Beautiful Katamari Reviewed by IGN

Right from the opening movie you know that Beautiful Katamari is something special. Its wacky style is guaranteed to bring a grin to the face of the most hardcore gamer and it's a welcome addition to the barren category of family friendly games on 360. There's a decent attempt to extend game through online multiplayer but once again Katamari's biggest downfall is that the magic is short lived. Despite a few problems the game is still a joy to behold and a guaranteed smile in a box.

Overall score: 7.8/10

[wil4hire]

Well.. you guys do have all of those FPS.

[Bnet343]

7.8 is higher then the 7.0 IGN gave Heavenly Sword. Ouch indeed.

[Marceles]

A former PS3 exclusive that the 360 can have...can't believe some xbox fans actually put this on their holiday AAA good games list.

[wageslave]

Is the 7.8 not good enough for you? Exactly how many quality family-friendly games does the PS3 have?

There are about 80 Xbox LIVE Arcade title that fill that role very well. Kameo is a family friendly title, and it has a Metacritic score of 7.9; the same as Heavenly Sword, and 0.3 better than Folklore.

Crash Bandicoot is due out soon too, and it is probably going to end up being 7.0 - 8.0. Again, its not exactly Mario Galaxy, but it will end up with a higher score (probably) than anything remotely "family friendly" on PS3.

Heck, the best exlusive game is Resistance: FoM at 8.6 / 10. There are 9 Xbox 360 exclusives that score better than 8.6.

"Ouch" indeed. That said, Beautiful Katamari is a fantasticly fun game, its going to be wonderful to have at parties w/ buddies.

Cant wait to roll up the universe.

[mirroredderorrim]

I don't think this game will sell too well on Xbox. I was genuinely sad when I found out it was canceled for PS3.

[skynidas]

not a such a good score

[BloodySinner]

Well deserved rating, actually.

[sak500]

If its not budget priced then its not selling. 360 owners are more mature than playing games like this and ratchet and clank. Psteenagers would like this one.

[Armyless]

If you've played the game, and I mean sat down and rolled along a scale mind-phuk unwinds in your mind.

Scale.

The barriers that kept you confined in the hallway can now be rolled up... and all the barriers now for that matter. Holy sh!t we just picked up a car. What next? What's bigger than a car?

Yes we would love to take it if you don't want it.

[wageslave]

hey, you might be pleasantly surprised. It surely is an acquired taste, but it's probably the first new fun puzzle game in 3D.

Think of it more like a quirky 3D tetris-kinda-thing. Its very Zen trying to establish a smooth roll.

Give it another shot -- try it on rental at least.

[Covenant]

MS is trying hard to bring family gamers to the 360, but I just don't see the 360 having the kind of mass-market appeal necessary to bring in the family crowd. Look at Viva Pinata for a good example.

I think this will sell some, mostly to people looking for a break from action/war games (plenty of those to choose from), but it will be a niche title, a moderate seller at best. (I might be wrong, tho).

I heard a rumor that this might come to the Wii; I can see it being a HUGE hit on that console.

[wageslave]

Xbox 360 has a very good chance of meeting the mass market. Its the only console with a broad enough offering that satisfies the whole family.

Viva Pinata is a terrific title, great art direction and gameplay. I think you'll be seeing a lot of Viva Pinata from MS. Someone licensed the IP for a childrens cartoon, and MS is doing Viva Pinata: Party Animals which looks like another great game.

The Xbox 360 Arcade is going be a great price as a gift, and the Xmass 07 bundles come with 2 games, Forza Motorsport 2 is known to be a top tier racing game (9.0 / 10 on Metacritic) and Marvel Ultimate Alliance (8.6 / 10 on Metacritic) is very youth and mass market oriented ("Hey, this one comes with a Spider Man game!")

I believe Wii has gone after the lower end market, and doesnt really have much to offer the modern game player.

A game like Beautiful Katamari shows that the Developer and Publisher certainly believe that Xbox 360 has a general appeal that just wants a "fun game".

[xplosneer]

Except no matter which way you cut it, and no matter how many times someone says well Xbox only has 20% shooters, that's really what It will be remembered for.

[GoLeafsGo]

Na na
Na na na nana na na na na na nana na

=)! Good times.

[Prismo_Fillusion]

All 360 games just look like PS2 ports. This system's graphics are way sub-par.

Wait, I can't generalize when I'm talking about the 360, but I can with the Wii? Damn.

But seriously, Katamari games are a lot of fun, but this doesn't seem to bring much new stuff to the table. I would've liked to have seen better detailed objects. And don't tell me "it's the art style of the game" because that's beginning to become an excuse that I'm not a fan of.

[wageslave]

Would you have preferred the game to look like "real-life"?

And, since when is art-style an excuse? Get your head out of your arse.

From your perspective, the only thing wrong with this game is that Namco Bandai didnt bring it to your PS3DO. Give it a rest, your fanboy is showing.

[Prismo_Fillusion]

Yay, you're wrong. Now I get to show you why.

1. I don't think katamari games should be photo-realistic - and I never said anything close to that. I like the art style of the game, and if it was photo-realistic it would ruin that. But that being said, the graphics could look better, without murdering the style of the game.

2. I don't care that Katamari isn't on the Wii (No, I don't own a PS3, though maybe I should pick one up just in spite of you). I really don't mind if the other systems get good casual player games too. Competition is one factor that makes games better, and then we all win.

3. I own an Xbox and have never owned a Gamecube, and I love the Halo series - Halo 3 is a lot of fun. So take your calling me a fanboy and shove it where the sun don't shine.

[Armyless]

the more I want to play it. I am a closet Katamari addict. (There are not support groups for this kind of thing, other than just playing the game... tell me what it's like in teeth-sinking detail and let me enjoy it from a distance.

[Amp]

Between the music, gameplay, and the King of the Cosmos, you will laugh playing this game.I highly reccomend this game to all

[Charlie2688]

Ill have to try the demo before buying cuz as funny as it sound I have never played a Katamari game before :S

[riksweeney]

It won't sell in Japan because not enough people own a 360 and it won't sell in the West because, well, it's not Halo 3.

Shame really.