Beautiful Rumors
This is so far unconfirmed, but it looks like the upcoming Beautiful Katamari game will be on the XBox 360 and Nintendo Wii but NOT the PS3. It may even release ONLY on the XBox360, although I think leaving the Wii audience out is a big misstep. This is shocking for many reasons and yet completely reasonable when I think about it.
The original Katamari Damacy was an incredible game along with it’s sequel We Love Katamari. The first was such a sleeper hit that it was only marketed with a starting price of $20. For a brand new PS2 game, that is insane as they generally start at $50. The game and the $20 price tag kep the first game flying off the shelves and it was nearly impossible to find for the first few months. Luckily for me my Dad found it for me for Christmas. Katamari Damacy and it’s sequel were both Sony PS2 exclusives. Me and My Katamari, the third and what was supposed to be final installment, was released only on the Sony PSP. So if you notice the trend, this has always been a Sony exlusive.
Now the XBo360 and Wii are outselling the new PS3 everywhere and the developers are taking notice. Why spend the time and money to develop for a platform that has no users? And if you are a user, why buy the most expensive game console if there are no games being developed for it? Sure it’s a self defeating cycle, but that’s how these things work. Darwinism for gaming.
I love the Katamari series and I think it will be great on my XBox360, HOWEVER I am concerned about the controls. On the PS2, you have two analog sticks that used to control the Katamari like a tank. The XBox360 controller also has two analog sticks but the big difference is that they are offset. The PS2 sticks were symmetrical and easy to control. I’m afraid this may be more difficult on the 360’s sticks where the left stick is farther forward than the right one. I don’t know, maybe it will be just as easy. I crave symmetry… what can I say?
Anyway, however this plays out, it looks like we will be seeing a new Katamari on the 360 by the end of the year. Just in time for the Thanksgiving/Christmas shopping holidays. Most XBox360 games start at $60 USD in the States (about $45-50 USD here in Hong Kong (why is that?)) and I can’t see this franchise going to that level. This is not the most complicated or stunning game series ever made and doesn’t warrant those kinds of prices. However, if they stick with the same formula from the original games, it’s already a winner.
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