Once Upon a Katamari (PS5)

Following Touch My Katamari on the PS Vita in 2011 (2012 in the US), the Katamari series went dormant for years aside from mobile games, until the release of Katamari Damacy Reroll (Reroll) in 2018, as part of a series of remakes from Bandai Namco, showed a willingness to revisit the series. The success of Reroll led to a follow-up, We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie in 2023, the success of which created the possibility of further installments. This would come to fruition with the announcement of a proper new game earlier this year, the first in 14 years, titled Once Upon a Katamari. As a fan of the Katamari series who had actually been waiting for such an announcement the whole time, the news and initial trailer was enough to excite me, albeit with cautious optimism. Thankfully, this optimism paid off, as it feels like the spirit of Katamari is alive and well in this installment.

Second Look - Touch My Katamari

As the popularity of the Katamari series continued, the series later ventured back into the handheld space, this time with a launch title for the PS Vita in 2012 (2011 in Japan) called Touch My Katamari. Unfortunately, the game was a failure, resulting in the series going all but dormant for 14 years until the announcement of Once Upon a Katamari, at least partially attributed to the PS Vita itself failing as a system. The formal return of the franchise led me to dig out my copy of Touch My Katamari, which I last played in 2013 according to my save data, to reevaluate my opinions. Looking back on it, although I noticed more flaws in the game this time, I still found it an ultimately entertaining experience, even if not the best.

Katamari Forever

While Beautiful Katamari was the first Katamari game to be absent from a PlayStation console, it would return to the PS3 with Katamari Forever, a tribute to five years of the franchise. I actually remember playing this game when it first came out and liked it enough to consider it my personal favorite of the series, but over time I had forgotten the nuances of the game itself. On booting the game back up again in anticipation of Once Upon A Katamari, this turned out to be because I hadn’t played it since 2011. While I was noticing more flaws this time, I was ultimately reminded why I considered it my favorite, and still is.

Second Look - Beautiful Katamari (+ DLC)

As the Katamari series continued to show success, a new console game was made following the handheld Me & My Katamari. In a departure from previous titles which were on the PlayStation family of systems, this new game, Beautiful Katamari, was released exclusively for the Xbox 360; the intent was to go multiplatform, however only the Xbox 360 version ever got made. After mainly sticking with the PlayStation line for the longest time, since it has most of the games I want to play, Beautiful Katamari was on my radar when I finally branched out to the Xbox systems, and so I played it once I got the chance. At the time, I did not buy the DLC, which I would later check off my shopping list when the Xbox 360 store was shutting down, but I would not revisit the game again until the announcement of the upcoming Once Upon A Katamari.

As of this writing, I have yet to resolve some issues I have been having with my Xbox 360, so it was fortunate that I was able to play this game again, DLC included, on the Xbox Series X as part of the backwards compatibility program, though I will admit to playing with a DualSense through a converter to make it more comfortable for me to play. On my most recent playthrough, I liked it more than I remembered, though my feelings remain mixed.

Me & My Katamari

With the success of We Love Katamari on the PS2, it was natural for Namco to want to capitalize further on the Katamari brand with or without Keita Takahashi’s involvement. In a first for the series, Namco proceeded without him for a new entry made for the PSP, Me & My Katamari, in 2005. Regardless of its issues, the PSP was my handheld of choice for many years and helped get me through high school, with this game being part of my library since I was obsessed with the series at the time. With the announcement of Once Upon A Katamari on modern platforms, I decided to take another look at this game on another save file, though I was surprised to see that I hadn’t played it since 2010. While I would still consider the game to be pretty fun, enough time has passed that its flaws stand out more to me through fresh eyes.

2023 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

While the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t as much of a threat as it was back in 2020, I still take precautions to avoid infection, though my interest in seeing films in a theater has become less about whether or not I can and more about whether or not it seems worth it, now that our household has integrated streaming options for newer titles. That said, between both streaming and the theater, so many films came out this year that I liked that my list was difficult to pare down, but I am overall satisfied with my final list. Due to various circumstances, however, I didn’t get to play too many new games this year, but I did manage enough to still put a list of my favorites together.

Each list is presented in no particular order, with links to reviews where applicable.

Top Movies

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

 

 

Following the end of the Infinity Saga, the quality of subsequent MCU films has overall been on a decline, but I was still dedicated to seeing the Guardians of the Galaxy sub-series through since it had generally remained consistent, and also since the third film would be the last Marvel would see of director James Gunn before his move to DC. Not only did Vol. 3 provide a surprisingly emotional arc for Rocket Raccoon, it also has arguably the best MCU villain since Thanos in the form of the High Evolutionary, thanks largely to a stellar performance by Chukwudi Iwuji. For those who have been following the Guardians’ exploits and/or want a good dropping off point from the seemingly-endless Marvel train, this is a must-see.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

 

As someone who has only a general idea of D&D, not to say I haven’t tried to dip my toe in it before, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film going in, but came away wholly enjoying it thanks to its well-timed humor and having the general atmosphere of a D&D session in a good way. I enjoyed it so much that I not only bought every D&D transforming Diceling figure with the Honor Among Thieves branding, but it also made me seriously consider giving the game itself another shot.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

 

 

After seeing how good Bumblebee turned out, I gained a renewed interest in the Transformers film series as it began to pivot in a new direction, especially with its sequel Transformers: Rise of the Beasts finally venturing outside the franchise’s then-overextended stay in its G1-inspired comfort zone. While my expectations were tempered with cautious optimism going in, said expectations were exceeded thanks to its well-written human cast and its expanded robot cast somehow feeling decently well-balanced. One ending scene even has me excited for what’s to come in this new universe, though I first hope that the upcoming Transformers: One animated prequel film can maintain the same level of quality.

Oppenheimer

 

 

Films such as Oppenheimer are not usually my speed, especially ones with hefty runtimes, but I went to see this anyway, and in the highest quality possible, so I could be a participant in the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Despite my personal feelings on these types of films, and much of it consisting of people talking, I was actually hooked from start to finish and was particularly blown away by the surprisingly-tense nuclear bomb test scene. This scene alone is the main reason to see it in the best quality you can, something the sold-out 4K sets can attest to, though I would still strongly recommend this film anyway.

Gran Turismo

 

 

While video game movies usually attempt to adapt the game’s premise to the big screen, with mixed results that have gotten steadily better in recent years, Gran Turismo takes a different approach by adapting the story of a real-life event surrounding the game, with a few liberties taken for the sake of dramatization. The result is far better in its own right than one might expect, with a very suspenseful racing story that even those (such as myself) with no familiarity with the game itself can enjoy it, as well as a multitude of Easter eggs for those who are.

Rohan at the Louvre

 

While this film already grabbed my interest as a fan of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan spinoffs, I found it to be both an excellent adaptation of the original one-shot and a solid suspense film on its own merits, thanks in no small part to the spot-on performance of Issey Takahashi in the role of Rohan Kishibe. Fortunately, this film is also written in such a way that anyone who is not familiar in any way with the world of JoJo can enjoy it, succeeding where the live-action Diamond is Unbreakable film fell short. Although not required viewing for this film, I would also highly recommend newcomers to watch the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan live-action drama, which this film shares a universe with and also successfully divorces itself from JoJo, if they can.

Top Games

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

 

 

In a pleasant surprise for April Fool’s Day, a new Sonic the Hedgehog game was released for free, placing the characters in a visual novel mystery about Sonic’s death, though the events turn out to be more mundane than initially let on (at least at first). For a free game, it has some amazing production values on all fronts, with some funny and clever writing that makes it a joyful ride from start to finish.

We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie

 

Part of Bandai Namco’s latest series of remasters of older Namco games included Katamari Damacy Reroll, which already excited me as a fan of the series, but I was even more surprised by the announcement of We Love Katamari Reroll and became further interested by the new Royal Reverie content. Much like the first, this is a remaster done right and the most ideal way to play this classic title, featuring cleaner visuals and several quality-of-life changes to bring the addictive gameplay to newer audiences, along with some new levels that expand on the game’s lore. While I would like to see the Katamari remasters continue, I would also hope the fact they made a second remaster means more of a full-on revival for the once-dormant IP.

Tron: Identity

 

 

It’s not too often we get any new Tron media since the franchise was put on hold after Tron: Legacy, so the announcement of a new Tron game at D23 Expo got me very excited for having any new media at all. While a choice-driven visual novel mystery might not be to everyone’s liking, with the main gameplay outside of that being Identity Disk puzzles, Tron: Identity has some very intriguing world-building and characters, as well as a great soundtrack, that makes it worth playing for anyone starving for new Tron content prior to the upcoming Tron: Ares.

God of War: Ragnarök – Valhalla

 

In celebration of God of War: Ragnarök’s one-year anniversary, the game received a bit of DLC content that serves as an epilogue to main story and mixes things up with rougelite gameplay, all for free. Said gameplay loop provides an extra challenge that can be freely adjusted to one’s desires, backed by a short bit of story that satisfactorily caps off Kratos’ character arc in the Norse games as he learns to make peace with the actions of his younger self. While a must-play for fans of the series, it is strongly recommended you brush up on both the Greek and Norse games if you care about the plot.

Top Disappointments

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

 

 

Where the original Shazam! film felt like a step in the right direction for what the DCEU could be, Fury of the Gods felt like a step back, with an overreliance on computer effects and a more complex storyline that takes away the more intimate focus that helped the first film stand out. While not one of the worst DC films out there, it is certainly one of the weakest and is more likely to disappoint fans of the original.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

 

 

The Ant-Man sub-series of the MCU isn’t one of the strongest, starting with a pretty funny first film and followed up by a less-well-written second installment whose main redeeming factor is its relationship with the Infinity Saga. Now that the MCU is in the midst of the Multiverse Saga, Quantumania represents everything wrong with the MCU at its current point, with a plot that takes comic book logic to its absolute extreme even by Marvel Studios standards and a setting that feels more like Star Wars than Marvel, not to mention weak villains, convoluted multiverse logic and a reliance on the viewer having seen a bunch of TV shows locked behind a Disney+ paywall. Unless you’re wholly devoted to the Marvel lifestyle, you can safely skip this one.

Bluey: The Videogame

 

With the immense popularity of the Australian animated series Bluey, to the point of it even getting a successful stage production, a video game adaptation seemed inevitable. Sadly, Bluey: The Videogame can't live up to the quality of the cartoon, mainly due to its severe lack of content for the asking price ($40) that can be beaten within an hour, maybe two or three if you make the time to gather all of the collectibles and Trophies. The voice acting and music are all there and the art style is faithfully recreated, but these alone do not make up for the janky animations and odd glitches that make the end product feel oddly rushed. I did not pay full price for the game, and neither should you (I got a physical PS5 copy on sale for $25), but I could tell I would most certainly have felt ripped off if I did.

We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie (PS5)

As part of Bandai Namco’s recent efforts to remaster old Namco games to bring back old and negelcted IPs, Katamari Damacy was reissued through Katamari Damacy Reroll in 2018, bringing the fun and addicting game to a new generation. Following this, a remaster of the second game in the series and the only other game to be directed by Keita Takahashi, We Love Katamari, was announced in the form of We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie (WLK Reroll), including extra content not found in the original release. Having played the original before, I was curious about the new content and went for a PS5 copy of the game, primarily because of how much I associate the brand with PlayStation, and found it to be the superior way to play the game.

Katamari Damacy Reroll (PS4)

 

With the increasing complexity of the gaming landscape at the time, director Keita Takahashi created Katamari Damacy with the intent of creating something simpler that was also fun, though he had difficulty getting it off the ground due to him being in Namco’s art department at the time. When the game first released for the PS2 in 2004, his efforts paid off, spawning a long-running franchise across multiple console generations, only for it to becomes largely dormant following Touch My Katamari on the PS Vita in 2012 before coming back into full swing in 2020 with Katamari Damacy Reroll, a remaster of the original game for then-modern hardware. When I first played the original game on the PS2, I was instantly hooked by its simple, yet addictive nature, leading to it becoming one of my all-time favorite series. Due to the large gap of time following the PS Vita game, I became instantly excited by Katamari Damacy Reroll (Reroll) when it released for the Switch, but ended up holding out until it received a PS4 release, as it was my preferred platform anyway since I more heavily associate the series with the PlayStation brand, though the timing of its release led me to not play it until recently when its sequel, We Love Katamari, received a remaster of its own. After having not played the game for so long, Katamari Damacy Reroll served as a great reminder of why I loved the series in the first place.

[OLD] Touch My Katamari

In the wake of Christmas, among the many gifts I received were some video games, which I will get to over time, among them a PlayStation Vita along with a few games for the system. One of those games, which I am going to discuss in this review, is the next installment in the Katamari Damacy franchise, the unfortunately-named Touch My Katamari. Coming out last year as a Vita launch title, this game seeks to please fans of the franchise while shaking things up with the handheld's unique layout. Having just completed it, as a Katamari fan, I feel that while it is a rather unique game, something feels a little off about it.

It's expected for a Katamari game's plot to be no more than just an excuse for balls to be rolled and stars to be made, but this one felt flimsy even by Katamari standards. What literally gets things rolling (pun intended) is that the King of All Cosmos hears a comment about one teacher being just as awesome as he is, and so he sends his son, the Prince, to roll Katamaris to please the fan base. Otherwise, every other mission sees an installment in the exploits of the crudely-animated Goro the Slacker, who's trying to purchase a study guide while avoiding being distracted by whatever's around him, most especially "babes" (and yes, this does tie in to the main game eventually). I'm not trying to come off as expecting a story of higher quality, since Katamari games can actually pull off having little story, but at least other games in the franchise had their stories serve a greater purpose in-universe (ex. Beautiful Katamari involved trying to save the universe from a black hole caused by the King playing tennis too hard, the end result being the black hole is plugged up). At least the Goro the Slacker sub-plot has more of a conclusion.

The gameplay follows those of the other games, but Touch My Katamari also introduces a twist. Not only can you perform the Prince Hop from Katamari Forever (a mechanic that I liked), you can also to use the Vita's touch screen and rear touch pad to stretch and squeeze the Katamari itself to reach smaller spaces and  gather more objects at once. I rather enjoyed this feature, since I was able to complete the objectives faster, though the game is short and there's hardly anything that forces you to utilize this form of gameplay. Still, I used the new touch functions, especially the stretch feature, whenever I could to (barely) complete some of the tasks. In this respect, I give praise to the innovation displayed in this game and I hope that, if further Katamari titles are released for the Vita, these features will be kept.

I have no complaints about the in-game visuals, since they follow typical Katamari graphics...except for the King of All Cosmos. This game sees him in a different art style than the previous games, and while I like that they tried to give him more fluid animations, it feels a little jarring since they made his face more realistic. I usually have no problems with realism if it fits the game and platform, but the problem here is that his face gives off a slight uncanny valley sort of feeling since, while it appears more real, it clashes with his cartoonish nose and other design features. What I'm saying here is that the King's face is overall kind of ugly, but I do give the animators props for trying. (But did they really have to make his default costume a skin-tight yellow body suit? I didn't really want to get that good a view of the King's bulging crotch.)

The game also introduces a system of currency involving candy, which you get after completing objectives and can spend on things within the game, such as clothes for the King, new gameplay modes, and the in-game soundtrack. You can also collect something called a Fan Damacy within a level, which you can use as one way to obtain Candy Tickets (otherwise I have no idea what sort of purpose they actually serve). Candy Tickets can be used after an objective is completed, when the in-game fan gives you candy based on your grade, in order to Sweet Talk more candy out of them by multiplying said candy in multiples of 2 (you can also buy more on the PlayStation Store, but I don't want to). There are also times where the fans or the King will just give you candy that they found, making your purchases easier to make. (Though I was really disturbed when the King wanted a bridal cape and went into excessive detail over the purchase.) Candy can also be acquired further by collecting all the special objects, or Curios, within each level.

The soundtrack, par for the course with Katamari, is amazing, keeping up the quirkiness of previous soundtracks. Some of these are songs that I would listen to over and over again, and if I could acquire a physical copy, I would try to get my hands on it. The other option is to play them back within the game, which is a feature I enjoy, but, as I mentioned earlier, you actually have to purchase them with candy in order to play them back. This is a feature I disapprove of, since earlier games just added them to a soundtrack spot in the hub world (which here is the King's head) so you could listen to them at any time post-game. However, if I ever play this game again, I'll do what I can to collect the music this way, since that's all I care to spend candy on anyway outside of the other game modes. (They've got to use this new currency system somehow, right?)

Touch My Katamari is a great handheld Katamari game for fans and newcomers alike. Despite what I saw as the game's flaws, this is a game I would actually not hesitate to tell new Vita owners to pick up. Despite the short length that comes with a Katamari game, it's actually quite fun, and you might end up wanting to spend plenty of time (and battery life) playing this game.

[OLD] Beautiful Katamari - Lacks Some Luster

You may have heard of an odd Japanese game called Katamari Damacy. If you have not, it is a game created by Keita Takahashi that involves rolling a ball around in order to pick up stuff so it be made into a star; this premise came about because Takahashi wanted to re-introduce simplicity to gaming. When it was released in 2004, it became a sleeper hit, increasing in popularity to spawn many sequels to come. I myself am a fan of this series, having played the original Katamari Damacy and its sequels We Love Katamari, Me & My Katamari, and Katamari Forever (I would play the unfortunately-named Touch My Katamari, but as of this writing I currently do not own a PlayStation Vita). I had a desire to play the subject of this review, Beautiful Katamari, for a while, but for that while I did not own an Xbox 360. Now that I have had one for about a year, I recently got my hands on this game to further complete my Katamari collection. Personally, I enjoyed the game, although it isn't quite as beautiful as the title suggests.

As is the norm for a Katamari game, the story has some sort of excuse to set the plot in motion. This time, The King and Queen of All Cosmos are playing tennis, when the King hits a ball so hard that it creates a black hole that threatens to swallow the universe. He then sends you, the Prince, in order to roll up junk on Earth to recreate the Solar System (this is from back when Pluto was still considered a planet) and plug up the black hole.

If you've played a Katamari game before, the controls are essentially similar to the others before it. To move your Katamari, you must manipulate both analog sticks in certain ways: moth both forward or back to move in that direction, or tilt one a certain way in order to change the direction the ball is rolling in; alternating the sticks rapidly charges the ball to jet forward briefly, while clicking the sticks moves you to the opposite side of the ball. These are the basics of the controls, but the familiarity isn't a bad thing since it allows fans and newcomers alike to dive right into the game. However, even with the design of the analog sticks on the 360's controller, I end up running into the same problem I have with the console games where playing for an extended period causes severe pain to my thumbs, so I would suggest playing in chunks unless you think you can handle it. In addition, I run into another problem where, due to my constant thumb action and the layout of the controller, may hands ended up forming a tight, painful grip on it as if my hands were claws, so this should enforce my previous statement about playing in bursts.

The graphics of the game are simplistic, but this is a necessity in order for the game to render everything at once (depending on your Katamari size, at which point smaller objects disappear once you level up). This gives the series its trademark boxy visuals, which carry over nicely to this game. One thing I found odd at some points was when I rolled up enough objects before moving on, where the game suddenly become a lot smoother, which is actually rather unusual for a Katamari game. I don't know if this has to do with the 360's hardware or not, but in any case this shouldn't be taken as a complaint; I just haven't seen it before is all. Overall, no complaints here.

The level design is also typical for Katamari Damacy, with most goals being the usual "roll a ball this size within this amount of time". This also isn't too much of a complaint, though I should say that there's at least some variety in the levels; the most I can recall is a level where you must roll up objects that heat up your Katamari in order to create Mars. While it does feel familiar, it can be disappointing for anyone more familiar with the franchise. One thing I feel like I should mention is one level that features a large number of Xbox 360 controllers and consoles, as if to drive the point home that it's an exclusive Xbox title; this can be amusing or annoying depending on your perspective. I am also aware that this game has DLC, but I don't exactly feel like putting down more money just so I can have more levels to play.

The music, as usual, is very impressive and very catchy. It features interesting remixes of tunes from previous games that fit well with the tone of a Katamari title. Not only was this soundtrack released on CD (like other games in the series), but you can also unlock access to the soundtrack itself within the game once you beat the campaign, which is a feature that I like because I get to hear my favorite tunes over and over again. The only other audio there really is are sound effects that play for certain actions as well as when you certain things up. There really isn't much to say here other than that the sounds aren't annoying.

Aside from my earlier comments on variety and how the controller feels, I have one complaint regarding the level design. When you grow big enough in a level, the King of All Cosmos tells you that you can go somewhere else where objects are bigger so you can complete your goal. If memory serves (I haven't played a Katamari game in a while), the King usually shows you where the pylons blocking off the next section are, no matter where you are in the world, but in this game this feature is absent. I personally found this to be very inconvenient, since I ended up a few times scouring the map in search of this mysterious entry point before finally finding it and moving on. I am against games holding your hand too much during play, but I think it would have at least been nice to know where the next section of the level map was.

In the end, Beautiful Katamari is a good game for the Katamari series. It may have its share of flaws, but it's still fun to play, especially if you haven't dusted off a Katamari game in a while. If you are a fan of the series and are interested in this game, I would tell you to either give this one a shot or, in the event that you own a PS3 but aren't willing to purchase an Xbox 360, pick up Katamari Forever, which contains some of this game's levels. If you only own an Xbox 360 and have no experience with Katamari Damacy, but are curious as to what all the fuss is about, this game is a great jump-on point and a good glimpse at the entertaining madness that is Katamari.