13. Katamari Damacy – PS2

Three years after the release of this game, it’s still difficult to believe it ever landed on North American shores. For something so delightfully Japanese in every aspect of its presentation, the fact that a publisher decided the game could be successful in the English-speaking world, and was right, is truly astonishing. However the decision was made, I’m just glad to have the opportunity to play it, because Katamari Damacy is not only one of (if not the most) unique and innovative games of the past generation, it’s also out and out one of the best.

Katamari Damacy is a puzzle game, where players must push around a giant sticky ball. When the ball is rolled over an item, it adheres to the ball, becoming a part of it. As more items stick to the ball, the size of your ball increases and items of greater size are able to be picked up. Each stage generally has a time limit, where you must increase your ball to a certain size before time is up. All of the movement is controlled using the two analog sticks, with a very intuitive tank-like control scheme. The trick is to pick up the largest items possible as soon as your ball can accommodate them, while keeping your ball as spherical as possible to ensure easy control and navigation.

If the game seems simple, that’s because it is. Play is addictive, challenging, a damn lot of fun, and works well through several replays. But Katamari shows that while gameplay is without question of the utmost importance, a stellar presentation can raise a good game to Classic status. Here is an example where I don’t believe that words can to justice to everything that is Katamari Damacy, but I will do my best. The cutscenes before each level are like something out of a bad (or good?) trip – bright rainbow colors, nonsensical dancing animals, mystical characters – yes. Music in this game is more than just filler, but an interregnal part of the experience. It sounds just as good and weird as it looks, and I dare you not to play the game a few times without hunting down the soundtrack to put on your iPod. I wrote before that the sticky ball picks up “items.” What I failed to do was define the term – dominoes, boats, clouds, cars, humans, cats, plants, literally hundreds of real-world (mostly) things of all shapes, sizes, and cultures.

There is no experience quite like Katamari Damacy. Even the sequel, We Love Katamari, was a great game in its own right but failed to capture the magic of putting in the original entry in the series for the first time. A delightful sort of game that we’re lucky to get even once a generation.