That's what the King of all Cosmos would have you believe, though at least in my case it's true. The whacky PS2 game that made waves thanks to its creative gameplay elements and cracked concept has been a favorite among fans of innovative games. The idea of rolling a ball around and picking things up is simplicity in its truest form with a hint of genius. The addictive nature brought gamers back for the second game, We Love Katamari. Just imagine what would happen if Namco gave us the power to place as the Prince any place, any time. Ladies and gentlemen meet Me and My Katamari.

Instead of your father getting drunk and destroying the sky this time around he accidentally unleashed a tsunami and destroyed the seas. It's up to the little Prince to take to the streets with Katamari in hand and create the islands once again. The same freakish, yet great personality is here in spades and fans will get a laugh out of some of the things that the King says. Unfortunately the game's transition to the handheld has prompted a few points of concern.

It may have something to do with the fact that this is probably the very last Katamari game that we'll ever see. The team behind its creation has official disbanded to pursue other projects and I can't help but have the feeling that Me and My Katamari was put together rather half-heartedly. Everything in the game is functional and undoubtedly fits perfectly into the franchise's universe, but the handheld version lacks the innovation that made the originals so great.

Gameplay:

In case you have never played of, or heard about, the Katamari series let me fill you in with some more detail. A Katamari is basically a really sticky ball that can capture smaller objects. As you collect these trinkets the ball's size will grow meaning that you can now grab larger things. Eventually you'll get to the point where you can roll over cats, cows, people, cars, buildings, whales, planes, and even Godzilla-like monsters. Everything including the kitchen sink is available for you to collect as you roll around. It's such a simple idea that is almost therapeutic in a way; unless of course you're playing a timed mission. In that case it's a frantic race to meet your goal before the time limit is up.

There are several goals and objectives to aim for in each stage. As you progress the Prince's island will be filled with animals and things that request help. Naturally you'll accept and assist in the only way that you know how; by rolling your Katamari. This time around the game forces you to not only look for specific sizes but specific objects and items as well. These were themes from the previous games though they seem a little more predominant in this case.

Now if you have played other Katamari games and you're like me, then the first time you heard about this game you wondered how the gameplay would translate to the PSP. I mean after all, the system is based on dual analog sticks and in that department the handheld system is sorely lacking. To compensate for this the control is set up with the D-Pad (or analog stick-your choice) and the button pad as your main sources of movement. These are basically treated as the dual analog sticks were and for the most part they control exactly the same.

It took me a while before I felt completely comfortable with rolling the Katamari around so if you're playing the game for the first time, don't get too frustrated. Even though the controls are intuitive enough and about as good as they could get on the PSP, I do have a complaint. Because of the way that it forces you to hold the system and the various button presses that you have to do, playing the game can get a little painful. I had to stop after about 20-25 minutes to give my hands a breather due to the cramping in them.

Luckily the design of the game is such that you shouldn't really be playing for an awful long time. The levels are short enough in time limit so that they don't last that long and you can always stop afterwards and take a breather. This is the same set up that the PlayStation 2 versions saw and fortunately it is just as effective on the PSP.

As you play through these stages you'll amass a collection of data such as what you've collected, presents you've found, etc. You'll also begin to notice that each stage offers the same experience as the one before it. While the console adaptations of Katamari featured a unique stage with just about every mission, the PSP release doesn't. In the end I'd say there are under ten levels or so to play through. The only differences are each time you'll start out with a new objective and at a different size or spot.

One of the biggest issues with the first Katamari game was a camera that you constantly had to fight with in order to be able to see where you're going. It was fixed for the most part in We Love Katamari, but unfortunately it rears its ugly head again in the newest game. I swear that I spent most of my time fighting with the camera and rotation of the Katamari just so that I could see what was around me and where I was headed. This is only a real problem when you're in closer proximity to buildings and such, but it is a flaw that is present.

In the end Me and My Katamari is probably the weakest of the franchise. It works well on the PSP in terms of overall gameplay and satisfaction, but when you look at how good the previous two games were, this is but a shadow of its former self. If you're in need of some Katamari on the go then there is no better alternative, but this is obviously a series that wasn't designed with the PSP in mind. The controls are intuitive given the resources available and the gameplay is a lot of fun. There are just a lot of annoyances that pop up now and then like Carpal Tunnel.

Graphics:

Me and My Katamari ports over the design and visual uniqueness that its larger brethren offered. In other words everything about the game is recognizable to the PlayStation 2 counterparts; just on a smaller scale. The stages and objects obviously have less finesse behind their textures due to the limitations of the system, but they are good looking none-the-less. Well, good looking as long as you don't mind a lot of jagged edges. There is also a bit of slowdown when a lot of objects pop-up on the screen at the same time, which happens more than it should.

Audio:

Fans of the original two games will recognize just about every song in Me and My Katamari's lineup. Each of them has been ripped from the rest of the franchise, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The rest of the game sounds like authentic Katamari with most of the same sound effects being ported over just like the music. Newcomers will be enthralled by the audio while fans will be pleased, yet not impressed in any particular way.

Conclusion:

I can't express how sad I am to hear that the minds behind Katamari have gone their separate ways. Sure Me and My Katamari isn't the best or most unique game in the series, but for what it is it's decent enough. The gameplay is addicting and entertaining, the graphics create a great atmosphere, and the music is fantastic. Unfortunately the control makes your hands cramp up after a while, the levels get repetitive, the camera is bothersome, and the soundtrack has been pulled from past games. This is a fine game if you're looking for something fun for the road or as an introduction to what Katamari is all about, but it will leave some fans disappointed.