Beautiful Katamari | 
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| From: Namco
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $14.29
You Save: $5.70 (29%)
New (145) Used (10) from $14.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 520
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Operating System: Xbox 360
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 21007
Model: 21007
UPC: 722674210072
EAN: 0722674210072
ASIN: B000P297JI
Release Date: October 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW/SEALED!!
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| Features:
| • | Rolling in 720P Katamari leaps into the next generation with an upgrade into the HD era with increased visual depth and seamless Katamari growth All new soundtrack New levels and objects present the player with more craziness to conquer | | • | New Characters New cousins join the fun to bring the total to over 50 playable characters each with their own quirky animations and style | | • | Offline Multiplayer Share the experience with another player as you race to collect more objects than each other Tired of battling it out Make peace and work together in co op mode to roll the same katamari | | • | Online Multiplayer for the first time Compete with your friends to roll up everything or as many specific objects as possible As you wait for more online players take part in the mini games that populate the lobby and spread the world of Katamari Damacy | | • | Downloadable Content The world's ever changing as your game will continue to give you joy through downloadable content ready to give you a fresh experience very time you fire up your system |
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Product Description
The King of All Cosmos and the Prince have returned in their newest video game adventure for the insanely popular Katamari series - this time rolling into your Xbox 360! All your favorite relatives from the previous games have come along with you, as well as brand new cousins you've yet to meet! Play as the Prince or one of the cousins to roll up objects in all-new stages and missions as you explore this brand new creative exploration. All the gorgeous, psychadelic graphics you've enjoyed are even better than ever in HD with increased visual depth. Beautiful Katamari features an all-new set of presents to find in the different levels (now they're animated!) as well as a completely new soundtrack to keep you rocking while you roll. In addition to the original, challenging offline game modes, there's now online play too! Challenge and roll against players around the world, as well as play enchanting minigames and download additional content for your game. What are you waiting for? Pick up a copy and get rolling! Share the experience with another player as you race to collect more objects than each other. Tired of battling it out? Make peace and work together in CO-OP mode to roll the same katamari! For the first time ever, the Katamari franchise rolls into the online world. Compete with your friends to roll up everything or as many specific objects as possible. As you are waiting for more online players, also take part in lively mini-games that populate the lobby. The world's ever changing, as your game will continue to give you joy through downloadable content for a fresh experience every time you fire up your system. ESRB Rated E for E for Everyone
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 beautiful katamari July 17, 2008
after a day of dealing with desperate adults who are mean to kids and hurt them this game is a wonderful fun mindless escape which requires only a moderate amount of dexterity. also it is pretty and filled with things that i don't know what they are; and that allows me to be even more mindless. :) love it.
 Adorable, but really for a niche audience July 8, 2008
Beautiful Katamari is a really cute game with bright graphics and droll, sometimes amusingly insulting dialogue. The Japanes lyrics are zippy and interesting. I really wanted to like it. I really wanted to be able to play it, and actually progress in the game without repeating levels over and over and over and over. But, it seems by ability to roll up katamari is very inadequate. Maybe I should have started with the first one in the series, but at this point, I don't think I'll plunk down any appreciable money to get another game like this....
I have to agree with another reviewer that the frame rate sometimes slowing down and getting choppy seems to make a diference, especially when seconds count in the timed trials. It's already not very smooth, and I kept losing my direction, pushing too hard or going in the wrong direction. The controls just didn't seem right. I played over and over and I couldn't really raise my score, and my hands hurt!
My son, who is 12, also had trouble with this game, he has a faster reaction time. He gave up almost immediately, but I persisted, as I was the one who forked out $49.99. Yikes, what a waste of money!
 Great fun, if a little repetitive. July 2, 2008
My family played this game as a demo for about a year on XBLA before I finally decided to get it for my husband's birthday. We have kids that are 3 and 5 years old, and they love playing on XBOX with their daddy. I thought this would be a great game for them to play, as all one does is roll a ball around to collect stuff.
It is truly a hit for the whole family, but can be a little tough for a small person to collect all of the things the game wants you to get before the timer runs out. Daddy has been taking to clear the level for the kids before they play it, just to avoide frustration. Also, if you like rolling a ball around, this game is for you - but that's about it. It is a good game for small people to enjoy, especially if you don't want to expose kids to FPS games.
Good game for veterans, too many issues to recommend it to new players July 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Beautiful Katamari feels like a port or an expansion pack. It packs competent levels that play well but do not really innovate. It plays well enough to be worthwhile for fans of the series, but has too many problems to be recommended as someone's first game.
First, what it does right:
The graphics are certainly improved. Widescreen 1080i really helps the visibility of your target objects, which makes the game fun to play and watch. Object detail is probably double what it was in the PS2 installments. Which, to be fair, still isn't saying much compared to most next-gen games. But it is noticable and nice.
The overworld is whimsical and fun. It is similar in concept to "We Love Katamari," but minus the annoying conversations you were forced to have with the people in that world.
The music, when it is not remixes of the previous two games, is very good. There are no painfully annoying songs as in WLK, and some of the J-pop is really catchy.
The larger stages expand the scope of gameplay nicely. Difficulty is ramped up, so if you can beat the other two games with your eyes closed, this installment offers more challenge for your gaming dollar.
What doesn't work:
The framerate issues are just unforgivable. Even though detail has been increased over previous games, it is nowhere near other more stable next gen games on the 360 or the PS3. Yet, when a lot of movement is on the screen or you are swinging the camera around quickly, the framerate chugs to a very frustrating degree, and exacerbates control issues. This is just sloppy coding. We all know the 360 can handle this amount of polygons without turning into a slideshow.
Speaking of controls, it is difficult to put my finger on, but my thumbs get a lot more sore playing this that the PS2 games with the dual shock. Other players I've talked to have confirmed this. Either it's the response programmed in, or the controller itself, but you can feel it. I tend to think it's the game, because it's more noticeable on the larger levels than the smaller ones.
The difficulty, while welcome for a veteran, will probably be painfully frustrating to a newbie. Several levels are timed so that it takes extremely fast and consistent play to even make the minimum objective. Control and framerate issues add to the frustration.
Online modes add interest, but do not really evolve the gameplay in any new directions. It's the same stuff you could do on split screen on the PS2. Also, you need a Live Gold membership, at $50 per year, to do it. Given the overall lameness of 2-player Katamari modes, this is unjustifiable.
I find myself wishing the game were on PS3. The controller is better, perhaps the framerate issues could be solved (again, I think this is the programmers' fault, not Microsoft's), and the online play could be free and wireless.
Nonetheless, it's a good game which fans of the series will enjoy. I bought it for around $30 and felt this was a fair price. Now that it's $20, it's not a bad cheap title to get for your 360. If you want to get a friend into the game, though, get them the original game on PS2. It's better balanced, has fun story cutscenes which help set the tone, and doesn't have the framerate issues of this installment.
Fun, simple game June 29, 2008
I had never played any Katamari games before I received this one for Christmas. My brother thought they were a lot of fun, so I downloaded the demo off of Xbox Live and decided that I wanted to purchase Beautiful Katamari.
I like this game pretty well, and it is fun, but there are a few aspects about it that I do not like. For example, the king in the game is very very negative toward the prince and is constantly blocking the screen with his unnecessary commentary. Also, occasionally, the screen angles are terrible and you won't be able to see where you are going, and in turn, can get stuck. The graphics can also be glitchy.
Overall, I do like to play this game. It is a nice, fun game that I play when I am not in the mood for anything complicated. I won't say that it is easy because the 'roll up hot things level' is not every easy, lol, but it is a game that doesn't seem to require a lot of thought.
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