Me and my Katamari Final Impressions

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As the single player campaign goes it is pretty nice, graphics and environments look great!. Pop in is apparent occasionally in the levels with TONS Of buildings later on but it isn't really a big deal. Control is great and intuitive. I wish they would let you use the analog for the left and buttons for the right because for some reason I end up pressing too hard with my left hand instinctivly as the ball gets larger and more hard to control. However it's been a great experience!

And best of all that 2d Katamari Lvl at the end of the credits is great. It also has an inbuilt Song Test mode which is nice and the music (despite some of it being from older vers of the game) is great! They have some nice songs

lol Animal Medley of Katamari songs for the win!!!!

anyway definetly worth it. Sadly I dont know anyone else with it so I can't do multiplayer but the singleplayer has been a blast even though I could not understand most of the nonsense the king was saying ;).

Should be coming to the states in March I hear
 
nickmad your sig is really funny.

this is the first game that actually makes me want to own a psp. hopefully i can get a friend to buy it.
 
[quote name='sevdustflyer']I'm worried they will release this at 40 dollars.[/QUOTE]

i won't be surprised...i remember they said they were gonna release WLK for 20 bucks and it inflated to 30 bucks.
 
I agree, this game is pretty extensive, it's worth 40 for sure. I'm pretty sure it will be 39

import was 49

ps the 2d game kicks ass :)
 
[quote name='gambitmachete']Portable Katamari = worth $40.[/QUOTE]

I disagree, one of the charms of the Katamari series is that it's good CHEAP fun. if it goes for more than $30 I'll have to pass.
 
[quote name='iheartmetal']this is the first game that actually makes me want to own a psp.[/QUOTE]Same here. The closest thing prior to this was Lumines. I hope the PSP will eventually get a price drop because $290 is way too much for me to play a Katamari game...
 
[quote name='-Never4ever-']I disagree, one of the charms of the Katamari series is that it's good CHEAP fun. if it goes for more than $30 I'll have to pass.[/QUOTE]

The fact that it was cheap was just a bonus.
 
[quote name='gambitmachete']The fact that it was cheap was just a bonus.[/QUOTE]

No not really, by offering at a cheaper price it was easy to ignore the cheap'o graphics and non-existent replay value (not to mention that it was a pretty short game). I like KD as a cheap franchise, at $20 I loved KD, at $30 I thought ELK, but I'd have to be nuts to pluck down $39.99 for an inferior version of something that can be had WAY cheaper. From my experience with it so far, I'd say $30 would be the extent I'd be willing to pay, and only if I'm really desperate for a new PSP game (not likely, considering that I still have back log of DS games to go through).
 
[quote name='-Never4ever-']No not really, by offering at a cheaper price it was easy to ignore the cheap'o graphics and non-existent replay value (not to mention that it was a pretty short game). I like KD as a cheap franchise, at $20 I loved KD, at $30 I thought ELK, but I'd have to be nuts to pluck down $39.99 for an inferior version of something that can be had WAY cheaper. From my experience with it so far, I'd say $30 would be the extent I'd be willing to pay, and only if I'm really desperate for a new PSP game (not likely, considering that I still have back log of DS games to go through).[/QUOTE]

Oh. I love the graphics and have played through both games many times. The fact that the game is portable is worth the extra $10 to me, since I have been enjoying my portables more than my consoles these days.
 
people weary about the controls shouldnt be too worried. It's pretty well translated over. Read most reviews and u'll get the same impressions. My main concern was replayability. more PSP games need infrastructure. It's hard to find people with psps with the same game
 
[quote name='-Never4ever-']No not really, by offering at a cheaper price it was easy to ignore the cheap'o graphics and non-existent replay value (not to mention that it was a pretty short game). I like KD as a cheap franchise, at $20 I loved KD, at $30 I thought ELK, but I'd have to be nuts to pluck down $39.99 for an inferior version of something that can be had WAY cheaper. From my experience with it so far, I'd say $30 would be the extent I'd be willing to pay, and only if I'm really desperate for a new PSP game (not likely, considering that I still have back log of DS games to go through).[/QUOTE]

Katamari Damacy's hook was its unusual graphics, unique gameplay, and surprisingly addictive replay value. You're ragging on it for everything it that made the game great.
 
[quote name='Trakan']Katamari Damacy's hook was its unusual graphics, unique gameplay, and surprisingly addictive replay value. You're ragging on it for everything it that made the game great.[/QUOTE]

Well the beauty was it was done great...for $20. If KD came out at $40 originaly I can't imagine it having the kind of following it does today. Just like the cheap 2k series is what drew some people away from the EA franchises.
 
Damn, I can't wait for this game. I've been needing some new Katamari fun. I only have two PSP games I found worth buying and I wouldn't mind adding this to my collection.
 
[quote name='Trakan']Katamari Damacy's hook was its unusual graphics, unique gameplay, and surprisingly addictive replay value. You're ragging on it for everything it that made the game great.[/QUOTE]

Granted the graphics are unique, they are also cheaply made. Also, once I was through with the main portion, I had no incentive, no need or want, to return to it.
 
[quote name='Quackzilla']Portable Katamari > chronic spontaneous orgasm disorder[/QUOTE]

Hehe... I finally got around to playing the 1st two (have had them for a while) and am addicted. I went right out and switched one of my GR preorders to Katamari. Now maybe I can turn on my PSP for the second time since last June (I played SW Battlefront II for a day in Nov).

As for replay, sure I got through the main parts of both games pretty quickly but the "super clears" and meteors keep making me come back to them. Plus I want to get every object :D. The kids love it too...

By the way, EVERY place that I have seen this listed has it for $40, which is a bit of a surprise. I really would have pegged it at $30. But I guess Sony knows good PSP games are at a premium and thus they can get away with it :roll:. Since it is from one of my GR preorders that originated with Trade 2 get a preorder for $29.99 deal, I'm only paying $29.99 anyway (though really half that in cash since it is GR credit). I can deal with $15 for the PSP Katamari :D. Now if, for some reason, it lowers to $30 like AoE DS did at the last minute, then I will switch it again right before release to a $40 or $50 game and then put in another regular preorder for it.
 
[quote name='io']

By the way, EVERY place that I have seen this listed has it for $40, which is a bit of a surprise. I really would have pegged it at $30. But I guess Sony knows good PSP games are at a premium and thus they can get away with it :roll:. [/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure it's not Sony regulating the price, but the publishers themselves. I had thought Sony was pulling some strings, I mean Namco Battle Museum released at $40, but plenty of decent games have hit at $30 now (or are going to) -

Megaman Maverick Hunter X
Megaman: Powered up!
Ys: Ark of Nephistim
Outrun 2006: Coast to Coast

I just think it's Namco ever so carefully raising the bar, and seeing just how much people will pay for Katamari. $20 for the first, $30 for the second, now $40 for a PSP one.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']I'm pretty sure it's not Sony regulating the price, but the publishers themselves. I had thought Sony was pulling some strings, I mean Namco Battle Museum released at $40, but plenty of decent games have hit at $30 now (or are going to) -

[/QUOTE]

You know, I was just being a dumbshit. I was thinking it was a Sony published title. Just replace "Sony" with "Namco" in my post :D.
 
Most places list the preorder price higher just to cover their ass when they don't know the official msrp.
 
[quote name='b3b0p']Most places list the preorder price higher just to cover their ass when they don't know the official msrp.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, and what sucks about GR is that they do not give you the difference back unless you know about it and pester them. Now, in this case it was using the $29.99 preorder deal, so there really is no difference to give back. HOWEVER, if I knew it would be $29.99 I would have used that preorder deal on a more expensive game and just preordered Katamari the regular way. I still have up to the week before release to switch it though. They aren't too happy about that, but as long as I also put in another regular preorder for it at the time they have no reason to complain (ie, they won't get 'stuck' with the inventory of the game I switched from).

But this game is not too far from release and the $39.99 price is across the board, so I'm thinking that is the price set by Namco. And I think Roufuss is right, Namco thinks they can get away with incremental price bumps in the Katamari series. I bet the PS3 version (assuming there will be one) will be $50 :D.

Back to the game - I was looking around at some previews and saw something I don't think was mentioned before (apologies if it is in this thread and I just missed it): there is an unlockable bonus level (looks like it might be the credits actually) which looks like a retro 8-bit 2D side-scrolling version of Katamari! Watch the game play video that is available for it - looks like an awesome little goodie that they threw in. The rest of the game seems like standard Katamari fare. There seems to be a few comments on the difficulty of control using the d-pad/button combo. Katamari is hard enough to control as it is, it will take some getting used to. I'm particularly discouraged by multiple comments about hand-cramping and the like. My hands are completely screwed up this week from playing the regular game. I'm dreading what the PSP version will do to me :D.
 
Wait, so Gamerush requires that you put down the full amount for a preorder? That is messed up! If you preorder they should be giving you a discount off the MSRP just for guaranteeing them a sale. I just preordered from Outpost.com for $24.99 shipped. I'm hoping Outpost will do the same for Megaman Powered Up.

Sorry for being off topic.
 
[quote name='b3b0p']Wait, so Gamerush requires that you put down the full amount for a preorder? That is messed up! If you preorder they should be giving you a discount off the MSRP just for guaranteeing them a sale. I just preordered from Outpost.com for $24.99 shipped. I'm hoping Outpost will do the same for Megaman Powered Up.

Sorry for being off topic.[/quote]

if they can knock off 15 bucks for katamari, i hope they knock off at least 10 for MMPU :pray:

if not, then i can just go to BB and get it on day 1 for 24.99 after ggc...5 bucks off isnt a deal for me unfortunately :/

10 bucks off or more is great though :D
 
[quote name='swetooth9']if they can knock off 15 bucks for katamari, i hope they knock off at least 10 for MMPU :pray:

if not, then i can just go to BB and get it on day 1 for 24.99 after ggc...5 bucks off isnt a deal for me unfortunately :/

10 bucks off or more is great though :D[/QUOTE]
$24.99 shipped like with Maverick Hunter X is still cheaper than a Gamer Gift Card + tax.
 
[quote name='b3b0p']Wait, so Gamerush requires that you put down the full amount for a preorder? That is messed up! If you preorder they should be giving you a discount off the MSRP just for guaranteeing them a sale. I just preordered from Outpost.com for $24.99 shipped. I'm hoping Outpost will do the same for Megaman Powered Up.

Sorry for being off topic.[/QUOTE]

Actually they don't require you to do that normally - just provide a $5 deposit. But when you used the trade 2 get and preorder for $30 deal you did need to pay in full. This was fine for 95% of games though as it was definitely cheaper than retail. However, there are a few games that GR thought might be $35 or $40, but then ended up coming out at $30 (particularly DS games). Someone in the GR thread didn't realize this with AoE (I switched mine last minute to a $50 game and then just bought AoE when they got it in) and now they are being told they can't have the $10 difference back. They will probably get it straightened out, but it can be a pain.

Back on topic, reading the GameInformer preview it sounds like the other impressions I've read - control is not as tight, but not as bad as you'd think it would be. Other than that, the point system (and being able to unlock eternal levels again) is cool. Load times like the PS2 games (ie, good for the PSP!). Graphics (as to be expected) look good. Previewer a bit of a dunce if he thinks the pumpkin carriage is a new item :D. So I wonder if there really are any new objects or if he just missed them in the previous games? No big deal either way though.
 
[quote name='b3b0p']$24.99 shipped like with Maverick Hunter X is still cheaper than a Gamer Gift Card + tax.[/QUOTE]

For a game like Megaman Powered Up though, paying the extra dollar in tax is worth it to me to get the game earlier.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']For a game like Megaman Powered Up though, paying the extra dollar in tax is worth it to me to get the game earlier.[/QUOTE]
For me, there is 8.375% tax, so it is $2.09 more. An entire gallon of gas!

Where I live, it is 8.5% tax and no Best Buy, so $29.99 + 8.5% tax == bankruptcy!!!

Lucky fools who live by Best Buy!

Can I use a Gamer Gift Card with 10% off coupon currently available? It might make up for the drive.
 
[quote name='b3b0p']For me, there is 8.375% tax, so it is $2.09 more. An entire gallon of gas!

Where I live, it is 8.5% tax and no Best Buy, so $29.99 + 8.5% tax == bankruptcy!!!

Lucky fools who live by Best Buy!

Can I use a Gamer Gift Card with 10% off coupon currently available? It might make up for the drive.[/QUOTE]

Nope, one coupon per. Luckily for me, the local Best Buy is a 5 minute drive, even less depending on traffic, and 7% tax is roughly about $1.35.
 
yea, i have 7% tax...i'd much rather play it as soon as i buy it than wait for it in the mail though...so unless it's at least 10 bucks less, i'll probably just buy it B&M
 
well i played the game extensively today at work and here are my impressions.

the graphics and sound will make it look just like the ps2 katamari games.... but thats about as close as the comparison comes.

there was frequent pop ups with objects that you have to roll up, not only that but there was a slowdown in just about every level when there were too many objects on screen.

even more annoying, there are load times in the middle of levels, say once you reach 1m and can move on to another part you have to wait 15 seconds or so for the level to load again and then suddenly small objects are gone and only bigger ones remain. i found this to be quite annoying.

the control just isnt the same and just not as good. it works, but it doesnt work well. the problem is, of course, the lack of analog which is so intuitive on the ps2. i found myself getting stuck in corners and places that i would never have trouble getting out of on the ps2 versions. at best i would say the controls are passable. its just a hard system to put onto a dpad/button scheme.

all in all, if youre a huge katamari fan, its probably worth it, though the 40 dollar price tag is very very steep considering the other games are 20 and 30 dollars. if this is going to be your first katamari game, i would get the ps2 version as this version really isnt good as the ps2 counterparts and might leave new comers with a bad taste to an otherwise excellent franchise.

there was a time when i thought i might crack and buy a psp to play this game, but not anymore, quite frankly its just not as good and thus not as fun as the ps2 counterparts, plus the price of the game and the system just doesnt do it for me.
 
thanks for the impressions iheartmetal.

we got this in at work today and I was thinking about breaking down, just getting it. but I knew the controls would be a problem no matter what they did with the game. the load times seem a little annoying too.
 
After the unenthusiastic review at 1UP, I cancelled my $24.99 preorder at Outpost. I'd rather use that money for MLB 06 The Show next week at CC.
 
[quote name='mackaikai']got my copy today...i love it =) it's really not that bad =p[/QUOTE]

Same here. I think all the reviewers really need to pull their head out of the ass when it comes to reviewing PSP games. Sure, the controls are a bit funky, but an hour or so into it it becomes very natual, and the game itself is amazing.
 
[quote name='iheartmetal']
there was frequent pop ups with objects that you have to roll up, not only that but there was a slowdown in just about every level when there were too many objects on screen. [/quote]

Yea, there is slowdown, but its minor, dosen't last long, and really isn't that big of a deal. Haven't noticed any pop up yet.

even more annoying, there are load times in the middle of levels, say once you reach 1m and can move on to another part you have to wait 15 seconds or so for the level to load again and then suddenly small objects are gone and only bigger ones remain. i found this to be quite annoying.
Click to expand...

It was this way in We Love Katamari for PS2 also. My game loads in about 6 seconds or less, so I'm not sure where 15 seconds comes from.

the control just isnt the same and just not as good. it works, but it doesnt work well. the problem is, of course, the lack of analog which is so intuitive on the ps2. i found myself getting stuck in corners and places that i would never have trouble getting out of on the ps2 versions. at best i would say the controls are passable. its just a hard system to put onto a dpad/button scheme.
Click to expand...

Once I got used to the controls I haven't gotten stuck anywhere, and am rolling up with ease. It takes about an hour tops to get used to the controls. My hand gets cramped sometimes though =/

all in all, if youre a huge katamari fan, its probably worth it, though the 40 dollar price tag is very very steep considering the other games are 20 and 30 dollars. if this is going to be your first katamari game, i would get the ps2 version as this version really isnt good as the ps2 counterparts and might leave new comers with a bad taste to an otherwise excellent franchise.

there was a time when i thought i might crack and buy a psp to play this game, but not anymore, quite frankly its just not as good and thus not as fun as the ps2 counterparts, plus the price of the game and the system just doesnt do it for me.
Click to expand...

I disagree... I think this version is alot better then We Love Katamari so far, and its more in tune with the first Katamari Damacy. Sure, I wouldn't buy a PSP for the game, but the game itself is alot of fun, and I really don't think any Katamari fan with a PSP should pass it up. I got it for $25 shipped from Outpost, and I'm really glad I bit on it and didn't cancel because its really damn good.

The music so far is pretty much the music from Katamari Damacy, which is good, because I really didn't like the music in We Love Katamari.
 
I'm really enjoying this game as well. I was really surprised at how well the game controls with the d-pad and the buttons. Is it just me, or is this game actually longer than We Love Katamari?
 
[quote name='shipwreck']I'm really enjoying this game as well. I was really surprised at how well the game controls with the d-pad and the buttons. Is it just me, or is this game actually longer than We Love Katamari?[/QUOTE]

Yea, I think it is, and it seems to be a bit harder too... I've had trouble getting some of the goals.

This game deserves far more then the 75% or so rankings it got... I'd give it at an 85% myself.
 
I think I will have to pick this up. Katamari Damashii was the reason I got a PS2 as my secondary system. Well not the only reason, but the final plus for the PS2 over the Xbox. I might wait for a price drop, unless I can find the pouch. This sounds like a lot of fun.
 
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