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Beautiful Katamari (Xbox 360) | 
| From: Namco
Category: Video Games
List Price: £44.99
Buy New: £17.99
You Save: £27.00 (60%)
New (15) Used (5) from £7.69
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 1844
Platform: Xbox 360
Rating: Universal, particularly children
Media: Video Game
Operating System: Windows
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 1031289
EAN: 3296580804672
ASIN: B000TT9TOU
Release Date: February 29, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 I *LOVE* this game, but there's something you need to know! September 11, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Just like all the other people have said: it's fun, quirky, everyone who plays it falls head over heels... but there's a snag, and it's a big one!
The game is shipped with 6 of the 19 levels locked, and the only way to play them (and therefore complete the game 100% with all achievements) is to shell out 1400 MS Points (or 11.90 if you're using a credit card) to unlock the levels. What's more, buying these "extra" levels is not a download as they're already on the disc.
For this reason alone, I cannot recommend buying this game for anyone other than die-hard Katamari fans who have played the PS2 games to death already. As a matter of principle, boycott this version as it sets a precedent for "crippled" games on general sale. Imagine if Final Fantasy VII had required a 10 kicker before you could load the 3rd disc and complete the game, there'd have been outrage. What Namco has done here is just that, and their cynical handling of an extremely loyal fanbase needs to be given some real media attention.
 Life's a ball. March 2, 2008
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Hmmm. Hmmmmm. This is a dificult review for me to type, given that "We Love Katamari" is my favourite game ever, and I was looking forward to this new katamari offering so much I have been feverishly playing the demo repeatedly and re-visiting stages on "We Love Katamari" until I could finally run down to my local shop and nab the retail version. 3 hours later, I lay down my controller and watch the end credits roll, and although it's been a fun 3 hours, I can't help feeling slightly, well, miffed.
For anyone unfamiliar with katamari, the general idea is you have a small, sticky ball that you roll around the scenery, picking up small objects until the ball gets large enough to pick up bigger objects. You start with thumbtacks, you move on to cats, to cars, to houses, to godzilla, to cities, to countrys... well let's just say by the final level usually space looks a little emptier. It's mad, it's colourful, and it is very very addictive.
The good -
+ It's more Katamari!
+ The graphics have improved in resolution, okay so they are not photorealistic but this is a game about rolling people into a ball and blasting them into space and if it was realistic looking, this would make it somewhat disturbing! I like the quirky charm of the square world anyway.
+ the load times are way down.
+ Some really nice touches. Like the level where you must only roll cold things and one room is filled with Xbox 360 consoles. le ha ha!
+ Online play, if that is your cup of herbal tea.
The bad -
- Occasional framerate issues from hell!
- The camera is worse than any of the other games. You end up staring at a object/wall you're stuck on the other side of far too often. Also? first katamari game where i've actually got stuck and hit to quit out of the game.
- There's far fewer levels than "We Love Katamari". yeah you can download extra levels but as this is not a budget release in this country, I can't say I'm thrilled to pay 800 Microsoft points on top of full retail price to get a game that is still smaller than previous offerings. The added kick in the teeth is that these levels are contained on your game disc, the payment is just for the key to unlock them. In such a short game this feels like needless greed. I understand the thinking behind it in countries where this *was* a budget release, but it's not applicable here.
- The levels there are are mostly in the same house/shop/town. What happened to the flower garden, the campsite, the school, the pond, the gingerbread house of We Love Katamari?
- Very little variation in challenges. Sure, you get asked to collect different types of stuff but it makes little difference unless you are going for points. The levels of the past with rules like "make the largest katamari you can with the fewest objects", "clear the skies of clouds" or"fatten up the sumo wrestler" are not here.
Okay well reading all that back it sounds like the bad outweighs the good here, which is actually not the case. Yes, "We Love Katamari" is the better game, it's had far more love lavished upon it and presents a more engaging, varied experience. However, "Beautiful Katamari" is not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination. The criticisms I level at it are really no more than nitpicky distractions when weighed against the sheer joy of pushing a ton of screaming people stuck to a giant ball round a town and velcro-ing up the local citizens' cars, boats and giant squids. Yes, giant squids.
So, in summary, newbies to Katamari will probably love this, as Katamari is like no other gaming experience known to man. Fans looking for a sequel to rival "We Love Katamari" (It may be worth noting I don't actually own the NTSC-only "Katamari Damacy" original) may need to tone down their expectations a little bit to avoid disappointment though :)
Innovative and funny! February 11, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Beautiful Katamari - what can I say? It's hypnotizing, addictive and fun. The idea of creating a game around picking up random items is simple and almost revolutionary at the same time. Don't let that simplicity turn you off. It's what makes the whole game. Try it for yourself, you will be surprised how long this crazy game will entertain you!
Beautiful Katamari Review February 4, 2008
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
weird and ridiculous... but fun! I am addicted to this crazy game! Defintitly a good buy.
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