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Game Information

Release Date: October 16, 2007
Developer: Namco, Now Production
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Platform(s): Xbox 360
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1-4

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Synopsis

Experience the new high-definition, next generation sights and sounds of Beautiful Katamari as the Prince takes on a new high-rolling adventure, with his famous cousins in town, to save the Katamari universe once again after the King of All Cosmos has a very un-royal and unfortunate accident. As usual, the King of All Cosmos demands the service of his son, the Prince, to roll anything and everything up into massive clumps and set things right, bringing harmony once again to the Katamari Cosmos.

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Story

The story starts off with the King of All Cosmos, his Queen, and the Prince all playing tennis in their backyard when out of no where the King serves the ball in the most powerful way imaginable. This serve was so powerful that it punctured a hole into the universe creating a black hole that sucked everything into it but Earth. The King then commands the Prince to roll up all of the katamaris to recreate all of the planets, moons, and suns. Once he finishes it, the King then orders him to create some sort of mega katamari, one large enough to cover the black hole and stop it. In the end he accomplishes it and the King takes all of his credit.

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Gameplay

Throughout the entirety of the game you play as the Prince, who controls a katamari, where you just roll things up into a ball. At first you will only be able to collect objects that are smaller than you, such as fences, people, dogs, bushes, and so on. Once you have gotten large enough you will start to be able to collect cars, houses, buildings, planes, and eventually planets. Some of these missions will require you to collect certain things in order to build something or protect something. In a separate mode you unlock after the first mission is called "time attack". In this mode you have to build up your katamari to a certain size before the time is completely out. There is also a secret mode you can unlock once you have beaten a mission with a perfect score. This mode will allow you to rill things up freely without any time limit, essentially a free-roam mode.

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Graphics

The graphics in Beautiful Katamari are quite extraordinary. In each mission, there will be vast areas where you can roll around and collect things and everything in them from the characters to the environments are all extremely detailed. The lighting and shadowing is done really well and the framerate runs extremely smooth, considering the only real "action" you get is building up your ball. However, once you have gotten large enough the game will lag here and there.

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Controls

Considering all you do is roll around and collect things by simply running them over, there really isn't anything complex. The analog sticks will basically do everything you need in the game from rolling around, stopping, going in reverse, and getting rid of things (just bump into something). One of those games where you will instantly know how to play when you pick up the controller.

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Ratings

Gameplay: 9.5/10
Graphics: 9/10
Controls: 10/10
Overall: 9.6/10