Me & My Katamari

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Me & My Katamari

Developer(s)	Namco
Publisher(s)	Namco
Release date(s)	^JPN December 22, 2005 ^NA March 21, 2006
Genre(s)	Third person puzzle-action
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E CERO: All Ages
Platform(s)	PlayStation Portable
Media	1 × Universal Media Disc
System requirements	Firmware 2.6

Me & My Katamari (僕の私の塊魂, Boku no Watashi no Katamari Damashii^?, lit. My My Katamari Damacy or My Katamari Damacy of Mine) is a video game on the PSP platform. It is the third game in the Katamari Damacy series, the first game on a portable system and the first game produced without the involvement of series creator Keita Takahashi.

1 Story
2 Gameplay
3 Hidden Areas/Warp Zones
4 Location
5 Multiplayer
6 Soundtrack
7 Trivia
8 External links

[edit] Story

The King of All Cosmos and the Royal Family decide to take some time off from their celestial construction and travel to Earth for a well-earned (for the Prince at least) tropical summer vacation on their own sunny island. Unfortunately, the King's over-exuberance creates a tsunami that strikes and devastates nearby Paradise Commonwealth Island. One of the residents, a turtle, washes ashore next to the Royal Family and tells them his tale. The King then decides to make new islands for the animals of the Commonwealth with several katamari. Similar to the previous Katamari titles, the King sends the Prince to the Sunflower Continent, which is full of the paraphernalia used to create new landmasses.

[edit] Gameplay

Gameplay is much like that of the previous Katamari titles. Controls differ from those of the PS2 games given that the PSP lacks the DualShock 2 dual analog sticks. The player uses the D-pad and the four face buttons to imitate the analog controls. Often forgotten, as the creators added this only for the American release, is the ability to use the thumb-nub instead of the D-pad (the previous Japanese version only uses the thumb-nub to move the camera). The L and R buttons are used for tight turns.

[edit] Hidden Areas/Warp Zones

The creators of the Katamari series have always filled their games with easter eggs. In Me & My Katamari, the creators have added sub-levels and warp zones in inconspicuous locations. For example, in the 70 m stage of the Octopus level, the player can roll their katamari into one of two holes in a frozen-over lake and roll up various underwater artifacts. Also, in the 1 m 50cm level, there are various doors the player can enter to go inside a restaurant to gain a bigger katamari (usually the most beneficial when between 60 cm and 75 cm).

[edit] Location

The Sunflower Continent is the main level in the game. For variety, the time of day and season constantly change during different missions. There are five stages of the game, rising up to the World where the katamari can reach over 4000 m. In a recent interview, Keita Takahashi stated there is no overt size cap in the Royal Monument stage, but once a player reaches about 4270 m, 4290 m, 4296 m, or 4297 m, the size of the katamari stops increasing, as there is nothing big enough to make the katamari grow.

[edit] Multiplayer

Each player has his or her own island, which they name. A maximum of three of the player's friends can visit the island, via ad hoc network. The visitor can challenge the player in a contest of rolling the most valuables, like the Saving Red Panda stage in We ♥ Katamari.

[edit] Soundtrack

The soundtrack, Katamari Original Soundtrack Damacy, is made up of featured tunes from the previous Katamari titles, such as the song Katamari on the Rocks, and a few original compositions, such as Katamari on the Funk.

[edit] Trivia

Jesus Island was renamed into 80's Island prior to the American release, possibly to remove any religious references.
The theme song of the game, Katamari on the Funk, bears a striking resemblance, if not identical, to Pulse Phaze, a song by Katamari composer Yu Miyake featured in another Namco PSP game, Ridge Racer.