Platform: PSP

Genre: Puzzle

Number of Players: 1 - 4

People love Katakmari, and how can you not? Katamari Damacy was a huge hit when Namco decided to take a chance to releasing the rather odd but addictive game here in North America. The success of the game was more than enough for a follow up on the PS2, and now with the PSP, Katamari is back again. This isn’t some cheesy port however, and for the most part, Sony isn’t willing to let those types of games be released on their handheld system. Me & My Katamari is completely new game that is just the thing for fans of the ball across the world.

The Prince and his father, The King of the Cosmos, are back again, but this time it isn’t the universe that is in peril. Instead, the royal family has decided to take a little vacation to the tropics, but all is not well. There are a number of creatures that have had their habitat destroyed and they want a place to live. You job as the Prince is simple, give them what they want. You’ll be making islands, granting wishes, and most importantly, collecting everything that you can find.

Being a huge fan of the first two games, I was curious just how the controls for Katamari would be transferred over to the PSP since; after all, it is lacking the two analog sticks of the PS2. The answer was obvious and the D-pad (or the analog stick) as well as the buttons act as your controls. It should seem obvious, but just in case, triangle and up would move you forward, down and X would be back, and so on. You can turn, rotate around the katamari (the ball), and use the L and R buttons to turn.

The changes in the controls actually make this like picking Katamari up for the first time. Those that have played either of the games on the PS2 are going to find that at first the controls seems to be a little difficult, but much like the console versions, after a little practice rolling that ball becomes second nature.

In case you’ve never played Katamari before, the objective is relatively simple. Each stage will give you an objective to reach. The katamari must be a certain size before time expires and as you roll around the screen; your katamari will pick up objects. Should you slam into something hard enough though, you’ll loose pieces which are vital to your completion. This is a case where size does matter though. You katamari can’t pick up objects that are bigger than it is, so building up your girth is one of the primary goals. The stages also have hidden presents to be collected and cousins to get back into the fold.

Me & My Katamari also has a number of other features besides the game play. There is a jukebox which will allow you to go in and listen to the various tracks from the game after you’ve played through the stages, and Katamari does have one of the most unique and enjoyable soundtracks for a game of this nature. There are many Japanese language songs included in the game, and even if you don’t speak the language, the eclectic variety of music is catchy. You will find some classic songs from the previous two games as well as a few new tracks. The new Ranking Board will show you how you’re doing with your collecting, and this covers virtually everything you could possibly want to know.

If you want to see what you’ve collected in the game so far, that’s not anything to be worried about. You’re collection screen shows you exactly what you’ve managed to pick up so far through the game, and only a master will be able to get everything that the game has to offer. The Seaside Memorial allows you to see the cutscenes that you’ve already viewed during the course of gameplay, and like many of the PSP games, you’ll also find that there is network play available. You and up to three other players can battle it out to see who the real king of Katamari is, and you can even opt to trade items with one another, helping to increase those collections.

The graphics for Me & My Katamari look almost identical to its console counterpart, and in fact, there are a few times when it looks a little better. For the uninitiated though, Katamari actually has some very rudimentary graphics, more or less. It’s like seeing the original Virtua Fighter with untextured polygons on your PSP, but this basic approach is what makes Katamari that much more unique. You can’t help but fall in love with the way that game looks, and were the game more defined and the graphics improved, it really would ruin everything that fans have come to love about it.

Fans of Katamari rejoice. Me & My Katamari lets you grab your balls with both hands and play with them on the road, at work, at school, or virtually anywhere else. Don’t mistake that statement to mean anything outside the world of Katamari though. But, you say you’re one who has never played Katamari? Really? Well, it’s time to find out what the rest of the world has been addicted to for some time, and Me & My Katamari is certain to be the first in a number of ball rolling games on the PSP that grace the system. You can’t live without this game, you shouldn’t be without this game, and Katamari is the prefect addition to any library.
 

-mike-