Beautiful Katamari

We've seen it, and now you can. GamePro has the first screenshots and details on Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Namco Bandai has officially confirmed with GamePro that Beautiful Katamari, the next game in the Katamari series and first on the new generation of hardware, will release on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and that it will be a simultaneous launch in North America and Japan.

GamePro has received the first five screens from the game, which you can check out here, and we have all the first firm details on the game.

Once again, you'll play as the Price or one of the cousins to help out the King of All Cosmos. The basic style of play remains the same as previous Katamari games--roll up heaps of wacky objects--but everything around it gets a big upgrade; it's the core Katamari experience that has made the series a huge success, and the colorful, retro look and feel of the game remains unchanged in Beautiful Katamari. But the series is getting a huge technical boost, and there's an entirely new soundtrack, too.

Rolling into HD, Beautiful Katamari supports 720p, seamless Katamari growth, and increased draw distances. The physics simulation, which was sluggish on the PS2 installments, is much more realistic and allows for a lot more on-screen objects. There are new levels and presents, and we even saw a couple stages in action, and can report that everything is rolling along very nicely. The game looks great in HD and it all looks like Katamari 2.0, a game that moves the series onto the Xbox 360 and PS3 without disrupting the simple, addictive gameplay.

In total, there are over 50 cousins (old and new), which will be playable in online games via Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. There is no confirmed number of online players yet, but Namco-Bandai has confirmed that there will be downloadable content to come in the future, and that development is looking into offering up new objects, cousins, presents, and even entire stages. The team is also interested in utilizing online leaderboards, though no firm details are available at this time. No word yet on an Xbox Live or PSN demo.

Beautiful Katamari does not yet have an official release date for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and as of now, it is unconfirmed whether or not it will be a full or budget-priced title.

Highlights:

  • A completely new Katamari game for the Xbox 360 and PS3
  • Same colorful, simple gameplay
  • Supports 720p
  • Seamless Katamari growth, increased draw distance and physics, lots more on-screen objects
  • New and returning playable cousins brings the total to over 50
  • New presents
  • New soundtrack
  • Online play via Xbox Live and PSN, with downloadable content
  • Possible implementation of online leaderboards

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