See that game on the left? It ate the bomb. And now that it has done so, I must give it some praise. The game is Katamari Damacy for PS2 and it came out last year. My initial interest in this game came from the fact that it is a continuation of a project started at a Namco game design school. Student game designer Keita Takahashi was given the green light to assemble a team of artists, musicians and developers and take his idea all the way to the console market.

The storyline and dialog, which make sense only when sleep deprived or drunk, describe a mishap which has resulted in all the stars being knocked out of the sky by your father (the king of the universe). Your job as the prince of the universe is to create new stars from any and all materials available on planet Earth. So you start with a small, sticky ball and roll it around picking up random stuff around a house like thumbtacks, pencils and mice. Objects that are small enough stick to the ball and add to its diameter. Those that are too big cannot be picked up and will get in your way or even worse knock you off course. This leads to constant yelling of things like “I’m comin’ back for your ass!” and “I’ll be back with a bus on this thing and crush you, donkey!” Taking your revenge picking up objects which initially proved too large is the definition of video game satisfaction.

At the start of each round you’re given a specific diameter as your goal and once that goal is reached, your “star” is launched into the sky.

The subsequent stars you roll get larger in diameter with each passing round and to find larger materials, you must travel outside of the house and into the street. At this point you’re picking up medium to large items like dogs, cows and bicycles. Eventually, the diameter requirement is so large that you must travel across the sea and pick up things like tanker trucks, baseball stadiums and skyscrapers.

The original game design makes this one stand out from 2004’s sequel showdown but it has many other features that make it something special. First, all aspects of the game are controlled with only the analog sticks on the controller. This way our buddy Eddie “Thumbs” McKenzie can play with no worries. Secondly the visuals in the game, though a bit blocky, are pretty amazing. The fact that the game keeps track of everything you’ve picked up and that it can all be seen on the outer layer of the ball is a nice touch. Finally the music in Katamari Damacy is tremendous. Its genres are far and wide and the individual tunes are infectious. I spent several days singing the opening theme to myself and everyone else I know who has played it has done the same.

I picked this up for $19.95 new and chances are you can find it quite a bit cheaper. I recommend Katamari Damacy to anyone with a PS2 and find that the game is best played with several people in the room. Take turns sharing your transition from initial confusion and frustration to satisfying and raw entertainment.