Beautiful Katamari (360) Review ... (3 out of 10)
November 7 , 2007 ... Review by Mike
I rented Beautiful Katamari because my wonderful co-host the King of Reading told me that this game was superb. Let me preface this review by saying I LOVED Katamari Daimacy and I enjoyed “We Love Katamai.” With that being said … I’m done with these games.
The first game was incredibly quirky and innovative … and it was easy to overlook the clunky controls and questionable art style and graphics. We’d never seen anything like it so this was a game that flew under the radar and came out of nowhere. However … three years later … this game hasn’t evolved at all. It is still the same ish on a different console.
The graphics are terrible for this generation … and the controls feel even more clunky than I remember them. The co-op is a joke and I see no reason why this game costs $40. The original game for the PS2 cost a whopping $20 the day it came out … and that is one of the reasons it did so well. If this game was a $15 downloadable game … then I could see this effort being worth it … but at the current price point … it’s going to stay on the shelf for me.
Gameplay: Blah. The controls of this game need a major overhaul. I’m not going to lie … this is the major reason this game is getting a low score from me. Here’s a brainstorm … make the left stick movement and the right stick camera … instantly add 4 review points. This would make the game easier sure … but a game shouldn’t be challenging because the controls are broken.
Single Player Experience: Pretty much what you are used to from the last game … you progress though stages and make stars and planets out of trash. Unlike Chad I don’t give a crap for the story of this game (which is always the same as well)
Multiplayer Experience: Since the co-op is a joke … the only multiplayer experience that is worth a damn is comparing achievement points
with buddies.
Visuals: This cost this game another couple of points … the art style and blocky graphics looked cute in the first game … but seriously … try harder or charge less for your game.
Sound: I can’t fault the game here … the sound effects are funny and Japanese … and the soundtrack is really fun to listen to.
Value: Fail. $40 is way too much to charge for this game. I beat 3 stages and completed 19% of the game which means this game has 15-18 stages at the most. A 15 stage game would be perfect for a $15 downloadable game … and I can’t justify buying this game for full price. If you have to play it … rent it.
Overall: Too much of the same thing from Namco here … with a game that rested on it’s innovation at first … it needs to keep innovating to stay on top for me. Beautiful Katamari had done nothing to keep me interested … 3 out of 10.
Beautiful Katamari At A Glance |
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3 |
The Goods |
Great Soundtrack / Stages Try to Vary from one another |
The Flaws |
Too much of the same thing / $40 price is $20 too expensive / controls feel more clunky than usual / grpahics need more than HD polish |
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Flawed |
The Verdict |
Personally I'm done with Katamari ... It needs a facelift, control overhaul, and better Online multiplayer. If you're new to the series, you may enjoy this game for a little while. |
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