The PSP version of Katamari Damashi is quite simply an incredibly fun game. The biggest concern has to do with the controls, but you need not be worried. Everything works beautifully and cohesively to give you rolling-up-everything-in-sight powers while on the go. Note that this is an entirely new game, and not a port of any of the 2 previous PS2 titles.
Lets get right down to it, the controls. You're used to having two analog sticks, but for the PSP version you'll be using the D-pad and control buttons (square, triangle, x, o). The mechanics are the same, to go forward you press Up and Triangle, to rotate you press Triangle and Down, etc etc. Getting the hang of the new controls will take you a little longer to get used to. But once you complete the first level or two, you'll quickly get caught up in the fun and totally forget having to think of what to press to turn around and roll up that batch of noisy kids.
The gameplay is exactly what you've come to love. The King still deals down seemingly endless diatribes about whatnot, but now when you complete a strage, your final katamari roll gets turned into islands on a fresh new planet. A new theory of creationism?
There are some fun new things in the game, such as new environments and even being able to roll inside a building and snatch up ramen bowls from eating customers at a restaurant or tatami mats at a hotel. You may also notic that the game feels a little more difficult. As this was made for a portable system, you have less time to complete your objectives, say 6 minutes to get from 5m to 15m. It'll take you a number of tries to figure out the best strategy for each stage. Sometimes it's best to just run through the level as fast as you can, rather than slowly picking up all the pieces in an area before moving on. The extra challenge breathes more life into the game.
Katamari's visuals haven't changed a bit. You still get the same polygons, but some new items to roll up. As with most PSP games, the graphics actually look better on the PSP due to the smaller screen. The music features many of the same tracks you already know, but there are a few new gems as well.
Loading times are barely noticeable. The PS2 versions have longer loading times. Going into a building takes about half a second and loading up an entirely new stage takes about 3-5 seconds. The loading times are only worth mentioning because they're so short. Brilliant.
If you're picking up this import, you shouldn't have any problems with the language. The king never really says anything important anyway, and you can easily figure out how to save and what the objective is (ie, rolling up things).
If you've enjoyed Katamari on the PS2, you'd be a fool to pass on this game. Don't worry about the controls, you'll get the hang of it quick enough. Boku no Watashi no Katamari Damashi is enough of the same game while bringing a few new tricks to keep it fresh and fun. The experience of rolling up people, dogs and buildings while riding in a car or subway cannot be missed.
Thanks for the review chief! It was really good. I'm gonna wait till March though. I like the idea of a higher difficulty on top of having less than intuitive controls! This not for the Katamari newbies that's for sure. And hearing about the loading times is a huge shock.
It's a great game to play, look at and listen to. But it's very very easy. It won't take more than a few days (about 15 to 20 game hours) to get to the end. You then can revisit levesl to get all the items, cousins and gifts but as many of the later levels are combinations of older levels you will get a bit bored to see the same thing over and over.
I have the JAp version and it is mostly brilliant, but I advise peeps to sit tight for a U.S/U.K release as the crazy text dialogue that pours from King Katamari's mouth in the series is a great part of the games.
One of the greatest soundtracks in a game ever too.
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