Katamari Damacy is a simple, well executed, fun, and weird game that will keep you coming back.
User Rating: 9.1 | Katamari Damacy PS2
When I first heard of Katamari Damacy, I knew that I would love it. I also figured that I would never get to play it unless I imported it. When the news came out that the game was being brought to the U.S.A, I was ecstatic. Yet with that happiness came worry, for I have played very few weird Japanese games, and I thought that perhaps this game wouldn't live up to my expectations. I was wrong. Katamari Damacy starts out with a blaze of brilliance. The opening cut-scene hooks the player immediately with its strange blend of Monty Python and Yellow Submarine style animation. The energy it establishes for the game is wholly appropriate, and the player is immediately dropped into a quick and effective tutorial. From the tutorial, players are then asked to make their first star from some junk on a table. After that, the game progresses by allowing you to grow larger and larger and to explore more expansive areas. The story is ludicrous and minimal. It's just enough to keep the game moving, and not too sparse. I wouldn't ask for anything more or less. The gameplay is extremely fun and it seems like I will never tire of rolling things up into the katamari. The controls work really well, and convey the difficulty and momentum of rolling a ball much larger than yourself. The only place that the gameplay suffers is the difficulty - each stage initially feels like its ridiculously easy or near impossible depending on the players ability to control the ball. As I played more though, the challenge became more faceted - strategies become evident for making a record breaking size Katamari, or for completing your objective with utmost speed. As the player learns the levels and the control, the difficulty and challenge even out, but there is still a rather large gap to cross when first playing before the game really presents itself in full. When playing for the first time, it felt more like a toy than a game - which is definately not a bad thing. The sound and music in this game are the best part of the whole package. The sound effects are wonderful and chaotic, and the music is top quality. I found myself falling in love with the music right off the bat, and I have comitted to buying the soundtrack if it ever becomes available. The music fits the action perfectly as well - driving and at the same time soothing, it motivates the player to grow the Katamari, but keep cool about it at the same time. The graphics are unimpressive at first, but as the level grows and grows, the graphics become a true marvel. Just imagine the graphics initially as extremely zoomed in and appreciation will come. For the $20 price tag, Katamari Damacy is a must buy for any PS2 owner. It would be worth the full $50. I personally find the songs to be worth $20 alone! 
