One shortcoming, though, is the game's graphics. Although the levels show off several groundbreaking designs and have no shortage of items to roll up, the visuals don't take advantage of the Xbox 360's processing power. The whole thing looks like a gussied-up PlayStation 2 port rather than a current-generation game. That's not to say it's without its allure, as the presentation is rather cute. However, it could've been so much more, especially without the wall transparencies and sporadic slowdown.

Musically, the game keeps up with previous Katamari soundtracks. The collection of tunes range from comforting J-Pop to finger-snapping jazz to blaring techno. It's almost enough to make you want to hunt down the soundtrack and download it to your MP3 player.

The single player mode takes a few hours to get through, with diverse items to collect and several "cousins" unlockable throughout. Beautiful Katamari also provides a couple of multiplayer modes. Co-op offers an interesting twist, as you and a friend work together to roll a Katamari throughout each level. You'll also have the opportunity to log in to Xbox Live and challenge friends to a quick object collection match through various stages, while also posting high scores through a leaderboard. It's satisfactory, but kind of bare bones. Furthermore, co-op mode is offline only.

Even with the minor visual quibbles and the meager Xbox Live support, Beautiful Katamari rolls its way to a recommendation. The gameplay is addictive, the music's hot and the King of All Cosmos, lederhosen and all, is a laugh riot. It would be nice to see the series spin into a much bigger masterpiece, but at least it has the right amount of momentum to keep the ball rolling.