In the world of weird Japanese videogames, Namco's Katamari Damacy is about as quirky as they come. The King of the Cosmos has somehow managed to destroy all of the stars in the sky, and he's given his son, the young prince, the duty of replacing them by performing a rather strange task. What ensues can only be described as bizarre, but Katamari Damacy is much more than a blip on the game radar. It's a land mark achievement and a must buy.

In Katamari Damacy, you play as the Prince of the Cosmos, and rebuilding the night sky is your mission, and unfortunately, his dad's forced him to accept it. You do this by rolling a Katamari, a ball with the ability to absorb similar sized objects into its mass and run rampant upon the Earth. As you reach certain points, your Katamari will grow and absorb much larger objects, so you start out picking up tacks and erasers, but as you progress, people, cars, trees, skyscrapers and the Loch Ness Monster will soon meet their untimely demise. It's a simple idea that makes you feel good as you play. Well, maybe that feeling also comes from the screams that some of the people will make as they get stuck to the Katamari. They flail about wildly, and I couldn't help but grin each time I surprised a bunch of them.

The game is very easy to control. You use both analog sticks to roll the Katamari, and you can also quick turn to make getting around easier. The learning curve isn't steep, meaning just about anyone can jump right in.

While the game's graphics aren't as detailed as the more popular games on the market, they're acceptable. Katamari Damacy's world is colorful and inviting, and good enough so that you always know what you've just picked up. Most of the game's levels look the same and environments repeat, but as you grow, more and more of the world is accessible, so there are plenty of new things to see and do.

While collecting tons of stuff using your Katamari, you'll be rocking your head to the eclectic music. The soundtrack covers various genres, from blues and jazz to lounge style tunes. If you fall in love with it as much as I did, importing a copy is a must.

In addition to the single-player game, Katamari Damacy features a multi-player mode. Two players can battle it out to see who can make the biggest Katamari. You can even use yours as a weapon! This split screen game is a lot of fun, though I wish it could be played online and with more players.

Katamari Damacy's and excellent game, but it's not without its flaws. The camera is pretty bad, as it becomes a chore to see where you're going. You'll often find yourself rolling to some unknown location with the seconds ticking down, centimeters away from the target size, but unable to see exactly where you are because your Katamari is being obscured by a building or skyscraper. It can be a pain, especially when the camera is the reason you failed a mission. Some of the levels can take up to twenty minutes, and losing that progress because of a horrible viewpoint is heart-breaking.

Lastly, you'll notice that the game suffers from clipping, where solid objects pass through one another. This is both a blessing and a curse, because while it looks sloppy, it will often get you out of tight spots. Often times, while pinned by a ceiling, you can roll through it and onto a mountain. It's not pretty, but it works. However, other moments in the game make even less sense, such as the time I got stuck on a low fence and lost most of my items, even though my Katamari was big enough to get over it.

Katamari Damacy is a shining example of elegant gameplay design combined with a rather eccentric idea. To walk away from the game without feeling overjoyed is insane. It's a rewarding experience that is unmatched at its $20 MSRP, and not liking it would be like saying that you're not a fan of oxygen. Lots of fun and full of style, there's no reason why you're not rolling to your nearest retailer to pick up a copy.

Our Final ScoreGood

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