Beautiful Katamari

Beautiful Katamari is such game that cannot be summed up in a review just because of its unpredictability. You play as a lil green guy called The Prince and its your job to replace all the planets that got sucked up by a giant black hole. Not to forget this hole in space was made by your Dad in a game of tennis... Think that's random then you'll be blown away later on. The game has you rolling a ball called a Katamari which sticks to almost anything that's smaller than the ball itself. You are spawned in a section of the map and you roll your ball around until its bigger to get other parts of the map and it means you can also pick up bigger items as the Katamari gets bigger. When I first played this I was laughing so much after picking up flying cows, THE BIGGEST SUMO WRESTLERS EVER! and other goofy things. Its really just a fun game to play to while the time away. The game is structured though with time limits and goals to collect certain items (e.g. one has you trying to collect only wheels).

Don't let the controls however put you off. They're very... Different (Much like the game) but work brilliantly. You guide the ball with the right analog stick and decide the speed with the left, then double tap both to change direction quickly. They take getting used to but before long you'll be collecting up items like a pro.

The game itself is rather short. I managed to finish all the levels in one sitting (WARNING: This game DOES NOT have auto save. So try not to make my mistake and turn the game off after finishing it without saving!) but then I realized I had only scratched the surface. In each level there are some of The Princes cousins hidden in the level for you to find and unlock so you can play as them. Like the rest of the game they are all very abstract and quirky but in a good way. They make you laugh (Well the tall lanky pink one with a dolphin tail did with me!). Not to forget the online play and co-op play(Which to be honest I have not tried either but if its worth it I shall do a separate review on the multiplayer expects). This game has got DLC but what it seems it is a bit over priced but any hard core Katamari fan probably won't mind shelling out some extra cash.

The cute and colorful graphics add a toy like look to it. As if the world around you are toys. Its all good and captures the fun happy go lucky mood of the game perfectly (And makes a nice change from the likes of Gears of War).

Gameplay: 5

Graphics: 4 - Although they suit the game they can be too basic at times and a little more detail wouldn't do it any harm.

Presentation: 5 - Everything is integrated into the game very organically, although it can forget to tell you important information.

Sound: 5 - The catchy J- Pop tracks will stick in your head and keep you humming them way after you've put the game back in its box

Replay Value: 4 - You can replay all the levels to beat your high scores, get all the accessories for The Prince and find all his cousins... Although you'll probably need a walkthrough to find them all.