Katamari Forever brings the King of Cosmos back to where it all started. Exclusively on the Playstation 3, Katamari Forever doesn’t let its fans down with more of its classic Katamari craziness. Katamari has returned and we are happy to be rolled up in its zany world. Katamari, is forever.

The premise behind Katamari Damacy hasn’t changed much since its original conception in 2004. Debuting on the Playstation 2, Katamari has rolled up many different versions on multiple platforms over the years, but the game has always stayed relatively the same as the original. In 2009 with Katamari Forever, this still holds true as the Prince rolls up another addictive run of Katamari madness. When its done right, why change it? and this is why Katamari has enjoyed such longevity over the years. For such a simple concept, the Katamari series relies on its fresh, off-beat sensibilities to keep people interested, not to mention its simple rolling mechanics are highly addictive. In Forever all this remains true, as Katamari still feels interesting and fresh. It's all rudimentary, and that is why it works. From children to the hardcore elite, everybody can find something to love about Katamari.

"Let the Good times Roll"
Keeping in perfect form with the other Katamari titles, Katamari Forever has the same zany storyline with small singled out missions where you have to pick up objects by rolling a Katamari ball. The more you roll up, the bigger you get, this lets you roll up bigger items then before, and the cycle continues. In some levels you might be dealing with rolling up small objects like tacks and batteries which can lead all the way up to rolling up trains, planes and automobiles... and then tracks the train is on, the clouds the planes fly through, and the buildings where the automobiles are being made. Katamari is an epic, and it always makes you feel extremely powerful, hmmm Katamari Godzilla.

"Beautiful, All over Again"
Fans of other Katamari games will feel right at home with Katamari Forever. The music, presentation, graphics and bizarre objectives has been preserved with a little more polish and remixing on the Playstation 3. The visuals are ultra crisp and fine tuned in popping 1080p HD. Katamari has never looked so good. Katamari Forever visually is a step up from the other editions of the game including the Xbox 360 version, Beautiful Katamari. When referring to Katamari’s sense of style, Katamari still has the same unrefined retro feel. I’m glad Namco Bandai decided to stick to its simple roots and not make Katamari’s visual style more realistic Depending on your view of graphics, you might think this unwillingness to change is a cop out, especially when the game has been remixed on the Playstation 3, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Making Katamari look “real” would not do the game any favours because its basic look is half the games charm.

"Stand Before the King"
Charm is one thing Katamari has in abundance, and it all starts with its whacky personality. In Katamari you play as the Prince, a little being who uses his sticky Katamari ball to roll up items in our world. The prince is the main character in the game, however the games real star isn’t the play controlled Prince, and it is the King of All Cosmos. The King is instantly loveable with his bizarre speech, awfully bad fashion sense and abusive attitude towards the Prince. It is nearly impossible not to smile when the King is on the screen. That man commands your attention... and vainly he receives it. The story in Katamari Forever revolves around the King suffering from amnesia and the Prince picking up the pieces.

This brings explains the games new black and white filter which doesn’t become colourized until you roll up and item. Roll it up and the King starts to remember. Depending on how good your memory is of the original Katamari games you might recognize some of the levels in Forever because the game contains a mixture of new levels, and older remade levels. The remade levels are all put into the King of all Cosmos section under one constellation and can be played and re-played in a similar fashion as the old games. Aside from the black & white filter associated with the King’s amnesia, Katamari has a few other filters that help liven up the experience which are unlocked on each level after you beat it. These filters include comic (cel-shadeding), a coloured pencil look and a wood grain style.

"Nuts & Bolts"
The new Katamari levels are under a different plot line which involves a robotic King of all Cosmos, called the RoboKing (how original). The robot King was created by the cousins to replace the abusive King but something went wrong. The RoboKing fell out of his programming and destroyed all the stars in the sky! This prompts the Prince to get back to his profession of rolling and like always, he has to pick up the pieces of a negligent King. Like the other Katamari games that came before it, the entire storyline in Katamari Forever is totally absurd. People who like Katamari want all the bizarreness Namco Bandai can serve up, and Katamari Forever has no qualms about it. Even being a recycling of its former self, Katamari Forever is still more original then most games. It’s not the most revolutionary idea anymore, but it works.

"Everybody-- Jump, Jump!"
Along with the new levels you will notice a few new moves in the Prince’s skill set. The most improved feature is the ability to hop, called the Prince-Hop. The hop boosts the Prince and his Katamari high up in the air so you can reach higher spots, or get unstuck from unmoveable situations. Hoping around the level is a nice accent that actually flushes out the gameplay more than it already is. The second and final addition to Katamari Forever is the “KingShock” which temporarily gives the Katamari a magnetism that pulls objects onto its surface. This isn’t a button you can flick on like the “PrinceJump”; it’s a straight-forward power-up that you can pick up in a level. Both additions are nice to see and actually add to the already solid gameplay.

"The Soundtrack of Strange"
Musically Katamari Forever is as outstanding, and delightfully as strange as before. The song remixes are interesting an unlike anything you hear in other games, or in the mainstream media. These tunes are catchy and distinctly “katamari”. The music might not be popular stateside, however in Japan a two disc soundtrack was released from Katamari Forever. Like the graphical filters, once you beat a level you can select the music you want to hear while you role around your katamari. For artists it’s interesting to see who has been involved with the project because the list is very diversified. From the Nagoya based Guiro, to the South American soul and jazz mastery of Saigenji, Katamari Forever is filled with some inspirational and talented pieces of music.

"A Lil' Extra Flavour"
Unlockables are a big part of Katamari like its big collection aspect. Don’t expect to be done with this game in a single play through. Katamari is one of those games that will likely sit in your PS3 drive for sometime. For extras, Katamari Forever has a few mini-games that you can waste sometime in, with co-op support. Katamari is a fun game to fool around in with friends; it’s just too bad you can play together over the PSN. Mini-games and other treats like the Katamari Drive mode can be unlocked by progressing in the game, and then there is the collection aspect. Collecting everything in Katamari is a daunting, and fun task. There are thousands of items in the game so finding them all will take sometime. Along with collecting in game items you can also try your hand at the trophies in the game. The trophies range from super easy like “Movie Fan” –watch five movies in a row, to something a little tougher like the collection one “Completionist” which asks you to collection the entire collection of items, 100% phew, now that’s worth the gold Trophy.

Katamari Forever is a collection of everything that is great about the Katamari series since its conception. Katamari is a one-of-a-kind game that is ultra-addicitve and charming. While Katamari Forever doesn't feel like a full-out new game, it still offers hours upon hours of katamari rolling fun. I would have liked to seen a little more originality without so many recycled levels and online multiplayer support, however even with a few complaints, Katamari Forever is an outstanding, and worth a look. For all those who know and love the Katamari series, Katamari Forever is a no-brain purchase, it's that easy. Now get to that rolling.

Gameplay:8.0, Graphics:8.0, Sound:9.0, Innovation:6.5, Mojo:8.5 Final: 8.0 / 10