User Reviews (1 - 11 of 240)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

SIMPLY AMAZING

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 20
Date: September 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Never before have I posted a review on Amazon.com, but this title moved me to the point where I felt compelled to spread the word about what I consider thus far to be the game of 2004. I have played video games for over 20 years now, and would have to say this has quickly ascended to one of the top 10 games I have ever played, regardless of platform. The concept is simple, yet challenging: you control a "Katamari" with the 2 joysticks on the PS2 pad, and navigate it to various elevated platforms, as well as claustrophobic areas, often obscured by low clearance awnings, all along the way, compiling diverse objects. The object of the game is to amass these objects to the target diameter of each individual level within a prescribed amount of time. I was able to play through the first 4 levels last night, the last of which took me 7 attempts to conquer. The game's object and controls are easy to pick up, as well as the simple objective, but the game quickly becomes challenging. This is the essence, in my view, of what makes video gaming great. The objects available for capture at the onset of the level are small in scale, ranging from jacks, screws, and paperweights, and, when the diameter of the katamari expands, the objects begin to increase in size, to eventually calculators, trading cards, and, where I left off last night, small animals, such as rats and cats. The beauty of the game is the larger objects are not collectable at first when your Katamari is too small in diameter, they merely rebound off of the larger objects, as your Katamari increases, you will bounce off of the larger objects, and they will begin to sway. You know you are then close to being able to collect these objects as well. All the while, a clock in the background ticks down to the target time, as you begin to scurry the Katamari frantically through areas that you can access as the diameter of the Katamari enlarges. You also run the risk of shattering the Katamari if you direct it into small areas, thereby decreasing its diameter. The genre it most closely resembles is a puzzle, but even that is unfair because there is simply no antecedent to compare this game to. Second to the gameplay, the soundtrack in this game is simply entralling. Throughout the course of this morning, I find myself 12 hours later humming the soundtrack to level 4 of the game. The previous levels soundtracks are no less catchy. I have read the reason why this game does not rate higher is because of its lack of replayability: the game is too short. Pay that no heed, this game has endless challenges to it, there is a massive object compilier list that keeps track of all objects captured throughout the game, it is conceivable to play through this game without getting nearly all the objects. There all also hidden bonuses and areas to unlock. All for 20 dollars. I would buy this game for 50 dollars, suffice to say, in a year or 2, retailers will be selling this game for 4 or 5 times the list price. It will be a collector's items, when I bought my copy yesterday, I was able to purchase the last in the store. The retailer had only ordered 3 copies of Katamari Damacy, when I phoned in all 3 copies were available, 4 hours later, 2 of the copies had gone, and I purchased the last. My advice is if you are reading this as of the end of September 04, to run, not walk to your nearest store, and with any luck at all, a copy will be available for purchase. In the age of big production videogaming, with endless sequels, and lack of originiality, this game harkens back to the golden era of videogaming when developers had to be truly creative, and placed true substance over style. My highest recommendation.

One of the Most Underrated Games Ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: September 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is outstanding! I first saw it on Cinematech (a show on G4TechTV) and was intrigued by the graphics. After reading praise for it from many magazines, I decided to pick it up.

You play the role of a prince whose father (King of the universe) "accidentally" knocked all of the stars out of the sky. It is your job to recreate stars (and some of the major constellations) to repopulate the sky.

Sounds pretty unique, but it is the gameplay that gets you. You push a "katamari" (Japanese for ball) around, and it picks up items that are smaller than it. You start by picking up thumbtacks and sticks of gum; eventually you can pick up people, animals, and houses!

Most stages are timed, making the manic nature of the game even more fun. This game has great music, decent graphics, and the kind of "old school" simple fun that is lacking in a lot of today's newer games.

Its $20 price tag makes it affordable, but its gameplay will keep you coming back for more!

If Mr. Sparkle made a game...this would be it!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: September 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Simpsons fans will remember the episode where Homer discovered his image on a box of Japanese laundry detergent called "Mr. Sparkle" and viewed a bizarre commercial for the product with monkeys banging drums, beautiful girls turning into sumos, fish flying around and all kinds of crazy imagery.

If Mr. Sparkle ever made a videogame, it would be Katamari Damashi. As soon as you pop in the disc the weirdness begins, with ducks singing in Japanese, pandas doing acrobatics, a god-like king figure shooting rainbows out of his mouth, and once the game starts, it only gets better!

You roll a ball around various Japanese environments (including sushi tables and little gardens), collecting all manner of bizarre junk as you go. Everything from nail polish to a still flipping fish to a robot Santa Claus. Each item you collect actually adheres to the ball and becomes a part of it.

For example, if you pick up a pencil, the ends will actually protrude out the end of your ball, and you will even prop up onto its point as that side rolls underneath!

The scale changes dramatically during a single level and you'll soon move from the table top to the city streets, rolling up vending machines, furniture and even people who will wiggle and shreik as they join the ride.

There is no way to express the joy of turning the tables on objects that used to dwarf you but are now globbed onto your ball in the dozens!

The audio is like something from a sushi bar Karoake machine... a strange mix of lounge, jazz, big band, electronic...mostly all with Japanese lyrics. The graphics, while simplistic, are done with style. You might compare them to Parapa the Rappa, which also had overly simplistic graphics but used them to its advantage.

This is one of those games that you end up playing for hours more than you intended, just to get to see what surprises the next level has in store.

BUY BUY BUY this game!

Quirky Goodness

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: September 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is a rare gem. When this game was released a while ago in Japan, hardly anyone thought that this quirky game would ever make it over here.

This game is about rolling a katamari -- a ball -- over objects. Like a snowball, the katamari will grow with each object added and depending on the stage, will start out as a few cm high and eventually be able to roll over cities themselves.

The premise is simple, and the graphics aren't mindblowing but it's genuinely fun, new and interesting. Most of the cookie cutter games dare not venture out of traditional mold, but this game begs to differ.

In addition, it's $26.99 CAD! Show your support for one of the most original titles to be released this year.

a true original

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: October 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Playful, inventive, joyously addictive... I'm not sure which adjectives can describe this game properly. It's like Monty Python and "Magical Mystery Tour"-era Beatles moved to Japan, got pregnant and did a lot of drugs. This is their love child.

As earlier previews noted, the object is to roll a "katamari" through the environment until it gets large enough for the approval of "The King Of All Cosmos" in the alloted time limit. His demands are low at first (10 cm) but with each level, the ball must get bigger. Also, what you can pick up depends on how big your katamari is. At first, just pushpins and stamps are added, but the objects available get bigger in a hurry. If you bump a larger object too hard, pieces of your katamari are dislodged. If the object is almost big enough to stick but not quite, it will wobble when you touch it.

Controls are easy. You use both analog sticks (like tank tracks) to steer the katamari. I have passed four levels and one bonus level now without using the "Jump" or "Look" features (L1 and R1 buttons). You'll also love the soundtrack, and the complete absurdity of the plot is a scream. This will be a cult classic very soon.

Katamari Damashi - quirky name, great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: October 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I found out about this quirky little gem through a review in the October issue of NewType magazine. The premise sounded intriguing and so I picked up this title. Best purchase I've made for the PS2 yet.

The premise is addictively simple yet complex enough that it holds your interest for hours (The first night I owned this title I was playing until 1AM!) As the katamari (ball) that you are pushing grows and picks up more and more objects it becomes an even greater challenge to keep the ball rolling the way you want it to, especially if you pick up items that are odd shapes like waterguns, cats, etc.

The purpose of all this pushing and collecting is explained in a backstory that is both weird yet oddly amusing at the same time, as you as trying to gather up enough mass with your ball to replace stars in the sky that your father accidentally destroyed. The father speaks in a disjointed manner that suggests he's still not over whatever it was that drove him to do this in the first place.

The only quibble I have with the game is that to "run" with the ball you have to be able to rapidly move the two analog control sticks up and down in opposite directions, something that I'm not physically capable of doing. A minor quibble, since moving too fast usually leads to collisions that break off things that you've collected anyways.

A quirky, fun game that will keep you entertained for hours and its so inexpensive to boot! You can't pass this one up.

Weird, weird, weird....and really good!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 203 / 215
Date: October 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

One thing can be said for certain: you haven't played a game like this before. Everything about this game is off-the-wall, but it works. When you load the game for the first time, you will be greeted with giraffes, rainbows, bicycles, and a plethora of other things- all performing some contorted dance- just for you. Welcome to the world of Katamari Damacy, where the gameplay is original and surprisingly addictive. Your goal?- roll your sticky ball around to collect the "objects from earth". As your ball gets bigger, you can pick up bigger things. So you go on a hunt to keep growing your ball. The levels you play in are simply huge- I never felt like I had seen everything in a level- so replay level is quite high. Meanwhile, the background music is a lot of fun, good enough to put you in a good mood if the rest of the game doesn't. And the story- without ruining anything- has to be the product of mixing drugs and alcohol. The controls are quite simple, employing only the analog sticks and a couple shoulder buttons (although I never found much use for the shoulder buttons). When I heard about and found the game, I worried that it would be too simplistic to entertain me- it seems my worries were unfounded; Katamari Damacy is a great game for everyone....and cheap, too!

It is the very best kind of damacy!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: October 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is a gem, particularly for those who like things with a little bit of Japanese oddness. The graphics are rather plain, but after you've had the opportunity to roll your katamari through a crowd of screaming schoolchildren, you just won't care.

The play mechanics of this game bring up a number of implementation problems that are very deftly solved. I also like the way the game has been prepared for the American market. It has all the distinctiveness (I assume) of the original with a distinctly noninterventionist feel (witness the name). But at the same time, the translation into English is superb.

Marble Madness Gone, well, Mad

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 107 / 123
Date: October 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After first reading about this game in PSM, in a small article in the back of the magazine, and then finding discussions everywhere on the web I was intrigued. I found it in a bigbox for cheap so I bought it. It is great. It is a nice diversion from killing people, and scoring touchdowns (both of which I enjoy tremendously). The game is a trip. It is very odd, but the music rocks, the graphics are trippy and the controls are flawless. THIS IS THE BEST BARGAIN THERE IS IN PS2 GAMES.

Surreal game, flawlessly executed

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 51 / 54
Date: October 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I really hope the success of this game convinces publishers to bring over more off-the-wall Japanese titles. This game is awesome. Gameplay is very simple: you roll around a ball (using the analog sticks in a control scheme reminiscent of Battlezone) and things stick to it. That's it. There are basically two kind of challenges: get the ball to be a certain size, or pick up as many of something as you can find. (Katamari Damacy loosely translates as "ball of stuff.")

While this may not sound like the world's most exciting way to spend your time, the flawless execution gives Katamari Damacy the simple, in-the-zone addictiveness of Tetris. The backstory is bizzare: your father, the King of All Cosmos, goes on what sounds very much like an acid trip and breaks all the stars. When he sobers up, he finds that everyone is annoyed, so he tasks you with going to Earth to collect raw material to rebuild the sky. The raw material turns out to be anything from thumbtacks to people to ships. The King's disconnected, slightly deranged speech patterns add much to the style of the game, as does the intro video, which is better seen than described. Add to that another side of the story told by following a Japanese family in very weird, stylistic interstitials and you've got a very surreal experience.

Katamari Damacy is backed by a soundtrack that would be worth $20 by itself. With replay value assured by levels that are easy to conquer but difficult to do perfectly, this game is a great addition to anyone's console library.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions