A rolling game gathers some moss...
I'm torn, I really am. On the one hand I want to feel the same way about this as I did We Love Katamari and heap praise upon it for being manic, colourful brilliance. On the other though, I want to criticise it for being content to let the progressive attitude and originality plateau quite so obviously.
The part of me that wants to fill this space with streams of adoration and flattery knows that all the elements that gave me a lunatic grin while playing the first game are still here, unchanged and that I should be having the same reaction now. The presentation is as psychedelic and stylised as ever, the music as infectiously cheerful and the dialogue is still completely nuts. Really, really nuts.
You again take control of the Prince, tasked with rebuilding the universe after the hilariously inept King of All Cosmos once again destroys it in an unlikely fashion. This time, while enjoying a game of tennis with his lady wife he accidentally tears the universe a new one, creating a black hole that obliterates everything except (quite handily) the Earth. This leaves you to roll up anything and everything in various sizes of katamari which the King can then turn into stars and planets. Much like he did when he was plastered and got careless with the galaxy last time. In terms of complex character development and story arcs, this is about on par with Hollyoaks.
That's not a criticism at all though, you might as well criticise Call of Duty for being a poor football simulator. It's not like Beautiful Katamari set out with the intention of having deftly constructed plot devices and relatable characters (although who can't relate to losing something important while under the influence?), it set out to make people laugh and smile with the gentle joy of rolling stuff up and a complete absence of the maliciousness so often synonymous with the medium (ok, maybe not complete absence, tell me you don't cackle the first time you roll someone up.) And it does so with effortless aplomb.
In terms of complex character development and story arcs, this is about on par with Hollyoaks.
The trouble is, We Love Katamari did all this in exactly the same way. The first time I put that into my PS2 I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. The cold, diamond-hard shell of impenetrable cynicism that I'd developed was suddenly being threatened, by a tiny man in a ludicrous suit. Every time I played I would be sat there like a child, grinning from ear to ear. It was all so new to me, this whole joy thing. I'd eagerly explain to anyone who'd listen that this was the greatest thing to happen to anything since sliced bread, and it had the potential even to better that if only someone could come up with a way of integrating it into a bacon sandwich. It was a wondrous experience, from start to finish.
Playing Beautiful Katamari however, hasn't engendered the same feelings. This is the cynical husk talking, I know, but it all feels a bit passé now. And that's a terrible, awful thing to say. I shouldn't be reacting in this way towards it, and I honestly don't want to but…I just can't help it. I know with a steely certainty that if this was my first experience with a Katamari game that I would be sitting cross-legged in front of the television with a manic expression and the boundless enthusiasm usually reserved for bands of children in Enid Blyton books.
But it's not my first time. Maybe it's yours though, in which case I urge you to have a quick look at my review of We Love Katamari because I extol all of its virtues there and nothing has changed. If you've not played it before, and you're looking for something unlike anything you've played before I can say with complete confidence that this will be as magical for you as the first game was for me. If you did play the original and just want more of the same, you'll love Beautiful Katamari, it's perfect for you. For me though, I can't help but want the same feeling of revolution that I had back in the day. But then, I'm a horrible horrible person and quite probably dead inside.
GAME's Verdict
- It's still an absolute joy to play.
- It still has one of the best soundtracks ever.
- While the graphics haven't been given a full HD overhaul, they're extra smooth now.
- There's nothing new here for those returning to the series.
- The King's inane ramblings have lost their edge.
- There's still camera and control issues.
Review by: Iain Thomas
Version Tested: Xbox 360
Review Published: 29.02.08