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Katamari Damacy




  • 028 4  First , the the opening and cut-aways are the strangest you are ever going to find . They are a mix of Monty Python-esque cinemas with a very Japanese style . They are so ridiculous , you can't help but enjoy them . The gameplay , however , is where the game truly shines . It is a simple concept , roll a sticky ball over everything , picking up the objects . What makes it interesting is that until the ball grows to a certain size , some objects are too big to pick up . Strategy dictates that you search for the smaller objects to grow the ball to be able to pick up even larger objects later . Each round has an objective for how big the ball must grow and how much time you have to do it . This isn't one of those games where you mash all the buttons on the controller or target countless enemies , or learn different manuveurs . I think that's one of the lures of the game , it is easy to learn and it is not frantic . It is one of those rare titles that allows you to relax and play . While the graphics might not be the eye-popping sharp style you are used to seeing lately , the developers poured a lot of time into the game physics . When you roll over an oddly shaped object , sticking it to the ball , the ball will roll oddly . This makes it more difficult to find other objects to stick to the ball as objects like pencils can lift the ball away from hitting them . At $20 , how can you lose with this game ? It is one of those titles you will go back to again and again , one of those timeless puzzle games that is pure game play !
    • 053 4  After hearing so many good reviews of this unique game from Japan , my curiosity got the better of me and I bought it . Well , I can safely say that this is one of my favorite PS2 games . Every time I sit down to play just one level , I end up playing three or four . At first the controls take a bit to get used to , but after a level or so , you will be rolling around like a pro . Despite the graphics looking a bit dated , they get the job done nicely and that brings me to one of my favorite aspects of this game which is the music . Rarely has video game music been so catchy and unique , that will have you humming it throughout the day . Anyway if you want an addicting puzzle game with an odd sense of humor , go get this game now before it becomes rare .
    • 091 4  It is my favorite right now . . . it's funny because every time I bring it up to someone , they say something like oh my god ! someone else was just telling me about that game ! , or that game is awesome ! . it's quite fun . . . highly recommended .
    • 186 4  So you just roll a ball around ? is typically the question people ask when I try to describe this game . But to experience the hilarity of this completely unique game is most definitely entertaining . And watching the intro video is something I look forward to . It's kind of a mix of Japanese pop-culture and Monty Python animation .
    • 194 4  I have no idea why I enjoy this game . Maybe it is the simplicity of it , or maybe the humor of it all . This is an enjoyable and addicting game that , once completed , you will get some replay value out of .
    • 205 4  I had high hopes for this game before I bought it . When I first put the game in the tray , I was welcomed by a strange theme song , which made me think that the game would be very original , which it is . Towards the beginning , you are controlling the character in a house , and I think it can get very boring to keep going through room after room . Later you get to go outside of the house to the city , which I think can be very exciting . You can pick up cars , people , and even buildings . I think the $20 price tag is worth it . It is a nice break from fighting games and is fun to watch people play too . Good Game Overall .

  • 050 4  Yep , those are the words to the song that plays as the game loads . Amazingly , it's enough to now put a smile on my face and make me want to start rolling things up in a giant ball . This is a really simple game that utilizes the snowball effect to good use . The songs are infectiously sappy , the reactions the animate things in the game have to being rolled up are fun , and the game has good replay value . Why , you ask . Well , for one , there are royal presents to get on each level . Most of the ones I've discovered are mobile , so you'll probably spend some time trying to find those . Of course , there's also the pleasure to be derived from rolling things up ( I suppose it's an aquired pleasure ) . There's also two player mode , and of course you could always aim to collect everything there is in the game , which requires some searching as well . One warning , however . I've ruined two controllers analog sticks playing this game ( I suppose they were cheap controllers to begin with ) , mostly due to mashing on them to try to keep the prince from rolling the katamari off the side of some perilous edge I'd gotten him on . All in all , a fun game that will have you humming along with the title words .
    • 049 4  The cut scene with the King of All Cosmos is priceless ! I am really bad at video games , but still try them from time to time . I'm really glad I tried this one ! There are other excellent reviews describing the gameplay , plot and incredible weirdness of this game . In spite of being really uncoordinated with games , I have had a ball with it ! Because of being uncoordinated , however , I have been treated to a sight that many may have missed - The King's reaction if you don't meet the set goal for a level . If you just miss it by a little , he's disappointed ; if you miss it by a lot , he disowns you ! He's a real jerk about it , but in the funniest way possible , and this extra piece to the game is not to be missed !
    • 112 4  This game is simply excellent . It's highly addictive and packed with cheesy Japanese goodness . The soundtrack alone almost makes the game worth it , but the humor throughout the game seals the deal . I'd type more , but I am compelled to play !
    • 161 4  I purchased this game for my 7 year old daughter thinking it would be one of those games that would entertain her , but bore the rest of the family to tears . I could not have been more incorrect . The game has cheesy , trippy moments , but it is so much fun . Everyone ( including my son who usually opts for more of the shot'em ups ) loves playing this game . It looks simple , but is challenging . We love the two player 3 min game where we can each take turns battling each other by creating the larger katamari ( great big ball of anything you can imagine . )
    • 240 4  Wow . If I had to pick one word to describe this game , it would be Wow . A game where you must roll around a little ball , sucking up ordinary objects to create a bigger ball , which is then used to replace the stars that your dad , The King Of All Cosomos accidentally blew up ? Brilliant ! There are hundreds of these quirky off the wall games made in Japan every year but very few make it stateside but I am sure glad this one did . Hours of entertainment and a great replay value all for just 20 bucks . If you haven't picked up a copy yet , good luck trying to find one now . Also , rumor has it Namco is working on a sequel .
    • 245 4  This is an incredibly addictive , fun game . Yeah , it is short , but for 20 bucks , quite worth it .
    • 257 4  This game seems very confusing , and has a very poor story at first , but as you begin the game these two ideas are both proven false . The controls in this game are extremely easy to get into and get used to . The basic concept is very simple ; you have to roll over random objects to increase the size of your katamari . Along the way there are many objects to increase variety , and adding them all to your collection requires hours of extra gameplay . This game has incredible value , as it's price is very low considering the value of this game . The major highlights of the game is the incredible gameplay , unique , but catchy music , and basically the raw fun of seeing something being pushed around by a mouse eventually picking up entire buildings . Fun to watch , even better to play , this game is one of the best !

  • 140 4  i'm a disabled computer geek who shies away from video games because they aggravate my neck / shoulder / arm / hand injuries . but when i read a review of this game in Wired , it seemed too good to be true . this game is novel , completely addictive , totally amusing , AND it didn't hurt too much to play for multiple hours , probably because no button pressing is required . the story line , bright colors , and ability to roll up living creatures into your katamari will make you feel as though you've stumbled onto a japanese childrens ' show where everyone on the crew unwittingly sampled a tainted batch of punch . . . very trippy , but completely acceptable for all ages . enjoy it , it's the ONLY game i'll play !
    • 130 4  its a great game . my big brother got it and he said i could play it ! its a blast , rolling over stuff and collecting things as big as roller coaster ! its awsome . you should get it . its so addictive ! i just wish the name wasnt hard to remember ! ha ha ha ha

  • 156 4  To call Katamari Damacy quirky would be something of an understatement . Not only is it wildly different from any other game you've ever played , it's also charming , humourous , innovative , and distinctly Japanese . As you probably know by now , the premise of the game has you controlling the Prince as he uses his blob - the katamari of the game's title - to roll up whatever assortment of riff-raff he can muster up . Each stage gives you a time limit , of which you're tasked with rolling up a ball to a given size before the clock runs out . To be sure , the concept is a fairly simple one , but the sheer variety of items available for collection and the delightful atmosphere the game puts you in makes this one of the most engaging games you'll come across . Even the most casual of gamers can jump right in and start rolling up a katamari . The blob is controlled by only the two analog sticks , and while this setup isn't the most intuitive , it ultimately proves to be very flexible and becomes second nature within the first hour of playing . Once settled in , the challenge of the game comes from picking up objects that help your katamari grow , all while experiencing the joy that comes with discovering new items . Starting with tiny objects like mah-jong tiles and erasers , you increase in size until you're able to collect tuna sushi and live mice , then cats and dogs , and eventually people . The expanding of your katamari and the accompanying scale-out effect are handled very well , giving you the impression that you're growing at a rapid pace . All of this collecting comes in the context of a surreal yet innocent setting . The game's visuals won't tax the PS2 ' s processor with high polygon counts , but they have a certain alluring quality that's at once cute and fascinating . Living things in the game , such as sheep , chicken , and people , look like they came out of a Lego box , which helps to distance rolling them up from what might otherwise be observed as a violent act . You will run into instances , however , where the camera gets stuck behind a wall and you're unable to see where you're going . While not frequent , this is still jarring and detracts from the overall experience . I should also make note that this is the only game to ever give me motion sickness - though I'm fine when playing FPS's , I came out noticeably queasy after one 90 - minute session of playing . Though this won't happen to the vast majority of people , I should still leave that as a warning . The game's best feature is easily its soundtrack , which contains a number of high-spirited , catchy tunes . Musical genres represented run the gamut from J-pop to lounge music to a children's choir , but everything is presented in an upbeat fashion , which further enhances the atmosphere . Though there isn't any spoken dialogue in the game , every item you collect makes a noise as you run it over , and these range from amusing to outright hilarious . Animals squeal , people scream , and cars honk as you add them to your blob , providing for some very entertaining moments . A dedicated gamer could finish all of the game's levels in 5 or 6 hours , but there's a lot of replay value beyond that . Like many classic games from eras past , players are urged to go back and repeat levels to set a higher score , if only because there are many ways to go through any single level . The amount of items that you can add to your in-game collection is staggering , and there are bonuses once you finish the game , such as finding all of the Prince's oddly-shaped cousins throughout the stages . For the ambitious , there's enough content here to keep a gamer satisfied for weeks . In a sea of derivative platformers , shooters , and beat-em-ups , Katamari Damacy is a unique gem of a game that stands out from the pack . Fun and laughter are the order of the day while playing this game , and all the while you will draw in non-gamers who happen to be watching . There aren't too many better deals today , in video games or elsewhere , for less than $30 .
    • 018 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This game is absolutely insane ! Everythign about it from the graphics and music to gameplay is off the wall absurd . . . That being said , there have been few games that have ever grabbed me and pulled me in the way this one does . It's ultra addictive . Some people may dislike the graphics , but that's the charm of this game . They aren't bad , they are perfect for the atmosphere . The music is so catchy and strange you will be humming it to yourself all day . The use of two analog control sticks works brilliantly . Even when you complete the game , you will find yourself replaying the stages to find the secret presents and to unlock Eternity modes and shooting stars . I have laughed so hard at this game , especially when you pick up the little kids riding the bikes . . . priceless : ) . When I saw this game was only 20 $ , I had heard very little about it , but the price was right . There is no reason not to give this game a go ? Take some old , unplayed games to your local video game store , trade them in , and pick this one up . I've been playing video games for about 18 years now and this ranks up there with the most fun and creative ways to spend my gaming dollars .
    • 080 4  I found out about this quirky little gem through a review in the October issue of NewType magazine . The premise sounded intriguing and so I picked up this title . Best purchase I've made for the PS2 yet . The premise is addictively simple yet complex enough that it holds your interest for hours ( The first night I owned this title I was playing until 1AM ! ) As the katamari ( ball ) that you are pushing grows and picks up more and more objects it becomes an even greater challenge to keep the ball rolling the way you want it to , especially if you pick up items that are odd shapes like waterguns , cats , etc . The purpose of all this pushing and collecting is explained in a backstory that is both weird yet oddly amusing at the same time , as you as trying to gather up enough mass with your ball to replace stars in the sky that your father accidentally destroyed . The father speaks in a disjointed manner that suggests he's still not over whatever it was that drove him to do this in the first place . The only quibble I have with the game is that to run with the ball you have to be able to rapidly move the two analog control sticks up and down in opposite directions , something that I'm not physically capable of doing . A minor quibble , since moving too fast usually leads to collisions that break off things that you've collected anyways . A quirky , fun game that will keep you entertained for hours and its so inexpensive to boot ! You can't pass this one up .
    • 081 4  This is a rare gem . When this game was released a while ago in Japan , hardly anyone thought that this quirky game would ever make it over here . This game is about rolling a katamari - - a ball - - over objects . Like a snowball , the katamari will grow with each object added and depending on the stage , will start out as a few cm high and eventually be able to roll over cities themselves . The premise is simple , and the graphics aren't mindblowing but it's genuinely fun , new and interesting . Most of the cookie cutter games dare not venture out of traditional mold , but this game begs to differ . In addition , it's $26.99 CAD ! Show your support for one of the most original titles to be released this year .

  • 172 4  Undoubtedly one of the weirdest and most insanely fun games to ever grace the PS2 , Namco's original Katamari Damacy is a game you just have to play to believe . You play an interstellar prince , and it's up to you to replace all the stars in the sky . To do this , you use your Katamari to collect all kinds of items on Earth , and roll it around to do so . You start off picking up small items , like screws and small candies , and gradually work your way up to collecting bigger ( and bigger ) items . Like I said , you have to play it to believe it . You control your Katamari by using both of the analog sticks to move and roll around . While this takes some time to learn and get used to ( there is a helpful tutorial before the game starts ) , once you get it down you'll find it hard to put the controler down . Katamari Damacy is insanely fun and undeniably charming with its interesting approach in the graphics department , and some pretty funny dialogue from the King of the Cosmos . Since the release of Katamari Damacy on our shores , some new installments have been released , but if you've never experienced the sheer joy that is Katamari , Katamari Damacy is a perfect place to start .
    • 055 4  This game is so amazing , it'll blow you socks off . You won't believe me or anyone else until you try it , but trust me , this game is amazing . Everyone of all ages can enjoy this game , and technically , it's not violent ! ! Listen , most video games nowadays cost $50 , and most of them are NOT worth it . This game cost $20 , and it will be the best $20 you'll ever spend ; I guarantee it ! : )
    • 124 4  This fun game is completely addictive . Although the levels get increasingly difficult and that is a cause of frustration at times , it never gets old rolling things up from miniscule to mighty . We purchased the second Katamari game , We Love Katamari , and it's even better than the first one . The only negative thing is , the King of the Cosmos is not nice when you fail on a mission and says hurtful things . But as long as you're not thin skinned and don't take it personally , you'll have a great time playing . If you don't have a sense of humor , don't bother playing this game ! ! If you do , you'll be laughing as you're rolling along , and the theme song will stay with you night and day ! ( But in a GOOD way ! )
    • 138 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Katamari Damaci is a silly , quirky , and strangely addictive roll up everything in sight into a ball type game . First Impressions : When you first play this game , your first impression will be that the develepors of this game were on very , very , strong and illegal drugs . But maybe one good thing can come out of being high , this good thing is Katamari Damaci . I can't explain the story , it's just way too out there , evidence of really strong drugs . Last Impressions : Your last impressions of the game will be just about the same as the first , a great and addictive game that you'll end up playing for hours and hours . But you'll still get the impression that the makers were on drugs . Hehe .
    • 236 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Addictive , deceptively simple , very well executed . . . Very basically put , you collect stuff by rolling over it with a sticky ball , but its amazing how gracefully perspective shifts as your katamari goes from 1 inch in size to 1 mile and from collecting shirt buttons to skyscrapers and bridges . And if you thought All Your Base Belongs To Us was funny in any way , you'll really enjoy all the story interludes . Be warned , the graphic approach is very very basic and will remind you of pixel art or C64 games at times - - this is no doubt completely intentional . But if you are looking for super-realistic graphics , don't come here .
    • 237 4  Addictive , deceptively simple , very well executed . . . Very basically put , you collect stuff by rolling over it with a sticky ball , but its amazing how gracefully perspective shifts as your katamari goes from 1 inch in size to 1 mile and from collecting shirt buttons to skyscrapers and bridges . And if you thought All Your Base Belongs To Us was funny in any way , you'll really enjoy all the story interludes . Be warned , the graphic approach is very very basic and will remind you of pixel art or C64 games at times - - this is no doubt completely intentional . But if you are looking for super-realistic graphics , don't come here .

  • 260 4  With a name like Katamari Damacy , it can only be from one place . Japan . Now i had heard a lot about this game , mostly on its . . . odd to say the least nature . Few games can produce a genuine what the F @ ! * from your average gamers mouth after just seeing the intro . Suffice to say dancing pandas and singing ducks are some of the most ordinary elements . While there isn't much to the storyline , the basic idea is that your father , the king of all cosmos goes out one night , and in what can only be described as a drunken stooper , smashes all the stars , not to mention the moon out of the night sky . It is your job as the prince of all cosmos or the son of the king , to put all the stars and the moon back in the sky . This includes all the constellations , and about 10 misc . stars to construct , in addition to the moon . Of course the only logical way to put all the stars , constellations , not mention the moon back in the sky is to go down to earth and collect as much junk as you can , then your dad will turn it into a star ! makes sense right ? As for the gameplay , it is one of the simplest , yet best executed games in years.taking the roll of the prince who is a tee-ninesy little green dude , you push around a ball varying in size called a Katamari . As you push your Katamari over various objects , they stick and as time goes on you work your way up from rolling up thumbtacks and coins to rolling up skyscrapers , cruise liners , and even a volcano ! The game ups the diffaculty at a nice pace which makes it very enjoyable from beginning to end , and you never get the feeling that your overwhelmed . Yet another thing that is , yes you guessed it , wierd about this game , is the soundtrack . This is in no way a bad thing , but it definately isn't something you've heard in any other game . With a sort of lounge / techno mixture , its quite the unexpected treat . Certain song will be stuck in your head for weeks , which shows the music coordinators did their job . The controls , as well as the rest of the game , are a bit abnormal at first . Using the analog sticks , you push both simultaneously in the direction you wish to roll your katamari . In addition to the analog sticks , there are shoulder button functions , one that allows you to get an overhead view of your immeadiate surroundings , and one that give you a first person point of view . Even though these shoulder controls were at my disposal , i found no real reason to utilize them throughout the entire game . My favorite aspect of this game is that there is an unbelieve amount of things that you can pick up . With over a thousand different objects , you have your variety in every shape and form . All of the things you pick up in the world are recorded in an easy to navigate archive , where you can look at all the objects you've picked up , as well as see if any of your collected objects are rare . as for the objects themselves , they are just about anything . You start your journey picking up thumbtacks , batteries , and erasers . After that you slowly build to picking up people , yes people , then trees , then houses , and finally on to entire pieces of land that you pull straight off of the earth . Some of the more unique objects include a football and baseball field , a ferris wheel , and even the thunder god sitting up high on a cloud . Through all of the picking , the camera always finds its way to a good position , so while it isn't perfect , you very rarely find yourself cursing the camera angles . the game does feature a multiplayer mode , but in a whole , it could use some improvements . You get your choice of many colorful characters that resemble the prince , but instead have clever costumes , such as a strawberry , army camo , and even disco lights ! After me and a friend of mine picked characters , we expected to end up at a menu that allowed us to set all the specifics of the round , such as time , size , level , etc . but instead we were dissapointed to find that there are only a select few levels , the time is always three minutes , and your Katamari never gets past picking up hats . Had this particular element had more customization to it , this would have definately been a five star game , since once you play for about an hour , you realize how great a multiplayer expieience this game could be . In conclusion , this is definately something that anyone who has ever appreciated genuine wierdness , videogames , Japan culture , or any combination of the three should check out . With a level design that is easy to complete , but next to impossible to fully master , this game will have even the best gamers repeating levels .
    • 036 4  My son played it in college , LOVED IT , so bought it for home for winter break . My daughter ( also in college ) ended up playing for hours after watching my son play . I ( mom ) watched her play , and couldn't wait to try it - and I was addicted . Dad , who dislikes video games , ended up trying it , and we each spent Christmas vacation trying to get our fair share of playing time . It was so much fun - for any price it's an amazingly good game . But for $20 you cannot lose .
    • 076 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Everything about this game can be summed up in two words : Off Kilter . The concept is off kilter . The gameplay is off kilter . And the intro sequence is most definitely off kilter . But all of that is a part of the charm of this game . This game is probably the most deceptively fun game you will ever play . The game involves you , as the prince of all cosmos , rolling around the earth with a small clump ( a katamari , as it's known ) , adding things to your clump as you roll over them . From this deceptively simple concept will spring hours of play , and multitudes of questions like What was that thing I just rolled up ? , I wonder if I can get the entire family , and Why do pencils make me so lopsided ? THe only negative I have about this game is the length - it can be reasonably completed in under 10 hours . But , then again , that is the primary reason that it debuted at the discounted price . My advice ( take it as you will ) - buy this game . It manages to be unique and different without any violence or offensive material whatsoever , and it'll have you glued to the screen for hours .
    • 096 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This has got to be the oddest game I have ever played . I wanted to just rent it to try it out , but unfortunately none of the blockbusters in a 15 mile radius of my house carried it so I figured I might as well just buy it for the low low price of $20 , why not ? It was worth the twenty beans . I'm a weird guy so I enjoy weird games and this one is f-ing strange . You roll a ball ( katamari ) around picking up stuff to create stars or constelations that need to be replaced after your ambiguously gay father , the king of the cosmos , got wasted and destroyed . The game play is very simplistic as you never have to press a button , unless you want to jump , which I have yet to do . The game is really short which kinda sucks , but I imagine that to beat it completely is basically impossible . There are levels when you need to find a certain ammount of one particular thing and try as I might , I can only get 70 - 90% of said thing . And the king is a real dick as he says stuff like , Mystery ? The only mystery here is how you managed to find so little ! Which brings me to my next point : the dialogue , like the entire concept of the game , is really strange . As you go through the game , there is some kind of a stupid story going on in which nothing happens . The father of some japanese family is supposed to go into space , but at the end of the game , his flight gets canceled ( sorry if I just spoiled something ) but that has absolutely nothing to do with anything and I'm not sure why the makers threw that story in there . But I digress , this game is really entertaining . I find something soothing in rolling over entire cities and school children so that I may burn them and make them into a star . And the screams , oh how they make the game just that much more enjoyable . I suggest you buy this game , though you can definitely beat it in a night if you can find some place where you can rent it . Give it a shot but this is an either love it or hate it type of game .
    • 121 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Katamari Damacy is one of the best games ever made . It's also the freshest game . Don't let the kiddie theme deter you : this is extremely playable for anyone . The music has very good genre recordings ; some of them are accoustic jazz studio recordings in Japanese , but the jazz sound is there , especially in Gin & Tonic & Red Red Roses , which is a noir-ish 15 - minute scat vocal swing track with percussion , piano , double bass , and flute . The game has a two-player mode , which is set in an arena as a competition to see who's better . The one-player mode is the story-driven mode about the King of the Cosmos father of your protagonist who is a little green guy that looks similar to a Teletubby . The objective is to use the two analog sticks to make the character push around a small ball inside a garden or the rooms in a house , or both , into objects normally found in those three-dimensional environments , such as pairs of scissors , mice , golf balls , flowers , paperclips , dining chairs , spoons , anything and everything . The rolling of the ball has a snowball effect , which means the more things your character rolls up into the ball , the larger the ball becomes . There's a big transition moment in the game where , after rolling the ball around the rooms of a house , the character breaks out of the house down the driveway to a farmer's market on the other side of the street where he starts rolling in watermelons until the ball gets even larger and rolls in bicycles , little kids and then adults . The game play is a surreal fantasy , but it all comes together in its finale with an abstract epiphany that the world is a small enough place to understand each other when replacing the unnecessary with the meaningful . The more I played this game , the hungrier I got , and the ending surprised me with an epiphany . It's by Namco who , as you know , is the Japanese company that produced the original Pac-Man arcade game . Since then , it has produced several genre games for Sony's Playstation including the Soul Edge series , Soul Blade and Soul Calibur , the Tekken series , the Ridge Racer / Rage Racer series , and the Ace Combat / Air Combat series , all of which has been prime landmarks in that console's history . This game is so fresh , it struck a blow to me . Strangely , it is one of those Japanese releases that almost didn't make it over to America . When it was brand new , its list price was only $20 ; most games are $50 upon release . The raving critical success and the sleeper hit popularity of this game garnered a sequel , but I haven't played it yet . At any rate , it just may continue on as one of Namco's great series if it maintains the inertia of this original one .
    • 223 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I first got this game on Christmas . At first I thought it was very weird ! I only got up to star #4 . . . But my dad is so good ! He did almost did all the constellations , and he went up to star #7 ! The funny part is that on star #7 , when you're about 2 or 3 meters , you can start to get humans ! My dad lets me play his game , so when I start getting humans , I like to start with the inner-tube kids swimming around the big sumo , then I go to the watermellon boy , then the school boys , then I go in that little forest , and get the 2 cranky guys , then I go get the guys and the playfull guys . You should hear all the screams and cries of the people . They're so funny ! Whenever I laugh at the people , my stomach hurts and I cant even breathe !
    • 224 4  I first got this game on Christmas . At first I thought it was very weird ! I only got up to star #4 . . . But my dad is so good ! He did almost did all the constellations , and he went up to star #7 ! The funny part is that on star #7 , when you're about 2 or 3 meters , you can start to get humans ! My dad lets me play his game , so when I start getting humans , I like to start with the inner-tube kids swimming around the big sumo , then I go to the watermellon boy , then the school boys , then I go in that little forest , and get the 2 cranky guys , then I go get the guys and the playfull guys . You should hear all the screams and cries of the people . They're so funny ! Whenever I laugh at the people , my stomach hurts and I cant even breathe !
    • 228 4  My brother got this game for his birthday . Soon after , my entire family was gathered around the TV marveling at this strange and compelling game , and then asking for their turn to play . Even my mother , who has had difficulty with games after Pac-Man ( another strange Namco title ! ) loves this game ! Highly recommended for anyone who likes FUN .
    • 265 4  This game is so much fun ! My wife and I have spent countless hours playing it both individually and against each other , and it doesn't lose any value in the replay . The only reason I gave it 4 stars for overall review is that I would like to have seen a few more multiplayer stages , either in the battle arena or included in The World ( though I don't know if The World opens up for multiplayer at all yet ) . Absolutely worth buying , even at retail price .

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) 2004 was a horrible year for video games . I think the game that I was anticipating the most was Onimusha 3 , which turned out to be little more than a dumbed-down samurai version of Devil May Cry . It got to the point where I lost my addiction to video games ( yikes ! ) and didn't buy any games for months . Two months ago , that all changed . One of my friends got me Katamari Damacy for my birthday . I had been interested in it ever since it came out , but I never got around to buying it . We started playing it at that very moment . The first thing we heard when we loaded the game up was what sounded like someone humming naaaaaaaa na na na na na na na na from inside a bathroom stall . It was weird and hilarious . We laughed our asses off . Next came the intro movie . Holy hell . . . it was one of the most awesome things I'd ever seen . It featured singing swans , balloons , giant mushrooms , marijuana leaves , pandas , and a groovy pink car . Much like the humming , it was weird and hilarious . We laughed our asses off again . Infact , being weird and hilarious ( as well as different from virtually every game ever made ) is what makes Katamari Damacy so utterly brilliant . You play as the Prince , a little green alien . Your father , The ( oh-so-badass ) King Of All Cosmos accidently destroyed all the stars in the sky . He sends you to Earth to roll up objects to create new stars . You start off by rolling up little things like buttons and insects , then later progress to larger things like bushes , tables , and people . Eventually , you get big enough to roll up entire cities , and even landmasses . LANDMASSES ! Because this idea has never been seen before , everything in the game feels fresh and original , even things that we've seen a million times before like time limits , exploring new areas , and trying to collect 100% of all the items ( which have really funny descriptions , by the way ) , Royal Presents , and names . The game exists in it's own strange little universe where absolutely nothing feels flawed out of place . It's simple , fun , and extremely addictive . Not to mention it only costs $20 and it has one of the best soundtracks of all time , outside of the Final Fantasy series . That's really all there is to it . It's an astonishingly cool game that ( like all niche games ) went completely under the radar of most PS2 owners . Let's hope that changes soon . Forget about all those boring , lame , overhyped games that came out at the end of last year , such as Bland Theft Auto : San Andreas and Gaylo 2 , and make way for Katamari Damacy : winner by a mile for Game of the Year .
    • 038 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) 2004 was a horrible year for video games . I think the game that I was anticipating the most was Onimusha 3 , which turned out to be little more than a dumbed-down samurai version of Devil May Cry . It got to the point where I lost my addiction to video games ( yikes ! ) and didn't buy any games for months . Two months ago , that all changed . One of my friends got me Katamari Damacy for my birthday . I had been interested in it ever since it came out , but I never got around to buying it . We started playing it at that very moment . The first thing we heard when we loaded the game up was what sounded like someone humming naaaaaaaa na na na na na na na na from inside a bathroom stall . It was weird and hilarious . We laughed our asses off . Next came the intro movie . Holy hell . . . it was one of the most awesome things I'd ever seen . It featured singing swans , balloons , giant mushrooms , marijuana leaves , pandas , and a groovy pink car . Much like the humming , it was weird and hilarious . We laughed our asses off again . Infact , being weird and hilarious ( as well as different from virtually every game ever made ) is what makes Katamari Damacy so utterly brilliant . You play as the Prince , a little green alien . Your father , The ( oh-so-badass ) King Of All Cosmos accidently destroyed all the stars in the sky . He sends you to Earth to roll up objects to create new stars . You start off by rolling up little things like buttons and insects , then later progress to larger things like bushes , tables , and people . Eventually , you get big enough to roll up entire cities , and even landmasses . LANDMASSES ! Because this idea has never been seen before , everything in the game feels fresh and original , even things that we've seen a million times before like time limits , exploring new areas , and trying to collect 100% of all the items ( which have really funny descriptions , by the way ) , Royal Presents , and names . The game exists in it's own strange little universe where absolutely nothing feels flawed out of place . It's simple , fun , and extremely addictive . Not to mention it only costs $20 and it has one of the best soundtracks of all time , outside of the Final Fantasy series . That's really all there is to it . It's an astonishingly cool game that ( like all niche games ) went completely under the radar of most PS2 owners . Let's hope that changes soon . Forget about all those boring , lame , overhyped games that came out at the end of last year , such as Bland Theft Auto : San Andreas and Gaylo 2 , and make way for Katamari Damacy : winner by a mile for Game of the Year .
    • 041 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This game is the best ! It's so simple , but really really REALLY addicting , and it's hard to beat . I'm 14 and I LOVE it to DEATH ! It's a great game for all ages , actually ; smaller kids have fun with in , big kids can actually beat it . I just bought the game a few days ago , but i played it over the summer and I had soo much FUN ! The concept is ridiculously funny . Trust me , your kids ( and probably you , too ! ) will love this game . And , if I were you , I'd buy it through amazon , only because since it got popular it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find it in real stores . In the past three weeks I've been in , approximately 29 stores looking for it , and only 2 stores had it . An Elektronics World that only had a used copy that was scratched to death , and an EB Games who had just gotten it , used and in good condidtion , five minutes before i fought another kid for it . : - D It's THAT good . Buy it !
    • 088 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) . . . in the form of Katamari Damacy ! Don't worry , everyone else who enjoys games will probably enjoy this , but it's REALLY weird ! This game has a story about the King of Cosmos or something . But you probably aren't playing this game for the story ! The reason to play this game is for ( DUH ) the gameplay . The gameplay is very simple , fun , and original . You start out with this little ball and roll it around to collect stuff ( I think to make it into a star ? ) . You start out collecting little things , such as people , move up to bigger things , such as cars , and keep collecting bigger stuff until you collect skyscrapers ! Yeah , I know the gameplay sounds pretty boring and repetitive , but it actually isn't . This game seriously has some of the most original gameplay I've seen in a while . It is really fun , and when you collect people into your ball , they scream and wiggle ! Oh yeah , this game has some good physics too ( not really in a realistic way ) . When you collect something , it will still keep its shape , and living things will wiggle around . The graphics aren't great , but able . Again , not playing the game for the graphics , but they are simple and weird in their own fun little way ( kinda like the game ) . The story may be weird ( trust me , see the ending ) but is still pretty cool and good ( better than half the crap I've been seeing lately ) . The sound in the game is also good . Some people say the music is crap , but I actually liked it . I thought it was very fun and quirky , and it was fun to hear an original soundtrack to a game lately ( I'm getting kind of tired of all the licensed soundtracks ) . Graphics : 7 / 10 - cartoony , Japanese , fun ! match the game's feel Sound / Music : 8 / 10 - very cool , original Control / Gameplay : 9 / 10 - simple to get into , not repetitive-GREAT Overall : This game is one the most original and weird games I've played in a while . The graphics , sound , and gameplay are all great . You have to admire the Japanese-when they wanna make a weird game , they don't hold back ! This game is the most original game of the year , and is the biggest surprise of 2004 . This game is only 20 bucks , so if you have a PS2 , you gotta buy it ! You probably haven't ( and probably won't ) experience anything like it ! 10 / 10
    • 155 4  I may sound stupid , but-hey - , I'm a kid . All you grown-ups out there . Your crazy son is a PS2 fanatic ? Buy him KATAMARI DAMACY . The soundtrack , ( the music they put with the video game , brainlesses ) is highly educational for music people . Great game !
    • 217 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) When I started playing this game , I immediately fell in love with it . Who doesn't want to roll up pencils , erasers , mice , batteries , golf balls , birds , thumbtacks , food , swans , crabs , fish , turtles , people , islands , boats , buildings , whales , bridges , trees , bears , fences , vegetables , superheroes , whirlpools , clouds , and whole countries ? And those are only a very small percentage of the over 1300 unique items in the game ! The items come in 80 categories , ranging from necessities such as film and toilet paper to energy ( which includes oil tankers and propane tanks ) . The music is addictive ( you will be found humming the different themes from each level randomly throughout your day ) , and the concept is unique . After completing the 20 - odd levels , you will be compelled to try and get 100% in everything ( items , gifts , levels , etc . ) . Now here is the place where I announce the game's shortfalls . The game's two-player mode leaves much to be desired , providing a very small level to compete in . Notice how I said level and not levels . The game does not allow you to go head-to-head in any one-player level , but rather gives you one VERY SMALL single level in which to compete in . Now the game is quite short : I beat it in less than 15 hours , maybe even 10 , by my own estimate . But , I am still playing it to try and collect all of the items ( 90% with 1303 items so far ) . I think you should purchase this game if you ( 1 ) like a game with excellent music , ( 2 ) like to play alone , ( 3 ) like to play with friends that like to wait as you complete one level , and you wait while they complete the next , ( 4 ) like games with unique concepts , ( 5 ) don't care too much about an in-depth storyline , or if you ( 6 ) like a great bargain game ( at $20 it's a steal ) . Thanks for reading .

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I first played this game at a buddies house and was hooked on of all things , the tunes . Basically this game is like the others have said - the stars are gone and it's the son of the King of Cosmos ' job to put them back to the sky , and re-create the constellations . So , the son goes to earth and with a ball called a Katamari , he rolles up anything from ants to skyscrapers so that a giant ball of stuff they can be elevated into the sky and turned into stars . The thing about this game that's so addictive are the little challenges to it and finding different things that you missed the first 4 times you rolled on a level . You wind up enjoying watching others play it because you look at the details of all the objects that are around you in the game - and how impressive it is ! ( the amount of detail ) The gameplay to this is simple and fun - one of my friends likened rolling the ball to driving the Warthog in Halo 2 ; not so bad of an analogy . But that's all you really need - you don't use the buttons really or anything else ; just the analog sticks , which make it a game that almost anyone can play and enjoy . Definitely recommend it . I enjoyed the game and the tunes in the game were cute if anything else . Try not to think too much of the ' plot ' of the game . . . there really isn't one although there is a small story to carry along which is more of a gag for the tripped out herb heads . But this really is a pretty easy game that you can just pop in , take your mind off things , and play . I guess my only gripe would be that it wasn't very long at all . . . even though I wound up playing it for about 3 hours straight when i got it . Check it out !
    • 001 4  One thing can be said for certain : you haven't played a game like this before . Everything about this game is off-the-wall , but it works . When you load the game for the first time , you will be greeted with giraffes , rainbows , bicycles , and a plethora of other things - all performing some contorted dance - just for you . Welcome to the world of Katamari Damacy , where the gameplay is original and surprisingly addictive . Your goal ? - roll your sticky ball around to collect the objects from earth . As your ball gets bigger , you can pick up bigger things . So you go on a hunt to keep growing your ball . The levels you play in are simply huge - I never felt like I had seen everything in a level - so replay level is quite high . Meanwhile , the background music is a lot of fun , good enough to put you in a good mood if the rest of the game doesn't . And the story - without ruining anything - has to be the product of mixing drugs and alcohol . The controls are quite simple , employing only the analog sticks and a couple shoulder buttons ( although I never found much use for the shoulder buttons ) . When I heard about and found the game , I worried that it would be too simplistic to entertain me - it seems my worries were unfounded ; Katamari Damacy is a great game for everyone . . . . and cheap , too !
    • 084 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I first played this game at a buddies house and was hooked on of all things , the tunes . Basically this game is like the others have said - the stars are gone and it's the son of the King of Cosmos ' job to put them back to the sky , and re-create the constellations . So , the son goes to earth and with a ball called a Katamari , he rolles up anything from ants to skyscrapers so that a giant ball of stuff they can be elevated into the sky and turned into stars . The thing about this game that's so addictive are the little challenges to it and finding different things that you missed the first 4 times you rolled on a level . You wind up enjoying watching others play it because you look at the details of all the objects that are around you in the game - and how impressive it is ! ( the amount of detail ) The gameplay to this is simple and fun - one of my friends likened rolling the ball to driving the Warthog in Halo 2 ; not so bad of an analogy . But that's all you really need - you don't use the buttons really or anything else ; just the analog sticks , which make it a game that almost anyone can play and enjoy . Definitely recommend it . I enjoyed the game and the tunes in the game were cute if anything else . Try not to think too much of the ' plot ' of the game . . . there really isn't one although there is a small story to carry along which is more of a gag for the tripped out herb heads . But this really is a pretty easy game that you can just pop in , take your mind off things , and play . I guess my only gripe would be that it wasn't very long at all . . . even though I wound up playing it for about 3 hours straight when i got it . Check it out !
    • 162 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Katamari Damacy is an interesting game , which features some of the most original animation and music I have seen in a video game . The premise of the game is that the King of All Cosmos has destroyed all of the stars and the moon and has charged his son , the Prince of All Cosmos , with gathering massive amounts of material from Earth to remake the stars and moon . The Prince accomplishes his goal , by using a sticky ball called a Katamari to roll-up everything from insects to entire continents . While this may sound like a simple task , the ever shrinking time limit and the ever increasing size requirement for the Katamari provide gamers a decent challenge . Despite the unique style of Katamari Damacy , the game suffers from some glaring flaws as well . The worst of these flaws is that the game becomes extremely repetitive . While there are some variations here and there , for the most parts players will find themselves going through the same motions in the same areas . Overall , Katamari Damacy has a unique presentation , but suffers from a lack of engaging game play .
    • 185 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) So you just roll a ball around ? is typically the question people ask when I try to describe this game . But to experience the hilarity of this completely unique game is most definitely entertaining . And watching the intro video is something I look forward to . It's kind of a mix of Japanese pop-culture and Monty Python animation .
    • 199 4  When I read the reviews and decided to order the game I still wasn't quite sure what to expect . The game certainly did not disappoint . From a quirky menu system to goofy but fun and charming soundtrack , from heavily stylized graphics to thoroughly fun in it's simplicity gameplay - this game shines . Too bad it was fairly short ( less then a dozen stars to make ) but there is plenty of replayability even if it wasn't for additional quests like rebuilding separate constellations or finding all the royal presents that are stashed on the levels by the King of all Cosmos . If you're not afraid to try something out of the mainstream - definitely don't pass this game up .
    • 201 4  A game easy enough for me to play ( I'm a spaz at the controls ) , yet complex enough to keep me coming back . The music alone is worth the 20 bucks - - especially the swan song . It's even invading my dream life at night . I must get off the computer and play again . Now .
    • 225 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) What could you say about Katamari Damacy , you may ask . Well , I'm here to answer your question . This game is a cheap , Japanese launch title that seems like it didn't take much to make , you may say . If you just said that to yourself , then bite me ! ! ! This may be one of the best games of all time ! ! ! If it isn't the best , it certainly earns the title of the weirdest game ever . The object of the game is to roll a giant ball around called a Katamari , pick up everything you can , and get it so many meters big to pass a level . The gameplay is fun and addicting , as well as the catchy tunes in each level . Some just plain annoying , and some just so plain stupid that they are fun to listen to . It doesn't really have a main storyline , besides the fact that your dad , The King of all Cosmos , destroyed all the stars , and now it's up to you to remake all the stars in the galaxy by building up Katamaris and turning them into stars or stardust . The only real complaint I have is the controls of the game . It sometimes gets hard trying to use both analog sticks on the PS2 controller to roll the ball around , but besides that , this game is fun , entertaining , and it will keep you coming back for more . And the awesome part is that there is already a sequel , entitled We Love Katamari , set to come out September 20th . So if you enjoy the first Katamari Damacy , I highly recommend you take a look at We Love Katamari . It has a lot of great expectations ahead of it ! ! !
    • 261 4  I recently stumbled across this sadly unknown stroke of genius called Katamari Damacy ( or clump of souls in Japanese ) for the PS2 . If you want to experience a game that's incredibly creative , addictive , and insane , buy Katamari Damacy - - you won't be disappointed !
    • 268 4  After I bought this game , I was worried it would be too simple . I shouldn't have worried - it is simple enough to be fun right away , but not so simple as to be boring . The first night we played it , I had my family over and we all took turns with the game . We laughed so hard . This game is fun to play in a group setting ( or by yourself ) . It is unique and definitely worth a look .

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I originally played this game with a large group of friends , where the joy of the game seemed to increase ten-fold . By the time the day was over and on the final , half-hour long stage , we were all watching and yelling out when objects such as the Thunder God and a rainbow were stuck on the giant Katamari . I bought the game later for myself and I loved it . As some other reviewers have mentioned , the game is short , but going back and breaking your goals and gaining eternal stages and new records is just as enjoyable . The gameplay is fast and addictive , the replay value is great . The plot is not the main portion of this game , it's more about the gameplay and the zaniness of the whole idea . There are three areas where the stages take place : around the house , in town , and around the world . Each has its own set of objects , and it's also a lot of fun trying to collect all of them . Objects range from Japanese food to land masses and buildings . To pick up these objects , you don't use any buttons , you use only the two analog sticks . It takes a little bit to get used to moving around , but the time ( at least for me ) wasn't very significant . There isn't any complicated button-mashing , just manipulating the joysticks to roll under a full range of movement . Similar to the gameplay , the soundtrack is quite addictive . The music consists of Japanese pop and a few other smoother tracks , mostly sung in Japanese with one or two songs sung in English . You'll want to get your hands on the soundtrack after playing this game through . Even though the game is short ( I beat it in six hours , including time browsing through my items , although I had played it some before purchasing it ) , as I said previously , it's fun going back to play around in the various stages . There is also a two-player mode , that , while entertaining , does not match the same fun of the main game . The graphics are not the greatest , either , but that should do nothing for the game itself : it just adds to the entertainment factor . Not to mention the trippy cutscenes and intro . XP
    • 027 4  You will be shocked when you see how crappy the intro scenes are , almost feeling as if someone has stung you on recommending Karamari Damacy , but once you start pushing that ball around the place with objects sticking to it as it builds up in size to eventually have houses and football pitches gelling on to it , you will understand how wholly original this game is , and why it has been compared to crack . This is the most addictive PS2 game to date . It doesn't look like much , but you just can't say No . You can't ! The idea is so simple . You can't pick up bigger objects until you have a diameter that is about twice the size of the object , which means you need to start small and work your way up . The problem is crashing into things reduces the balls size so you need to be able to find the right sized objects to roll over and navigate about properly while on a timer . Simple , but the kind of thing to keep you up to 6am with your eyes coming out your head . Royal Rainbow to all who have played it !
    • 043 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) How in the world could rolling a ball around and having junk stick to it be FUN ? Well , if you add in a crazy soundtrack , oddball graphics , and what seems to be a purposefully terrible translation of the original Japanese text , you get one of the most quirky and enjoyable games in years . While the basic premise of rolling around a katamari to pick up junk to make new stars for the sky seems a little stupid ( and more than a little drug-induced ) , it's all in the execution . There is no way not to grin while listening to some of this bombastic music . You can't not feel a surge of sick glee as you roll over a dog , a telephone , an old granny , a car , a house , even a rainbow , and all make sounds of distress as you do so . It's hard not to snicker as the King of All Cosmos says the most hilarious things in horribly stilted English . That said , though , it's still hard to pin down EXACTLY why this is so entertaining . By all rights , it should get old and boring in the first two missions . By all rights , the music should be grating and cause you to want to pierce your eardrums . By all rights , the corny graphics should be making you want to gauge out your eyes . But , somehow , it all manages to be fun even after hours and hours of straight gameplay . Only the Japanese could pull this off , man . Only the Japanese .
    • 063 4  I am a 65 year old grandma and I love this game . As my daughter says , it is crazy . You start rolling around a ball which picks up stuff as it rolls . You have to get it to a certain size within the allotted time . You can only pick up small stuff at first , then as the ball increases in size , you pick up bigger and bigger stuff . You have to manuver the ball up ramps and turn it so that it picks up what you want . Rats run at you and knock stuff off . Your ball won't roll right after picking up things like pencils and legos . It is so much fun ! I played at least 6 times trying to beat the first level then accidently rolled into another room where there was tons of stuff to pick up . I'm still learning . The balls are placed into the sky and turned into stars to replace the stars that were accidently destroyed . No shooting ! No blood ! Good clean fun ! ! ! !
    • 157 4  The only way you couldn't enjoy this game is if you didn't have a soul .
    • 192 4  Everything everyone else said about this game is correct . It's so much fun . It also ruins the joystick on your controller . You are fore-warned .
    • 215 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I originally played this game with a large group of friends , where the joy of the game seemed to increase ten-fold . By the time the day was over and on the final , half-hour long stage , we were all watching and yelling out when objects such as the Thunder God and a rainbow were stuck on the giant Katamari . I bought the game later for myself and I loved it . As some other reviewers have mentioned , the game is short , but going back and breaking your goals and gaining eternal stages and new records is just as enjoyable . The gameplay is fast and addictive , the replay value is great . The plot is not the main portion of this game , it's more about the gameplay and the zaniness of the whole idea . There are three areas where the stages take place : around the house , in town , and around the world . Each has its own set of objects , and it's also a lot of fun trying to collect all of them . Objects range from Japanese food to land masses and buildings . To pick up these objects , you don't use any buttons , you use only the two analog sticks . It takes a little bit to get used to moving around , but the time ( at least for me ) wasn't very significant . There isn't any complicated button-mashing , just manipulating the joysticks to roll under a full range of movement . Similar to the gameplay , the soundtrack is quite addictive . The music consists of Japanese pop and a few other smoother tracks , mostly sung in Japanese with one or two songs sung in English . You'll want to get your hands on the soundtrack after playing this game through . Even though the game is short ( I beat it in six hours , including time browsing through my items , although I had played it some before purchasing it ) , as I said previously , it's fun going back to play around in the various stages . There is also a two-player mode , that , while entertaining , does not match the same fun of the main game . The graphics are not the greatest , either , but that should do nothing for the game itself : it just adds to the entertainment factor . Not to mention the trippy cutscenes and intro . XP

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I purchased this game for my 7 year old daughter thinking it would be one of those games that would entertain her , but bore the rest of the family to tears . I could not have been more incorrect . The game has cheesy , trippy moments , but it is so much fun . Everyone ( including my son who usually opts for more of the shot'em ups ) loves playing this game . It looks simple , but is challenging . We love the two player 3 min game where we can each take turns battling each other by creating the larger katamari ( great big ball of anything you can imagine . )
    • 074 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) The odds were against my getting this game when I first heard of it , in a bad review . But , I'm very happy I did . You will be also if you love weirdness mixed with your addictive puzzle games . Give it a chance and see the evolution of the puzzle game !
    • 090 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) It is my favorite right now . . . it's funny because every time I bring it up to someone , they say something like oh my god ! someone else was just telling me about that game ! , or that game is awesome ! . it's quite fun . . . highly recommended .
    • 129 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) its a great game . my big brother got it and he said i could play it ! its a blast , rolling over stuff and collecting things as big as roller coaster ! its awsome . you should get it . its so addictive ! i just wish the name wasnt hard to remember ! ha ha ha ha
    • 160 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I purchased this game for my 7 year old daughter thinking it would be one of those games that would entertain her , but bore the rest of the family to tears . I could not have been more incorrect . The game has cheesy , trippy moments , but it is so much fun . Everyone ( including my son who usually opts for more of the shot'em ups ) loves playing this game . It looks simple , but is challenging . We love the two player 3 min game where we can each take turns battling each other by creating the larger katamari ( great big ball of anything you can imagine . )
    • 189 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I adore Katamari Damashii . You know a game is addictive when someone asks you shortly after you wake up What's a katamari and why were you telling a cat to get on it ? I was making stars . . .
    • 193 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I have no idea why I enjoy this game . Maybe it is the simplicity of it , or maybe the humor of it all . This is an enjoyable and addicting game that , once completed , you will get some replay value out of .

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Katamari Damacy's appeal is hard to explain to people who haven't played it already . What do you DO in this game ? ? asked my father-in-law , another dedicated gamer , when he heard rumors that I was glued to the PS2 . Um , you roll this ball around and get stuff stuck to it . You just keep rolling and getting the ball as big as you can within a certain time limit , I replied , a little lamely . His eyes glazed over . And that's fun ? he snorted . Yes . It's fun . Really fun . It cheers me up . There isn't anything to think about ; you just roll , I attempted . And there's no monsters ? he asked . ( I'm usually an RPG-er . ) Well , there's a Thunder God , but you just roll him up too , I replied . But you can only roll him up when your ball of stuff is so big that you're rolling up skyscrapers and clouds and islands too . There was a silence . Well , you just enjoy yourself , he said . Oh , I DO ! ! I tried again , a little desperately , It might sound dumb , and it IS . . . but it's so much fun ! You are the tiny , green-clothed Prince , the son of the omnipotent King of All Cosmos , and it is your job to rebuild the night sky after the King , in a kind of meditative daze , smashed it to smithereens . The King is a towering figure in a rainbow-colored headpiece and purple Elizabethan-ruffed wrestling leotard who loves to use the royal we and insult your puny efforts . You are sent to three different areas ( the house , the town , and the world ) and given various missions to complete within a certain time frame . For example , one of your first missions is to roll a 10cm katamari ( which translates to clump of stuff from Japanese ) in 3 minutes , I think , or was it 2 ? ? Either way , you are plonked down in the world with your katamari ( which starts out looking rather like a bumpy dog-toy ) , and you start to roll up stuff . The king pops in every now and again ( as a disembodied head ! ) to make comments ( usually insulting ) or guide you to another area during your mission . It is almost as simple as it sounds , but each item in the game requires your katamari to have attained a certain size before you can pick it up . Thus , you have to get significantly bigger from when you could roll up a ham sandwich to when you can roll up a person or an elephant . I was addicted within a few minutes . It was the moment I rolled up my first person , and she shrieked AAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ! ! ! ! ! and kicked and waved her arms around . AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKK went the guy in the business suit . * * ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! TRUMPET ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! * * went the elephant and * * HHHHHOOOOOOONNNNNKKKK * * went the bus . And I just kept going . I rolled until I beat the game two weeks later ( I'm an after-work gamer ) , and then I ran out and bought the sequel , We Love Katamari . Why ? Well , the music is so cheerful , for starters ; it gets in your head . When I'm stuck in an especially boring meeting , I think Na naaa na na na na na na na na naaaa na na na naaaaa ( you'll know what I mean ) and feel instantly better . The graphics are rainbow-colored , bright , and cute . There's a sort of order from chaos appeal as you pick things up , and there really are a lot of things to pick up in the game . Because this game is Japanese , a lot of the stuff is not what you would normally find lying around your ( un-Japanese ) house . Why would this be interesting ? Well , my mother is Japanese , and she loves to go to American supermarkets just to look at all the stuff . ( Yes , there's sushi lying around in Katamari Damacy . However , there are also robotic action figures from around 1977 that my brother used to fanatically collect . Definitely different . ) It is stress-busting in the extreme when you are flying through the city , rolling up skyscrapers , trees , vending machines , cows , and traffic - ( especially taxis ! ) after you spent a frustrating hour or two stuck in real-life traffic , getting buzzed by taxis , if not cows . Often , after a bad commute , I rolled until there was nothing left in the world but the katamari and me . It was funny , and it made me see the lighter side of it . ( Don't ask me what it is - you either get it or you don't . ) Katamari Damacy's appeal can be summed up like this : this game treats the grind of everyday life like a gigantic , cosmic joke . I hope you get it and laugh as hard as the rest of us .
    • 031 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Katamari Damacy's appeal is hard to explain to people who haven't played it already . What do you DO in this game ? ? asked my father-in-law , another dedicated gamer , when he heard rumors that I was glued to the PS2 . Um , you roll this ball around and get stuff stuck to it . You just keep rolling and getting the ball as big as you can within a certain time limit , I replied , a little lamely . His eyes glazed over . And that's fun ? he snorted . Yes . It's fun . Really fun . It cheers me up . There isn't anything to think about ; you just roll , I attempted . And there's no monsters ? he asked . ( I'm usually an RPG-er . ) Well , there's a Thunder God , but you just roll him up too , I replied . But you can only roll him up when your ball of stuff is so big that you're rolling up skyscrapers and clouds and islands too . There was a silence . Well , you just enjoy yourself , he said . Oh , I DO ! ! I tried again , a little desperately , It might sound dumb , and it IS . . . but it's so much fun ! You are the tiny , green-clothed Prince , the son of the omnipotent King of All Cosmos , and it is your job to rebuild the night sky after the King , in a kind of meditative daze , smashed it to smithereens . The King is a towering figure in a rainbow-colored headpiece and purple Elizabethan-ruffed wrestling leotard who loves to use the royal we and insult your puny efforts . You are sent to three different areas ( the house , the town , and the world ) and given various missions to complete within a certain time frame . For example , one of your first missions is to roll a 10cm katamari ( which translates to clump of stuff from Japanese ) in 3 minutes , I think , or was it 2 ? ? Either way , you are plonked down in the world with your katamari ( which starts out looking rather like a bumpy dog-toy ) , and you start to roll up stuff . The king pops in every now and again ( as a disembodied head ! ) to make comments ( usually insulting ) or guide you to another area during your mission . It is almost as simple as it sounds , but each item in the game requires your katamari to have attained a certain size before you can pick it up . Thus , you have to get significantly bigger from when you could roll up a ham sandwich to when you can roll up a person or an elephant . I was addicted within a few minutes . It was the moment I rolled up my first person , and she shrieked AAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ! ! ! ! ! and kicked and waved her arms around . AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKK went the guy in the business suit . * * ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! TRUMPET ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! * * went the elephant and * * HHHHHOOOOOOONNNNNKKKK * * went the bus . And I just kept going . I rolled until I beat the game two weeks later ( I'm an after-work gamer ) , and then I ran out and bought the sequel , We Love Katamari . Why ? Well , the music is so cheerful , for starters ; it gets in your head . When I'm stuck in an especially boring meeting , I think Na naaa na na na na na na na na naaaa na na na naaaaa ( you'll know what I mean ) and feel instantly better . The graphics are rainbow-colored , bright , and cute . There's a sort of order from chaos appeal as you pick things up , and there really are a lot of things to pick up in the game . Because this game is Japanese , a lot of the stuff is not what you would normally find lying around your ( un-Japanese ) house . Why would this be interesting ? Well , my mother is Japanese , and she loves to go to American supermarkets just to look at all the stuff . ( Yes , there's sushi lying around in Katamari Damacy . However , there are also robotic action figures from around 1977 that my brother used to fanatically collect . Definitely different . ) It is stress-busting in the extreme when you are flying through the city , rolling up skyscrapers , trees , vending machines , cows , and traffic - ( especially taxis ! ) after you spent a frustrating hour or two stuck in real-life traffic , getting buzzed by taxis , if not cows . Often , after a bad commute , I rolled until there was nothing left in the world but the katamari and me . It was funny , and it made me see the lighter side of it . ( Don't ask me what it is - you either get it or you don't . ) Katamari Damacy's appeal can be summed up like this : this game treats the grind of everyday life like a gigantic , cosmic joke . I hope you get it and laugh as hard as the rest of us .
    • 115 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Katamari Damacy is a good example of what's called a Japanese niche game , a game that's designed very specifically with the unique Japanese sensibility in mind ; but to create such a game that doesn't lose anything in translation to English takes an extraordinary amount of talent . It won't appeal to everyone , of course ; gamers who hate this game usually cite its goofy plot , or its simplistic control scheme . But to me , those things only add to the charm of this game . The idea is pretty simple . The King of All Cosmos destroyed all the stars in the sky - - the original Japanese dialogue specifically says that he was drunk at the time , but the English translation just says he passed out - - and you , the prince , have to rebuild them . You do this by rolling around an object called a Katamari , with which you gather items lying around , until your Katamari has met a pre-set size requirement , after which the King converts it into a star . The levels are timed , and if you meet the requirement with time left over , you can try to make your Katamari even bigger . At first , you're confined to the house , only picking up things like thumbtacks and loose change ; as you progress , your locale grows bigger , as do the items you can pick up , until you're picking up mountains , clouds , and even dreams . You'll also be required to build constellations , by picking up specific items - - bears for Ursa Major , pairs of twins for Gemini , et cetera - - and , if you get far enough , the Moon itself . Obviously , the designers weren't aiming for a realistic plot here ; in fact , I suspect that the only reason this game has a plot at all is because the publisher insisted the game wouldn't sell without one . But silly or not , the idea works ; what's more , it works beautifully . For one thing , Katamari Damacy is a great opportunity to get a glimpse at contemporary ( at least as of 2004 , when the game was released ) Japanese life ; the loose change is counted in yen , not dollars and cents , and many of the items you can pick up are distinctly Japanese , such as darumas and shuriken . Even milk carton labels are left in the original Japanese . ( The spoken dialogue - - what little there is - - was redubbed , although the voice acting is pretty bad ; but it doesn't detract much from the game , at least not for me . ) For another , the control scheme is so simple - - using the thumb sticks almost exclusively , although you can use the shoulder buttons to do things like alter the camera view - - that just about anyone can get the hang of it after just a few minutes . The music is also incredibly infectious , and surprisingly , most of it includes actual lyrics , which thankfully were NOT redubbed for the English version ; even if you don't speak a word of Japanese , you'll still find yourself singing along , or at least humming . If I have a complaint at all , it's that the game's physics occasionally work against you . More than once , I've failed a level simply because I got myself wedged between two objects and had to watch helplessly as my Katamari gradually shed all of the items I'd picked up . It's rare that this happens , but when it does , it's unbelievably frustrating . Also , momentum is your enemy in this game ; occasionally your Katamari will go sailing off a cliff or into the path of a car , while you gradually grind your controller into fine powder with your bare hands trying to get yourself back on track . But with a little practice , you'll learn how the game's physics work , so these situations are usually pretty easy to anticipate and avoid . ( It's also pretty annoying when you pick up something unwieldy , like a guardrail , and your Katamari becomes unbalanced and starts limping like a lame horse ; but to be fair , the manual DOES warn you about that . ) I will warn you that this is NOT a game for the obsessive-compulsive gamer ; the trick is , if you try to pick something up and accidentally roll past it , just let it go and move along , because you'll lose a lot of time if you try to go back and get it . If you can't do that , you'll probably get frustrated and give up . But for any gamer who doesn't mind * ga-ga-gasp ! * learning something while they play and isn't put off by a storyline as purposefully daffy as this one , all I can say is , I seriously doubt you'll be disappointed .
    • 234 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Wildly fun , and appropriate for all ages . Katamari Damacy answers the question of what would happen if you locked several Japanese game developers up in a room with nothing but coffee , sugar products , a large box of broken crayons and a steady supply of the hippy-dippy aspects of 1960 funkadelic . . . or something . The premise is very simple , the vast King of the Cosmos has destroyed the starry night sky on a binge night out with nature ( er , take that how you will ) , and you , his pint-sized prince have to restore the stars and constellations . Roll your magnetic ball ( or katamari ) around a house , or village to gather up enough junk to clear the level . Objects abound , you'll be suitably surprised each new play to find something new to pick up - thumbtacks , butterflies , cats , weird ' No-play ' and kabuki masks , people , alarm clocks , Godzilla and a plethora of other ' round-the-house ' and out of this universe objects . That's pretty much it . Roll up junk clever enough and find the hidden presents his highness has left for you - like a toupee maybe if you're feeling so dashing , or a winter scarf if you're cold . Don't be deceived , it's challenging enough to keep you occupied , and weird enough to keep you addicted . Along the way there's an oddball story of two lego-like kids following the progress of the reemerging night sky . Best of all is the soundtrack , it doesn't seem to get old , sometimes like bjork , sometimes a ' happy ' chemical brothers , and throw in an old nod to Frank Sinatra . There's even an option for going ' head-to-head ' 2 player , and no video game I've yet played has made me laugh harder . I'd heard about this game in a few places - it's made several ' Top 10 ' lists out there for the gaming aficionado , but we finally picked it up a few days ago on a whim and a review from Tech TV . The assessment from Tech TV was so oddball that we had to collect it for collection sake . . . and now with my thumbs suitably throbbing from extensive play , I'm trying desperately hard not to mentally roll things up in my own apartment . The only downside is that there isn't more of it , but the replay value is endless . A definite gift for any gamer ( of any taste or mileu ) on your list , or for yourself .
    • 246 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) First of all , let me start off by saying that games like this don't come around that often , and when they do it's very wise to get ' em while they're hot . Katamari Damacy might be one of the most original games I've ever played , from the short but strange storyline ( the King of All Cosmos has accidentally destroyed all the stars in the sky , and sends you , his pint-sized prince to collect junk from Earth and use it to make more stars . Meanwhile , a little boy , his sister and his mother take a trip to see his fathers space launch . . . ) to the colorful world to the strangest opening cutscene . It may be the poorly translated English cutscenes , the first time you see the King of All Cosmos vomit Royal Rainbows , the first time you pick up a screaming human with your katamari , or even when the King asks Does the prince like VIBRATION ? ( refering , however , to the rumble feature built into PS2 controllers ) , but something in this game is bound to make you laugh , that's just how it is . And let's not forget the gameplay . It's simple and easy to learn , yet hard to master . You use both analog sticks to roll around a gravity ball called a katamari , collecting as much junk as you can from the various Earth locales . You get a time limit and a goal size , and then you run free , racing to collect junk and increase your katamari's size . This is strangely addicting , seeing how big you can make your katamari and how fast you can get there , and that adds a lot of replay value to this game . Well , reach your goal size before time runs out and the King will make it into a star . The goal sizes start out small : 10cm in 3 minutes , 30cm in six minutes , but they soon get bigger to 1m , 1.5m , then 6m , and it keeps going until the last level where the goal size is 300m in 25 minutes ! This game gets tough towards the end , but you can't stop playing . As if that weren't enough , there's also multiplayer mode for two players ! Though that's not as entertaining as single-player mode , it's still there for people who don't want to take turns . But wait , there's more ! As if all you see here isn't enough , the game also boasts a soundtrack that features a collection of some of the strangest , yet most appropriate tunes in an E rated game . PLUS you get all that for ONLY $20 ! ! What more could you possibly want ? In conclusion , if you were thinking of buying this game for someone , what are you waiting for ? This is definatly Game of the Year material , and will go down in video game history as one of the strangest , most innovative games of all time .

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Never before have I posted a review on Amazon.com , but this title moved me to the point where I felt compelled to spread the word about what I consider thus far to be the game of 2004 . I have played video games for over 20 years now , and would have to say this has quickly ascended to one of the top 10 games I have ever played , regardless of platform . The concept is simple , yet challenging : you control a Katamari with the 2 joysticks on the PS2 pad , and navigate it to various elevated platforms , as well as claustrophobic areas , often obscured by low clearance awnings , all along the way , compiling diverse objects . The object of the game is to amass these objects to the target diameter of each individual level within a prescribed amount of time . I was able to play through the first 4 levels last night , the last of which took me 7 attempts to conquer . The game's object and controls are easy to pick up , as well as the simple objective , but the game quickly becomes challenging . This is the essence , in my view , of what makes video gaming great . The objects available for capture at the onset of the level are small in scale , ranging from jacks , screws , and paperweights , and , when the diameter of the katamari expands , the objects begin to increase in size , to eventually calculators , trading cards , and , where I left off last night , small animals , such as rats and cats . The beauty of the game is the larger objects are not collectable at first when your Katamari is too small in diameter , they merely rebound off of the larger objects , as your Katamari increases , you will bounce off of the larger objects , and they will begin to sway . You know you are then close to being able to collect these objects as well . All the while , a clock in the background ticks down to the target time , as you begin to scurry the Katamari frantically through areas that you can access as the diameter of the Katamari enlarges . You also run the risk of shattering the Katamari if you direct it into small areas , thereby decreasing its diameter . The genre it most closely resembles is a puzzle , but even that is unfair because there is simply no antecedent to compare this game to . Second to the gameplay , the soundtrack in this game is simply entralling . Throughout the course of this morning , I find myself 12 hours later humming the soundtrack to level 4 of the game . The previous levels soundtracks are no less catchy . I have read the reason why this game does not rate higher is because of its lack of replayability : the game is too short . Pay that no heed , this game has endless challenges to it , there is a massive object compilier list that keeps track of all objects captured throughout the game , it is conceivable to play through this game without getting nearly all the objects . There all also hidden bonuses and areas to unlock . All for 20 dollars . I would buy this game for 50 dollars , suffice to say , in a year or 2 , retailers will be selling this game for 4 or 5 times the list price . It will be a collector's items , when I bought my copy yesterday , I was able to purchase the last in the store . The retailer had only ordered 3 copies of Katamari Damacy , when I phoned in all 3 copies were available , 4 hours later , 2 of the copies had gone , and I purchased the last . My advice is if you are reading this as of the end of September 04 , to run , not walk to your nearest store , and with any luck at all , a copy will be available for purchase . In the age of big production videogaming , with endless sequels , and lack of originiality , this game harkens back to the golden era of videogaming when developers had to be truly creative , and placed true substance over style . My highest recommendation .
    • 012 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Never before have I posted a review on Amazon.com , but this title moved me to the point where I felt compelled to spread the word about what I consider thus far to be the game of 2004 . I have played video games for over 20 years now , and would have to say this has quickly ascended to one of the top 10 games I have ever played , regardless of platform . The concept is simple , yet challenging : you control a Katamari with the 2 joysticks on the PS2 pad , and navigate it to various elevated platforms , as well as claustrophobic areas , often obscured by low clearance awnings , all along the way , compiling diverse objects . The object of the game is to amass these objects to the target diameter of each individual level within a prescribed amount of time . I was able to play through the first 4 levels last night , the last of which took me 7 attempts to conquer . The game's object and controls are easy to pick up , as well as the simple objective , but the game quickly becomes challenging . This is the essence , in my view , of what makes video gaming great . The objects available for capture at the onset of the level are small in scale , ranging from jacks , screws , and paperweights , and , when the diameter of the katamari expands , the objects begin to increase in size , to eventually calculators , trading cards , and , where I left off last night , small animals , such as rats and cats . The beauty of the game is the larger objects are not collectable at first when your Katamari is too small in diameter , they merely rebound off of the larger objects , as your Katamari increases , you will bounce off of the larger objects , and they will begin to sway . You know you are then close to being able to collect these objects as well . All the while , a clock in the background ticks down to the target time , as you begin to scurry the Katamari frantically through areas that you can access as the diameter of the Katamari enlarges . You also run the risk of shattering the Katamari if you direct it into small areas , thereby decreasing its diameter . The genre it most closely resembles is a puzzle , but even that is unfair because there is simply no antecedent to compare this game to . Second to the gameplay , the soundtrack in this game is simply entralling . Throughout the course of this morning , I find myself 12 hours later humming the soundtrack to level 4 of the game . The previous levels soundtracks are no less catchy . I have read the reason why this game does not rate higher is because of its lack of replayability : the game is too short . Pay that no heed , this game has endless challenges to it , there is a massive object compilier list that keeps track of all objects captured throughout the game , it is conceivable to play through this game without getting nearly all the objects . There all also hidden bonuses and areas to unlock . All for 20 dollars . I would buy this game for 50 dollars , suffice to say , in a year or 2 , retailers will be selling this game for 4 or 5 times the list price . It will be a collector's items , when I bought my copy yesterday , I was able to purchase the last in the store . The retailer had only ordered 3 copies of Katamari Damacy , when I phoned in all 3 copies were available , 4 hours later , 2 of the copies had gone , and I purchased the last . My advice is if you are reading this as of the end of September 04 , to run , not walk to your nearest store , and with any luck at all , a copy will be available for purchase . In the age of big production videogaming , with endless sequels , and lack of originiality , this game harkens back to the golden era of videogaming when developers had to be truly creative , and placed true substance over style . My highest recommendation .
    • 045 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Katamari Damacy is one of the best games I have played in while . I am generally a pc gamer that plays primarily RTS's and FPS's . These games all sorta seem the same after the while . This game takes a crazy concept ( rolling around a ball ) and collecting stuff and makes it fun . The music is distinctly japanese but adds to the light and fun mood of the game . All of fits perfectly into the game and some songs are comical . My only minor complaint of the game is that it can get repetitive and as many levels seem similiar and overall this game takes very little time to beat . The stages however flow naturally into each other in the beginning you are rolling up tiny household items and by the final stage you are rolling skyscrapers , clouds and rainbows . The game has quite a bit of replay value as you can go through the levels and attempt to make your katamari as big as possible or collect the hidden gifts that allow you to change how your character looks . If you are tired of the same old video games being released over and over again you really need to try this video game . It's also very kid friendly and the most violence seen is rolling up people and animals into your ball although this is done in a comical fashion .
    • 102 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) My husband and daughter are the game players in the family and they haven't played any other game since getting this one . They love it and I've been told they wish there were more games like this to buy .
    • 179 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) My title says it all : this game is freakin weird , and anyone with a weird view of the world , who likes wonderland logic and sarcasm , is going to totally have fun playing this game for hours .
    • 264 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This game is so much fun ! My wife and I have spent countless hours playing it both individually and against each other , and it doesn't lose any value in the replay . The only reason I gave it 4 stars for overall review is that I would like to have seen a few more multiplayer stages , either in the battle arena or included in The World ( though I don't know if The World opens up for multiplayer at all yet ) . Absolutely worth buying , even at retail price .

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Okay , so the Japanese have given us some weird games in the past , and perhaps this isn't the weirdest , but it's definitely a shining star in the field . It's also incredibly simple : roll a ball around , things stick to it , ball gets bigger , bigger things stick to it . Music - great great great soundtrack . The songs will be stuck in your head , possibly at awkward times ( at work , during the throes of passion , at a sibling's wedding , funerals , etc . . . ) . Game play - a few people say it's redundant , and it is , but for some reason most people never tire of it . The challenge varies by level , and is never ridiculously hard , but allows you to challenge yourself if the level isn't enough . Graphics - colorful and playful - this game was meant for children and probably for pot-heads , not for realism in graphics snobs . Final words : Play it . It WILL make you happy . Funnies for existing Katamari fans : http : / / xkcd.com / 83 / http : / / xkcd.com / 161 /
    • 134 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Ok - KD is a strange game . You roll a ball around and pick things up . It sounds silly but it is hard to pull yourself away . I am not a game player - but KD makes you experience true joy ! There is something so innocent about rolling around and picking up stuff . Also , the music is fabulous ! I have actually bought the soundtrack and I listen to it all the time . Of course - like with anything , you will probably get bored at some point . But you will always look back fondly at those moments of guilty pleasure - - rolling up sushi , cow , people , buildings , and whales . Bliss !
    • 135 4  Ok - KD is a strange game . You roll a ball around and pick things up . It sounds silly but it is hard to pull yourself away . I am not a game player - but KD makes you experience true joy ! There is something so innocent about rolling around and picking up stuff . Also , the music is fabulous ! I have actually bought the soundtrack and I listen to it all the time . Of course - like with anything , you will probably get bored at some point . But you will always look back fondly at those moments of guilty pleasure - - rolling up sushi , cow , people , buildings , and whales . Bliss !
    • 174 4  Okay , so the Japanese have given us some weird games in the past , and perhaps this isn't the weirdest , but it's definitely a shining star in the field . It's also incredibly simple : roll a ball around , things stick to it , ball gets bigger , bigger things stick to it . Music - great great great soundtrack . The songs will be stuck in your head , possibly at awkward times ( at work , during the throes of passion , at a sibling's wedding , funerals , etc . . . ) . Game play - a few people say it's redundant , and it is , but for some reason most people never tire of it . The challenge varies by level , and is never ridiculously hard , but allows you to challenge yourself if the level isn't enough . Graphics - colorful and playful - this game was meant for children and probably for pot-heads , not for realism in graphics snobs . Final words : Play it . It WILL make you happy . Funnies for existing Katamari fans : http : / / xkcd.com / 83 / http : / / xkcd.com / 161 /

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Something that's tugged at the back of my mind for years now is the question of what , exactly , happened to the ingenuity , simplicity and sense of wonder that was traditionally associated with video games throughout the seventies , eighties and early nineties . There's no question , today's games are a much more detailed , beautiful , realistic and life-altering bunch than the titles that filled the SNES , NES and 2600 . As a NES owner , you'd never get an experience quite like what Metal Gear Solid or Grand Theft Auto can give you today . You're afforded much more freedom on an Xbox than you were on a Sega Master System , everything's in crystal-clear high definition and the soundtracks routinely eat up several CDs all on their own . You take it for granted that Mario can fly , because that's just the way it's ( almost ) always been . To introduce a similarly outlandish game in this day and age where anything new is scrutinized by the overcritical eye of parents , teachers , internal boards , the media , the government , the FCC and , perhaps harshest of all , the critics is almost unthinkable . That's why I'm amazed a game like Katamari Damacy made it to our shores virtually untouched . This game's a throwback to the absent-minded titles of gaming's infancy , when everything didn't need to make sense under the restrictions of the Earth's gravitational pull , didn't need to abide by the dynamic lighting of the sun as it floats across the sky , and didn't send you on missions that would give a real life government operative nightmares . Things just happen in Katamari , and you accept them as fact because that's just they way they are . Basically , Katamari Damacy is a telling of the life of a dung beetle on a cosmic scale . You control The Prince , heir to an apparently galactic kingdom , as he rolls tiny , sticky balls called Katamaris around the Earth's floors , streets and continents . When you roll over something , the item sticks and the size of the Katamari snowballs . The size of your ball is directly proportionate to the size of the items you can pick up . If you're piloting a tiny trash heap , you're just gonna bounce off if you try to roll up a tree or a fencepost . Your Katamari usually starts small , barely large enough to roll up an acorn or thumbtack , ( not to mention easily tossed aside by the numerous mice that roam the city streets ) and slowly increases in size to the point where it's picking up cats , then large dogs , then children , adults , motorcycles , cars , wrestling rings , houses , office buildings , etc . The real star of this show is the incredible scale of the game , how nothing is off limits so long as your Katamari is big enough . And that's really all there is to the game . You get a time limit and a certain size that your Katamari ball must reach within that timeframe , you're dropped out onto the floor somewhere , and you just start rollin ' . It's incredibly simple , yet indescribably inspirational . While it may sound lacking in depth and replay value , I dare you to spend an hour with this disc and then casually put it away . It's physically impossible . I've never been one to immediately replay a game after finishing it , but I did just that in Katamari . The only thing that'll keep you playing is the never-ending challenge to top your existing high scores . . . well , that and your need to constantly explore this bizarre , psuedo-Eastern world . . . and it's been quite a while since I felt this motivated by nothing more than a number saved onto a memory card somewhere . Alongside its outlandishly original gameplay and story , Damacy is equally original with its simple , understated control scheme . The only buttons you'll need to use in this game are the PS2 controller's dual analog sticks and the X button . It plays like a weird mixture of Pac-Man and the old Midway tank-based arcade game , Vindicators . Pushing both sticks forward moves you forward . Pulling both sticks back moves you back . Pushing both sticks left strafes you left , two rights strafe you right , pushing the left stick forward and the right stick back turns the whole thing ( camera and all ) right , and vice versa performs the exact opposite function . The only time your fingers should leave the analog sticks is when you're reading some dialog ( unfortunately , there's no prominent voice acting in Katamari ) and you need to hit the X button to move things along . Visually , this is far from the most stunning game on the PS2 today . Honestly , I don't think there's a single object in the game that couldn't be faithfully reproduced on the Sega Dreamcast a thousand times over . Now that I think about it , the original Shenmue puts the graphics of Katamari to shame . But if you still think the visuals are the point , you obviously haven't been paying attention . However , one thing I'm relatively sure the old Dreamcast couldn't do is scale every one of those millions of objects , both moving and still , from full-screen to ant-size with no slowdown in sight . It's not right up in your face and obvious , like the majestic beauty of Gran Turismo 3 or Final Fantasy X , but this is a great display of the PS2 ' s sheer polygon-crunching power . This is seriously one of the greatest games of 2004 . If you haven't already played it and were waiting on some sort of official endorsement to do so , consider this your call to action . It's discount-priced right out of the gates at twenty bucks , ( which makes perfect sense , because no matter how good this game is , I don't think I could've justified fifty dollars on it ) and will reward you and your friends with hours upon hours of entertainment , even after you've completed all of the single-player quests .
    • 002 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I really hope the success of this game convinces publishers to bring over more off-the-wall Japanese titles . This game is awesome . Gameplay is very simple : you roll around a ball ( using the analog sticks in a control scheme reminiscent of Battlezone ) and things stick to it . That's it . There are basically two kind of challenges : get the ball to be a certain size , or pick up as many of something as you can find . ( Katamari Damacy loosely translates as ball of stuff . ) While this may not sound like the world's most exciting way to spend your time , the flawless execution gives Katamari Damacy the simple , in-the-zone addictiveness of Tetris . The backstory is bizzare : your father , the King of All Cosmos , goes on what sounds very much like an acid trip and breaks all the stars . When he sobers up , he finds that everyone is annoyed , so he tasks you with going to Earth to collect raw material to rebuild the sky . The raw material turns out to be anything from thumbtacks to people to ships . The King's disconnected , slightly deranged speech patterns add much to the style of the game , as does the intro video , which is better seen than described . Add to that another side of the story told by following a Japanese family in very weird , stylistic interstitials and you've got a very surreal experience . Katamari Damacy is backed by a soundtrack that would be worth $20 by itself . With replay value assured by levels that are easy to conquer but difficult to do perfectly , this game is a great addition to anyone's console library .
    • 003 4  I really hope the success of this game convinces publishers to bring over more off-the-wall Japanese titles . This game is awesome . Gameplay is very simple : you roll around a ball ( using the analog sticks in a control scheme reminiscent of Battlezone ) and things stick to it . That's it . There are basically two kind of challenges : get the ball to be a certain size , or pick up as many of something as you can find . ( Katamari Damacy loosely translates as ball of stuff . ) While this may not sound like the world's most exciting way to spend your time , the flawless execution gives Katamari Damacy the simple , in-the-zone addictiveness of Tetris . The backstory is bizzare : your father , the King of All Cosmos , goes on what sounds very much like an acid trip and breaks all the stars . When he sobers up , he finds that everyone is annoyed , so he tasks you with going to Earth to collect raw material to rebuild the sky . The raw material turns out to be anything from thumbtacks to people to ships . The King's disconnected , slightly deranged speech patterns add much to the style of the game , as does the intro video , which is better seen than described . Add to that another side of the story told by following a Japanese family in very weird , stylistic interstitials and you've got a very surreal experience . Katamari Damacy is backed by a soundtrack that would be worth $20 by itself . With replay value assured by levels that are easy to conquer but difficult to do perfectly , this game is a great addition to anyone's console library .
    • 006 4  A true sleeper hit in the video game market . This formerly little known Japanese game from Namco ( makers of Pac Man ) has slowly but surely become a big hit with fans here in the North American Continent . You are the prince of the King of Cosmos and you have to fix a mess the King has made of the stars . It seems that the King accidently ruined the stars , moon and constilations that once glittered the Earth night sky , so being you are his son and he doesn't want to do it , it's up to you to fix it . So what's a little 5 cm green guy to do ? Roll a huge ball that can pick up any item smaller then it as it rolls around . The more items you pick up the bigger the sphere gets . Each stage has a size you must get the ball to within a time limit so you can restore the stars of the sky . The game is a very ' unique ' and quite addicting . The early stages start off with very small sized goals like having to pick up items on the floor of a room in a house , then progresses to outside , into small towns , to whole cities and eventualy the planet . The real joy of this game is how simplistic and how many items there are in the game . Each item in this game eventualy you will be able to collect on this sphere of yours . Whether its a small button on the floor or a huge skyscraper , there is nothing in this game you won't be able to collect , as long as your sphere is the proper size to do so . The game takes on a very Japanese anime type of feel to it . It has very addicting and catchy Japanese music , with a theme song that will get stuck in your head . It has a full inventory for you to look at all the items you collected along with the size you had to be to collect it and what the item actualy is . There are thousands of items in the game to pick up and while the challenges are few , the fun is constant . There are even some clips after you finish each star restoration as you follow a family noticing the weird stuff going on with the stars missing . I can't recomend this game enough . You may get through the game in a few sessions but the replayability and fun is so high it just won't matter . It also has a mulitplayer mode where you can battle with a friend . There are hidden presents you can find in every stage and so much more . It's such a simple yet complex game and most of all . . its fun ! You won't be sorry adding this game to your collections . Anyone will enjoy this and the price is most defintely right .
    • 007 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Something that's tugged at the back of my mind for years now is the question of what , exactly , happened to the ingenuity , simplicity and sense of wonder that was traditionally associated with video games throughout the seventies , eighties and early nineties . There's no question , today's games are a much more detailed , beautiful , realistic and life-altering bunch than the titles that filled the SNES , NES and 2600 . As a NES owner , you'd never get an experience quite like what Metal Gear Solid or Grand Theft Auto can give you today . You're afforded much more freedom on an Xbox than you were on a Sega Master System , everything's in crystal-clear high definition and the soundtracks routinely eat up several CDs all on their own . You take it for granted that Mario can fly , because that's just the way it's ( almost ) always been . To introduce a similarly outlandish game in this day and age where anything new is scrutinized by the overcritical eye of parents , teachers , internal boards , the media , the government , the FCC and , perhaps harshest of all , the critics is almost unthinkable . That's why I'm amazed a game like Katamari Damacy made it to our shores virtually untouched . This game's a throwback to the absent-minded titles of gaming's infancy , when everything didn't need to make sense under the restrictions of the Earth's gravitational pull , didn't need to abide by the dynamic lighting of the sun as it floats across the sky , and didn't send you on missions that would give a real life government operative nightmares . Things just happen in Katamari , and you accept them as fact because that's just they way they are . Basically , Katamari Damacy is a telling of the life of a dung beetle on a cosmic scale . You control The Prince , heir to an apparently galactic kingdom , as he rolls tiny , sticky balls called Katamaris around the Earth's floors , streets and continents . When you roll over something , the item sticks and the size of the Katamari snowballs . The size of your ball is directly proportionate to the size of the items you can pick up . If you're piloting a tiny trash heap , you're just gonna bounce off if you try to roll up a tree or a fencepost . Your Katamari usually starts small , barely large enough to roll up an acorn or thumbtack , ( not to mention easily tossed aside by the numerous mice that roam the city streets ) and slowly increases in size to the point where it's picking up cats , then large dogs , then children , adults , motorcycles , cars , wrestling rings , houses , office buildings , etc . The real star of this show is the incredible scale of the game , how nothing is off limits so long as your Katamari is big enough . And that's really all there is to the game . You get a time limit and a certain size that your Katamari ball must reach within that timeframe , you're dropped out onto the floor somewhere , and you just start rollin ' . It's incredibly simple , yet indescribably inspirational . While it may sound lacking in depth and replay value , I dare you to spend an hour with this disc and then casually put it away . It's physically impossible . I've never been one to immediately replay a game after finishing it , but I did just that in Katamari . The only thing that'll keep you playing is the never-ending challenge to top your existing high scores . . . well , that and your need to constantly explore this bizarre , psuedo-Eastern world . . . and it's been quite a while since I felt this motivated by nothing more than a number saved onto a memory card somewhere . Alongside its outlandishly original gameplay and story , Damacy is equally original with its simple , understated control scheme . The only buttons you'll need to use in this game are the PS2 controller's dual analog sticks and the X button . It plays like a weird mixture of Pac-Man and the old Midway tank-based arcade game , Vindicators . Pushing both sticks forward moves you forward . Pulling both sticks back moves you back . Pushing both sticks left strafes you left , two rights strafe you right , pushing the left stick forward and the right stick back turns the whole thing ( camera and all ) right , and vice versa performs the exact opposite function . The only time your fingers should leave the analog sticks is when you're reading some dialog ( unfortunately , there's no prominent voice acting in Katamari ) and you need to hit the X button to move things along . Visually , this is far from the most stunning game on the PS2 today . Honestly , I don't think there's a single object in the game that couldn't be faithfully reproduced on the Sega Dreamcast a thousand times over . Now that I think about it , the original Shenmue puts the graphics of Katamari to shame . But if you still think the visuals are the point , you obviously haven't been paying attention . However , one thing I'm relatively sure the old Dreamcast couldn't do is scale every one of those millions of objects , both moving and still , from full-screen to ant-size with no slowdown in sight . It's not right up in your face and obvious , like the majestic beauty of Gran Turismo 3 or Final Fantasy X , but this is a great display of the PS2 ' s sheer polygon-crunching power . This is seriously one of the greatest games of 2004 . If you haven't already played it and were waiting on some sort of official endorsement to do so , consider this your call to action . It's discount-priced right out of the gates at twenty bucks , ( which makes perfect sense , because no matter how good this game is , I don't think I could've justified fifty dollars on it ) and will reward you and your friends with hours upon hours of entertainment , even after you've completed all of the single-player quests .
    • 008 4  Something that's tugged at the back of my mind for years now is the question of what , exactly , happened to the ingenuity , simplicity and sense of wonder that was traditionally associated with video games throughout the seventies , eighties and early nineties . There's no question , today's games are a much more detailed , beautiful , realistic and life-altering bunch than the titles that filled the SNES , NES and 2600 . As a NES owner , you'd never get an experience quite like what Metal Gear Solid or Grand Theft Auto can give you today . You're afforded much more freedom on an Xbox than you were on a Sega Master System , everything's in crystal-clear high definition and the soundtracks routinely eat up several CDs all on their own . You take it for granted that Mario can fly , because that's just the way it's ( almost ) always been . To introduce a similarly outlandish game in this day and age where anything new is scrutinized by the overcritical eye of parents , teachers , internal boards , the media , the government , the FCC and , perhaps harshest of all , the critics is almost unthinkable . That's why I'm amazed a game like Katamari Damacy made it to our shores virtually untouched . This game's a throwback to the absent-minded titles of gaming's infancy , when everything didn't need to make sense under the restrictions of the Earth's gravitational pull , didn't need to abide by the dynamic lighting of the sun as it floats across the sky , and didn't send you on missions that would give a real life government operative nightmares . Things just happen in Katamari , and you accept them as fact because that's just they way they are . Basically , Katamari Damacy is a telling of the life of a dung beetle on a cosmic scale . You control The Prince , heir to an apparently galactic kingdom , as he rolls tiny , sticky balls called Katamaris around the Earth's floors , streets and continents . When you roll over something , the item sticks and the size of the Katamari snowballs . The size of your ball is directly proportionate to the size of the items you can pick up . If you're piloting a tiny trash heap , you're just gonna bounce off if you try to roll up a tree or a fencepost . Your Katamari usually starts small , barely large enough to roll up an acorn or thumbtack , ( not to mention easily tossed aside by the numerous mice that roam the city streets ) and slowly increases in size to the point where it's picking up cats , then large dogs , then children , adults , motorcycles , cars , wrestling rings , houses , office buildings , etc . The real star of this show is the incredible scale of the game , how nothing is off limits so long as your Katamari is big enough . And that's really all there is to the game . You get a time limit and a certain size that your Katamari ball must reach within that timeframe , you're dropped out onto the floor somewhere , and you just start rollin ' . It's incredibly simple , yet indescribably inspirational . While it may sound lacking in depth and replay value , I dare you to spend an hour with this disc and then casually put it away . It's physically impossible . I've never been one to immediately replay a game after finishing it , but I did just that in Katamari . The only thing that'll keep you playing is the never-ending challenge to top your existing high scores . . . well , that and your need to constantly explore this bizarre , psuedo-Eastern world . . . and it's been quite a while since I felt this motivated by nothing more than a number saved onto a memory card somewhere . Alongside its outlandishly original gameplay and story , Damacy is equally original with its simple , understated control scheme . The only buttons you'll need to use in this game are the PS2 controller's dual analog sticks and the X button . It plays like a weird mixture of Pac-Man and the old Midway tank-based arcade game , Vindicators . Pushing both sticks forward moves you forward . Pulling both sticks back moves you back . Pushing both sticks left strafes you left , two rights strafe you right , pushing the left stick forward and the right stick back turns the whole thing ( camera and all ) right , and vice versa performs the exact opposite function . The only time your fingers should leave the analog sticks is when you're reading some dialog ( unfortunately , there's no prominent voice acting in Katamari ) and you need to hit the X button to move things along . Visually , this is far from the most stunning game on the PS2 today . Honestly , I don't think there's a single object in the game that couldn't be faithfully reproduced on the Sega Dreamcast a thousand times over . Now that I think about it , the original Shenmue puts the graphics of Katamari to shame . But if you still think the visuals are the point , you obviously haven't been paying attention . However , one thing I'm relatively sure the old Dreamcast couldn't do is scale every one of those millions of objects , both moving and still , from full-screen to ant-size with no slowdown in sight . It's not right up in your face and obvious , like the majestic beauty of Gran Turismo 3 or Final Fantasy X , but this is a great display of the PS2 ' s sheer polygon-crunching power . This is seriously one of the greatest games of 2004 . If you haven't already played it and were waiting on some sort of official endorsement to do so , consider this your call to action . It's discount-priced right out of the gates at twenty bucks , ( which makes perfect sense , because no matter how good this game is , I don't think I could've justified fifty dollars on it ) and will reward you and your friends with hours upon hours of entertainment , even after you've completed all of the single-player quests .
    • 010 4  This is one that I will be showing to my students on how to make a great addictive game from a simple concept . The premise , quickly , is you are the prince of the cosmos and your slightly abusive father ( the king ) has sent you to fix the mess he made from his all night bender . His mess ? He destroyed all the stars in the sky . How do you fix it ? Take a katamari ( a sticky ball ) and roll it around earth , gathering items to make the ball grow in size . Sounds simple , and it is at first , but the levels become more challenging , and with hiddens , unlocks , and just off the wall humor and graphics , the game never fails to deliver . I dont recommend too many games too often , but this one is worth finding !
    • 011 4  Nowadays , I just get SO tired of games being about beating people up , driving fast , and any sports thing you can think of , that this game was a HUGE breath of fresh air ! The premise is nice and simple . . . . your father , the King Of All Cosmos got on a bender and knocked all the stars , constellations , and even the MOON out of the Earth's sky , so now he has a hangover , realized what a buffoon he was , and tells you - the Prince of All Cosmos ( strange title since you're only a few centimetres tall ) , to make it right . How ? With your trusty Katamari , that's how ! The Katamari , for lack of a better analogy , is a ball that's has more stickum on it than a factory of superglue , and will pick up anything its size or smaller , in essence , making it bigger which makes it possible to get bigger and bigger things . You'll find yourself going from thumbtacks and eyedrop bottles to skyscrapers , amusement parks , up to islands and CLOUDS ! Do not dismiss this game because it looks different , because you will be sorry you missed it once it's no longer available ( retailers love to do this ) . Small warning though . . . once you play this , you'll be singing or humming the theme for days on end , causing your colleagues to give you some strange looks - like your head became a multi-colored pillow . . . just like the King of All Cosmos ! For $20 , you just can't afford NOT to get this !
    • 015 4  Playful , inventive , joyously addictive . . . I'm not sure which adjectives can describe this game properly . It's like Monty Python and Magical Mystery Tour - era Beatles moved to Japan , got pregnant and did a lot of drugs . This is their love child . As earlier previews noted , the object is to roll a katamari through the environment until it gets large enough for the approval of The King Of All Cosmos in the alloted time limit . His demands are low at first ( 10 cm ) but with each level , the ball must get bigger . Also , what you can pick up depends on how big your katamari is . At first , just pushpins and stamps are added , but the objects available get bigger in a hurry . If you bump a larger object too hard , pieces of your katamari are dislodged . If the object is almost big enough to stick but not quite , it will wobble when you touch it . Controls are easy . You use both analog sticks ( like tank tracks ) to steer the katamari . I have passed four levels and one bonus level now without using the Jump or Look features ( L1 and R1 buttons ) . You'll also love the soundtrack , and the complete absurdity of the plot is a scream . This will be a cult classic very soon .
    • 016 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) If you watch anime , you might have some idea of what to expect from Katamari Damacy . Though even that won't fully prepare you . A huge planet-sized dude with a rolled-up carpet for a head called the King of All Cosmos accidentally destroys all the stars . To fix things , he has you , his tiny son , roll up clumps of things on Earth and replaces the stars with these katamari ( Japanese for wad of stuff ) . So , using the two analog sticks as if controlling a pair of tank treads , you roll a small sticky ball around the landscape , picking up anything and everything . The object of each level is to get your katamari to a set size within a set time . If you fail , never fear . You can try again as many times as you need to until you get it done . The controls are quite intuitive . The two analog stick setup is easily mastered within a couple minutes at most , but it is also extremely versatile . Added to the routine are a couple uses of the R1 and L1 shoulder buttons , and X and triangle to make selections in the between-level menus . That's it . It is a very simple game . But it is also very immersive . The physics of the game are mind-boggling if you take the time to think about it , but that is all kept in the background . All you need to know is that your katamari can pick up * anything * . * ANYTHING AT ALL * , provided your katamari is big enough . When you begin , you'll have a tiny 5 cm peanut rolling along table tops and the floor . You'll pick up thumb tacks , push pins , small candies , and coins , while you dodge the cat . Eventually you'll come across a pencil , which will be too big to pick up . Roll around some more , come back to the pencil a minute later , and suddenly , this time it sticks ! And then you'll have a large oblong object poking off the side of your katamari that makes it roll in a funny , lopsided fashion . So you keep rolling around the table and the floor , picking up more and more stuff and still dodging the cat . Pretty soon , you can teach kitty a lesson . Then you can pick up the TV , and the table itself , and the people sitting at the table ( who will scream in terror as they're assimilated into your katamari ) and then the whole house . Afterward , the clouds and the mountains will look like tempting targets . Through it all , the composition of your katamari is constantly changing , forcing the game to keep track of the ever-changing physics of your wad of things . For example : if you can pick up a coat button , can you pick up a nine volt battery ? How big does your katamari need to be to pick up an umbrella ? How about that washing machine ? How about that sidewalk food cart ? How about the vendor working at that food cart ? Perhaps you can pick up the sapling on the street corner , but the old oak tree in the park is quite a bit bigger . And so on . Levels are all very large and have a huge variety of stuff to roll up . No matter how often you play , you'll always find new things to collect and new rooms to open up . As repetitive as the game actually is , it never feels that way . The graphics are * extremely * blocky , but in such a way as to make the game even more entertaining . Everything has a very simple , almost fluorescent appearance , adding to the wacky atmosphere of the game . The only problem is that , while your katamari is still small , the camera tends to get stuck behind walls and items , obscuring your view . This is usually easy to fix , though , and stops being a problem later in the game . The soundtrack is also incredibly addictive . Though it consists almost entirely of j-pop songs ( Japanese pop , for those of you not up on anime lingo ) , the songs just refuse to leave your mind after you end the game session . Listening to a Japanese lady singing about the katamari mamba nearly made me die laughing . And the sound effects are just as good . Listening to people and animals scream in terror as I rolled them up sent me even closer to the brink than did the katamari mamba . And when you've finally had enough of rolling up your katamari , you can retire to the menu and peruse the list of items you've rolled up . There are literally hundreds , perhaps thousands , of possible items to collect , broken up into a few different lists . There is a list based on type of object ( e.g . dangerous , aquarium , police , etc . ) , based on object size , or based on where you rolled them up . You can also see the list of special presents you've found , which the King of All Cosmos leaves one of hidden in each level . Or you can fly over to the giant space mushroom for some multiplayer action . ( Mmmm . Giant mushroom . Appropriate for a drug trip like this game . ) Loading times are very fast , there's no graphical slowdown , the controls are intuitive and responsive , even the between-level story of two block-headed kids and their block-headed mom going for a trip doesn't detract from the experience , though there are one or two eye-rollers . What more could you ask for ? Katamari Damacy is a great game . It is deceptively simple but so addictive that it will suck you in as surely as if you yourself were rolled into a giant katamari . And it's less than $20 . So what are you waiting for ? If you have a PS2 , go get Katamari Damacy . Summary : Pros : - Simple but versatile controls - Easy but addictive game play - Fabulous atmosphere - Great graphics and sound - Wacky stories - Very fast load times Cons : - Camera can be a bit annoying early on - One or two eye-rolling events Final Score : Five stars all around . No contest whatsoever .
    • 017 4  If you watch anime , you might have some idea of what to expect from Katamari Damacy . Though even that won't fully prepare you . A huge planet-sized dude with a rolled-up carpet for a head called the King of All Cosmos accidentally destroys all the stars . To fix things , he has you , his tiny son , roll up clumps of things on Earth and replaces the stars with these katamari ( Japanese for wad of stuff ) . So , using the two analog sticks as if controlling a pair of tank treads , you roll a small sticky ball around the landscape , picking up anything and everything . The object of each level is to get your katamari to a set size within a set time . If you fail , never fear . You can try again as many times as you need to until you get it done . The controls are quite intuitive . The two analog stick setup is easily mastered within a couple minutes at most , but it is also extremely versatile . Added to the routine are a couple uses of the R1 and L1 shoulder buttons , and X and triangle to make selections in the between-level menus . That's it . It is a very simple game . But it is also very immersive . The physics of the game are mind-boggling if you take the time to think about it , but that is all kept in the background . All you need to know is that your katamari can pick up * anything * . * ANYTHING AT ALL * , provided your katamari is big enough . When you begin , you'll have a tiny 5 cm peanut rolling along table tops and the floor . You'll pick up thumb tacks , push pins , small candies , and coins , while you dodge the cat . Eventually you'll come across a pencil , which will be too big to pick up . Roll around some more , come back to the pencil a minute later , and suddenly , this time it sticks ! And then you'll have a large oblong object poking off the side of your katamari that makes it roll in a funny , lopsided fashion . So you keep rolling around the table and the floor , picking up more and more stuff and still dodging the cat . Pretty soon , you can teach kitty a lesson . Then you can pick up the TV , and the table itself , and the people sitting at the table ( who will scream in terror as they're assimilated into your katamari ) and then the whole house . Afterward , the clouds and the mountains will look like tempting targets . Through it all , the composition of your katamari is constantly changing , forcing the game to keep track of the ever-changing physics of your wad of things . For example : if you can pick up a coat button , can you pick up a nine volt battery ? How big does your katamari need to be to pick up an umbrella ? How about that washing machine ? How about that sidewalk food cart ? How about the vendor working at that food cart ? Perhaps you can pick up the sapling on the street corner , but the old oak tree in the park is quite a bit bigger . And so on . Levels are all very large and have a huge variety of stuff to roll up . No matter how often you play , you'll always find new things to collect and new rooms to open up . As repetitive as the game actually is , it never feels that way . The graphics are * extremely * blocky , but in such a way as to make the game even more entertaining . Everything has a very simple , almost fluorescent appearance , adding to the wacky atmosphere of the game . The only problem is that , while your katamari is still small , the camera tends to get stuck behind walls and items , obscuring your view . This is usually easy to fix , though , and stops being a problem later in the game . The soundtrack is also incredibly addictive . Though it consists almost entirely of j-pop songs ( Japanese pop , for those of you not up on anime lingo ) , the songs just refuse to leave your mind after you end the game session . Listening to a Japanese lady singing about the katamari mamba nearly made me die laughing . And the sound effects are just as good . Listening to people and animals scream in terror as I rolled them up sent me even closer to the brink than did the katamari mamba . And when you've finally had enough of rolling up your katamari , you can retire to the menu and peruse the list of items you've rolled up . There are literally hundreds , perhaps thousands , of possible items to collect , broken up into a few different lists . There is a list based on type of object ( e.g . dangerous , aquarium , police , etc . ) , based on object size , or based on where you rolled them up . You can also see the list of special presents you've found , which the King of All Cosmos leaves one of hidden in each level . Or you can fly over to the giant space mushroom for some multiplayer action . ( Mmmm . Giant mushroom . Appropriate for a drug trip like this game . ) Loading times are very fast , there's no graphical slowdown , the controls are intuitive and responsive , even the between-level story of two block-headed kids and their block-headed mom going for a trip doesn't detract from the experience , though there are one or two eye-rollers . What more could you ask for ? Katamari Damacy is a great game . It is deceptively simple but so addictive that it will suck you in as surely as if you yourself were rolled into a giant katamari . And it's less than $20 . So what are you waiting for ? If you have a PS2 , go get Katamari Damacy . Summary : Pros : - Simple but versatile controls - Easy but addictive game play - Fabulous atmosphere - Great graphics and sound - Wacky stories - Very fast load times Cons : - Camera can be a bit annoying early on - One or two eye-rolling events Final Score : Five stars all around . No contest whatsoever .
    • 019 4  This game is absolutely insane ! Everythign about it from the graphics and music to gameplay is off the wall absurd . . . That being said , there have been few games that have ever grabbed me and pulled me in the way this one does . It's ultra addictive . Some people may dislike the graphics , but that's the charm of this game . They aren't bad , they are perfect for the atmosphere . The music is so catchy and strange you will be humming it to yourself all day . The use of two analog control sticks works brilliantly . Even when you complete the game , you will find yourself replaying the stages to find the secret presents and to unlock Eternity modes and shooting stars . I have laughed so hard at this game , especially when you pick up the little kids riding the bikes . . . priceless : ) . When I saw this game was only 20 $ , I had heard very little about it , but the price was right . There is no reason not to give this game a go ? Take some old , unplayed games to your local video game store , trade them in , and pick this one up . I've been playing video games for about 18 years now and this ranks up there with the most fun and creative ways to spend my gaming dollars .
    • 021 4  This might be one of the strangest games on the PS2 . In the case of Katamari , strange is a good thing , because this game is great.I read articles about this game before I bought it and read that the developers were worried this game would not sell well in North America.Boy , were they wrong ! Seems many of us love these crazy Japanese games , and I say , send us more of this kind of stuff ! I am hooked ! You play the Prince . . . of what country , I am not sure , but it doesn't really matter anyway.Your dad is the lunatic king , who talks to you in some kind of wierd haiku , ordering you to make bigger katamari.What is a katamari ? it's a sticky ball , and you must roll it over everything from thumbtacks , candy , cookies , people , cows , skyscrapers and ferris wheels to make the biggest katamari you can roll in the time allotted.Seems your lunatic dad destroyed every star in the sky , and the katamari will replace the stars.I told you it was wierd . Wierd is good ! this game is entertaining and VERY addictive . . I think I played it pretty much nonstop the first few weeks I owned it.I still play it whenever I can because I love it so.Buy this game , it is loads of fun .
    • 022 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) this is the best game i've ever played . . . ever . . . the intro movie alone is worth the $20 . its playability is through the roof , replay value like you don't even know . in versus mode , you can pick up the other player if you're big enough . oh , and to top it all off : the best music ever composed specifically for a game . it ranked #4 in time's ' best games of 2004 ' , beating , among others , halo 2 . give that a second to sink in , then click the add to cart button , and improve your life and the lives of those around you .
    • 023 4  this is the best game i've ever played . . . ever . . . the intro movie alone is worth the $20 . its playability is through the roof , replay value like you don't even know . in versus mode , you can pick up the other player if you're big enough . oh , and to top it all off : the best music ever composed specifically for a game . it ranked #4 in time's ' best games of 2004 ' , beating , among others , halo 2 . give that a second to sink in , then click the add to cart button , and improve your life and the lives of those around you .
    • 026 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) You will be shocked when you see how crappy the intro scenes are , almost feeling as if someone has stung you on recommending Karamari Damacy , but once you start pushing that ball around the place with objects sticking to it as it builds up in size to eventually have houses and football pitches gelling on to it , you will understand how wholly original this game is , and why it has been compared to crack . This is the most addictive PS2 game to date . It doesn't look like much , but you just can't say No . You can't ! The idea is so simple . You can't pick up bigger objects until you have a diameter that is about twice the size of the object , which means you need to start small and work your way up . The problem is crashing into things reduces the balls size so you need to be able to find the right sized objects to roll over and navigate about properly while on a timer . Simple , but the kind of thing to keep you up to 6am with your eyes coming out your head . Royal Rainbow to all who have played it !
    • 029 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This is exactly what I look for in a video game . The premise and the gameplay itself are so much fun and so deliciously weird , and it's something I would've never imagined myself in a million years . You don't need a 592 page strategy guide , and you don't need to play the game for 40 hours just to unlock a bunch of crap before you can do anything . If you're curious as to what is so weird and interesting with this game , a lot of it has to do with the general weirdness of Japanese culture , as this game both visually and conceptually seems like it was taken out of a Japanese kids cartoon . The music is left as is , and all the songs are sung in Japanese , which really does a lot to add to the intrigue and otherworldliness that is consistently present . The dialogue also feels like it was almost purposefully translated as literally as possible , to add to the goofy atmosphere , which in effect has made the King of All Cosmos one of my favorite video game characters ever . And finally , the idea behind the gameplay , which consists of rolling up random objects ( emphasis on random ) in proportion to your katamari ( ' ball ' or ' clump ' in Japanese ) and building it up in size as quickly as possible , seems like something that was yanked out of a warped child's imagination . There are plenty of reviews here that explain the premise and the mechanics of the gameplay more in depth , but the main thing I want to convey is the sheer amount of fun and bizarre atmosphere this game creates . It is completely unique and a world of its own , and is really worth picking up .
    • 030 4  This is exactly what I look for in a video game . The premise and the gameplay itself are so much fun and so deliciously weird , and it's something I would've never imagined myself in a million years . You don't need a 592 page strategy guide , and you don't need to play the game for 40 hours just to unlock a bunch of crap before you can do anything . If you're curious as to what is so weird and interesting with this game , a lot of it has to do with the general weirdness of Japanese culture , as this game both visually and conceptually seems like it was taken out of a Japanese kids cartoon . The music is left as is , and all the songs are sung in Japanese , which really does a lot to add to the intrigue and otherworldliness that is consistently present . The dialogue also feels like it was almost purposefully translated as literally as possible , to add to the goofy atmosphere , which in effect has made the King of All Cosmos one of my favorite video game characters ever . And finally , the idea behind the gameplay , which consists of rolling up random objects ( emphasis on random ) in proportion to your katamari ( ' ball ' or ' clump ' in Japanese ) and building it up in size as quickly as possible , seems like something that was yanked out of a warped child's imagination . There are plenty of reviews here that explain the premise and the mechanics of the gameplay more in depth , but the main thing I want to convey is the sheer amount of fun and bizarre atmosphere this game creates . It is completely unique and a world of its own , and is really worth picking up .
    • 032 4  Katamari Damacy's appeal is hard to explain to people who haven't played it already . What do you DO in this game ? ? asked my father-in-law , another dedicated gamer , when he heard rumors that I was glued to the PS2 . Um , you roll this ball around and get stuff stuck to it . You just keep rolling and getting the ball as big as you can within a certain time limit , I replied , a little lamely . His eyes glazed over . And that's fun ? he snorted . Yes . It's fun . Really fun . It cheers me up . There isn't anything to think about ; you just roll , I attempted . And there's no monsters ? he asked . ( I'm usually an RPG-er . ) Well , there's a Thunder God , but you just roll him up too , I replied . But you can only roll him up when your ball of stuff is so big that you're rolling up skyscrapers and clouds and islands too . There was a silence . Well , you just enjoy yourself , he said . Oh , I DO ! ! I tried again , a little desperately , It might sound dumb , and it IS . . . but it's so much fun ! You are the tiny , green-clothed Prince , the son of the omnipotent King of All Cosmos , and it is your job to rebuild the night sky after the King , in a kind of meditative daze , smashed it to smithereens . The King is a towering figure in a rainbow-colored headpiece and purple Elizabethan-ruffed wrestling leotard who loves to use the royal we and insult your puny efforts . You are sent to three different areas ( the house , the town , and the world ) and given various missions to complete within a certain time frame . For example , one of your first missions is to roll a 10cm katamari ( which translates to clump of stuff from Japanese ) in 3 minutes , I think , or was it 2 ? ? Either way , you are plonked down in the world with your katamari ( which starts out looking rather like a bumpy dog-toy ) , and you start to roll up stuff . The king pops in every now and again ( as a disembodied head ! ) to make comments ( usually insulting ) or guide you to another area during your mission . It is almost as simple as it sounds , but each item in the game requires your katamari to have attained a certain size before you can pick it up . Thus , you have to get significantly bigger from when you could roll up a ham sandwich to when you can roll up a person or an elephant . I was addicted within a few minutes . It was the moment I rolled up my first person , and she shrieked AAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ! ! ! ! ! and kicked and waved her arms around . AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKK went the guy in the business suit . * * ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! TRUMPET ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! * * went the elephant and * * HHHHHOOOOOOONNNNNKKKK * * went the bus . And I just kept going . I rolled until I beat the game two weeks later ( I'm an after-work gamer ) , and then I ran out and bought the sequel , We Love Katamari . Why ? Well , the music is so cheerful , for starters ; it gets in your head . When I'm stuck in an especially boring meeting , I think Na naaa na na na na na na na na naaaa na na na naaaaa ( you'll know what I mean ) and feel instantly better . The graphics are rainbow-colored , bright , and cute . There's a sort of order from chaos appeal as you pick things up , and there really are a lot of things to pick up in the game . Because this game is Japanese , a lot of the stuff is not what you would normally find lying around your ( un-Japanese ) house . Why would this be interesting ? Well , my mother is Japanese , and she loves to go to American supermarkets just to look at all the stuff . ( Yes , there's sushi lying around in Katamari Damacy . However , there are also robotic action figures from around 1977 that my brother used to fanatically collect . Definitely different . ) It is stress-busting in the extreme when you are flying through the city , rolling up skyscrapers , trees , vending machines , cows , and traffic - ( especially taxis ! ) after you spent a frustrating hour or two stuck in real-life traffic , getting buzzed by taxis , if not cows . Often , after a bad commute , I rolled until there was nothing left in the world but the katamari and me . It was funny , and it made me see the lighter side of it . ( Don't ask me what it is - you either get it or you don't . ) Katamari Damacy's appeal can be summed up like this : this game treats the grind of everyday life like a gigantic , cosmic joke . I hope you get it and laugh as hard as the rest of us .
    • 034 4  I really enjoy this game - quite a departure from the run of the mill shooter or action game . Colorful , funny , intuitive , a bit crazy , and with captivating music . How come American companies don't make games this imaginative ? When you finally start rolling up really big things , like cities , and your Katamari is so big that it bumps up against clouds , you will be smiling at the pure brilliance of this game . A perfect delight . I only rate the game overall a four out of five because it seemed a bit short to finish ( although there is much left to do after the credits roll , ) and because two of the ' constellation ' levels were frustrating .
    • 035 4  In some ways , this game defies description . The gist of the storyline - your father , the King of the Cosmos , got a little drunk or crazy or something and accidentally destroyed all the stars . So now it's your responsibility to put the stars back in the sky . Which you do , through a series of progressively difficult levels and challenges involving collecting items on earth . At the start of each level , you , the prince , are placed behind an empty katamari . This is a ball-like thing that you must roll around . As you roll around , objects will stick to you , which will increase the size of the katamari . The goal of each level is to get the katamari to a certain size . The size of the objects you can pick up is relative to the size the katamari currently is - the bigger you get your katamari , the bigger the objects that you can pick up . The levels are timed , so you can't just waste time . When your katamari gets to the goal size , your dad turns it into a star . Each level is set in a particular venue - inside a house , in a neighborhood , in a park , etc . When you get to certain mini-goals , the camera angle changes to reflect the new size of the katamari . All of a sudden you can see objects you couldn't before , simply because you were too small . There are also a series of challenge levels , which ask you to do certain things - pick up certain kinds of items , collect sets of things , etc . These challenges help you build the constellations . Most of these are fairly self-explanatory - to build Cancer , you pick up crabs , to build Cygnus , you pick up swans , etc . The levels are interspersed by movie clips of a family wondering where the stars went . The movie bits are creepy in a way , but very amusing . The soundtrack to this game is funny . Most of it is in Japanese , but it's so catchy it doesn't matter . There is a two-player mode , where you compete against a friend to try to get the biggest katamari , but this rapidly gets boring , because the level is essentially the same over and over and once you get the hang of how to master it , there's not much challenge in it . The controls on this game are surprisingly easy . You control your katamari with the left and right analog sticks , simply by pushing both of them in the direction you want to go . There are a few specialized moves you can do with the sticks , but basically that's it . No buttons , no directional pad , just the analog sticks . Half of the fun of the game is in the options . There are all kinds of ways to view the number and kind of items you have picked up , as well as see the stars and constellations you have created . This is where the long-term playing power of the game comes from - even after you beat all the levels , there are always items you've missed , and you can always make your stars bigger . Supposedly there is a sequel coming . I'm totally pre-ordering it . This game is completely unique .
    • 037 4  Caveat : I am not one of those rabid game players whose game collections rival their movie collections and who have exacting standards for game play , length , and graphic quality . I play video games if fits and starts , and a large part of my enjoyment of a game comes from an appreciation of the artistry , programming , and ingenuity that goes into a game . There are some video game enthusiasts who will find Katamari Damacy not to their liking because the image quality is not up to this season's standards or because the game can be played start to finish in as little as 4 hours ( depending on your game playing skill level , of course ) . But there won't be many of them , because there truly is something for everyone in this extraordinary Japanese import ! I underscore the import because the game's Japanese origins positively ooze from every orifice : from the endlessly cheerful and eye-poppingly colorful graphics to the seemingly endless array of everyday items that aren't so typical in western homes , such as paper-wrapped chopsticks or Daruma dolls . While one is always aware that the game has been translated from the Japanese original , none of the actual translations have that agrammatical nonsensical quality you often see . All the dialogue and instructions make sense while ( one imagines ) retaining some of the original poetry . Some of the game's influences are less region-specific , as seen in the dizzying psychedelic colors , patterns , and references . Giant multi-colored mushrooms figure prominently , and part of the back story involves the King of All Cosmos becoming one with the beauty of the universe ( wink wink nudge nudge ) - - something that not all of his friends fully understand when he comes to some time later having destroyed the night sky . The King is a delight ; clad in bright ued garments and a giant bright blinky Deco-inspired headress in garish colors that nicely set off his ubiquitous snarl . Rounding out the design features is an interstitial storyline with it's own unique style , and the excellent soundtrack : from the deeply catchy theme song to Japanese pop-inspired jazzy ambient mood music . If the game had all of this and the game play was just so-so , I would already be thrilled , but Katamari Damacy also delivers engrossing and fun game play . They have done an excellent job with the physics engine , complete with awkward lopsided rolling when objects stick out the side of your katamari . In the first levels you transform your katamari by a scale of ten or so , but as you progress on to the later levels you pick objects several hundreds of times larger than the ones you started with ( think thumbtack to skyscraper and beyond ! ) . It is hard to express the satisfaction of rolling blithely over a house that once was just a neverending wall , but trust me , it feels good . There aren't a zillion levels and a never-ending terrain to explore so actually finishing the game is within the reach of even casual gamers like myself , which is a refreshing change . At the same time the replay value is quite high since you can replay any level at any time to beat your previous record , and there are goodies hidden in all the levels which you may not have found the first time around . My only complaint is the user interface ; both analog sticks are used to control the movement of the katamari resulting in a blend of movement and camera manipulation which might serve the storyline well but results in fighting with the controls instead of enjoying the game . Other reviewers have described this expressed their fondness for this interface , but in my opinion one analog stick for movement and one for camera angle would have been much more intuitive . Should there ever be another version of the game I hope they will make this change . Still - - the controls * were * easy enough for a five-year-old to learn and enjoy , so my criticism is minor . Kudos to Namco ! If you find a copy of this game available anywhere , buy it right away !
    • 039 4  2004 was a horrible year for video games . I think the game that I was anticipating the most was Onimusha 3 , which turned out to be little more than a dumbed-down samurai version of Devil May Cry . It got to the point where I lost my addiction to video games ( yikes ! ) and didn't buy any games for months . Two months ago , that all changed . One of my friends got me Katamari Damacy for my birthday . I had been interested in it ever since it came out , but I never got around to buying it . We started playing it at that very moment . The first thing we heard when we loaded the game up was what sounded like someone humming naaaaaaaa na na na na na na na na from inside a bathroom stall . It was weird and hilarious . We laughed our asses off . Next came the intro movie . Holy hell . . . it was one of the most awesome things I'd ever seen . It featured singing swans , balloons , giant mushrooms , marijuana leaves , pandas , and a groovy pink car . Much like the humming , it was weird and hilarious . We laughed our asses off again . Infact , being weird and hilarious ( as well as different from virtually every game ever made ) is what makes Katamari Damacy so utterly brilliant . You play as the Prince , a little green alien . Your father , The ( oh-so-badass ) King Of All Cosmos accidently destroyed all the stars in the sky . He sends you to Earth to roll up objects to create new stars . You start off by rolling up little things like buttons and insects , then later progress to larger things like bushes , tables , and people . Eventually , you get big enough to roll up entire cities , and even landmasses . LANDMASSES ! Because this idea has never been seen before , everything in the game feels fresh and original , even things that we've seen a million times before like time limits , exploring new areas , and trying to collect 100% of all the items ( which have really funny descriptions , by the way ) , Royal Presents , and names . The game exists in it's own strange little universe where absolutely nothing feels flawed out of place . It's simple , fun , and extremely addictive . Not to mention it only costs $20 and it has one of the best soundtracks of all time , outside of the Final Fantasy series . That's really all there is to it . It's an astonishingly cool game that ( like all niche games ) went completely under the radar of most PS2 owners . Let's hope that changes soon . Forget about all those boring , lame , overhyped games that came out at the end of last year , such as Bland Theft Auto : San Andreas and Gaylo 2 , and make way for Katamari Damacy : winner by a mile for Game of the Year .
    • 040 4  This game is outstanding ! I first saw it on Cinematech ( a show on G4TechTV ) and was intrigued by the graphics . After reading praise for it from many magazines , I decided to pick it up . You play the role of a prince whose father ( King of the universe ) accidentally knocked all of the stars out of the sky . It is your job to recreate stars ( and some of the major constellations ) to repopulate the sky . Sounds pretty unique , but it is the gameplay that gets you . You push a katamari ( Japanese for ball ) around , and it picks up items that are smaller than it . You start by picking up thumbtacks and sticks of gum ; eventually you can pick up people , animals , and houses ! Most stages are timed , making the manic nature of the game even more fun . This game has great music , decent graphics , and the kind of old school simple fun that is lacking in a lot of today's newer games . Its $20 price tag makes it affordable , but its gameplay will keep you coming back for more !
    • 044 4  How in the world could rolling a ball around and having junk stick to it be FUN ? Well , if you add in a crazy soundtrack , oddball graphics , and what seems to be a purposefully terrible translation of the original Japanese text , you get one of the most quirky and enjoyable games in years . While the basic premise of rolling around a katamari to pick up junk to make new stars for the sky seems a little stupid ( and more than a little drug-induced ) , it's all in the execution . There is no way not to grin while listening to some of this bombastic music . You can't not feel a surge of sick glee as you roll over a dog , a telephone , an old granny , a car , a house , even a rainbow , and all make sounds of distress as you do so . It's hard not to snicker as the King of All Cosmos says the most hilarious things in horribly stilted English . That said , though , it's still hard to pin down EXACTLY why this is so entertaining . By all rights , it should get old and boring in the first two missions . By all rights , the music should be grating and cause you to want to pierce your eardrums . By all rights , the corny graphics should be making you want to gauge out your eyes . But , somehow , it all manages to be fun even after hours and hours of straight gameplay . Only the Japanese could pull this off , man . Only the Japanese .
    • 046 4  Katamari Damacy is one of the best games I have played in while . I am generally a pc gamer that plays primarily RTS's and FPS's . These games all sorta seem the same after the while . This game takes a crazy concept ( rolling around a ball ) and collecting stuff and makes it fun . The music is distinctly japanese but adds to the light and fun mood of the game . All of fits perfectly into the game and some songs are comical . My only minor complaint of the game is that it can get repetitive and as many levels seem similiar and overall this game takes very little time to beat . The stages however flow naturally into each other in the beginning you are rolling up tiny household items and by the final stage you are rolling skyscrapers , clouds and rainbows . The game has quite a bit of replay value as you can go through the levels and attempt to make your katamari as big as possible or collect the hidden gifts that allow you to change how your character looks . If you are tired of the same old video games being released over and over again you really need to try this video game . It's also very kid friendly and the most violence seen is rolling up people and animals into your ball although this is done in a comical fashion .
    • 048 4  There are few games out there that grab you instantly like this one does . After picking up the controller and trying to grasp the easy to handle controls ( it only uses the two sticks to move the ball ) , you start to want more and more . I found that there are points in the game that are very challenging and frustrating when you can't get the camera to move behind you the way you want it to . This of course can be remedied with practice in the game . Fortunately the game makers build level upon level , the experience you need to complete the next level . Once you get better the next level starts you as a larger ball , and you can pick up larger things . However as you pick up more things , it gets increasingly difficult to move the ball up hills . It's very nice that the ball follows the laws of physics . As you spin forward , the ball picks up more and more things , however if you run into something too big , or get kicked by an animal or human , things will fly off of your katamari ball . I agree with most of the other reviewers , this game is one of my favorites . It reminds me of the skill that was needed for other games like Tetris , or dr . Mario , Intelligent Qube , . . . but this game is different , it is MUCH more entertaining to watch ! If you are watching someone else play , a description of each object picked up appears in the left hand corner of the screen . And in the right hand corner is a picture of the prince as he pushes the ball around . It's still unnerving to watch someone else play and screw up . But it at least entertains you more than if you were just watching a ball roll around . The two player game isn't anything to get excited about . It was fun the first couple of times , but its definitely made more for a one person setting . My husband and I thought we could do a lot of death battles , but the two player battle mode doesn't change much from game to game , and the skill levels don't change . Otherwise , the game is EXCELLENT and I highly recommend it to anyone's game collection as a Must ! ! !
    • 051 4  I kept hearing about this game from friends who had heard about it from others , and at $20 , I had to buy it for myself . I'm so glad I did . This is one of the most awesome games I've ever played . Everything about it is strange - - right down to the King of All Cosmos's huge capsule-shaped head - - and it's very amusing to roll through the streets picking up absolutely everything in your path . And there's a surprise ending that caught me off-guard ! It's simple to pick up and play . There are no button combos to memorize : Only the analog sticks control the action . The music is excellent , and the replay value of this game makes it seem worth well over its $20 price tag . It's a short game , but you'll play it over and over . It's a wonder Namco localized a game like this , as weird as it is , and I'm grateful they did . Let's hope they do the same with the sequel ! Buy this game - - you won't regret it .
    • 054 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This game is so amazing , it'll blow you socks off . You won't believe me or anyone else until you try it , but trust me , this game is amazing . Everyone of all ages can enjoy this game , and technically , it's not violent ! ! Listen , most video games nowadays cost $50 , and most of them are NOT worth it . This game cost $20 , and it will be the best $20 you'll ever spend ; I guarantee it ! : )
    • 056 4  I bought this game from blockbuster with only five minutes of game play , and I'm glad I did . The game is awfully addicting ( My friend and I played for about 8 hours just that night , and we / still / get the urge to play ) and the music is catchy beyond belief . If you don't buy it for game play , buy it for the music , heh . Supposedly , the Cosmos King got drunk on night , and destroyed everything . Now it's your job to make little matter balls to fix your father's boo-boo . Though the graphics are amazing , the fact you can roll up people makes up for it , hehhehheh . The game itself has a sort of Tetris-y feel with the state of mind you get in . Lots and lots of fun . Buy this game ! : D
    • 057 4  This game is Tetris for the new millenium ! There is no other game like this . The intro and cut scenes are classic Japanese bizarro ( Mr . Sparkle is the perfect analogy ) . If you're not into that sort of stuff you can easily skip over it and jump right into a game . I'm into it - and I think these are some of the greatest cut scenes ever made . The gameplay itself is deceptively simple , you roll a ball ( the Katamari ) around using the controller sticks - but the longer you play the more you realize that there is a lot more to it . As you get to know the levels you find routes and caches of objects that are only useful when you're in a certain size range - grow a little bit and it's time to change your strategy . It can also be very open ended - especially once you've unlocked eternal mode - and there's nothing better than getting revenge by rolling up people / animals / vehicles that knocked you around early in the game . There's no bloodshed , but on the later levels I've taken out more people than in any level of GTA . And the music . . . . Naaa na nanana . . . . . I can't get it out of my head ! Buy this game ! ! !
    • 059 4  This game is a gem , particularly for those who like things with a little bit of Japanese oddness . The graphics are rather plain , but after you've had the opportunity to roll your katamari through a crowd of screaming schoolchildren , you just won't care . The play mechanics of this game bring up a number of implementation problems that are very deftly solved . I also like the way the game has been prepared for the American market . It has all the distinctiveness ( I assume ) of the original with a distinctly noninterventionist feel ( witness the name ) . But at the same time , the translation into English is superb .
    • 061 4  I fell into raptures from a young child to an adult ! It is easy , and a rule of a game rolls small ball and rolls up a small accessory and raises it , and it depends , and I am happy , and attractive background music directs an atmosphere though I am unique . The music that I like most is music of Sheen looking at a constellation , and it is a taste of little Ryuichi Sakamoto . When I return a game review . There are a lot of ideas to make a person a captive in simplicity , and I am , and conversation with King is strange , and a character of Lego style is happy . I read American Amazon review and became more wonderful . In fact , I was uneasy whether this game had a number of people enjoy it . But such uneasiness was not necessary . I translate a lot of reviews and read . There were a lot of people who loved this game and wants to play all The Reviewer and Katamari Damacy if I am possible ! Only a word . Katamari Damacy which all love ( temporary title ) is released in U.S.A . in about autumn , this year ! I think to know all and I am a pleasure and wait . Love & Peace ( ^ _ ^ )
    • 066 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Katamari Damacy is a hard game to describe to someone . All you can say is You push a ball around and roll things up and make the ball bigger . This doesn't sound too appealing , but put the game in and you will more than likely be hooked instantly . With catchy music , many different types of levels to play in and different objectives for you to solve , this game just might be one of the PS2 ' s finest . Here is the basic premise of the game : you have to make big enough Katamari balls and when you do they become stars in the sky , since the stars were gone thanks to the king of the cosmos . The first level doesn't require too large of a ball at the end of the time limit , but it gets more difficult with each level . You may roll around in a house , in a park , or around the city . Additionally some levels will require you to roll up as many crabs as you can in order to create the constellation Cancer . The bigger you make the ball , the bigger the objects you can roll up , like people and cows . This really is a fun game and the best thing it has going for it is its simplicity . You only use the right and left analog sticks through each level , so you don't have to even think that much when you are playing . This is a game that all ages could enjoy . The music is very catchy , the graphics are pretty cool , and the camera angles are awesome . I am usually big on RPGs but this game is one I will keep in my collection . I give it 5 stars for being original and most of all for providing a fun gaming experience .
    • 067 4  Katamari Damacy is a hard game to describe to someone . All you can say is You push a ball around and roll things up and make the ball bigger . This doesn't sound too appealing , but put the game in and you will more than likely be hooked instantly . With catchy music , many different types of levels to play in and different objectives for you to solve , this game just might be one of the PS2 ' s finest . Here is the basic premise of the game : you have to make big enough Katamari balls and when you do they become stars in the sky , since the stars were gone thanks to the king of the cosmos . The first level doesn't require too large of a ball at the end of the time limit , but it gets more difficult with each level . You may roll around in a house , in a park , or around the city . Additionally some levels will require you to roll up as many crabs as you can in order to create the constellation Cancer . The bigger you make the ball , the bigger the objects you can roll up , like people and cows . This really is a fun game and the best thing it has going for it is its simplicity . You only use the right and left analog sticks through each level , so you don't have to even think that much when you are playing . This is a game that all ages could enjoy . The music is very catchy , the graphics are pretty cool , and the camera angles are awesome . I am usually big on RPGs but this game is one I will keep in my collection . I give it 5 stars for being original and most of all for providing a fun gaming experience .
    • 069 4  When out shopping , I kept seeing a game called We Love Katamari . I looked on the back of the package and I'm thinking Rolling up stuff with a ball ? Now how is THIS fun ? So I was in a gaming store last week and saw the original version of the Katamari series , Katamari Damacy . It was priced affordably and I asked the clerks what they knew about it . I also read Lisa Shea's review here on Amazon for the We Love Katamari game and I thought Heck , I'm going to give it a try . I am SO glad I did ! I have NEVER seen anything like this game . Now , my gaming preferences lean towards Scooby Doo Night of a 1000 Frights , Sly Cooper 1 , Spyro , etc . Thus , I'm not familiar with Japanese gaming ( or anime , for that matter ) . So I was totally unprepared for the colorfully zany intro , awesomely bizarre music , and crazy story line ! You may think , as I did , How can rolling a ball be fun ? Well , the sticky ball is called the Katamari and you're the Prince . You have to roll over items smaller than the ball within a certain time , expanding until it gets to specific sizes . These challenges create stars to replace the shattered ones that fell from the sky . ( LOL ) So you start out having to make a small ball but the stakes get high pretty quickly . What makes Katamari Damacy especially enjoyable is that you have free-roaming capabilities . So rather than following a specific path to conquer challenges , YOU choose which items to roll over . For example , if you're in the house , you roll over push pins , erasers , gum , toothbrushes , etc . But then you work up to bigger household items like batteries , flashlights , laundry detergent , etc . Right now , I'm trying to make Star 5 and I can't get it big enough ( yet ! ) . I'm out in the town , so I've picked up sushi , lollipops , shoes , butterflies , frogs , cats , leaves , shovels , handcuffs , lipstick . . . you get the idea . Judging from the picture on the game , you can get to the point where you're picking up whales and roller coasters ! Catching live creatures is especially fun because they're moving and twitching . Sound effects are great , too . If you run over telephones , you'll hear ringing . If you run over a cat , you'll hear meowing . You get the picture . Another challenge is that if you run into an item bigger than you , a few acquired items fly off of the ball , making it smaller . Not only can you create stars , but you can create constellations . I've created Cancer , where I had to roll around getting crabs . I tried to do Cygnus , but can't get it big enough ! The funny thing is that you roll over swan eggs and the things HATCH while attached to your ball . So you've got these flapping birds attached to your ball . LOL There's a head to head mode , too , with a vertical split screen . The idea is to see who can roll up the biggest ball . Unfortunately , there are only 3 limited , closed landscapes and it's a timed game ( 3 minutes ) but it's still a lot of fun ! I corral my husband into playing with me every chance I get . Heck , even HE thinks it's fun ! ( And he told me earlier this evening how the songs keep going through his head . It's true : this game has a very catchy soundtrack ! ) If you're looking for an inventive , fun game , Katamari Damacy rocks ! Now , if you'll excuse me , I have to go work on getting my Star 5 up to snuff . . .
    • 071 4  When I got this game , I got it because it was cute but I thought I'd be bored of it in hours . Rolling around a ball to pick up stuff ? Sounds really boring . Surprisingly , the gameplay is addictive . You really have to play it for yourself to know how addictive it is . The delight of picking up objects like sparrows and strawberries and octopus sushi and octopi and BUILDINGS is a huge factor , but it's also partly just rolling around frantically to get a big enough ball during the time limit ( requires a surprising amount of strategy ) . I don't know how to describe it , but it's wonderful . The music is wonderful , and it's one of the most creative games I've ever seen . The graphics are very stylized and not for everybody , but they're amazingly artistic . Just keep an open mind .
    • 072 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Whoever decided of developing this game , I give them my thanks . I never thought in a million years that rolling around a ball that collects junk would ever be so fun or would demand so much thinking . Then there is the fantastic quirky music and strange cinema scenes . The game is a complete package that will satisfy all ages , both boys and girls . Ironically , it was my older sister who introduced me to this game and she had never touched a PS2 before . There are three basic type of levels . There are levels where you have to roll up your ball to a certain size before the time stops . Then there are the levels in which you collect specific items to create constellations - the first is crabs for Cancer . The last type of level is you grow the ball until you can collect the larges item of a specific constellation . Here is an example - for the constellation Taurus , you must pick up the Giant Cow to make a bright constellation . If you pick up a little cow , a cow man , a cow cone , a cow vending machine , etc . the level comes to a stop and you have to settle with what you got . These levels may seem impossible , but I have pulled them off . When I first finished the entire game , it felt very short for me . Then I found out about how I can get falling stars and make my constellations brighter if I do a better job on the levels . I don't know how many times I have gone back and replayed the levels to get everything possible . Don't wait any longer . This game will surprise you with how fun and funny it truly is .
    • 073 4  Whoever decided of developing this game , I give them my thanks . I never thought in a million years that rolling around a ball that collects junk would ever be so fun or would demand so much thinking . Then there is the fantastic quirky music and strange cinema scenes . The game is a complete package that will satisfy all ages , both boys and girls . Ironically , it was my older sister who introduced me to this game and she had never touched a PS2 before . There are three basic type of levels . There are levels where you have to roll up your ball to a certain size before the time stops . Then there are the levels in which you collect specific items to create constellations - the first is crabs for Cancer . The last type of level is you grow the ball until you can collect the larges item of a specific constellation . Here is an example - for the constellation Taurus , you must pick up the Giant Cow to make a bright constellation . If you pick up a little cow , a cow man , a cow cone , a cow vending machine , etc . the level comes to a stop and you have to settle with what you got . These levels may seem impossible , but I have pulled them off . When I first finished the entire game , it felt very short for me . Then I found out about how I can get falling stars and make my constellations brighter if I do a better job on the levels . I don't know how many times I have gone back and replayed the levels to get everything possible . Don't wait any longer . This game will surprise you with how fun and funny it truly is .
    • 077 4  Everything about this game can be summed up in two words : Off Kilter . The concept is off kilter . The gameplay is off kilter . And the intro sequence is most definitely off kilter . But all of that is a part of the charm of this game . This game is probably the most deceptively fun game you will ever play . The game involves you , as the prince of all cosmos , rolling around the earth with a small clump ( a katamari , as it's known ) , adding things to your clump as you roll over them . From this deceptively simple concept will spring hours of play , and multitudes of questions like What was that thing I just rolled up ? , I wonder if I can get the entire family , and Why do pencils make me so lopsided ? THe only negative I have about this game is the length - it can be reasonably completed in under 10 hours . But , then again , that is the primary reason that it debuted at the discounted price . My advice ( take it as you will ) - buy this game . It manages to be unique and different without any violence or offensive material whatsoever , and it'll have you glued to the screen for hours .
    • 078 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I just want to add that KD is the first game I've ever played that seems compelling as a work of art : that is , it presents an interesting ( if simple ) view on life that has changed the way I see my own . In the Prince's ordered world , everything and everyone has a label - - Relaxing Dude , Girly Cell Phone , Giant Daikon , etc . This readibility is itself a source of joy . It definitely got me thinking about the relationships between objects and categories , signifiers and signifieds . . . Plato , Locke , de Saussure , Derrida , and Lacan , among others , would dig it . You will , too .
    • 083 4  My wife bought this for our son on his 9th birthday after hearing an NPR piece on it on the radio . I don't know if my son likes it that much - - I don't think he's had much time playing it because I have been playing it since ! ! The best part is if you are on a roll ( pun intended ) and get really big and start to pick up everything in the village setting wholesale . I ended up once with a 23 meter katamari ( for a 12 - meter setting ) , and that meant that after I rolled up the two big windmills in the village , there was nothing left except the outline of the streets . It's a lot of fun ! Be forewarned : you may stay up late playing this , as I did staying up till 1 am a couple of times . And your hands , especially your thumb , may hurt from all the repetitive actions .
    • 085 4  I first played this game at a buddies house and was hooked on of all things , the tunes . Basically this game is like the others have said - the stars are gone and it's the son of the King of Cosmos ' job to put them back to the sky , and re-create the constellations . So , the son goes to earth and with a ball called a Katamari , he rolles up anything from ants to skyscrapers so that a giant ball of stuff they can be elevated into the sky and turned into stars . The thing about this game that's so addictive are the little challenges to it and finding different things that you missed the first 4 times you rolled on a level . You wind up enjoying watching others play it because you look at the details of all the objects that are around you in the game - and how impressive it is ! ( the amount of detail ) The gameplay to this is simple and fun - one of my friends likened rolling the ball to driving the Warthog in Halo 2 ; not so bad of an analogy . But that's all you really need - you don't use the buttons really or anything else ; just the analog sticks , which make it a game that almost anyone can play and enjoy . Definitely recommend it . I enjoyed the game and the tunes in the game were cute if anything else . Try not to think too much of the ' plot ' of the game . . . there really isn't one although there is a small story to carry along which is more of a gag for the tripped out herb heads . But this really is a pretty easy game that you can just pop in , take your mind off things , and play . I guess my only gripe would be that it wasn't very long at all . . . even though I wound up playing it for about 3 hours straight when i got it . Check it out !
    • 086 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This is THE game that you have been looking for . The one that every PS2 owner should own . Anyone walking by the television while you are playing , no matter what their age , will be immediately drawn to the game . My niece is 6 years old and loves it as does her grandmother . I'm a 37yr old guy and I love it . This is the game that you pull out whenever anyone comes by who doesn't like video games . The concept and controls are so simple , they will be playing and loving it in no time . The basic gameplay has been described by other reviewers . The real amazing part of this game however is it's attention to details and it's sense of perspective that has you smaller than a mouse and finally large enough to roll up cities . There is nothing more satisfying than getting smacked around by larger objects only to come back in a few minutes when you are large enough to roll them all up in your katamari . The music is addictive , ( I found myself humming one of the original songs in the supermarket today ! ) The graphics are solid and even though you may actually finish the game in a day , you will play for weeks on end to reach all of the milestones possible . The replay value is amazing . This is one of those rare games that I can find nothing really wrong with . It's solid for kids to grandparents . The controls are simple . Basically no buttons , just the analog controllers . What could be easier ? Everyone should play this game a couple of times and then they will be hooked . Actually , I have started a mini-revolution with the people I know . Eveyone who has played it now wants it . It's THAT addictive . Trust me when I say , this one deep , hilarious , strategic game that is so addictive , it should almost be illegal .
    • 087 4  This is THE game that you have been looking for . The one that every PS2 owner should own . Anyone walking by the television while you are playing , no matter what their age , will be immediately drawn to the game . My niece is 6 years old and loves it as does her grandmother . I'm a 37yr old guy and I love it . This is the game that you pull out whenever anyone comes by who doesn't like video games . The concept and controls are so simple , they will be playing and loving it in no time . The basic gameplay has been described by other reviewers . The real amazing part of this game however is it's attention to details and it's sense of perspective that has you smaller than a mouse and finally large enough to roll up cities . There is nothing more satisfying than getting smacked around by larger objects only to come back in a few minutes when you are large enough to roll them all up in your katamari . The music is addictive , ( I found myself humming one of the original songs in the supermarket today ! ) The graphics are solid and even though you may actually finish the game in a day , you will play for weeks on end to reach all of the milestones possible . The replay value is amazing . This is one of those rare games that I can find nothing really wrong with . It's solid for kids to grandparents . The controls are simple . Basically no buttons , just the analog controllers . What could be easier ? Everyone should play this game a couple of times and then they will be hooked . Actually , I have started a mini-revolution with the people I know . Eveyone who has played it now wants it . It's THAT addictive . Trust me when I say , this one deep , hilarious , strategic game that is so addictive , it should almost be illegal .
    • 089 4  . . . in the form of Katamari Damacy ! Don't worry , everyone else who enjoys games will probably enjoy this , but it's REALLY weird ! This game has a story about the King of Cosmos or something . But you probably aren't playing this game for the story ! The reason to play this game is for ( DUH ) the gameplay . The gameplay is very simple , fun , and original . You start out with this little ball and roll it around to collect stuff ( I think to make it into a star ? ) . You start out collecting little things , such as people , move up to bigger things , such as cars , and keep collecting bigger stuff until you collect skyscrapers ! Yeah , I know the gameplay sounds pretty boring and repetitive , but it actually isn't . This game seriously has some of the most original gameplay I've seen in a while . It is really fun , and when you collect people into your ball , they scream and wiggle ! Oh yeah , this game has some good physics too ( not really in a realistic way ) . When you collect something , it will still keep its shape , and living things will wiggle around . The graphics aren't great , but able . Again , not playing the game for the graphics , but they are simple and weird in their own fun little way ( kinda like the game ) . The story may be weird ( trust me , see the ending ) but is still pretty cool and good ( better than half the crap I've been seeing lately ) . The sound in the game is also good . Some people say the music is crap , but I actually liked it . I thought it was very fun and quirky , and it was fun to hear an original soundtrack to a game lately ( I'm getting kind of tired of all the licensed soundtracks ) . Graphics : 7 / 10 - cartoony , Japanese , fun ! match the game's feel Sound / Music : 8 / 10 - very cool , original Control / Gameplay : 9 / 10 - simple to get into , not repetitive-GREAT Overall : This game is one the most original and weird games I've played in a while . The graphics , sound , and gameplay are all great . You have to admire the Japanese-when they wanna make a weird game , they don't hold back ! This game is the most original game of the year , and is the biggest surprise of 2004 . This game is only 20 bucks , so if you have a PS2 , you gotta buy it ! You probably haven't ( and probably won't ) experience anything like it ! 10 / 10
    • 094 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Are you looking for a great PS2 game for under $25 , with very simple controls , that's u > fun right from the start / u > and which you can play whether you have ten minutes or an entire weekend to kill ? If so , then read no farther , Katamari Damacy will not disappoint you . The premise is simple : roll your Katamari ( picture a cantaloupe-sized a href = > bumble ball / a > which attracts items smaller than itself , much like a magnet ) around the various game locales , creating a rolling pile of stuff which grows with each object you roll over and pick up , attracting larger and larger objects as it grows . Picture rolling a snowball through fresh powder , as if you were making the bottom part of a snowman and you're on the right track . You start out collecting thumbtacks and nine-volt batteries , but if you play long enough , you just might find yourself picking up cars , boats , houses , you name it . I will leave it to the charmingly and entertainingly bizarre , very-Japanese storyline to explain WHY you're doing this . As usual , you're cleaning up someone else's mess ; but you'll get to do it to a catchy and infectious soundtrack . Sound odd ? It is ; pleasantly so . Sound easy ? In theory it's very easy and in practice it runs the gamut from easy to hard ; but it's always fun . Between my wife and I , we can only think of one complaint , and it's one we share . At times , the camera angles chosen by the game can either partially or completely obscure both the player AND the surrounding gameboard . At its least annoying , this is a nuisance which the game's controls allow you to fix . At its most annoying , you can get ' stuck ' where you cannot move and cannot adjust the camera angle , and so are unable to complete the level and must try again . This minor flaw doesn't detract from the enjoyability of the game , as re-trying levels to beat your own scores and collect new items is half the fun .
    • 095 4  Are you looking for a great PS2 game for under $25 , with very simple controls , that's u > fun right from the start / u > and which you can play whether you have ten minutes or an entire weekend to kill ? If so , then read no farther , Katamari Damacy will not disappoint you . The premise is simple : roll your Katamari ( picture a cantaloupe-sized a href = > bumble ball / a > which attracts items smaller than itself , much like a magnet ) around the various game locales , creating a rolling pile of stuff which grows with each object you roll over and pick up , attracting larger and larger objects as it grows . Picture rolling a snowball through fresh powder , as if you were making the bottom part of a snowman and you're on the right track . You start out collecting thumbtacks and nine-volt batteries , but if you play long enough , you just might find yourself picking up cars , boats , houses , you name it . I will leave it to the charmingly and entertainingly bizarre , very-Japanese storyline to explain WHY you're doing this . As usual , you're cleaning up someone else's mess ; but you'll get to do it to a catchy and infectious soundtrack . Sound odd ? It is ; pleasantly so . Sound easy ? In theory it's very easy and in practice it runs the gamut from easy to hard ; but it's always fun . Between my wife and I , we can only think of one complaint , and it's one we share . At times , the camera angles chosen by the game can either partially or completely obscure both the player AND the surrounding gameboard . At its least annoying , this is a nuisance which the game's controls allow you to fix . At its most annoying , you can get ' stuck ' where you cannot move and cannot adjust the camera angle , and so are unable to complete the level and must try again . This minor flaw doesn't detract from the enjoyability of the game , as re-trying levels to beat your own scores and collect new items is half the fun .
    • 107 4  We bought Play Station 2 solely for the purpose of being able to play Katamari . Since we've gotten the Play Station , I've looked at other video games in the stores , but nothing sounds even as remotely interesting as this game does . Since I used to live in Japan , much in this game has special meaning to me - - all the surroundings in the home and in the city are scenes from Japan . The music is also clearly Japanese . My wife is the real video game expert , so what I say in this paragraph is from watching her play , since I haven't gone beyond the first few levels . You start out with a 3 - minute game , and try to roll up as many objects from the house into a ball as you can ( paper clips , erasers , little stuff like that ) . As you manage to roll bigger balls in that three minutes , new games begin to appear for you to try , more challenging games . Some just require you to roll bigger balls ; others have specific assignments . I like to play the cow game . . . you are supposed to get the biggest cow item you can find , but as soon as you get ANY cow item , the game is over , so you have to avoid all the little cow items ( like a quart of milk ) . As I was saying , the more you roll up , the more games appear that you can play , giving you quite a variety of games to choose from . By the end , as you get really skilled , you are able to roll up skyscrapers and everything else in cities . That's the one person game . There is a two-person game , but this did not get the thorough treatment of the one-person game . In the two-person game , you are in an arena and try to roll up more stuff into your ball than your opponent does . There are about a half dozen different games ( you don't choose ; you get them randomly ) , but all are three minutes long , and after you've played these awhile , you get done in two minutes and have nothing else to do but try to ram your opponent ( which doesn't really have any game value ) . The one-person games on this are a clear 5 - star . But the two-person games need much more , and thus bring the overall rating of this game down to 4 stars . Also , sometimes all that rolling around on screen makes me a little dizzy . . . If you'd like a video game without shooting and violence , and without sports , that is challenging , quirky , and fun , try Katamari Damacy .
    • 109 4  This game has to be the most quirky and infectious game I have ever played , next to Destroy All Humans and Burnout 3 . You are the 5cm tall Prince , the son of the King of All Cosmos . Well , your dad gets drunk one night , and destroys all the stars in the sky . Now it's up to you , the bite-sixed Prince , to get them back . You go to Earth and roll evertyhing up into a clump . It will make a star , or if you choose , stardust . This is a game I would highly reccomend . Pros : Only uses two analog sticks , good for beginners Quirky and infectious Awesome soundtrack Cons : Absolutely nothing !
    • 114 4  the time i spent with this little gem from some crazy game developers in Japan was very unique . at first , i tested the two-player mode with my three year old cousin , and he loved it . the controls / the analog sticks , take only a brief moment to get used to , and after that , all you have to do is roll around and make a huge ball . and you know what , it's a hell of a blast . the single player game is short but sweet , but at twenty bucks , it's worth it . and i have a feeling that this insane ball-rolling game will become a rare treasure in the future . . . intelligent qube anyone ? but really , the game is just plain fun . you start off needing to build a small ball to create a star ( the story : your drunkard father , who also happens you be the king of the cosmos , got smashed and destroyed all the stars and the moon . now you , the prince , must cover your father's tracks and roll up massive balls of everything you can see to fill the night sky of it's beauty once again . ) and every mission after that requires you to get your ball , or katamari bigger and bigger until it's monstrous in size . and the whole time you are totally oblivious to how big your ball is getting until you start rolling over entire cities . but the sheer amount of things you can roll up into your ball is crazy . here's a short list of things i can remember : thumbtacks . erasers . chocolate . candy . dominos . oranges . birds . cats . dogs . fences . road cones . street lights . fish . cows . cars . houses . huge flying Japanese superheros . giant squid . rainbows . skyscrapers . navy vessels . navy bases . islands . bridges . mice . carrots . woman . men . children . children riding bikes . books . televisions . shurikens . katanas . giraffes . bulls . bulldozers . trees . campfires . treasure chests . police . monster trucks . and this isn't even half the stuff you can roll into a ball . the amount of items in this game is staggering . the only complaint i really have is that i wish it were longer . you can beat it in an hour or so . but the multiplayer is a good distraction from everyday run of the mill action shooters or adventure games . pick this one up if you're looking for some good old wierd , happily destructive fun ( just wait til you hear the people scream when you roll over them , it's hilarious ) . that being said , i wish Japan would sell more wacky games over here in the states , it would sure be a breath of somewhat fresh air . useless info : katamari damacy translates to clumpsoul . strangely addictive either way .
    • 116 4  Katamari Damacy is a good example of what's called a Japanese niche game , a game that's designed very specifically with the unique Japanese sensibility in mind ; but to create such a game that doesn't lose anything in translation to English takes an extraordinary amount of talent . It won't appeal to everyone , of course ; gamers who hate this game usually cite its goofy plot , or its simplistic control scheme . But to me , those things only add to the charm of this game . The idea is pretty simple . The King of All Cosmos destroyed all the stars in the sky - - the original Japanese dialogue specifically says that he was drunk at the time , but the English translation just says he passed out - - and you , the prince , have to rebuild them . You do this by rolling around an object called a Katamari , with which you gather items lying around , until your Katamari has met a pre-set size requirement , after which the King converts it into a star . The levels are timed , and if you meet the requirement with time left over , you can try to make your Katamari even bigger . At first , you're confined to the house , only picking up things like thumbtacks and loose change ; as you progress , your locale grows bigger , as do the items you can pick up , until you're picking up mountains , clouds , and even dreams . You'll also be required to build constellations , by picking up specific items - - bears for Ursa Major , pairs of twins for Gemini , et cetera - - and , if you get far enough , the Moon itself . Obviously , the designers weren't aiming for a realistic plot here ; in fact , I suspect that the only reason this game has a plot at all is because the publisher insisted the game wouldn't sell without one . But silly or not , the idea works ; what's more , it works beautifully . For one thing , Katamari Damacy is a great opportunity to get a glimpse at contemporary ( at least as of 2004 , when the game was released ) Japanese life ; the loose change is counted in yen , not dollars and cents , and many of the items you can pick up are distinctly Japanese , such as darumas and shuriken . Even milk carton labels are left in the original Japanese . ( The spoken dialogue - - what little there is - - was redubbed , although the voice acting is pretty bad ; but it doesn't detract much from the game , at least not for me . ) For another , the control scheme is so simple - - using the thumb sticks almost exclusively , although you can use the shoulder buttons to do things like alter the camera view - - that just about anyone can get the hang of it after just a few minutes . The music is also incredibly infectious , and surprisingly , most of it includes actual lyrics , which thankfully were NOT redubbed for the English version ; even if you don't speak a word of Japanese , you'll still find yourself singing along , or at least humming . If I have a complaint at all , it's that the game's physics occasionally work against you . More than once , I've failed a level simply because I got myself wedged between two objects and had to watch helplessly as my Katamari gradually shed all of the items I'd picked up . It's rare that this happens , but when it does , it's unbelievably frustrating . Also , momentum is your enemy in this game ; occasionally your Katamari will go sailing off a cliff or into the path of a car , while you gradually grind your controller into fine powder with your bare hands trying to get yourself back on track . But with a little practice , you'll learn how the game's physics work , so these situations are usually pretty easy to anticipate and avoid . ( It's also pretty annoying when you pick up something unwieldy , like a guardrail , and your Katamari becomes unbalanced and starts limping like a lame horse ; but to be fair , the manual DOES warn you about that . ) I will warn you that this is NOT a game for the obsessive-compulsive gamer ; the trick is , if you try to pick something up and accidentally roll past it , just let it go and move along , because you'll lose a lot of time if you try to go back and get it . If you can't do that , you'll probably get frustrated and give up . But for any gamer who doesn't mind * ga-ga-gasp ! * learning something while they play and isn't put off by a storyline as purposefully daffy as this one , all I can say is , I seriously doubt you'll be disappointed .
    • 118 4  Katamari Damacy is a game where all you do is roll up everything around you . Sounds strange , right ? That's exactly what I thought when I bought it for my kids . Actually , every single time they play it they have a BLAST ! So , more details about the game . In Katamari Damacy you are ' The Prince ' , and your dad is the King of the Cosmos . Everything was fine until the King of the Cosmos accidently blew up all the stars in the sky ! So , as all video games like this go , he needs YOU to do his job . Now , the only way that you can make a star is to use a Katamari ( which is basically a sticky , bumpy ball ) and roll up absolutely everything around you . . . that you CAN pick up . You see , you ARE given the Katamari , but you are also give certain sizes for each ' Make a Star ' . You are given the size the King of the Cosmos needs , and if you don't succeed , then try again . But that doesn't mean that your parents don't appreciate you ! In some levels they leave you presents for you to roll up . The problem about the presents is that if you don't BEAT the level you got the present in ( when you find the present ) then you won't actually GET the present yet . That's about all I can say . . . Except that you shouldn't worry , there IS a sequel ! !
    • 119 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I've never done acid , or any other drugs . In fact , I get annoyed when people look at something beyond the standard range of creative and their first thought is I wonder what drugs they were on ? However , after playing this game I think I think I may have to revise my opinions on the matter . Describing this game as weird is to do an injustice to the word . When a game contains scenes with a Japanese schoolgirl saying things like , I feel it ! I feel the cosmos ! you know has to be inspired by far too many mushrooms ( which , oddly , feature throughout the game in sizes from very small to larger than a building ) . The plot , such as it is , is fairly simple : you play the Prince . Your father is the ( somewhat dim ) , King of the Cosmos . One night during a drunken binge he managed to break all the stars in the sky . Now it's your duty to rebuild them ! This rather insane goal of rebuilding stars is accomplished by going down to Earth with what's called a Katamari . You use this to roll over objects that then stick to the Katamari . You might at first only be able to snag paperclips , but before you know it , you'll be rolling up chickens , books , houses , people , mountains , major land masses , entire weather systems and Hindu gods . Controlling the Katamari is a fairly simple affiar . Those of you who are of a Certain Age will remember playing Battlezone in the arcades . Aside from being notable for being one of , if not the , first game to use vector graphics , it's also notable for using two joysticks to control the tank you drive . Driving your Katamari is much the same . No review of this game would be complete without mention of the award winning soundtrack , which , indeed , gets mentioned in every review I've read so far . It's an odd combonation of J-pop , jazz , swing and other things I can't even begin to describe . Trust me , you'll be humming . . . or singing . . . or whatever the heck it is you'd do . . . the theme music for weeks afterwords . The game has fairly high replay value and as the controls are so simple , the basics are easily mastered after only a few minutes . A lack of any sort of violence ( aside from rolling up chickens , people , houses , etc ) , and the bright , colorful graphics makes it acceptable to people of pretty much any age . It's attractive price point , only $20 brand new and available used for about $15 , make it even more worthwhile . All in all , it's a fine example of the same sort of Japanese whimsy that leads to games like Mister Mosquito , Super Monkey Ball and Frolf ( all you need to know is that it combines frogs . . . and golf . . . ) . A fine addition to any PS2 collection . Indeed , your collection is bare without it . Interesting note : the game was never really a hit in Japan , but it , and it's two sequels ( We ( Heart ) Katamri for the PS2 and Me and My Katamari for the PSP ) , have been very popular in the USA . What exactly does this say about us as a nation ? Oh , well , it matters not . The sky needs me !
    • 120 4  I've never done acid , or any other drugs . In fact , I get annoyed when people look at something beyond the standard range of creative and their first thought is I wonder what drugs they were on ? However , after playing this game I think I think I may have to revise my opinions on the matter . Describing this game as weird is to do an injustice to the word . When a game contains scenes with a Japanese schoolgirl saying things like , I feel it ! I feel the cosmos ! you know has to be inspired by far too many mushrooms ( which , oddly , feature throughout the game in sizes from very small to larger than a building ) . The plot , such as it is , is fairly simple : you play the Prince . Your father is the ( somewhat dim ) , King of the Cosmos . One night during a drunken binge he managed to break all the stars in the sky . Now it's your duty to rebuild them ! This rather insane goal of rebuilding stars is accomplished by going down to Earth with what's called a Katamari . You use this to roll over objects that then stick to the Katamari . You might at first only be able to snag paperclips , but before you know it , you'll be rolling up chickens , books , houses , people , mountains , major land masses , entire weather systems and Hindu gods . Controlling the Katamari is a fairly simple affiar . Those of you who are of a Certain Age will remember playing Battlezone in the arcades . Aside from being notable for being one of , if not the , first game to use vector graphics , it's also notable for using two joysticks to control the tank you drive . Driving your Katamari is much the same . No review of this game would be complete without mention of the award winning soundtrack , which , indeed , gets mentioned in every review I've read so far . It's an odd combonation of J-pop , jazz , swing and other things I can't even begin to describe . Trust me , you'll be humming . . . or singing . . . or whatever the heck it is you'd do . . . the theme music for weeks afterwords . The game has fairly high replay value and as the controls are so simple , the basics are easily mastered after only a few minutes . A lack of any sort of violence ( aside from rolling up chickens , people , houses , etc ) , and the bright , colorful graphics makes it acceptable to people of pretty much any age . It's attractive price point , only $20 brand new and available used for about $15 , make it even more worthwhile . All in all , it's a fine example of the same sort of Japanese whimsy that leads to games like Mister Mosquito , Super Monkey Ball and Frolf ( all you need to know is that it combines frogs . . . and golf . . . ) . A fine addition to any PS2 collection . Indeed , your collection is bare without it . Interesting note : the game was never really a hit in Japan , but it , and it's two sequels ( We ( Heart ) Katamri for the PS2 and Me and My Katamari for the PSP ) , have been very popular in the USA . What exactly does this say about us as a nation ? Oh , well , it matters not . The sky needs me !
    • 128 4  The moment I played the game I fell in love with it . The music was quirky and refreshing and the gameplay was far from serious . It gave me a real break from other games on the market that have serious / complicated storylines and gamplay . I wouldn't buy this if you only like games that have a strong plot and goal . This game is really about rolling a ball around just to make it bigger , nothing else .
    • 131 4  Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I'm not a huge gamer . In fact , my PS2 was largely dormant until I got this game based on the other reviews I saw on Amazon . And much to my delight , the game is incredibly fun and hugely addictive . Rolling the katamari and picking up objects in the game has the effect of changing your view of the world around you ( not in any profound manner , mind you , but rather you begin looking at objects around you and assessing how large a katamari you would need to have to pick it up ) . Other reviews here do a great job of describing the game and what makes it fun and special . I'll just add that the characters , music and gameplay are fun fun fun , original , quirky and truly memorable . Moreover , once I finished the games imbedded in the storyline , I found my self revisiting each star and trying to best my last best score . I get the itch to try my hand again more frequently than I'd like to admit . Even beating your last score by a few centimeters is cause for feelings of immense satisfaction ( and not doing so , cause for feelings of aggrevation ) unexpected in a video game . This one's a keeper .
    • 132 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I'm not a huge gamer . In fact , my PS2 was largely dormant until I got this game based on the other reviews I saw on Amazon . And much to my delight , the game is incredibly fun and hugely addictive . Rolling the katamari and picking up objects in the game has the effect of changing your view of the world around you ( not in any profound manner , mind you , but rather you begin looking at objects around you and assessing how large a katamari you would need to have to pick it up ) . Other reviews here do a great job of describing the game and what makes it fun and special . I'll just add that the characters , music and gameplay are fun fun fun , original , quirky and truly memorable . Moreover , once I finished the games imbedded in the storyline , I found my self revisiting each star and trying to best my last best score . I get the itch to try my hand again more frequently than I'd like to admit . Even beating your last score by a few centimeters is cause for feelings of immense satisfaction ( and not doing so , cause for feelings of aggrevation ) unexpected in a video game . This one's a keeper .
    • 137 4  Everything from the opening animation to the finish on this game is awesome . It also makes you want to play again and again in an effort to beat your old scores . Not to mention possibly the greatest soundtrack in the history of video games . This is just pure fun . Who would have thought something so ridiculous could be this much fun .
    • 139 4  Katamari Damaci is a silly , quirky , and strangely addictive roll up everything in sight into a ball type game . First Impressions : When you first play this game , your first impression will be that the develepors of this game were on very , very , strong and illegal drugs . But maybe one good thing can come out of being high , this good thing is Katamari Damaci . I can't explain the story , it's just way too out there , evidence of really strong drugs . Last Impressions : Your last impressions of the game will be just about the same as the first , a great and addictive game that you'll end up playing for hours and hours . But you'll still get the impression that the makers were on drugs . Hehe .
    • 142 4  Echoing the reviews here , this game is like nothing else . I was a bit perplexed after playing it a couple of times , but stuck with it and am completely hooked ! FYI , the ONLY PS2 games I play are Madden , NBA Live , Gran Turismo and GTA . That's it . I've now added Katamari Damacy . . . get it , it's different , fun , and reminds you what video games are supposed to be .
    • 143 4  Easy , fun , and addictive . And the soundtrack is like nothing you've heard before . The most entertainment you'll ever get for under $20 . Go out and find this game !
    • 145 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) My friend and I bought this game on a whim after fishing it out of a bargain bin . We thought the cover looked bizarre and the description on the back of the case put it over the top . So , $20 poorer , we drove home and anxiously unwrapped it . Since the moment we first closed the disc tray on the PS2 five days ago , we have not stopped humming the songs from this game's delectable soundtrack , nor have we ceased singing its praises to everyone who will listen ! My sister , my wife , my japanese friend and her infant son - - every person who sees this game wants to play it and once they do , they're hooked ! ! ! The intro alone is trippy enough to keep your attention , but once you get into the gameplay there is no going back . You are the tiny Prince of All Cosmos , on a mission to collect enough mass from Earth to recreate the cellestial canopy . The cutscenes sprinkled in-between bouts of rolling up various objects into stars & stardust are singularly disturbing ( when you create a constellation , the little girl on Earth opens her eyes and arms wide and says , I feel it . I feel the cosmos ! ) , but provide just enough respite for you to stretch and recondition your much-used thumbs . The soundtrack , which is extensive and original , is one of the most infectiously catchy musical collections I have heard recently . Even the menu music will keep you awake at night humming . In short , you need this game . It is inexpensive , uncomplicated , un-categorizable and utterly original . There is no better use of $15 - $20 that I can think of for Christmas cash .
    • 146 4  My friend and I bought this game on a whim after fishing it out of a bargain bin . We thought the cover looked bizarre and the description on the back of the case put it over the top . So , $20 poorer , we drove home and anxiously unwrapped it . Since the moment we first closed the disc tray on the PS2 five days ago , we have not stopped humming the songs from this game's delectable soundtrack , nor have we ceased singing its praises to everyone who will listen ! My sister , my wife , my japanese friend and her infant son - - every person who sees this game wants to play it and once they do , they're hooked ! ! ! The intro alone is trippy enough to keep your attention , but once you get into the gameplay there is no going back . You are the tiny Prince of All Cosmos , on a mission to collect enough mass from Earth to recreate the cellestial canopy . The cutscenes sprinkled in-between bouts of rolling up various objects into stars & stardust are singularly disturbing ( when you create a constellation , the little girl on Earth opens her eyes and arms wide and says , I feel it . I feel the cosmos ! ) , but provide just enough respite for you to stretch and recondition your much-used thumbs . The soundtrack , which is extensive and original , is one of the most infectiously catchy musical collections I have heard recently . Even the menu music will keep you awake at night humming . In short , you need this game . It is inexpensive , uncomplicated , un-categorizable and utterly original . There is no better use of $15 - $20 that I can think of for Christmas cash .
    • 152 4  I bought this game after reading and hearing so many good things about it . I was a little reserved prior to buying it because there are some really wierd scenes I had seen on X-Play on day but I decided to give it a go . The price was really great so I went with it . To say that I had played anything like this would be a straight out lie . This is one of the most original gameplay styles I have ever played . I will admit that I did cut thru all the cutscenes since they were a little over the top for me , but the actual gameplay was truely addictive . While there could have been more levels that were slightly varied , there is a good amount of gameplay available that you won't get sick of for a good long while . The controls are simple enough to use ( simply two analog joysticks ) and takes about 10 minutes to get a grip with but after that you will be rolling along like a pro . While the object is to increase the size of your Katamari ( the little ball that everything sticks to ) you can only pick up items that fit and as your ball grows , you can pick up larger and larger items . I literally was able to pick up entire islands and mountains and waterspouts on one level . You have to be careful when rolling cause if you hit something like a wall too hard pieces of your ball will come flying off reducing the size of your ball . The ultimate goal is to put the stars back in the sky and the bigger the ball you collect , the bigger your star will be . Give it a shot , and when you do , you will be wishing for the sequel to get here as soon as possible .
    • 153 4  The other reviewers are spot-on with their analysis of Katamari Damacy . The game's presentation is absurd , it's characters are inane and the action is just plain silly . Yet , despite these qualities ( or perhaps , somehow , because of them ) Katamari Damacy is ridiculously fun to experience ! There just aren't many games like this one . The goal is to roll this sphere called a Katamari over objects which stick to it . Most of the stages have you attempting to make the sphere as large as you can within the time limit . Other stages have you collecting only certain items within the time limit . Such uniqueness in gameplay deserves more exposure and be should be cherished by more gamers . The music is worth some praise . It's inoffensive , pleasant and pretty catchy . Heck , EVERYTHING about this game is catchy . The only character with any personality is this ' King of all Cosmos ' guy . His design has to be seen to be believed . It's like the developers got together and said , Okay , how can we make this guy appear as retarded as humanly possible ? Seriously . I should point out that my copy of Katamari Damacy has a flaw where the PS2 takes about ten times as long as it should to load data from the game . I haven't been able to test it on other systems . Personally , I think I just got a defective disk . Add Katamari Damacy's low price to the mix and it's impossible to go wrong here . Give it a try . Just don't let the zaniness turn you off .
    • 165 4  Katamari provides quirky fun in a short time . If you just want to play around for a bit , but not get involved in some long game , Katamari is perfect . You can cause destruction by rolling around and picking things up . It sort of provides a release as you roll your ball about . The quirkness of the game adds to its charm . The music is fun and fits perfectly . A great game for some quick fun .
    • 166 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I had more fun playing through this game a few times than I have had in a long time with the PS2 . With extremely innovative controls , goals , and even backstory and graphics , this is a pleasant surprise and break from other high-stress PS2 games from the same era . I am not an anime or japanimation fan , but as soon as I saw a preview for this game I had to have it ! I was not disappointed ! The $20 price point when it was brand new was a total deviation from the norm , and now it is even cheaper . Buy this title for your wife , girlfriend , kids , or yourself . You won't be disappointed !
    • 167 4  I had more fun playing through this game a few times than I have had in a long time with the PS2 . With extremely innovative controls , goals , and even backstory and graphics , this is a pleasant surprise and break from other high-stress PS2 games from the same era . I am not an anime or japanimation fan , but as soon as I saw a preview for this game I had to have it ! I was not disappointed ! The $20 price point when it was brand new was a total deviation from the norm , and now it is even cheaper . Buy this title for your wife , girlfriend , kids , or yourself . You won't be disappointed !
    • 169 4  For those who would find interesting a game in which you are charged with the responsibility of recreating the stars by rolling up everything you can find on Earth into one big ball , there is none better than Katamari Damacy . The vast majority of the western video game audience probably think this is absurd , and make no mistake , everything about it is , but it's immensely entertaining , and fills a niche somewhere in the gaming culture . The choice of graphic style gives the entire world a fresh and intriguing appearance , and the depth of interaction with the world is amazing ( you can pick up everything at one point or another , and the changing scale of the katamari is always entertaining ) . The King of All Cosmos has incredible monologues , and the music is actually worth purchasing or downloading independent of the game , its so good . On top of all this , there's a fine layer of social philosophy , with lyrics in songs like I want to roll you up into my life , let's clump up together , we're a single star in the sky . Ultimately , as you travel from country to country rolling up people , cars , houses , and everything else , you'll see how indiscriminately the katamari collects its objects ; there's no prejudice in this wonderful world . So , if any of this sounds appealing , go ahead and buy the game . It's fairly cheap , you'll be entertained for hours , it's not frustratingly difficult , and you'll never look at our world the same way again . However , be warned that this genre appeals to very few people , and it could very well distort your perception of reality to the extent that you can't function in it anyone . Lastly , if anyone harrasses you for your love of Katamari Damacy , just think about rolling them up in one big ball , and sending it to some distant corner of space .
    • 170 4  Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Undoubtedly one of the weirdest and most insanely fun games to ever grace the PS2 , Namco's original Katamari Damacy is a game you just have to play to believe . You play an interstellar prince , and it's up to you to replace all the stars in the sky . To do this , you use your Katamari to collect all kinds of items on Earth , and roll it around to do so . You start off picking up small items , like screws and small candies , and gradually work your way up to collecting bigger ( and bigger ) items . Like I said , you have to play it to believe it . You control your Katamari by using both of the analog sticks to move and roll around . While this takes some time to learn and get used to ( there is a helpful tutorial before the game starts ) , once you get it down you'll find it hard to put the controler down . Katamari Damacy is insanely fun and undeniably charming with its interesting approach in the graphics department , and some pretty funny dialogue from the King of the Cosmos . Since the release of Katamari Damacy on our shores , some new installments have been released , but if you've never experienced the sheer joy that is Katamari , Katamari Damacy is a perfect place to start .
    • 171 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Undoubtedly one of the weirdest and most insanely fun games to ever grace the PS2 , Namco's original Katamari Damacy is a game you just have to play to believe . You play an interstellar prince , and it's up to you to replace all the stars in the sky . To do this , you use your Katamari to collect all kinds of items on Earth , and roll it around to do so . You start off picking up small items , like screws and small candies , and gradually work your way up to collecting bigger ( and bigger ) items . Like I said , you have to play it to believe it . You control your Katamari by using both of the analog sticks to move and roll around . While this takes some time to learn and get used to ( there is a helpful tutorial before the game starts ) , once you get it down you'll find it hard to put the controler down . Katamari Damacy is insanely fun and undeniably charming with its interesting approach in the graphics department , and some pretty funny dialogue from the King of the Cosmos . Since the release of Katamari Damacy on our shores , some new installments have been released , but if you've never experienced the sheer joy that is Katamari , Katamari Damacy is a perfect place to start .
    • 175 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Seriously , it's like taking a big happy pill of awesome . The opening credits alone are enough to make you think you're on some strange drug trip : a chorus of ducks announce the heavenly arrival of the King of All Cosmos , who appears in all his ( ahem ) massive glory , followed by a dancing troupe of pandas who pose like Grateful Dead Bears . The King of All Cosmos rocks out on his guitar for you before driving off into the sunset in his pink retro Cadillac , complete with adoring wife and tiny son on the hood ornament . All of this in about a minute and a half - - that alone is worth the price . The game itself is weird , but very easy to pick up and not really stressful . Like the Engrish lyrics tell you : Don't worry . Do your best . I've personally found that the levels where the main theme ( Katamari on the Rock ) plays are the easiest because it's so upbeat , but each new level has something new to offer and can never be played the same way twice . You'll have that theme song stuck in your head for days , but it brings a comforting sense of Who cares ? ! to everyday problems .
    • 176 4  Seriously , it's like taking a big happy pill of awesome . The opening credits alone are enough to make you think you're on some strange drug trip : a chorus of ducks announce the heavenly arrival of the King of All Cosmos , who appears in all his ( ahem ) massive glory , followed by a dancing troupe of pandas who pose like Grateful Dead Bears . The King of All Cosmos rocks out on his guitar for you before driving off into the sunset in his pink retro Cadillac , complete with adoring wife and tiny son on the hood ornament . All of this in about a minute and a half - - that alone is worth the price . The game itself is weird , but very easy to pick up and not really stressful . Like the Engrish lyrics tell you : Don't worry . Do your best . I've personally found that the levels where the main theme ( Katamari on the Rock ) plays are the easiest because it's so upbeat , but each new level has something new to offer and can never be played the same way twice . You'll have that theme song stuck in your head for days , but it brings a comforting sense of Who cares ? ! to everyday problems .
    • 177 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This game is like crack for your PS2 . It's completely addictive and insane and you just can't stop playing even though you know it doesn't make any sense . You want to quit but you can't . I LOVE THIS CRAZY GAME !
    • 184 4  I first heard about Katamari Damacy on the radio , and was excited to try it out . When I did , it instantly became a favorite of mine . The game is very creative and the story is original and new . The story is the King of the Cosmos has destroyed all the stars , and you ( his wimpy son ) have been assigned the task of going down to Earth and rolling up things in a big ball to make new stars . The tasks go from making simple stars , to constellations , and even the moon . One of the fun things is rolling up people . Once your katamari gets big enough , you can roll up people and animals , which makes your katamari more interesting and wiggly . Also , in the background , there is kooky J-Pop , which changes from level to level . While you play , the controls might be hard to grasp at first , but become very easy to use . Many people's gripe with this game is that the graphics are not top-notch . What many fail to understand is that that is the point . The graphics are so weird and completely Japanese , that to have them 3 - D would , in my opinion , destroy the mood they create . The 2 - D rainbows that you can roll up , the large puffy clouds , the simple , angular people are what give the game some of it's charm . Other people say that there is too much talking . I'll agree that there is a lot of talking ( worse yet - - it is all text and there is no spoken dialogue ) . But if you read the dialogue it can be amusing , and interesting since whenever the King of Cosmos greets you he says hello in different , obscure languages . If you get tired of the talking you can skip every line . That gets a little tedious , but it should not ruin the game for most people . I agree with other reviewers that the game is very short . But one of the good things is that levels are endlessly replayable , and your katamari will turn out different every time since there will always be items you didn't collect . Also , if you finish the levels and do not want to play them again , you can invite a friend or a brother or sister to play with you , since there is a two-player mushroom where you battle each other with katamaris . In conclusion : Pros : - original story - cool music - interesting , insane graphics - for the most part , simple controls Cons : - before every level there is dialogue you must maneuver through - the game itself is short I encourage you to buy Katamari Damacy - - you won't regret it !
    • 187 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Ahhhh . . . What a breath of fresh Japanese air ! The following will be an itemized run-down of the many strengths and few weaknesses inherent to Katamari Damacy , all rolled up in a tight litte review ! Graphics : While far from the cutting edge of photorealism ( the Holy Grail of game art currently being humped by two of the three next-gen systems ) , Katamari's stylized ( Lego-blocky ) characters and objects inspire warm affection in the player . I remember playing with Legos and other toys that wanted desperately to be Legos , and Katamari allowed me to reminisce a little on my childhood , causing a strange , misplaced sense of security to envelope me while I played . Mmmmm . Story / Gameplay : Hm . Well . It seems like the King of All Cosmos has acted with great abandon and has shattered all of the stars in the night sky in his freewheeling way . Not a problem . Really . Not for his little prince , anyway . It is the player's job to roll up household items , animals , people , buildings , trees , and everything else in a concerted effort to return the sparkling stars to their rightful place . Amazingly , the King's destructive frenzy landed all the bits and pieces of all of the stars on Earth , where all of the Katamari-rolling action happens . Wait . What is a Katamari , you say ? Ah , I've been neglectful . A Katamari is a studded spheroid ( rubberish-looking composition-wise ) that is possessed of a fantastic stickiness ; so much so that most everything it touches sticks to its wonderfulness . Ahh . The little prince ( the PC ) must push , pull , and roll up everything he can in order to create the once-and-future stars and constellations . Wait ! Before you go and try to roll up a building with an underfed Katamari , know this : The Katamari can only assimilate things of approximately like mass or smaller . Phew ! That was close . The Bottom Line : KD is a title created for all ages , and is funny enough , cute enough , and ( most importantly ) FUN enough to be enjoyed and replayed by representatives from all those fun-starved demographics . It is a PS2 title , and therefore is inexpensive now , but to anyone who's enjoyed this one , play We Love Katamari ( also for PS2 ) and look forward to Beautiful Katamari for the 360 .
    • 188 4  Ahhhh . . . What a breath of fresh Japanese air ! The following will be an itemized run-down of the many strengths and few weaknesses inherent to Katamari Damacy , all rolled up in a tight litte review ! Graphics : While far from the cutting edge of photorealism ( the Holy Grail of game art currently being humped by two of the three next-gen systems ) , Katamari's stylized ( Lego-blocky ) characters and objects inspire warm affection in the player . I remember playing with Legos and other toys that wanted desperately to be Legos , and Katamari allowed me to reminisce a little on my childhood , causing a strange , misplaced sense of security to envelope me while I played . Mmmmm . Story / Gameplay : Hm . Well . It seems like the King of All Cosmos has acted with great abandon and has shattered all of the stars in the night sky in his freewheeling way . Not a problem . Really . Not for his little prince , anyway . It is the player's job to roll up household items , animals , people , buildings , trees , and everything else in a concerted effort to return the sparkling stars to their rightful place . Amazingly , the King's destructive frenzy landed all the bits and pieces of all of the stars on Earth , where all of the Katamari-rolling action happens . Wait . What is a Katamari , you say ? Ah , I've been neglectful . A Katamari is a studded spheroid ( rubberish-looking composition-wise ) that is possessed of a fantastic stickiness ; so much so that most everything it touches sticks to its wonderfulness . Ahh . The little prince ( the PC ) must push , pull , and roll up everything he can in order to create the once-and-future stars and constellations . Wait ! Before you go and try to roll up a building with an underfed Katamari , know this : The Katamari can only assimilate things of approximately like mass or smaller . Phew ! That was close . The Bottom Line : KD is a title created for all ages , and is funny enough , cute enough , and ( most importantly ) FUN enough to be enjoyed and replayed by representatives from all those fun-starved demographics . It is a PS2 title , and therefore is inexpensive now , but to anyone who's enjoyed this one , play We Love Katamari ( also for PS2 ) and look forward to Beautiful Katamari for the 360 .
    • 197 4  Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) When I read the reviews and decided to order the game I still wasn't quite sure what to expect . The game certainly did not disappoint . From a quirky menu system to goofy but fun and charming soundtrack , from heavily stylized graphics to thoroughly fun in it's simplicity gameplay - this game shines . Too bad it was fairly short ( less then a dozen stars to make ) but there is plenty of replayability even if it wasn't for additional quests like rebuilding separate constellations or finding all the royal presents that are stashed on the levels by the King of all Cosmos . If you're not afraid to try something out of the mainstream - definitely don't pass this game up .
    • 198 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) When I read the reviews and decided to order the game I still wasn't quite sure what to expect . The game certainly did not disappoint . From a quirky menu system to goofy but fun and charming soundtrack , from heavily stylized graphics to thoroughly fun in it's simplicity gameplay - this game shines . Too bad it was fairly short ( less then a dozen stars to make ) but there is plenty of replayability even if it wasn't for additional quests like rebuilding separate constellations or finding all the royal presents that are stashed on the levels by the King of all Cosmos . If you're not afraid to try something out of the mainstream - definitely don't pass this game up .
    • 200 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) A game easy enough for me to play ( I'm a spaz at the controls ) , yet complex enough to keep me coming back . The music alone is worth the 20 bucks - - especially the swan song . It's even invading my dream life at night . I must get off the computer and play again . Now .
    • 202 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) if i did , i'd have to roll you up in my katamari . This is my favorite PS2 game - I can choose whether I'm going to play for 5 minutes or 5 hours . There's no shooting , just rolling . The music is kooky-great - makes me want to find some J-Pop to see what else is out there . ( Try it during your next workout . ) Of course by now I've already played its sequel , We Love Katamari , which is more of the same but worth every dollar .
    • 203 4  if i did , i'd have to roll you up in my katamari . This is my favorite PS2 game - I can choose whether I'm going to play for 5 minutes or 5 hours . There's no shooting , just rolling . The music is kooky-great - makes me want to find some J-Pop to see what else is out there . ( Try it during your next workout . ) Of course by now I've already played its sequel , We Love Katamari , which is more of the same but worth every dollar .
    • 204 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I had high hopes for this game before I bought it . When I first put the game in the tray , I was welcomed by a strange theme song , which made me think that the game would be very original , which it is . Towards the beginning , you are controlling the character in a house , and I think it can get very boring to keep going through room after room . Later you get to go outside of the house to the city , which I think can be very exciting . You can pick up cars , people , and even buildings . I think the $20 price tag is worth it . It is a nice break from fighting games and is fun to watch people play too . Good Game Overall .
    • 206 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This is one of those games where , when you're trying to explain it to your friends , they look at you like you're insane for thinking it's a fun game . But let me tell you - it is ! The King of all Cosmos accidentally destroys all the stars in the sky , so he orders his son , a pint-sized prince , to go to Earth to find things to replace the stars . Once you arrive at Earth there's only one thing that can replace the stars . . . garbadge that's spread throughout houses and cities . You start out by rolling up cookies or batteries , but as your katamari grows then you can level entire cities , and eventually take down clouds , rainbows and supermen . I'm sure a majority of you are still not convinced that this is a game worth getting , but this game certainly has a sense of humor . From the quirky diologue to the hilarious but catchy music ( and I've heard the soundtrack has become a best-seller in Japan ) , this game will keep you laughing , and the addictive gameplay will keep the ball rolling . Not to mention the graphics are colorful , cartoony and a warm welcome into the video game world . This is a great , off-the-wall game , that is like nothing you've ever played before . I certainly reccomend it .
    • 207 4  This is one of those games where , when you're trying to explain it to your friends , they look at you like you're insane for thinking it's a fun game . But let me tell you - it is ! The King of all Cosmos accidentally destroys all the stars in the sky , so he orders his son , a pint-sized prince , to go to Earth to find things to replace the stars . Once you arrive at Earth there's only one thing that can replace the stars . . . garbadge that's spread throughout houses and cities . You start out by rolling up cookies or batteries , but as your katamari grows then you can level entire cities , and eventually take down clouds , rainbows and supermen . I'm sure a majority of you are still not convinced that this is a game worth getting , but this game certainly has a sense of humor . From the quirky diologue to the hilarious but catchy music ( and I've heard the soundtrack has become a best-seller in Japan ) , this game will keep you laughing , and the addictive gameplay will keep the ball rolling . Not to mention the graphics are colorful , cartoony and a warm welcome into the video game world . This is a great , off-the-wall game , that is like nothing you've ever played before . I certainly reccomend it .
    • 208 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) A game that PS2 owners can't afford to miss for $20 Namco brought it stateside to see how America would think of it , it appears that we like it and the sequel We love Katamari is on its way to the USA I'm not going to write a big review because words do no justice for this game . you just have to play to understand
    • 209 4  A game that PS2 owners can't afford to miss for $20 Namco brought it stateside to see how America would think of it , it appears that we like it and the sequel We love Katamari is on its way to the USA I'm not going to write a big review because words do no justice for this game . you just have to play to understand
    • 210 4  Simply wonderful . It's crazy , inane , ultimately pointless and full of puzzles and cute quirks . This game is for anyone and everyone .
    • 216 4  I originally played this game with a large group of friends , where the joy of the game seemed to increase ten-fold . By the time the day was over and on the final , half-hour long stage , we were all watching and yelling out when objects such as the Thunder God and a rainbow were stuck on the giant Katamari . I bought the game later for myself and I loved it . As some other reviewers have mentioned , the game is short , but going back and breaking your goals and gaining eternal stages and new records is just as enjoyable . The gameplay is fast and addictive , the replay value is great . The plot is not the main portion of this game , it's more about the gameplay and the zaniness of the whole idea . There are three areas where the stages take place : around the house , in town , and around the world . Each has its own set of objects , and it's also a lot of fun trying to collect all of them . Objects range from Japanese food to land masses and buildings . To pick up these objects , you don't use any buttons , you use only the two analog sticks . It takes a little bit to get used to moving around , but the time ( at least for me ) wasn't very significant . There isn't any complicated button-mashing , just manipulating the joysticks to roll under a full range of movement . Similar to the gameplay , the soundtrack is quite addictive . The music consists of Japanese pop and a few other smoother tracks , mostly sung in Japanese with one or two songs sung in English . You'll want to get your hands on the soundtrack after playing this game through . Even though the game is short ( I beat it in six hours , including time browsing through my items , although I had played it some before purchasing it ) , as I said previously , it's fun going back to play around in the various stages . There is also a two-player mode , that , while entertaining , does not match the same fun of the main game . The graphics are not the greatest , either , but that should do nothing for the game itself : it just adds to the entertainment factor . Not to mention the trippy cutscenes and intro . XP
    • 218 4  When I started playing this game , I immediately fell in love with it . Who doesn't want to roll up pencils , erasers , mice , batteries , golf balls , birds , thumbtacks , food , swans , crabs , fish , turtles , people , islands , boats , buildings , whales , bridges , trees , bears , fences , vegetables , superheroes , whirlpools , clouds , and whole countries ? And those are only a very small percentage of the over 1300 unique items in the game ! The items come in 80 categories , ranging from necessities such as film and toilet paper to energy ( which includes oil tankers and propane tanks ) . The music is addictive ( you will be found humming the different themes from each level randomly throughout your day ) , and the concept is unique . After completing the 20 - odd levels , you will be compelled to try and get 100% in everything ( items , gifts , levels , etc . ) . Now here is the place where I announce the game's shortfalls . The game's two-player mode leaves much to be desired , providing a very small level to compete in . Notice how I said level and not levels . The game does not allow you to go head-to-head in any one-player level , but rather gives you one VERY SMALL single level in which to compete in . Now the game is quite short : I beat it in less than 15 hours , maybe even 10 , by my own estimate . But , I am still playing it to try and collect all of the items ( 90% with 1303 items so far ) . I think you should purchase this game if you ( 1 ) like a game with excellent music , ( 2 ) like to play alone , ( 3 ) like to play with friends that like to wait as you complete one level , and you wait while they complete the next , ( 4 ) like games with unique concepts , ( 5 ) don't care too much about an in-depth storyline , or if you ( 6 ) like a great bargain game ( at $20 it's a steal ) . Thanks for reading .
    • 221 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I could make a joke about how overtly Japanese this game is , but instead , I'll just go straight to the Pros and Cons . Pros : Pricetag . $20 is a great price for a game as good as this one Gameplay . It's relatively easy to understand how the game is played , and it's enjoyable right as you get going . Music . It's very eclectic , but I enjoy it . Most people I've talked to enjoy the music . Cons : Graphics . If you're a graphics nut , this game will drive you insane . They're like a PS1 game , but with a higher framerate . Difficulty . The game gets hard FAST , and at times , it seems like there's nothing for you to do except try and try again , hoping that something will make itself apparent . Multiplayer . The multiplayer mode in this game is , admittedly , very lame . Whenever I play with friends , we just take turns playing a regular level . Setting . Seems like the same thing over and over again , and if you get stuck on a certain level , you will never want to play it again . Though it seems like the cons outweigh the pros , they definitely do not . In conclusion , it's $20 . It's obscure . It's fun . Why not ?
    • 222 4  I could make a joke about how overtly Japanese this game is , but instead , I'll just go straight to the Pros and Cons . Pros : Pricetag . $20 is a great price for a game as good as this one Gameplay . It's relatively easy to understand how the game is played , and it's enjoyable right as you get going . Music . It's very eclectic , but I enjoy it . Most people I've talked to enjoy the music . Cons : Graphics . If you're a graphics nut , this game will drive you insane . They're like a PS1 game , but with a higher framerate . Difficulty . The game gets hard FAST , and at times , it seems like there's nothing for you to do except try and try again , hoping that something will make itself apparent . Multiplayer . The multiplayer mode in this game is , admittedly , very lame . Whenever I play with friends , we just take turns playing a regular level . Setting . Seems like the same thing over and over again , and if you get stuck on a certain level , you will never want to play it again . Though it seems like the cons outweigh the pros , they definitely do not . In conclusion , it's $20 . It's obscure . It's fun . Why not ?
    • 229 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Why do I make such a powerful statement ? This game is so different . There are hunderds of RPGs , FPSs , simulators , and action / adventure games out there , but there is only one Karamari Damacy . This game is just . . . unique . You play as a very tiny Prince . Your father , the King of the Cosmos , got a bit tipsy the previous night and destroyed all the stars and the moon . Your job is to roll up everything you can on Earth in order to put together the missing constellations , the North Star , the Moon , and other notable bright spots in the sky . Also , you can put in a few of your own stars and sprinkle some stardust here and there . The concept sounds strange . . . rolling up stuff into a giant ball in order to make the sky sparkly again . However , this makes for what may be the most addicting game one may ever encounter . After you get a hang of the strange but logical control setup , it becomes unbelievably fun . The soundtrack fits the game better than most of those to many other games that have been recently released . Everything in the game just works ! Honestly , for $20 bucks this is a bargain on a masterful but short game . This game is extremely short . However , the replay value is there . The degree to which you can improve your rolling skills is endless . Really . . . $20 ! ! ! That's it ! I bought this for a friend for Christmas and he loved it , and I bought it for myself for my birthday and almost cried my eyeballs out becuase it was so fun . . . and very cute . You'll have a lot of fun with the Prince and his Katamari . Happy Gaming !
    • 230 4  Why do I make such a powerful statement ? This game is so different . There are hunderds of RPGs , FPSs , simulators , and action / adventure games out there , but there is only one Karamari Damacy . This game is just . . . unique . You play as a very tiny Prince . Your father , the King of the Cosmos , got a bit tipsy the previous night and destroyed all the stars and the moon . Your job is to roll up everything you can on Earth in order to put together the missing constellations , the North Star , the Moon , and other notable bright spots in the sky . Also , you can put in a few of your own stars and sprinkle some stardust here and there . The concept sounds strange . . . rolling up stuff into a giant ball in order to make the sky sparkly again . However , this makes for what may be the most addicting game one may ever encounter . After you get a hang of the strange but logical control setup , it becomes unbelievably fun . The soundtrack fits the game better than most of those to many other games that have been recently released . Everything in the game just works ! Honestly , for $20 bucks this is a bargain on a masterful but short game . This game is extremely short . However , the replay value is there . The degree to which you can improve your rolling skills is endless . Really . . . $20 ! ! ! That's it ! I bought this for a friend for Christmas and he loved it , and I bought it for myself for my birthday and almost cried my eyeballs out becuase it was so fun . . . and very cute . You'll have a lot of fun with the Prince and his Katamari . Happy Gaming !
    • 232 4  I heard about this game from Wired Magazine's Greatest games you never heard of column . I picked it up for my 6 year old , and it's a great game . You basically pick up trash from various points on Earth to recreate the Cosmos . It's extremely addicting , which caused me to complete all levels within a week . The only downfall is the replay value . Your only incentive is to beat certain levels to obtain the Eternal . Eternal is where you have no time limit and you are free to roam the entire map . The game's final climax is when you get to recreate the Moon ( which is also the third and final map you can achieve Eternal status from ) . For the price , it's great . The only downfalls are it's slightly repetitive , though not boring . I also wish for more levels and more creativity in the special , Create the Constellation , levels . I highly suggest buying it , with an open mind .
    • 235 4  Wildly fun , and appropriate for all ages . Katamari Damacy answers the question of what would happen if you locked several Japanese game developers up in a room with nothing but coffee , sugar products , a large box of broken crayons and a steady supply of the hippy-dippy aspects of 1960 funkadelic . . . or something . The premise is very simple , the vast King of the Cosmos has destroyed the starry night sky on a binge night out with nature ( er , take that how you will ) , and you , his pint-sized prince have to restore the stars and constellations . Roll your magnetic ball ( or katamari ) around a house , or village to gather up enough junk to clear the level . Objects abound , you'll be suitably surprised each new play to find something new to pick up - thumbtacks , butterflies , cats , weird ' No-play ' and kabuki masks , people , alarm clocks , Godzilla and a plethora of other ' round-the-house ' and out of this universe objects . That's pretty much it . Roll up junk clever enough and find the hidden presents his highness has left for you - like a toupee maybe if you're feeling so dashing , or a winter scarf if you're cold . Don't be deceived , it's challenging enough to keep you occupied , and weird enough to keep you addicted . Along the way there's an oddball story of two lego-like kids following the progress of the reemerging night sky . Best of all is the soundtrack , it doesn't seem to get old , sometimes like bjork , sometimes a ' happy ' chemical brothers , and throw in an old nod to Frank Sinatra . There's even an option for going ' head-to-head ' 2 player , and no video game I've yet played has made me laugh harder . I'd heard about this game in a few places - it's made several ' Top 10 ' lists out there for the gaming aficionado , but we finally picked it up a few days ago on a whim and a review from Tech TV . The assessment from Tech TV was so oddball that we had to collect it for collection sake . . . and now with my thumbs suitably throbbing from extensive play , I'm trying desperately hard not to mentally roll things up in my own apartment . The only downside is that there isn't more of it , but the replay value is endless . A definite gift for any gamer ( of any taste or mileu ) on your list , or for yourself .
    • 238 4  Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Wow . If I had to pick one word to describe this game , it would be Wow . A game where you must roll around a little ball , sucking up ordinary objects to create a bigger ball , which is then used to replace the stars that your dad , The King Of All Cosomos accidentally blew up ? Brilliant ! There are hundreds of these quirky off the wall games made in Japan every year but very few make it stateside but I am sure glad this one did . Hours of entertainment and a great replay value all for just 20 bucks . If you haven't picked up a copy yet , good luck trying to find one now . Also , rumor has it Namco is working on a sequel .
    • 239 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Wow . If I had to pick one word to describe this game , it would be Wow . A game where you must roll around a little ball , sucking up ordinary objects to create a bigger ball , which is then used to replace the stars that your dad , The King Of All Cosomos accidentally blew up ? Brilliant ! There are hundreds of these quirky off the wall games made in Japan every year but very few make it stateside but I am sure glad this one did . Hours of entertainment and a great replay value all for just 20 bucks . If you haven't picked up a copy yet , good luck trying to find one now . Also , rumor has it Namco is working on a sequel .
    • 242 4  Upon hearing about this game , my knee-jerk reaction was that it would be the most boring game in existence . I mean , seriously , how fun can it be to roll around a ball , picking up various items along the way ? ! Apparently more fun than anyone anticipated ( judging by others ' reactions and ratings ) ! Other reviewers have been doing a great job describing the goal of the game ; that of rolling around a sticky ball ( katamari ) and picking up progressively larger items . Once you get the katamari a certain size ( as determined by what mission , stage , level you're on ) the King of the Cosmos turns your katamari into a star or constellation . What many of the reviewers seem to have missed is the goal of each level . The overarching theme is to make stars and constellations , in order to restore all of the stars to the sky . However , each level has specific nuances . For instance , when trying to make the constellation Taurus , the goal is to pick up the largest cow you can find . Additionally , you may want to try working on making the constellation of Gemini . In this level you need to try and pick up two ( a pair ) of each item . Your score is then calculated for however many pairs you have . The game is fantastic , simple ( in controls and purpose ) , but still challenging . . . with time limits to produce a certain-sized katamari . It's a great game . Give it a chance ! I think you'll like it !
    • 243 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Katamari Damacy is far and away one of the strangest , most original games to come along in years . The gameplay concept , the visual style , the soundtrack , even the backstory are all conceived and executed with such a unique flavor that , when presented as a whole , it's difficult not to be drawn in by all the weird little idiosyncrasies . It's not a complex game , nor is it especially challenging , or long . Using the analog sticks exclusively , you'll roll the katamari around with tanklike controls . Pushing both sticks up moves the katamari forward , pushing both sticks down moves it backward , and pushing one stick up and one stick down will cause it to turn . There are a few other tricks , such as moving both sticks up and down really fast to gain a quick boost , or pushing in on both sticks to hop on the other side of the katamari and quickly change directions - - but this is basically all you'll need to know in order to control it . However , controlling it well is a more nuanced thing . The shapes of the things you collect will affect the overall shape of your katamari , thus affecting how it actually rolls . So , if you roll over a bunch of pencils or a ladder or some carrots , it can make your going a bit more challenging .
    • 244 4  Katamari Damacy is far and away one of the strangest , most original games to come along in years . The gameplay concept , the visual style , the soundtrack , even the backstory are all conceived and executed with such a unique flavor that , when presented as a whole , it's difficult not to be drawn in by all the weird little idiosyncrasies . It's not a complex game , nor is it especially challenging , or long . Using the analog sticks exclusively , you'll roll the katamari around with tanklike controls . Pushing both sticks up moves the katamari forward , pushing both sticks down moves it backward , and pushing one stick up and one stick down will cause it to turn . There are a few other tricks , such as moving both sticks up and down really fast to gain a quick boost , or pushing in on both sticks to hop on the other side of the katamari and quickly change directions - - but this is basically all you'll need to know in order to control it . However , controlling it well is a more nuanced thing . The shapes of the things you collect will affect the overall shape of your katamari , thus affecting how it actually rolls . So , if you roll over a bunch of pencils or a ladder or some carrots , it can make your going a bit more challenging .
    • 247 4  First of all , let me start off by saying that games like this don't come around that often , and when they do it's very wise to get ' em while they're hot . Katamari Damacy might be one of the most original games I've ever played , from the short but strange storyline ( the King of All Cosmos has accidentally destroyed all the stars in the sky , and sends you , his pint-sized prince to collect junk from Earth and use it to make more stars . Meanwhile , a little boy , his sister and his mother take a trip to see his fathers space launch . . . ) to the colorful world to the strangest opening cutscene . It may be the poorly translated English cutscenes , the first time you see the King of All Cosmos vomit Royal Rainbows , the first time you pick up a screaming human with your katamari , or even when the King asks Does the prince like VIBRATION ? ( refering , however , to the rumble feature built into PS2 controllers ) , but something in this game is bound to make you laugh , that's just how it is . And let's not forget the gameplay . It's simple and easy to learn , yet hard to master . You use both analog sticks to roll around a gravity ball called a katamari , collecting as much junk as you can from the various Earth locales . You get a time limit and a goal size , and then you run free , racing to collect junk and increase your katamari's size . This is strangely addicting , seeing how big you can make your katamari and how fast you can get there , and that adds a lot of replay value to this game . Well , reach your goal size before time runs out and the King will make it into a star . The goal sizes start out small : 10cm in 3 minutes , 30cm in six minutes , but they soon get bigger to 1m , 1.5m , then 6m , and it keeps going until the last level where the goal size is 300m in 25 minutes ! This game gets tough towards the end , but you can't stop playing . As if that weren't enough , there's also multiplayer mode for two players ! Though that's not as entertaining as single-player mode , it's still there for people who don't want to take turns . But wait , there's more ! As if all you see here isn't enough , the game also boasts a soundtrack that features a collection of some of the strangest , yet most appropriate tunes in an E rated game . PLUS you get all that for ONLY $20 ! ! What more could you possibly want ? In conclusion , if you were thinking of buying this game for someone , what are you waiting for ? This is definatly Game of the Year material , and will go down in video game history as one of the strangest , most innovative games of all time .
    • 248 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I'd long heard the praises of this game from various sources ( like BoingBoing ) and when I finally got a PS2 ( yes , I live in the dark ages ) , this was the first game I had to try on it . The concept is wacky , which I'm not sure is because the game is wacky or if there's some kind of cultural disconnect between Japan and the U.S . , but I have to give the game points for uniqueness . Seems that the King of the Universe did a little too much partying and has scattered things to multiple corners of the universe and as his son , your goal is to go around and gather those things up by rolling around a big ball to which things stick if they are smaller ( by some proportion ) than the ball itself . As things stick , the ball grows , and you can pick up more things . You have a time limit , so it's a bit of a rush rush to move the ball around gather things up . As a returning gamer , the shock on the PS2 controller ( say , when you run into walls ) was an interesting twist , but for the most part , after the novelty wore off , I found the game less intriguing and more annoying , as the only thing that really changes between levels is the kinds of things you get to pick up ( you start with small things like buttons , and proceed up to buildings , at which point I had had enough ) . Again , I give it points for not being just another shoot - ' em-up , but I think I needed something more than just new graphics ( say , maybe , an actual story , which this tries to add , but whimsical can only get you so far ) to propel me along .
    • 249 4  I'd long heard the praises of this game from various sources ( like BoingBoing ) and when I finally got a PS2 ( yes , I live in the dark ages ) , this was the first game I had to try on it . The concept is wacky , which I'm not sure is because the game is wacky or if there's some kind of cultural disconnect between Japan and the U.S . , but I have to give the game points for uniqueness . Seems that the King of the Universe did a little too much partying and has scattered things to multiple corners of the universe and as his son , your goal is to go around and gather those things up by rolling around a big ball to which things stick if they are smaller ( by some proportion ) than the ball itself . As things stick , the ball grows , and you can pick up more things . You have a time limit , so it's a bit of a rush rush to move the ball around gather things up . As a returning gamer , the shock on the PS2 controller ( say , when you run into walls ) was an interesting twist , but for the most part , after the novelty wore off , I found the game less intriguing and more annoying , as the only thing that really changes between levels is the kinds of things you get to pick up ( you start with small things like buttons , and proceed up to buildings , at which point I had had enough ) . Again , I give it points for not being just another shoot - ' em-up , but I think I needed something more than just new graphics ( say , maybe , an actual story , which this tries to add , but whimsical can only get you so far ) to propel me along .
    • 262 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Feeling destructive or just wishing to vent ? This game might just be your solution . I realize it is a game that has got a few years , but I just happened to have picked up a copy recently and it far exceeded my expectations . The picture on the front cover is so ridiculous that you cannot help but wonder just what on earth this game is . Maybe that was only the case with me , I hadn't heard of it before playing it just recently . This game is one of those wonderful games that claim to be extremely user-friendly and it actually is ! You can play the entire game without punching any buttons during game play . You can use a few buttons to your advantage , but they are hardly required . Otherwise , you just use the two analog sticks to navigate around the house , the city , or the world . For me , the only extra buttons I use are the L3 + R3 combination that essentially gives you a stationary U-turn . My only problem with this game is that the time limits set on most of the levels makes everything seem so rushed . I would have loved to just start the game and then take my time to roll around in each level without a time restraint . So all in all , this game turned out to be a bit more stressful than I had originally anticipated . But I did unlock all of the eternal levels , and now I can just waltz around the three environments and roll up anything and everything in my way . This game is such a wonderful release of tension , especially now when I play , I just go around the eternal levels and try to collect the Katamari to be as big as I can get it . This game was crafted so brilliantly ( idea , design , and just color on the surface ) . I wish I had heard of it sooner , but I am glad I was able to try it out . It is definitely worth your time and money and some frustrating moments because you just couldn't quite complete the level on time . Practice makes perfect , and I loved just going around , learning the geography in the game , and seeing just what bizarre things I could pick up . I also have to comment on a string of animated shorts that are done so well that I couldn't stop my chuckle at the end of each segment . They are dispersed throughout the entire game and are fun to watch . I also think it was a brilliant move on the developers ' part to allow the players to view all of the clips after having completed the game once . I still haven't unlocked all of the secrets of this game - - the comets . But I am working on it , and I am enjoying every minute of playing this game . I hope for those of you who have yet to join us in loving Katamari to please give this game a chance to win your heart .
    • 263 4  Feeling destructive or just wishing to vent ? This game might just be your solution . I realize it is a game that has got a few years , but I just happened to have picked up a copy recently and it far exceeded my expectations . The picture on the front cover is so ridiculous that you cannot help but wonder just what on earth this game is . Maybe that was only the case with me , I hadn't heard of it before playing it just recently . This game is one of those wonderful games that claim to be extremely user-friendly and it actually is ! You can play the entire game without punching any buttons during game play . You can use a few buttons to your advantage , but they are hardly required . Otherwise , you just use the two analog sticks to navigate around the house , the city , or the world . For me , the only extra buttons I use are the L3 + R3 combination that essentially gives you a stationary U-turn . My only problem with this game is that the time limits set on most of the levels makes everything seem so rushed . I would have loved to just start the game and then take my time to roll around in each level without a time restraint . So all in all , this game turned out to be a bit more stressful than I had originally anticipated . But I did unlock all of the eternal levels , and now I can just waltz around the three environments and roll up anything and everything in my way . This game is such a wonderful release of tension , especially now when I play , I just go around the eternal levels and try to collect the Katamari to be as big as I can get it . This game was crafted so brilliantly ( idea , design , and just color on the surface ) . I wish I had heard of it sooner , but I am glad I was able to try it out . It is definitely worth your time and money and some frustrating moments because you just couldn't quite complete the level on time . Practice makes perfect , and I loved just going around , learning the geography in the game , and seeing just what bizarre things I could pick up . I also have to comment on a string of animated shorts that are done so well that I couldn't stop my chuckle at the end of each segment . They are dispersed throughout the entire game and are fun to watch . I also think it was a brilliant move on the developers ' part to allow the players to view all of the clips after having completed the game once . I still haven't unlocked all of the secrets of this game - - the comets . But I am working on it , and I am enjoying every minute of playing this game . I hope for those of you who have yet to join us in loving Katamari to please give this game a chance to win your heart .
    • 269 4  Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I love this game , but since my PS2 is a different region ( I live in NZ ) , the game won't work for me . However the game itself on is what this review is about . This game is fun and unique , gameplay is easy to learn for beginners and I recommend it to light gamers to hardcore gamers , it's a game for anyone .
    • 270 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I love this game , but since my PS2 is a different region ( I live in NZ ) , the game won't work for me . However the game itself on is what this review is about . This game is fun and unique , gameplay is easy to learn for beginners and I recommend it to light gamers to hardcore gamers , it's a game for anyone .
    • 271 4  I love this game , but since my PS2 is a different region ( I live in NZ ) , the game won't work for me . However the game itself on is what this review is about . This game is fun and unique , gameplay is easy to learn for beginners and I recommend it to light gamers to hardcore gamers , it's a game for anyone .

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) There are few games out there that grab you instantly like this one does . After picking up the controller and trying to grasp the easy to handle controls ( it only uses the two sticks to move the ball ) , you start to want more and more . I found that there are points in the game that are very challenging and frustrating when you can't get the camera to move behind you the way you want it to . This of course can be remedied with practice in the game . Fortunately the game makers build level upon level , the experience you need to complete the next level . Once you get better the next level starts you as a larger ball , and you can pick up larger things . However as you pick up more things , it gets increasingly difficult to move the ball up hills . It's very nice that the ball follows the laws of physics . As you spin forward , the ball picks up more and more things , however if you run into something too big , or get kicked by an animal or human , things will fly off of your katamari ball . I agree with most of the other reviewers , this game is one of my favorites . It reminds me of the skill that was needed for other games like Tetris , or dr . Mario , Intelligent Qube , . . . but this game is different , it is MUCH more entertaining to watch ! If you are watching someone else play , a description of each object picked up appears in the left hand corner of the screen . And in the right hand corner is a picture of the prince as he pushes the ball around . It's still unnerving to watch someone else play and screw up . But it at least entertains you more than if you were just watching a ball roll around . The two player game isn't anything to get excited about . It was fun the first couple of times , but its definitely made more for a one person setting . My husband and I thought we could do a lot of death battles , but the two player battle mode doesn't change much from game to game , and the skill levels don't change . Otherwise , the game is EXCELLENT and I highly recommend it to anyone's game collection as a Must ! ! !
    • 024 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I love this game ! I typically love puzzle-type games like Devil Dice , Bombastic and Tetris and I love Katamari Damacy ! It's great for kids because the controls are easy and the objects that you pick up are funny to see . Plus , doesn't everyone love miniature stuff ? You start out very small , so a matchstick looks like it's as big as you and as you grow bigger the perspective changes . It's challenging enough for adults , but fun enough for kids !
    • 047 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) There are few games out there that grab you instantly like this one does . After picking up the controller and trying to grasp the easy to handle controls ( it only uses the two sticks to move the ball ) , you start to want more and more . I found that there are points in the game that are very challenging and frustrating when you can't get the camera to move behind you the way you want it to . This of course can be remedied with practice in the game . Fortunately the game makers build level upon level , the experience you need to complete the next level . Once you get better the next level starts you as a larger ball , and you can pick up larger things . However as you pick up more things , it gets increasingly difficult to move the ball up hills . It's very nice that the ball follows the laws of physics . As you spin forward , the ball picks up more and more things , however if you run into something too big , or get kicked by an animal or human , things will fly off of your katamari ball . I agree with most of the other reviewers , this game is one of my favorites . It reminds me of the skill that was needed for other games like Tetris , or dr . Mario , Intelligent Qube , . . . but this game is different , it is MUCH more entertaining to watch ! If you are watching someone else play , a description of each object picked up appears in the left hand corner of the screen . And in the right hand corner is a picture of the prince as he pushes the ball around . It's still unnerving to watch someone else play and screw up . But it at least entertains you more than if you were just watching a ball roll around . The two player game isn't anything to get excited about . It was fun the first couple of times , but its definitely made more for a one person setting . My husband and I thought we could do a lot of death battles , but the two player battle mode doesn't change much from game to game , and the skill levels don't change . Otherwise , the game is EXCELLENT and I highly recommend it to anyone's game collection as a Must ! ! !
    • 060 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I fell into raptures from a young child to an adult ! It is easy , and a rule of a game rolls small ball and rolls up a small accessory and raises it , and it depends , and I am happy , and attractive background music directs an atmosphere though I am unique . The music that I like most is music of Sheen looking at a constellation , and it is a taste of little Ryuichi Sakamoto . When I return a game review . There are a lot of ideas to make a person a captive in simplicity , and I am , and conversation with King is strange , and a character of Lego style is happy . I read American Amazon review and became more wonderful . In fact , I was uneasy whether this game had a number of people enjoy it . But such uneasiness was not necessary . I translate a lot of reviews and read . There were a lot of people who loved this game and wants to play all The Reviewer and Katamari Damacy if I am possible ! Only a word . Katamari Damacy which all love ( temporary title ) is released in U.S.A . in about autumn , this year ! I think to know all and I am a pleasure and wait . Love & Peace ( ^ _ ^ )
    • 062 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I am a 65 year old grandma and I love this game . As my daughter says , it is crazy . You start rolling around a ball which picks up stuff as it rolls . You have to get it to a certain size within the allotted time . You can only pick up small stuff at first , then as the ball increases in size , you pick up bigger and bigger stuff . You have to manuver the ball up ramps and turn it so that it picks up what you want . Rats run at you and knock stuff off . Your ball won't roll right after picking up things like pencils and legos . It is so much fun ! I played at least 6 times trying to beat the first level then accidently rolled into another room where there was tons of stuff to pick up . I'm still learning . The balls are placed into the sky and turned into stars to replace the stars that were accidently destroyed . No shooting ! No blood ! Good clean fun ! ! ! !
    • 064 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) The game is simple to understand , challenging for all ages , and has a really fun soundtrack . This game , as well as it's sequal We ( heart ) Katamari are fun examples of game designers thinking outside of the traditional box and coming up with a game that is both original and addictive .
    • 092 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This is possibly one of the most incredibly innovative and unique games I have ever played . It is suitable for any age and I would love to see more games with this kind of creativity pushing the gaming realm further . The obsessive collecting of objects by sizes with your Katamari appeals to any of us gamers who are thrilled by even the smallest little reward or trophy presented to us in games . Anyone who has ever gotten a little obsessive w / a collection may find this game your new obsession . Wonderfully weird , the sometimes bizarre transaltion make for a rather funny title . The originality of game play reminds me of games like Populous Simcity Tetris and Super Mario Bros ( obviously when they first came out ) . Buy this game , it's worth every penny .
    • 123 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This fun game is completely addictive . Although the levels get increasingly difficult and that is a cause of frustration at times , it never gets old rolling things up from miniscule to mighty . We purchased the second Katamari game , We Love Katamari , and it's even better than the first one . The only negative thing is , the King of the Cosmos is not nice when you fail on a mission and says hurtful things . But as long as you're not thin skinned and don't take it personally , you'll have a great time playing . If you don't have a sense of humor , don't bother playing this game ! ! If you do , you'll be laughing as you're rolling along , and the theme song will stay with you night and day ! ( But in a GOOD way ! )
    • 127 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) The moment I played the game I fell in love with it . The music was quirky and refreshing and the gameplay was far from serious . It gave me a real break from other games on the market that have serious / complicated storylines and gamplay . I wouldn't buy this if you only like games that have a strong plot and goal . This game is really about rolling a ball around just to make it bigger , nothing else .
    • 168 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) For those who would find interesting a game in which you are charged with the responsibility of recreating the stars by rolling up everything you can find on Earth into one big ball , there is none better than Katamari Damacy . The vast majority of the western video game audience probably think this is absurd , and make no mistake , everything about it is , but it's immensely entertaining , and fills a niche somewhere in the gaming culture . The choice of graphic style gives the entire world a fresh and intriguing appearance , and the depth of interaction with the world is amazing ( you can pick up everything at one point or another , and the changing scale of the katamari is always entertaining ) . The King of All Cosmos has incredible monologues , and the music is actually worth purchasing or downloading independent of the game , its so good . On top of all this , there's a fine layer of social philosophy , with lyrics in songs like I want to roll you up into my life , let's clump up together , we're a single star in the sky . Ultimately , as you travel from country to country rolling up people , cars , houses , and everything else , you'll see how indiscriminately the katamari collects its objects ; there's no prejudice in this wonderful world . So , if any of this sounds appealing , go ahead and buy the game . It's fairly cheap , you'll be entertained for hours , it's not frustratingly difficult , and you'll never look at our world the same way again . However , be warned that this genre appeals to very few people , and it could very well distort your perception of reality to the extent that you can't function in it anyone . Lastly , if anyone harrasses you for your love of Katamari Damacy , just think about rolling them up in one big ball , and sending it to some distant corner of space .
    • 256 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This game seems very confusing , and has a very poor story at first , but as you begin the game these two ideas are both proven false . The controls in this game are extremely easy to get into and get used to . The basic concept is very simple ; you have to roll over random objects to increase the size of your katamari . Along the way there are many objects to increase variety , and adding them all to your collection requires hours of extra gameplay . This game has incredible value , as it's price is very low considering the value of this game . The major highlights of the game is the incredible gameplay , unique , but catchy music , and basically the raw fun of seeing something being pushed around by a mouse eventually picking up entire buildings . Fun to watch , even better to play , this game is one of the best !
    • 258 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) At first glance , this game doesn't seem great , but after 5 minutes , you'll find your eyes glued to the screen as you play KD . The object of this game is to build a huge ball of everyday objects to advance through levels . Sounds boring , but you'll find yourself saying otherwise . This is one of the few games that fully require analog controllers . The gameplay itself is original , and the sounds are quite nice to listen to . If you like odd-yet-original games , this one is worth buying .
    • 266 4  Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this ? ) This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) After I bought this game , I was worried it would be too simple . I shouldn't have worried - it is simple enough to be fun right away , but not so simple as to be boring . The first night we played it , I had my family over and we all took turns with the game . We laughed so hard . This game is fun to play in a group setting ( or by yourself ) . It is unique and definitely worth a look .
    • 267 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) After I bought this game , I was worried it would be too simple . I shouldn't have worried - it is simple enough to be fun right away , but not so simple as to be boring . The first night we played it , I had my family over and we all took turns with the game . We laughed so hard . This game is fun to play in a group setting ( or by yourself ) . It is unique and definitely worth a look .

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This game has to be the most quirky and infectious game I have ever played , next to Destroy All Humans and Burnout 3 . You are the 5cm tall Prince , the son of the King of All Cosmos . Well , your dad gets drunk one night , and destroys all the stars in the sky . Now it's up to you , the bite-sixed Prince , to get them back . You go to Earth and roll evertyhing up into a clump . It will make a star , or if you choose , stardust . This is a game I would highly reccomend . Pros : Only uses two analog sticks , good for beginners Quirky and infectious Awesome soundtrack Cons : Absolutely nothing !
    • 065 4  The game is simple to understand , challenging for all ages , and has a really fun soundtrack . This game , as well as it's sequal We ( heart ) Katamari are fun examples of game designers thinking outside of the traditional box and coming up with a game that is both original and addictive .
    • 108 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This game has to be the most quirky and infectious game I have ever played , next to Destroy All Humans and Burnout 3 . You are the 5cm tall Prince , the son of the King of All Cosmos . Well , your dad gets drunk one night , and destroys all the stars in the sky . Now it's up to you , the bite-sixed Prince , to get them back . You go to Earth and roll evertyhing up into a clump . It will make a star , or if you choose , stardust . This is a game I would highly reccomend . Pros : Only uses two analog sticks , good for beginners Quirky and infectious Awesome soundtrack Cons : Absolutely nothing !
    • 125 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This is a great game . You get to roll around a ball wich may sound boring but its not . Your stupid dad the king of all cosmos desroys all of the stars.So its up to you his pint sized prince to roll up as much stuff as possible . The music is great.The head-to-head ( 2 player ) mode is such fun . You should deffintly get this game . And great cutseanes .
    • 126 4  This is a great game . You get to roll around a ball wich may sound boring but its not . Your stupid dad the king of all cosmos desroys all of the stars.So its up to you his pint sized prince to roll up as much stuff as possible . The music is great.The head-to-head ( 2 player ) mode is such fun . You should deffintly get this game . And great cutseanes .
    • 136 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Everything from the opening animation to the finish on this game is awesome . It also makes you want to play again and again in an effort to beat your old scores . Not to mention possibly the greatest soundtrack in the history of video games . This is just pure fun . Who would have thought something so ridiculous could be this much fun .
    • 191 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Everything everyone else said about this game is correct . It's so much fun . It also ruins the joystick on your controller . You are fore-warned .
    • 195 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Well i first played this game at my friends house and thought it was quite adddicting even though my friend had hated it . When i started to play it shows you how to get started and is very simple for just about anyone who knows how to read . i put this game up right beside kingdom hearts 2 for its gameplay not the graphhics . it also has a great soundtrack . 5 thumbs up . eat your cheesemuffins everyday = ~ )
    • 211 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) One of the coolest and funnest games ever to roll down the pike . It's easy to play and wipes the stress away ! A great game for everyone !

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This might be one of the strangest games on the PS2 . In the case of Katamari , strange is a good thing , because this game is great.I read articles about this game before I bought it and read that the developers were worried this game would not sell well in North America.Boy , were they wrong ! Seems many of us love these crazy Japanese games , and I say , send us more of this kind of stuff ! I am hooked ! You play the Prince . . . of what country , I am not sure , but it doesn't really matter anyway.Your dad is the lunatic king , who talks to you in some kind of wierd haiku , ordering you to make bigger katamari.What is a katamari ? it's a sticky ball , and you must roll it over everything from thumbtacks , candy , cookies , people , cows , skyscrapers and ferris wheels to make the biggest katamari you can roll in the time allotted.Seems your lunatic dad destroyed every star in the sky , and the katamari will replace the stars.I told you it was wierd . Wierd is good ! this game is entertaining and VERY addictive . . I think I played it pretty much nonstop the first few weeks I owned it.I still play it whenever I can because I love it so.Buy this game , it is loads of fun .
    • 020 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This might be one of the strangest games on the PS2 . In the case of Katamari , strange is a good thing , because this game is great.I read articles about this game before I bought it and read that the developers were worried this game would not sell well in North America.Boy , were they wrong ! Seems many of us love these crazy Japanese games , and I say , send us more of this kind of stuff ! I am hooked ! You play the Prince . . . of what country , I am not sure , but it doesn't really matter anyway.Your dad is the lunatic king , who talks to you in some kind of wierd haiku , ordering you to make bigger katamari.What is a katamari ? it's a sticky ball , and you must roll it over everything from thumbtacks , candy , cookies , people , cows , skyscrapers and ferris wheels to make the biggest katamari you can roll in the time allotted.Seems your lunatic dad destroyed every star in the sky , and the katamari will replace the stars.I told you it was wierd . Wierd is good ! this game is entertaining and VERY addictive . . I think I played it pretty much nonstop the first few weeks I owned it.I still play it whenever I can because I love it so.Buy this game , it is loads of fun .
    • 141 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Echoing the reviews here , this game is like nothing else . I was a bit perplexed after playing it a couple of times , but stuck with it and am completely hooked ! FYI , the ONLY PS2 games I play are Madden , NBA Live , Gran Turismo and GTA . That's it . I've now added Katamari Damacy . . . get it , it's different , fun , and reminds you what video games are supposed to be .
    • 154 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I may sound stupid , but-hey - , I'm a kid . All you grown-ups out there . Your crazy son is a PS2 fanatic ? Buy him KATAMARI DAMACY . The soundtrack , ( the music they put with the video game , brainlesses ) is highly educational for music people . Great game !
    • 181 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Nothing you can read will prepare you for this game . Very unique . The music is top notch and the game creates a immersing experience . Crazy fun .
    • 227 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) My brother got this game for his birthday . Soon after , my entire family was gathered around the TV marveling at this strange and compelling game , and then asking for their turn to play . Even my mother , who has had difficulty with games after Pac-Man ( another strange Namco title ! ) loves this game ! Highly recommended for anyone who likes FUN .

  • Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) We bought Play Station 2 solely for the purpose of being able to play Katamari . Since we've gotten the Play Station , I've looked at other video games in the stores , but nothing sounds even as remotely interesting as this game does . Since I used to live in Japan , much in this game has special meaning to me - - all the surroundings in the home and in the city are scenes from Japan . The music is also clearly Japanese . My wife is the real video game expert , so what I say in this paragraph is from watching her play , since I haven't gone beyond the first few levels . You start out with a 3 - minute game , and try to roll up as many objects from the house into a ball as you can ( paper clips , erasers , little stuff like that ) . As you manage to roll bigger balls in that three minutes , new games begin to appear for you to try , more challenging games . Some just require you to roll bigger balls ; others have specific assignments . I like to play the cow game . . . you are supposed to get the biggest cow item you can find , but as soon as you get ANY cow item , the game is over , so you have to avoid all the little cow items ( like a quart of milk ) . As I was saying , the more you roll up , the more games appear that you can play , giving you quite a variety of games to choose from . By the end , as you get really skilled , you are able to roll up skyscrapers and everything else in cities . That's the one person game . There is a two-person game , but this did not get the thorough treatment of the one-person game . In the two-person game , you are in an arena and try to roll up more stuff into your ball than your opponent does . There are about a half dozen different games ( you don't choose ; you get them randomly ) , but all are three minutes long , and after you've played these awhile , you get done in two minutes and have nothing else to do but try to ram your opponent ( which doesn't really have any game value ) . The one-person games on this are a clear 5 - star . But the two-person games need much more , and thus bring the overall rating of this game down to 4 stars . Also , sometimes all that rolling around on screen makes me a little dizzy . . . If you'd like a video game without shooting and violence , and without sports , that is challenging , quirky , and fun , try Katamari Damacy .
    • 103 4  My husband and daughter are the game players in the family and they haven't played any other game since getting this one . They love it and I've been told they wish there were more games like this to buy .
    • 106 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) We bought Play Station 2 solely for the purpose of being able to play Katamari . Since we've gotten the Play Station , I've looked at other video games in the stores , but nothing sounds even as remotely interesting as this game does . Since I used to live in Japan , much in this game has special meaning to me - - all the surroundings in the home and in the city are scenes from Japan . The music is also clearly Japanese . My wife is the real video game expert , so what I say in this paragraph is from watching her play , since I haven't gone beyond the first few levels . You start out with a 3 - minute game , and try to roll up as many objects from the house into a ball as you can ( paper clips , erasers , little stuff like that ) . As you manage to roll bigger balls in that three minutes , new games begin to appear for you to try , more challenging games . Some just require you to roll bigger balls ; others have specific assignments . I like to play the cow game . . . you are supposed to get the biggest cow item you can find , but as soon as you get ANY cow item , the game is over , so you have to avoid all the little cow items ( like a quart of milk ) . As I was saying , the more you roll up , the more games appear that you can play , giving you quite a variety of games to choose from . By the end , as you get really skilled , you are able to roll up skyscrapers and everything else in cities . That's the one person game . There is a two-person game , but this did not get the thorough treatment of the one-person game . In the two-person game , you are in an arena and try to roll up more stuff into your ball than your opponent does . There are about a half dozen different games ( you don't choose ; you get them randomly ) , but all are three minutes long , and after you've played these awhile , you get done in two minutes and have nothing else to do but try to ram your opponent ( which doesn't really have any game value ) . The one-person games on this are a clear 5 - star . But the two-person games need much more , and thus bring the overall rating of this game down to 4 stars . Also , sometimes all that rolling around on screen makes me a little dizzy . . . If you'd like a video game without shooting and violence , and without sports , that is challenging , quirky , and fun , try Katamari Damacy .
    • 149 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) My brother wrote a review about this game and this game ROCKS ! If parents are reading this . . . . Please buy it for your kids . The totorial can teach you alot . Even my brother didnt know how to do a quick turn untill the last star . My brother was looking at this game a couple of months ago and thought it was stupid . Then a few months later , he saw this game on Amazon.com and saw that all the reviews were good . Then I didnt see this game untll a couple of weeks ago . I thought it would be a fun game so I bought it . I started playing it when I first got home and loved it ! The first star to get was kind of boring because you only had to get 10 cm . But the last level was the moon and you had to get 300 meters in 20 min . The first level you had three min . There is a story along the way a family who's dad is going to the moon but they canceled the travel because there was no moon in the sky . This game is great and when the king realeses the Katamari in the sky , you can actully see what your Katamari looks like when you rolled it up . BUY THIS GAME IF YOU WANT TO HAVE FUN !
    • 150 4  My brother wrote a review about this game and this game ROCKS ! If parents are reading this . . . . Please buy it for your kids . The totorial can teach you alot . Even my brother didnt know how to do a quick turn untill the last star . My brother was looking at this game a couple of months ago and thought it was stupid . Then a few months later , he saw this game on Amazon.com and saw that all the reviews were good . Then I didnt see this game untll a couple of weeks ago . I thought it would be a fun game so I bought it . I started playing it when I first got home and loved it ! The first star to get was kind of boring because you only had to get 10 cm . But the last level was the moon and you had to get 300 meters in 20 min . The first level you had three min . There is a story along the way a family who's dad is going to the moon but they canceled the travel because there was no moon in the sky . This game is great and when the king realeses the Katamari in the sky , you can actully see what your Katamari looks like when you rolled it up . BUY THIS GAME IF YOU WANT TO HAVE FUN !
    • 178 4  This game is like crack for your PS2 . It's completely addictive and insane and you just can't stop playing even though you know it doesn't make any sense . You want to quit but you can't . I LOVE THIS CRAZY GAME !
    • 180 4  My title says it all : this game is freakin weird , and anyone with a weird view of the world , who likes wonderland logic and sarcasm , is going to totally have fun playing this game for hours .
    • 250 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This game is so fantastic ! My brother bought it and I played it for literally 5 minutes and I was already adicted ! I definitely reccomend this game for videogame lovers of ANY age ! I usually play more of the fighting games , but this game has been all I have been playing for the past 3 weeks ! the only thing I was discouraged about when I received it from Amazon.com is the fact that they packaged it in a large envelope , leaving the game case smashed up and crushed . Luckily I switched the case with another one , though . Please buy this game it is AWESOME ! ! ! !

  • this is extremely playable for anyone . The music has very good genre recordings ; some of them are accoustic jazz studio recordings in Japanese , but the jazz sound is there , especially in Gin & Tonic & Red Red Roses , which is a noir-ish 15 - minute scat vocal swing track with percussion , piano , double bass , and flute . The game has a two-player mode , which is set in an arena as a competition to see who's better . The one-player mode is the story-driven mode about the King of the Cosmos father of your protagonist who is a little green guy that looks similar to a Teletubby . The objective is to use the two analog sticks to make the character push around a small ball inside a garden or the rooms in a house , or both , into objects normally found in those three-dimensional environments , such as pairs of scissors , mice , golf balls , flowers , paperclips , dining chairs , spoons , anything and everything . The rolling of the ball has a snowball effect , which means the more things your character rolls up into the ball , the larger the ball becomes . There's a big transition moment in the game where , after rolling the ball around the rooms of a house , the character breaks out of the house down the driveway to a farmer's market on the other side of the street where he starts rolling in watermelons until the ball gets even larger and rolls in bicycles , little kids and then adults . The game play is a surreal fantasy , but it all comes together in its finale with an abstract epiphany that the world is a small enough place to understand each other when replacing the unnecessary with the meaningful . The more I played this game , the hungrier I got , and the ending surprised me with an epiphany . It's by Namco who , as you know , is the Japanese company that produced the original Pac-Man arcade game . Since then , it has produced several genre games for Sony's Playstation including the Soul Edge series , Soul Blade and Soul Calibur , the Tekken series , the Ridge Racer / Rage Racer series , and the Ace Combat / Air Combat series , all of which has been prime landmarks in that console's history . This game is so fresh , it struck a blow to me . Strangely , it is one of those Japanese releases that almost didn't make it over to America . When it was brand new , its list price was only $20 ; most games are $50 upon release . The raving critical success and the sleeper hit popularity of this game garnered a sequel , but I haven't played it yet . At any rate , it just may continue on as one of Namco's great series if it maintains the inertia of this original one .
    • 025 4  I love this game ! I typically love puzzle-type games like Devil Dice , Bombastic and Tetris and I love Katamari Damacy ! It's great for kids because the controls are easy and the objects that you pick up are funny to see . Plus , doesn't everyone love miniature stuff ? You start out very small , so a matchstick looks like it's as big as you and as you grow bigger the perspective changes . It's challenging enough for adults , but fun enough for kids !
    • 075 4  The odds were against my getting this game when I first heard of it , in a bad review . But , I'm very happy I did . You will be also if you love weirdness mixed with your addictive puzzle games . Give it a chance and see the evolution of the puzzle game !
    • 079 4  I just want to add that KD is the first game I've ever played that seems compelling as a work of art : that is , it presents an interesting ( if simple ) view on life that has changed the way I see my own . In the Prince's ordered world , everything and everyone has a label - - Relaxing Dude , Girly Cell Phone , Giant Daikon , etc . This readibility is itself a source of joy . It definitely got me thinking about the relationships between objects and categories , signifiers and signifieds . . . Plato , Locke , de Saussure , Derrida , and Lacan , among others , would dig it . You will , too .
    • 147 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) Specifically recommended by X-Play on TV . ABSOLUTELY agree that the recommendation was good . I rolled my eyes at my wife when she wanted to spend 19 bucks on this game and I think I actually called it totally retarded . She let me play it first and within 3 minutes I was hooked . She's not allowed to play it because it's MINE . ALL MINE . . . ( Yes , I'm 29 years old and she STILL can't have it ! ) . I'd recommend this game to anyone NOT looking for an advanced game requiring weeks of play and advanced storyline . If you like Tetris but want a little more variety and just a little more skill requirement ( and a good laugh ) , this game is for you . There's something oddly satisfying by rolling over the dog and seeing his legs twitter in the air when 5 minutes earlier he was pushing you around . . . WEIRD ? Yes . FUN ? Yes . I'd say good for 12 + years because young kids may find this too boring because they won't appreciate how strange and cool this game really is .
    • 148 4  Specifically recommended by X-Play on TV . ABSOLUTELY agree that the recommendation was good . I rolled my eyes at my wife when she wanted to spend 19 bucks on this game and I think I actually called it totally retarded . She let me play it first and within 3 minutes I was hooked . She's not allowed to play it because it's MINE . ALL MINE . . . ( Yes , I'm 29 years old and she STILL can't have it ! ) . I'd recommend this game to anyone NOT looking for an advanced game requiring weeks of play and advanced storyline . If you like Tetris but want a little more variety and just a little more skill requirement ( and a good laugh ) , this game is for you . There's something oddly satisfying by rolling over the dog and seeing his legs twitter in the air when 5 minutes earlier he was pushing you around . . . WEIRD ? Yes . FUN ? Yes . I'd say good for 12 + years because young kids may find this too boring because they won't appreciate how strange and cool this game really is .
    • 151 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I bought this game after reading and hearing so many good things about it . I was a little reserved prior to buying it because there are some really wierd scenes I had seen on X-Play on day but I decided to give it a go . The price was really great so I went with it . To say that I had played anything like this would be a straight out lie . This is one of the most original gameplay styles I have ever played . I will admit that I did cut thru all the cutscenes since they were a little over the top for me , but the actual gameplay was truely addictive . While there could have been more levels that were slightly varied , there is a good amount of gameplay available that you won't get sick of for a good long while . The controls are simple enough to use ( simply two analog joysticks ) and takes about 10 minutes to get a grip with but after that you will be rolling along like a pro . While the object is to increase the size of your Katamari ( the little ball that everything sticks to ) you can only pick up items that fit and as your ball grows , you can pick up larger and larger items . I literally was able to pick up entire islands and mountains and waterspouts on one level . You have to be careful when rolling cause if you hit something like a wall too hard pieces of your ball will come flying off reducing the size of your ball . The ultimate goal is to put the stars back in the sky and the bigger the ball you collect , the bigger your star will be . Give it a shot , and when you do , you will be wishing for the sequel to get here as soon as possible .
    • 254 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) This is one of my favorite video games ever created , for many , many reasons . I bought this game in september of 2004 and I'm still addicted to it . The storyline is that you are a little green carpet headed dude who is the prince of all cosmos , and your dad goes on a drunken rampage one day and destroys all the stars in the sky . It's your job to go to earth and roll everything into clumps that will be converted into stars . You control the little prince with both of the analog sticks - - nothing else ! You have a katamari that sticks things to it to create your big clumps . This sticky ball picks things up like thumbtacks , erasers , people , buildings , cars , thunder gods , clouds , islands , some big mountain that looks like Mount Fuji , cows - - there is over 1,500 different items to pick up in all . Plus there are hidden presents that you use to dress the prince once you find them . One is the camera which you can use it to take pictures of your surroundings . This camera can be found in Make A Star 5 in case you were wondering . Sometimes your surroundings are filled with hilarious happenings . You can see a polar bear giving a speach , some screaming guy standing on a 1st place stand holding a giant fish over his head , just to name a few . This game is extremely fun for no apparent reason . The game opens with a guy singing na over and over , and a wacky cinamatic follows . It has pandas , singing giraffs , balloons , rainbows , its just so freakin ' weird . The music is probably the best ever seen in a video game . To top it all off its only 20 bucks . Go out and treat yourself to the weirdest , most innovative , and fun game of all time ! Peace .
    • 255 4  This is one of my favorite video games ever created , for many , many reasons . I bought this game in september of 2004 and I'm still addicted to it . The storyline is that you are a little green carpet headed dude who is the prince of all cosmos , and your dad goes on a drunken rampage one day and destroys all the stars in the sky . It's your job to go to earth and roll everything into clumps that will be converted into stars . You control the little prince with both of the analog sticks - - nothing else ! You have a katamari that sticks things to it to create your big clumps . This sticky ball picks things up like thumbtacks , erasers , people , buildings , cars , thunder gods , clouds , islands , some big mountain that looks like Mount Fuji , cows - - there is over 1,500 different items to pick up in all . Plus there are hidden presents that you use to dress the prince once you find them . One is the camera which you can use it to take pictures of your surroundings . This camera can be found in Make A Star 5 in case you were wondering . Sometimes your surroundings are filled with hilarious happenings . You can see a polar bear giving a speach , some screaming guy standing on a 1st place stand holding a giant fish over his head , just to name a few . This game is extremely fun for no apparent reason . The game opens with a guy singing na over and over , and a wacky cinamatic follows . It has pandas , singing giraffs , balloons , rainbows , its just so freakin ' weird . The music is probably the best ever seen in a video game . To top it all off its only 20 bucks . Go out and treat yourself to the weirdest , most innovative , and fun game of all time ! Peace .

  • you control a Katamari with the 2 joysticks on the PS2 pad , and navigate it to various elevated platforms , as well as claustrophobic areas , often obscured by low clearance awnings , all along the way , compiling diverse objects . The object of the game is to amass these objects to the target diameter of each individual level within a prescribed amount of time . I was able to play through the first 4 levels last night , the last of which took me 7 attempts to conquer . The game's object and controls are easy to pick up , as well as the simple objective , but the game quickly becomes challenging . This is the essence , in my view , of what makes video gaming great . The objects available for capture at the onset of the level are small in scale , ranging from jacks , screws , and paperweights , and , when the diameter of the katamari expands , the objects begin to increase in size , to eventually calculators , trading cards , and , where I left off last night , small animals , such as rats and cats . The beauty of the game is the larger objects are not collectable at first when your Katamari is too small in diameter , they merely rebound off of the larger objects , as your Katamari increases , you will bounce off of the larger objects , and they will begin to sway . You know you are then close to being able to collect these objects as well . All the while , a clock in the background ticks down to the target time , as you begin to scurry the Katamari frantically through areas that you can access as the diameter of the Katamari enlarges . You also run the risk of shattering the Katamari if you direct it into small areas , thereby decreasing its diameter . The genre it most closely resembles is a puzzle , but even that is unfair because there is simply no antecedent to compare this game to . Second to the gameplay , the soundtrack in this game is simply entralling . Throughout the course of this morning , I find myself 12 hours later humming the soundtrack to level 4 of the game . The previous levels soundtracks are no less catchy . I have read the reason why this game does not rate higher is because of its lack of replayability : the game is too short . Pay that no heed , this game has endless challenges to it , there is a massive object compilier list that keeps track of all objects captured throughout the game , it is conceivable to play through this game without getting nearly all the objects . There all also hidden bonuses and areas to unlock . All for 20 dollars . I would buy this game for 50 dollars , suffice to say , in a year or 2 , retailers will be selling this game for 4 or 5 times the list price . It will be a collector's items , when I bought my copy yesterday , I was able to purchase the last in the store . The retailer had only ordered 3 copies of Katamari Damacy , when I phoned in all 3 copies were available , 4 hours later , 2 of the copies had gone , and I purchased the last . My advice is if you are reading this as of the end of September 04 , to run , not walk to your nearest store , and with any luck at all , a copy will be available for purchase . In the age of big production videogaming , with endless sequels , and lack of originiality , this game harkens back to the golden era of videogaming when developers had to be truly creative , and placed true substance over style . My highest recommendation .
    • 013 4  Never before have I posted a review on Amazon.com , but this title moved me to the point where I felt compelled to spread the word about what I consider thus far to be the game of 2004 . I have played video games for over 20 years now , and would have to say this has quickly ascended to one of the top 10 games I have ever played , regardless of platform . The concept is simple , yet challenging : you control a Katamari with the 2 joysticks on the PS2 pad , and navigate it to various elevated platforms , as well as claustrophobic areas , often obscured by low clearance awnings , all along the way , compiling diverse objects . The object of the game is to amass these objects to the target diameter of each individual level within a prescribed amount of time . I was able to play through the first 4 levels last night , the last of which took me 7 attempts to conquer . The game's object and controls are easy to pick up , as well as the simple objective , but the game quickly becomes challenging . This is the essence , in my view , of what makes video gaming great . The objects available for capture at the onset of the level are small in scale , ranging from jacks , screws , and paperweights , and , when the diameter of the katamari expands , the objects begin to increase in size , to eventually calculators , trading cards , and , where I left off last night , small animals , such as rats and cats . The beauty of the game is the larger objects are not collectable at first when your Katamari is too small in diameter , they merely rebound off of the larger objects , as your Katamari increases , you will bounce off of the larger objects , and they will begin to sway . You know you are then close to being able to collect these objects as well . All the while , a clock in the background ticks down to the target time , as you begin to scurry the Katamari frantically through areas that you can access as the diameter of the Katamari enlarges . You also run the risk of shattering the Katamari if you direct it into small areas , thereby decreasing its diameter . The genre it most closely resembles is a puzzle , but even that is unfair because there is simply no antecedent to compare this game to . Second to the gameplay , the soundtrack in this game is simply entralling . Throughout the course of this morning , I find myself 12 hours later humming the soundtrack to level 4 of the game . The previous levels soundtracks are no less catchy . I have read the reason why this game does not rate higher is because of its lack of replayability : the game is too short . Pay that no heed , this game has endless challenges to it , there is a massive object compilier list that keeps track of all objects captured throughout the game , it is conceivable to play through this game without getting nearly all the objects . There all also hidden bonuses and areas to unlock . All for 20 dollars . I would buy this game for 50 dollars , suffice to say , in a year or 2 , retailers will be selling this game for 4 or 5 times the list price . It will be a collector's items , when I bought my copy yesterday , I was able to purchase the last in the store . The retailer had only ordered 3 copies of Katamari Damacy , when I phoned in all 3 copies were available , 4 hours later , 2 of the copies had gone , and I purchased the last . My advice is if you are reading this as of the end of September 04 , to run , not walk to your nearest store , and with any luck at all , a copy will be available for purchase . In the age of big production videogaming , with endless sequels , and lack of originiality , this game harkens back to the golden era of videogaming when developers had to be truly creative , and placed true substance over style . My highest recommendation .
    • 052 4  Katamari Damacy is the most obscurely imaginative game ever invented . This game is so unstoppably addictive thateven as i write this i am looking at objects around my room sizing them up for rollabillity . This game cannot be compared to anything atall so you just simply Have to play it . Now go ! go ! go and order this game for overnight delivery so that you to can be beffudled by it glory ! ! !
    • 098 4  This review is from : Katamari Damacy ( Video Game ) I normally like more violent games like Socom 2 , Ace Combat 5 . However , something about this game just keeps me playing . I got Ghost Recon 2 at the same time as this , and I have been playing this much more .
    • 163 4  Katamari Damacy is an interesting game , which features some of the most original animation and music I have seen in a video game . The premise of the game is that the King of All Cosmos has destroyed all of the stars and the moon and has charged his son , the Prince of All Cosmos , with gathering massive amounts of material from Earth to remake the stars and moon . The Prince accomplishes his goal , by using a sticky ball called a Katamari to roll-up everything from insects to entire continents . While this may sound like a simple task , the ever shrinking time limit and the ever increasing size requirement for the Katamari provide gamers a decent challenge . Despite the unique style of Katamari Damacy , the game suffers from some glaring flaws as well . The worst of these flaws is that the game becomes extremely repetitive . While there are some variations here and there , for the most parts players will find themselves going through the same motions in the same areas . Overall , Katamari Damacy has a unique presentation , but suffers from a lack of engaging game play .
    • 190 4  I adore Katamari Damashii . You know a game is addictive when someone asks you shortly after you wake up What's a katamari and why were you telling a cat to get on it ? I was making stars . . .
    • 226 4  What could you say about Katamari Damacy , you may ask . Well , I'm here to answer your question . This game is a cheap , Japanese launch title that seems like it didn't take much to make , you may say . If you just said that to yourself , then bite me ! ! ! This may be one of the best games of all time ! ! ! If it isn't the best , it certainly earns the title of the weirdest game ever . The object of the game is to roll a giant ball around called a Katamari , pick up everything you can , and get it so many meters big to pass a level . The gameplay is fun and addicting , as well as the catchy tunes in each level . Some just plain annoying , and some just so plain stupid that they are fun to listen to . It doesn't really have a main storyline , besides the fact that your dad , The King of all Cosmos , destroyed all the stars , and now it's up to you to remake all the stars in the galaxy by building up Katamaris and turning them into stars or stardust . The only real complaint I have is the controls of the game . It sometimes gets hard trying to use both analog sticks on the PS2 controller to roll the ball around , but besides that , this game is fun , entertaining , and it will keep you coming back for more . And the awesome part is that there is already a sequel , entitled We Love Katamari , set to come out September 20th . So if you enjoy the first Katamari Damacy , I highly recommend you take a look at We Love Katamari . It has a lot of great expectations ahead of it ! ! !
    • 231 4  Katamari Damacy is an extremely fun and funny game , with a fair bit of replay value , which is good , as it is very necessary . It took me only about 6 hours of gameplay to complete the game , but due to the absolute absurdity of the game , playing through levels a second time ( or fouth , or fifth , or . . . ) to beat your time and size records can be just as fun or more so .

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