Me & My Katamari

Me & My Katamari[lower-alpha 1] is a 2005 third-person puzzle-action video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third game in the Katamari series, the first game on a portable system and the first game produced without the involvement of series creator Keita Takahashi. It is also the last Katamari game to be published by Namco as an independent company, having merged with Bandai earlier in 2005.

Me & My Katamari
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
Director(s)Shuhei Kurose
Yutaka Yoshida
Producer(s)Toshiya Hara
Designer(s)Jun Moriwaki
Taisuke Ishida
Programmer(s)Naoki Takishita
Composer(s)Yuu Miyake
Akitaka Tohyama
Hideki Tobeta
Yoshihito Yano
Yuri Misumi
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable
Release
  • JP: December 22, 2005
  • NA: March 21, 2006
  • EU: May 12, 2006
Genre(s)Puzzle, action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay
Screenshot from the game.

Gameplay is much like that of the previous Katamari titles. Controls differ from those of the PS2 games given that the PSP lacks the DualShock 2 dual analog sticks. The player uses the D-pad and the four face buttons to imitate the analog controls. In the North American release, there is the ability to use the thumb-nub instead of the D-pad; the original Japanese version only uses the thumb-nub to move the camera. The L and R buttons are used for tight turns.

The Sunflower Continent is the main level in the game. For variety, the time of day and season constantly change during different missions. There are five stages of the game, rising up to the World where the katamari can reach over 4000 m. In the multiplayer mode, each player owns and names their own island. A maximum of three of the player's friends can visit the island, via ad hoc network. The visitor can challenge the player in a contest of rolling the most valuables, like the Saving Red Panda stage in We Love Katamari.

Story

The King of All Cosmos and the Royal Family decide to take some time off from their celestial construction and travel to Earth for a well-earned (for the Prince at least) tropical summer vacation on their own sunny island. Unfortunately, the King's over-exuberance creates a tsunami that strikes and devastates nearby Paradise Commonwealth Island. One of the residents, a turtle, washes ashore next to the Royal Family and tells them his tale. The King then decides to make new islands for the animals of the Commonwealth with several katamari. Similar to the previous Katamari titles, the King sends the Prince to the Sunflower Continent, which is full of the paraphernalia used to create new landmasses.

Reception

Me & My Katamari was met with positive reception upon release. GameRankings gave it a score of 76.31%,[1] while Metacritic gave it 75 out of 100.[2] By the end of 2006, the game had sold over 82,000 copies in Japan.[17] The colourful graphics, dialogue and soundtrack were primarily praised.

Notes
  1. Known in Japan as Boku no Watashi no Katamari Damacy (僕の私の塊魂, Boku no Watashi no Katamari Damashii)

References
  1. "Me & My Katamari for PSP". GameRankings. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  2. "Me & My Katamari Critic Reviews for PSP". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  3. Edge staff (January 2006). "Me & My Katamari". Edge. No. 158. p. 88.
  4. EGM Staff (May 2006). "Me & My Katamari". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 203. p. 105. Archived from the original on 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  5. Gibson, Ellie (2006-05-24). "Me & My Katamari Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  6. "僕の私の塊魂". Famitsu. December 2005.
  7. Mason, Lisa (May 2006). "Me & My Katamari". Game Informer. No. 157. p. 112. Archived from the original on 2006-06-14. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  8. Rice Burner (2006-03-21). "Me and My Katamari Review for PSP on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2006-04-12. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  9. Davis, Ryan (2006-03-17). "Me and My Katamari Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  10. Villoria, Gerald (2006-03-22). "GameSpy: Me and My Katamari". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2006-12-16. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  11. "Me and My Katamari Review". GameTrailers. March 27, 2006. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  12. Oder, Chris (2006-04-02). "Me And My Katamari - PSP - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  13. Dunham, Jeremy (2006-03-28). "Me and My Katamari". IGN. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  14. "Me & My Katamari". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. May 2006. p. 93.
  15. Xu, Samantha (2006-04-13). "Bananas! (Me and My Katamari)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  16. Hill, Jason (2006-06-02). "Me and My Katamari". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  17. "2006年ゲームソフト年間売上TOP500" [2006 Game Software Annual Sales Top 500]. Famitsū Gēmu Hakusho 2007 ファミ通ゲーム白書2007 [Famitsu Game Whitebook 2007] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Enterbrain. 2007. p. 387. ISBN 978-4-7577-3577-4. JPNO 21240454.

Further reading
  • Saltzman, Marc (April 9, 2006). "Players can have a ball with the hand-held 'Katamari'". Courier-Post. p. 21SJL. ProQuest 1923063364.
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