This Katamari game is a great addition to the series. It's controls, though is tricky to learn, is actually a big plus.
The answer is yes. Once more the creators have done a good job of putting a brand new Katamari game to the PSP. Of course, it has it's flaws but it's still fun to play around and is still addicting.
Once again, the players control the small Prince of All Cosmos. After returning all the stars back to space after the King triggered a Cosmo accident, And after pleasing all of the fans of the King of All Cosmos, the royal family takes a vacation to the sunflower continent! Good for them, yes! But it just so happens they have destroyed the animals's islands. So once again, your demanding father sends you across the Sunflower continent to roll more stuff to make them in to islands!
This game plays different from the other games. First of all the controls are different. Instead of using the analog stick to roll Katamaris, you use the D-Pad and the four face buttons instead of the usual analog sticks. But it works quite well. After the tutorial, you learn how to use it and it grows on you. The game is actually made more challenging because of the new controls, but at the same time, the controls are more fun to use because of that extra challenge. Another thing is that the animals have their own preference as an island. One would want a bright island while the other wants to have Beautiful Island. This brings some extra challenge too and more fun. Your final grade will be composed of the Total number of "Beautiful/Cool/Bright/etc." Points and the Size of your Katamari. So as you roll stuff, you must also be careful of what you roll since rolling ceratain objects will increase your Beautiful/Cool/Bright/etc. points. Of course, size also matters. In the end, if your final grade is 80 points and more, you unlock the Eternal Stage.
Another thing is that for each stage, you actually go to different places. One will roll in a small house but after surpassing the needed size of Katamari, you are transported to another place. You can find yourself in a snowy town or a busy town where a feast is starting. However, these places are often recycled and can get boring sometimes. And lastly, there are still some themed stages that play differently from the other stages. Gameplay: 8
The graphics are obviously tuned down. Frame Rates can also slow down at certain times but it doesn't happen frequently and isn't really a threat. However, for a portable device the graphics looks stunning. The game nearly looks like the PS2 game. Graphics: 9
The music is another disappointing factor. Why? Because nearly every song were taken from the previous games. Of course, there are new songs which are very catchy (Katamari on the Funk and Mr. Sunshine!) but I wished that there are new songs. Of course, the old songs are still fun and very catchy to hear. Sound: 7
The game was pretty much addicting. There is less stuff do this time. Less number of stages... and recycled places. They could have done somethings better. However, the game is still fun. For the first time you get to see what the game would have looked like in the 16-bit era. You can also collect various gifts which you can dress on the Prince and also you can control the cousins of the prince.
In the end, the Katamari series ended in a fun way. The game will make you lose hours of sleep and make you excited. To those who are interested, you might want to pick We Love Katamari and Katamari Damacy, which are the first two games.