Me and My Katamari

The whimsical adventures of the little katamari-rolling Prince gets a bit sillier.

Ever since the day Katamari Damacy stole the hearts of people worldwide, the demand for more ball-rolling princes, purple leotarded kings, and screaming blocky humans have gone long and loud. The response with We Love Katamari wasn't enough; Namco rolled the game into our handheld lives, such as they did with Me and My Katamari.

While the new available levels and cousins may be appealing, one thing raises a flag is the control scheme. Since there is an absence of dual analog sticks on the PSP, the D-pad and the face buttons serve as the alternative ball rolling controls. Somehow, you push the buttons like you would turn the analog sticksconcurrently and in one direction. Push the left direction and the square button to roll to the left, the right button and the circle button to roll to the right, and so on and so forth. The result? Skin-rubbing unpleasantness as your thumbs move from the ridge of one button to the next. As one whose mind is committed solely to katamari-rolling via analog sticks, the D-pad and face buttons are an awkward substitution.

However, the multi-player could prove itself to be a worthy feature. With the ability to compete with three other players, utilizing the PSP's Ad Hoc gameplay function, the battles are fought in a point-based system. Players can pick up items that add a significant number to their score. They can also knock items off each other's katamari, points lost with each item knocked off. Quantity doesn't matter anymore; it's the quality that counts.

Hopefully Me and My Katamari will be more enjoyable in its final build; compromising the controls to accommodate the PSP could damage the overall quality of the game.

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