough the camera is at times abysmal. The indoor areas you roll around in are very confined spaces and you often get caught under ledges and behind ramps. This would usually be a problem but the camera never really gives you the right perspective, and as the controls don’t really give you what feels like full control, you can waste several valuable seconds trying to get out from a corner you’re stuck in.
The above two points are relatively minor but hugely important at the same time. Minor insomuch as it stops this game from being a must own title. It doesn’t hamper gameplay to the extent where it becomes unplayable thus there’s still lots of fun to be had both within the main game, the online modes and time attacks and so on. However, the reason why they are of great significance is because the 360 really needed this game to be a must own title to finally start to prove that the 360 is not just a one trick pony and the type of games we get from Nintendo and Sony can and will work not only for the 360, but for its audience as well. Better luck next time.
Top Gaming Moment: Rolling a huge Katamari around sucking up cats, dogs and children!
titles like Beautiful Katamari. In fact, regardless of this review, regardless of the score, the console needs a game like this.
 |
 |
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| Roll up! Roll up! Get your 360’s here! |
The King and Queen of All Cosmos! |
You see, it really couldn’t be any weirder if it tried. A king is playing tennis in his garden and he’s so good at it that one of his power serves creates a black hole which starts to suck up the cosmos. The king, using his special powers stops the process but only after the whole the universe bar earth has been gobbled up (lucky, eh?). Ouch! What is a king to do? Appoint his prince to restore the planets and satellites in the universe of course! How will the prince (that’s you folks!) do that? Easy by rolling up various things lying around in shops and on the streets until your ball is big enough for the king to make a planet out of. I mean how else do you think you were going to do it?!
That’s what I mean by weird. Still, it’s all very charmingly presented with clean, bright graphics and a Jap-Pop soundtrack that is harmless enough but does tend to grate after a while. The presentation isn’t going to win any awards, but you must remember that this is essentially a PSP port of Katamari Damacy, so although the visuals are pleasing to the eye, they won’t exactly change the way you look at gaming from hereon in.
Still it’s all about design and Beautiful Katamari has got it in abundance. Crude shapes are compensated by they way in which the game uses them. Basically as your focus is on rolling over dogs, cats and dustbins in order to increase the size of your Katamari, realism suddenly becomes secondary in importance. So although everything looks primitive in terms of presentation, with no real curves and blocky characters, it works in terms of gameplay and isn’t something that hinders the game. Quite a change for a Xbox 360 game, eh?
 |
 |
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| Gives a new meaning to the term, stuck in traffic! |
You start by collecting small items like coins, pencils and erasers. |
The game itself is a series of challenges by the king to create Katamari’s of certain sizes in order to re-create the planets and cosmos whatnot needed. You start off only being able to collect things such as bottle tops and coins but after your Katamari grows in size you can move on to plastic bottles, tubes of paint, people and cars, all the way up to the very world itself you are rolling around in. The bigger the Katamari the more points you’ll receive and the happier you’ll make the king. However, it’s not as easy as all that as it all has to be within a certain time limit. Rolling up stuff is also very difficult. Not only because there are many obstacles in your path but also to do with the control system itself and the camera.
You move the prince around with the left and right sticks. Push both forward and yes you’ll go forward, but there are various combinations of movements and actions you can do by say, pushing the left stick right and the right stick down etc. I had real trouble keeping the prince behind the ball at all times and although the game was still very much playable I felt I was always fighting with the control system. Just as I thought I’d cracked it and tried an evasive manoeuvre, it did the opposite to what I expected. After some sustained periods of play my fingers actually became slightly cramped too which is never a good sign.
As if the controls weren’t enough the camera is at times abysmal. The indoor areas you roll around in are very confined spaces and you often get caught under ledges and behind ramps. This would usually be a problem but the camera never really gives you the right perspective, and as the controls don’t really give you what feels like full control, you can waste several valuable seconds trying to get out from a corner you’re stuck in.
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| Soon you’ll be rolling up monuments and countries. |
Nothing escapes the Katamari’s snare! |
The above two points are relatively minor but hugely important at the same time. Minor insomuch as it stops this game from being a must own title. It doesn’t hamper gameplay to the extent where it becomes unplayable thus there’s still lots of fun to be had both within the main game, the online modes and time attacks and so on. However, the reason why they are of great significance is because the 360 really needed this game to be a must own title to finally start to prove that the 360 is not just a one trick pony and the type of games we get from Nintendo and Sony can and will work not only for the 360, but for its audience as well. Better luck next time.
Top Gaming Moment: Rolling a huge Katamari around sucking up cats, dogs and children!
