Me & My Katamari

"Another Gem from Namco"

For the past two and a half years, the Katamari Damacy series has been pleasing and entertaining PS2 fans across the globe. When Sony released its PSP handheld, it was common sense, to know that there would be a pocket version. I present PSP's gem, Me & My Katamari.

Gameplay-9/10: The gameplay of the Katamari series is pretty basic: Roll stuff up, grow, Roll some more. It doesn't really change in this version. You can expect the same things however, it's still very fun. I would give the gameplay a perfect ten, but there is one thing missing. In the PS2 sequal to the first game, there were Element Katamaris, where you would build up snow, fire, etc. It wasn't anything really exciting, but it was fun. From what I've played, that element isn't in Me & My Katamari. The story is odd. Don't take it from me! Here's what the box says: “Take the adventure on the road as the Prince or one of his many cousins, rolling up objects in order to create islands for a bunch of homeless animals.”. No comment.

Sound-7/10: The sound in the Katamari Damacy series is…different. You either hate it or love it. I find the music sometimes catchy, but sometimes annoying as hell. Me & My Katamari has some new tracks, but sadly, most of the soundtrack is compiled from the past two games. Meh.

Controls: 8/10: The controls in this game take about ten minutes to get used to. Seeing as how the PSP (sadly) doesn't have two analog nubs, you have to use the D-Pad and the action buttons to roll your green prince to victory. The controls are almost the exact same as the PS2 versions, so if you're a fan of the series, you'll know the controls quickly.

Graphics-10/10: Most PSP games are realistic..or semi realistic. It's a breath of fresh air to have something out of the ordinary, and the PSP renders it in a brilliant sense. For once, a PSP game looks as good as a PS2 game. There are hundreds of objects to pick up, and beautiful effects. The intro movie is something alone to leave your jaw dropped. This game isn't an eyesore, and is probably one of the most graphically impressive handheld games on the market.

Replayability-7/10: The Katamari games are good, and simple fun. There are never enough levels to play, and this game will keep you occupied for a good few days. Multiplayer is decent, but not anything to brag about. Hell, even going through the menus is fun on its own. You can also go and try to make your past “islands” better then they were before.

Overall-8/10: This game is simply fun…..for certain people. People who want to enjoy a new, and fun series will learn to love this game, if they already haven't grown to love the two other versions. With good graphics, quirky music, fun controls, and a simple, yet complicated gameplay idea, this game is surely one to last you a long time

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/27/06