Other than the single player campaign Beautiful Katamari also features some decent multiplayer options. The co-op mode is the worst of the bunch because it tries to get two separate gamers to work together by having one push the right analog stick and the other control the left analog stick. Trying to get another person to work cohesively pushing the ball in the same direction is more of a pain in the ass than fun; it almost caused my wife and I to get a divorce. The fun mode for local play is head-to-head (which you access through the universe menu) and allows two gamers to battle it out for high scores or specific items, you can also bump the other player to knock items off his Katamari ball. Completely new to the Katamari series is the chance to go online with up to three other gamers (using there own princes and Katamari) over Xbox Live. Although each of these different modes is fun the coolest features are the leader boards. They keep track of every bit of data imaginable and can be accessed at any time during play. Using these leader boards gamers can compare Katamari size (no, women do not care about size), items rolled up, presents rolled up, cookies (think achievement points) earned, etc.
Graphically Beautiful Katamari is completely unique from any game out there right now. The Japanese influence is oozing out of the title and it is nice to see the developers take chances to try something new. Now that I have said everything good about the graphics it is time to focus on the bad. First off there is little about this game that brings it into the next-gen category. The differences between it and the old PS2 version are minimal at best. Beautiful Katamari is beautiful in terms of the color palette but the backgrounds are dry, the items are poorly made, and the Katamari itself can wash into the levels over and over again. Luckily the audio in the game is as good as ever with addictive songs and hilarious commentary.
Even for $39.99 I was skeptical when it came to picking up Beautiful Katamari. Was I ever surprised when I found myself recommending this game for my ten-year old nephew as well as my twenty-three-year old wife. This game can remind even the most serious gamer of what it was like to play games when they were a child. The storyline is ridiculous, the gameplay is simple, the controls are somewhat difficult, and the graphics are old school but overall this game pulled me in and got me hooked. At the end of the day it is a welcomed game to a 360 library that was in desperate need for some titles of this genre. I would not recommend Beautiful Katamari to everyone but you should definitely download the demo over Xbox Live and see what you think, I will be waiting with baited breath for the next game in the franchise to be released. I only hope the developer make a few much-needed upgrades to the series next time.
