"The Cuteness Factor Is Through The Roof..."

You don't even have to read this review, for I have a reason anyone should buy this game: chicks dig it. Why? Because it's ridiculously cute.

Yes, the Prince and the King of all the cosmos are back for another bizarre adventure, this time on the PSP. The idea is that after making so many planets and stars, the royal family is taking a tropical vacation. Unfortunately, while surfing, the King creates a huge wave that wipes out many islands that are home to cute and furry animals, leaving them homeless. You must rebuild islands for these animals, with each one looking for some specific quality.

Gameplay (9/10)

As in previous games, there are the basic X large in X amount of time levels, and the levels where you must pick up as many of a specific group of items as possible. Early on, the concessions made to fit this game on a UMD become clear as many levels not only reuse the same area, but every time an area is used the items do not change, and they are in the exact same position. Also, instead of one smooth game from say 1 m to 70 m, at certain sizes the king will take you to different areas, resulting in load times. The load times are manageable, but they are unfamiliar in this series. Even the king seems to recognize this problem, as the time changes from day to night after many loads.

While the maps were made smaller to fit on a UMD, an interesting touch that was added is the ability to enter some buildings. While in previous games you were either in a building or outside of it, if you are on the street you can ind buildings to roll into, and cause havoc on the inside. Another plus is the return of the comprehensive collection. In KD, your collection was grouped into many different ways of looking at your items (byt size, by category, by location...), and the game would give you an overall percentage. However, in WLK, not only were you only able to look at your collection by category but the game wouldn't even give you an overall percentage. MMK marks the return of the original system.

One small problem that really makes no sense is that unlike in WLK there's no way of knowing if you have the cousin(s) and present for a level. You have to guess which levels still have the presents to be collected, which can be frustrating.

Graphics (8/10)

The game will look familiar to any fan of the series, as the same simple, purposefully blocky style has been maintained. The only problem with the graphics is that the PSP can't always handle having hundreds of items on screen, and so sometimes the game will slow down. The game attempts to fix this by eliminating large numbers of items from the screen once you get big enough. This happened in the last two games as well, but it is even more present in MMK. Also, many items you pick up simply get absorbed into your katamari, and so you never have more than 20-30 items visible on your ball at a time.

Controls (8/10)

When news of this game was first released, the topics that dominated the message board were about the controls. How could a game that relied upon dual-analog stick control be made into a PSP game, a system with only one? The answer is to pretend that the D pad and the four main buttons are analog sticks. You press up and triangle to go forward, etc. The result is a control scheme that mostly works, but takes some getting used to. I find that I can't roll as accurately as I could on the PS2. Another problem is the pain. Constantly pressing down with two thumbs isn't natural to out thumbs, and after only one level you will be slightly sore, and will need a small break. With time, you get used to it.

Sound (10/10)

It all remains true to the series. The soundtrack features no new music, but rather it is a mix of the best songs from the previous two games.

All in all, this game is a must have for any fan of the series, and any PSP owner should check it out. There is excellent replay value although the game is short in trying to get 100% of the items, and getting the best scores possible in each level. There is also wireless play, so you can battle other friends.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/27/06