If you don't already know about Katamari Damacy, here's the poop: You roll a ball (called a katamari) around so that it collects stuff and gets bigger within a time limit. That's it. It's pretty cool that, out of that absurd and seemingly basic concept, Namco managed to craft one of the best releases of the year. Rolling your katamari around to collect junk may seem simple, but it takes a surprising amount of strategy and timing, along with a puzzler's mentality, to succeed. You start off collecting tiny objects like push pins and dice, and eventually you'll be rolling entire landmasses into your katamari. It's really amazing to watch the game world scale seamlessly in accordance with the size of your katamari. The physics on display are pretty rad, too, since the items you collect can imbalance your katamari or affect its speed. Fortunately, it never stops being fun. The game also has a terrific sense of humor, really great wacky dialogue, a completely unique art style, and awesome theme music as bonuses. The only thing that really hurts Katamari Damacy is it's short length. Also, some of the bonus stages (ie, roll the biggest bear you can find into your katamari) can be a bit too tricky, but I guess that's why they're bonus stages. If you can't find something to like about this game (including the $20 price tag), I question your humanity. Katamari Damacy isn't a game that only fans of obscure Japanese games should play, it's a game that everyone should play.
Katamari Damacy is one of those rare gems that make absolutely no sense and surround the player in absurdity, yet provide for hours upon hours of bliss. It may pull you in with its dancing panda bears, colorful mushrooms... Read Full Review
From the opening sequence, it’s clear that Katamari Damacy is something unique and wholly original. The game’s premise is as simple and bizarre as its gameplay, as the King of All Cosmos tasks his young son, the Prince... Read Full Review
