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Snapshot: Touch My Katamari
There are so many games out there we couldn't possibly review them all. Welcome to Snapshot, where we tell you about games that might fall outside our usual coverage but are still something we think you should know about. Today: Touch My Katamari for the PlayStation Vita. Touch My Katamari is the best portable Katamari ever made by default. The reason is clear: the PlayStation Vita has two analog sticks, and it is therefore possible to play with the proper controls that the King of All Cosmos intended. Other portable Katamari games don't count.Playing Katamari Damacy on a handheld system feels ... so right. I can roll around in a surreal, fantasyland Japan for two minutes, pause the system, and get back to what I'm doing. I can absentmindedly amass darumas, cow pylons and automobiles while I'm watching TV.Even putting aside the portability, Touch My Katamari is a legitimately good Katamari game. Not the best Katamari game -- Namco can never top the work of creator Keita Takahashi, especially if it continually reuses old levels -- but a good one.%Gallery-142216%
Touch My Katamari's prologue is just the best thing
The Katamari series is known for being esoteric, having excellent music and, at times, being eccentric to such a degree that "absurd" can't even begin to cover it. It's relieving to see that Touch My Katamari will not only continue these proud traditions, but take them to new heights.
Touch My Katamari video redefines bizarre
One might say it's redundant to refer to any Katamari video as "weird." Most would probably claim such labels as unnecessary. Normally, we would agree but, man, this is one weird video for Touch My Katamari. The screenshots, by comparison, are downright normal. %Gallery-142216%
Touch My Katamari shows us how to roll
A Katamari, much like other intangible and made-up things, is a fickle mistress. One doesn't walk up to one and simply start rolling. No, first you must court the Katamari, whisper sweet nothings in its ear and promise it loose salmon and potted plants, pencils and other bits and bobs. You also have to promise it the world, because eventually it will roll up the entire world. That's the aim of this trailer and screens for PS Vita launch title, Touch My Katamari. Those who seek instruction on proper Katamari handling should look no further. Personally, we suggest doing it with both hands, palms flat. %Gallery-140176%
Watch My Intro, Touch My Katamari
There are two things you're never too old for: Eating the stick from your Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip before the powder, and the world of Katamari. So go on: Treat yourself to the above nostalgic madness from PS Vita launch title Touch My Katamari as you meditate on just what a fantastic name that really is.
Ridge Racer, Shinobido, and ... 'Touch My Katamari' launching alongside Vita in NA and EU
We suspect publishers were as surprised as everyone else when Sony announced the worldwide PlayStation Vita launch dates at the Web 2.0 Summit. Two days after that unexpected reveal, Namco Bandai is officially putting that February 22 date on its own launch games: Ridge Racer, Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen, and the new Katamari game, which has been given the amusing title of Touch My Katamari for its western release. Of course, all Vita games will be sold digitally, saving you from the nightmare of asking a retail clerk for Touch My Katamari. Namco announced these dates for North America, and Sony has confirmed they're accurate for Europe as well.%Gallery-137143%
More Vita games priced in Japan, cheaper on PSN than retail
Famitsu revealed the Japanese launch price for the PlayStation Vita's Uncharted: Golden Abyss, offering evidence that Vita games in general will follow the same pricing structure seen with Army Corps of Hell (and with the PSP), in which PSN versions are a bit cheaper than retail. The card version will sell for ¥5,980 ($78), with the downloadable version at ¥4,900 ($64). Namco Bandai will temporarily widen the gap between PSN and retail prices with promotional discounts on the downloadable versions of Ridge Racer and Katamari Damacy no Vita. Katamari is priced at ¥4,980 ($65) in stores and ¥4,480 ($58) on PSN, but will be ¥3,980 ($52) on PSN through March 31. Ridge Racer will be ¥2,980 ($39) on PSN for the same time period, going up to its normal PSN price of ¥3,580 ($47) afterward; retail is set for ¥3,980 ($52).
Katamari Damacy Vita details revealed, things get stretchy
Katamari Damacy is coming to the PS Vita and, as you might imagine, the franchise's clearly insane creators have some rather bold ideas about how to implement the handheld's many, many inputs. For instance, the touchscreen will be used to navigate the Prince's sticky sphere around the game's object-strewn environments, while the rear touchpad will "stretch the ball either horizontally or vertically to pick up more objects at once or squeeze through a narrow gap." We can't wait for more details about the title to surface. You just know the gyroscope is going to have some application, right? Maybe it'll let you control the King of All Cosmos' Royal Rainbows, or maybe it will give you the ability to wiggle the Prince's antenna. Forget it, we're just not thinking crazy enough. %Gallery-134103%
