bit-tech Shopping: Namco Beautiful Katamari (XB360)

• 1080i (HDTV)
• 1080p (HDTV)
• 720p (HDTV)

Rating: 6

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: (1) Sharper graphics than the PS2 entries(2) Original concept for a game if you have not played the PS2 versions

Weaknesses: (1) Why so short? (2) Not much of a graphical improvement of PS2 games (3) Repetitive

Summary: Meet the new Katamari, same as the old Katamari. You will notice the graphics are sharper than the PS2 games, but there is nothing really done with the additional cpu power that is available on the 360. This is a unique and fun game but it is very short (as many have mentioned) and does not feel like a full game. The camera is a bit troublesome and unwieldly and the game does get repetitive and mindless after a while. If you have not Katamari'ed before, this would warrant a playthrough at the right price. Otherwise, I would suggest you pick up one of the more satisfying PS2 entries.

Rating: 4

Time with product: 5 Days

Strengths: Unique

Weaknesses: Repetitive

Summary: Beautiful Katamari is a unique game, you roll around the world picking up stuff as you gradually become bigger and able to roll over bigger objects. It is a very simple concept, made challenging by a few stipulations thrown in. One of the biggest problems though is that the camera is downright terrible, and it can make some of the levels a chore to complete. A better camera would have made the game a lot more enjoyable to me. It can also get repetitive, so keep that in mind. To me, this is just a decent game, but for someone that liked the previous Katamaris, they may enjoy it.

Rating: 8

Time with product:

Strengths: Same addictive gameplay, colorful graphics, catchy bizarre J-pop tunes

Weaknesses: Short time to completion, have to pay to download many of the additional content, graphics aren't much better than the PS2 version

Summary: If you've never payed a Katamari game, it's pretty hard to explain. Basically, you start from a small ball and roll up everything in site, including food, clothing, rocks, plants, animals, and eventually other people, vehicles, houses and even entire continents. Bizarre, yes. But basically you have to do this on each level in different locations and reach certain goals (reach a certain size within a time limit, roll up a certain amount of specific items within a specific time limit, etc.). It's as much fun as you remember it on the PS2. Unfortunately, it also doesn't do much more than was on the PS2. Graphics look similar, control is basically the same, and this game is inexplicably shorter than the original PS2 games. In order to get more game play, you need to actually pay to download it. That's just ridiculous. If you can get past that though, there's lots of fun to be had here.

Rating: 6

Time with product: 1

Strengths: Improved graphics; catchy music; still good core gameplay; online play

Weaknesses: Not a lot has changed; basically half a game unless you download the additional content

Summary: It's great to finally see a Katamari game in HD. While the graphics themselves have never been the strongest point of this series, the art style does benefit from the higher resolution, helping make the game look more like the fantasy cartoon that it is in many ways. This isn't really a revolutionary take on the Katamari franchise-- it's just a graphically enhanced take. In that sense, if you've already played the other games, there is a lot of fun to be had in this one, but don't expect anything radically different. There is a very distinct charm and flair to this series-- if you haven't played it before, this is as good a place to start as any. It's also nice because it's a very family friendly game, and there is a lot of fun to be had even if you don't meet all the level objectives just rolling your katamari around and seeing how different objects collect. There is online play but I wasn't able to test that since I don't have an Xbox Live Gold account. The game itself is very short, with additional levels available for download. As others have mentioned it appears those levels are already on the disc so Namco is just being greedy and charging for them. I'm giving the game 3 stars-- it would have been 4, but having to pay for content that is already on the disc just reeks of trying to milk this franchise for every last penny, which I can't respect (or reward). But it is a really good game, and now that it's available at a budget price everywhere I guess the downloadable content price is a little more palatable.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3

Strengths: Great graphics and sounds, addictive gameplay, online play

Weaknesses: Short game w/o DLC, evolutionary, not revolutionary

Summary: Beautiful Katamari is the 360 entry in the katamari games from the PS2. In this installment, the graphics are updated for HD, and they look great. The quirky sounds and songs from the other titles are here and also sound great. The controls take a little getting used to for new players, though the game of rolling the katamari around to pick up items is fun and addictive. The single-player gameplay is short, though there's DLC to unlock for a fee. The DLC appears to be already on the disc, so it's a bit of a sting to pay for it. Online play against others over XBL is fun and gives the game some good replay value. Any katamari fans should pick this up, as well as any odd-game lovers.