Katamari Damacy
Balls of steel – and just about everything else.

PLATFORM: PS2

PUBLISHER: Namco

DEVELOPER: Namco

GENRE: Giant Ball Rolling

ESRB: Everyone

If you have no idea what this game’s title means or even what the game is about, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Much like other Japanese imports like Parappa the Rapper or Mr. Mosquito, Katamari Damacy is a completely out-of-left field game, similar to absolutely nothing else on the planet.

We first got a glimpse of Katamari Damacy earlier in 2004 at E3. We had a hard time wrapping our heads around the basic concept and storyline, but as soon as we picked up the controller, everything suddenly made sense.

To get as basic as we can, you play as what can best be described as a tiny little dude, whose job is to roll a sticky ball around. The ball picks up different objects – dogs, streetlamps, even people. At the end of the round, for reasons involving some angry big guy in a crown and basic astronomy, your ball must be a certain size and mass to win.

See? Doesn’t that make a lot more sense now?

The basic gameplay doesn’t change very much over the different levels – and the blocky Gumby-like characters don’t make this a graphic powerhouse. But don’t be too quick to dismiss Katamari Damacy as another weird Japanese game that’ll be in the bargain bin in two months. From your very first attempt, you’ll be hooked on the game’s wacky charm.

Katamari Damacy is basically a concept in search of a game – and it just doesn’t care. Why are you rolling this ball around? Is it cool to be rolling people up and shooting them into space at the end of the level? Who’s the big guy with the crown? Trust us, you won’t care – you’ll be too busy trying to figure out if you can get that passing car to stick to your ball.