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Microsoft has announced another value pack for Japan. Last November, a bundle with Viva Piñata and Forza Motorsport 2 was released. This November 6th, a new value pack was drop. Priced at ¥29,800 ($452), this bundle features a 60GB Xbox 360 along with Ace Combat 6 and Beautiful Katamari in the same game case.
PAL players! Well, European Xbox 360 owners! Beautiful Katamari is *finally* rolling onto at least European PAL machines this February. We imagine Australia as well. If you've never played a Katamari game, might be worth checking it out. If you have, well. You've already played it, but better.
Katamari Coming [CVG]
Beautiful Katamari has barely been out a week and downloadable content is already available for Asia and Japan. Logic would dictate that it will probably show up on US XBL sometime in the coming weeks, but is this a little to early? The four new levels, "Milky Way Constellations", "The Weaver Girl", "Shopping Spree" and "High-calorie Katamari", are available at 200 MS points EACH. So, we're talking over eight dollars all together for the new levels, adding to the $US 40 plus tax we just paid for the game itself. It seems like a little time between the release of the game and producing the DLC might take the sting off a little but as it stands, it seems a little money grabbing in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Katamari fan and I'm usually pretty ambivalent about DLC, but this just seems like a bad move that is likely to turn a lot of people off and has certainly made me rethink my position on DLC in general.
Beautiful Katamari DLC is available, already? [Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Katamari is known for its catchy tunes. Beautiful Katamari should be no exception! The Bandai Namco's current Xbox 360 exclusive features a sugary sweet song from another Bandai Namco Xbox 360 exclusive, THE iDOLM@STER. Above, that's it in-game in the Japanese version. No reason to doubt its in the English-language one. Can anyone confirm this?
Hit the jump for the song and idols clumping together.
We're just outside of Tokyo, Flynn and I, taking a day after TGS to explore Kamakura—a city famous for its temples, and of course, the Great Buddha. After a spontaneous, mislead and treacherous hike through the deserted wilderness, we pop out on the side of a busy street loaded with bus caravans. We'd arrived at the Great Buddha.
And when we finally laid our eyes on the 93 ton, 700+ year-old statue Flynn said, "Never in my life did I think I'd see this. I remember rolling it up in Katamari..." It was a special moment.
Hit the jump for our Frankenreview on Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360: every review you ever need on a game from a franchise famous for rolling up the Great Buddha.
Posters are boring! If you are going to capture savvy Tokyo shoppers' wallets, you must capture their imagination. What better way than to do that through crazy in-store displays. Later this week, Beautiful Katamari will go on sale in Japan. To whip Akihabara shoppers up into a frenzy, Sofmap has a display case with a katamari made from figurines. Besides the ubitiquitus iDOLM@STER toys, there are figurines of girls wearing sailor uniforms and swimsuits. The sign on the display reads something like:
That's mine...!! A katamari of evil corruption!!
My game purchases this week will be woefully small as not only am I staying with a friend in NYC who is a non-gamer and therefore has no consoles, but I am leaving on Wed. for LA to go to E for All. But one thing I will definitely be picking up is Beautiful Katamari just so I can hold it in my hand and wish I could play it. What's on your must have purchase list this week?
Namco Bandia got a couple of 360 games coming up. One is Beautiful Katamari. The other is Ace Combat 6. Katamari, it'll be released in the US on October 16 for the "budget" price of USD$40. Ace Combat, it's coming along a little later on October 23 for $US 60. It's also a little more interesting, at least for collectors of meaty peripherals, because you'll also be able to pick up a bundle pack that includes AC6, an AC6 faceplate and a Hori 360 flight stick for $US 150.
Ace Combat, Katamari 360 debuts locked down [GameSpot]
Some of our more eagle-eyed web surfing readers spotted on the official Namco Bandai Games web site "TBD" release dates for PLAYSTATION 3 versions of both Eternal Sonata and Beautiful Katamari. The latter also included hints about the rumoured Wii SKU. Both titles are currently only confirmed for the Xbox 360. Not long after the stories on each title were posted, Namco Bandai hive workers pulled the listings for the non-Microsoft consoles, leaving only the Xbox 360 release dates up.
Clerical error or something far more sinister?! It's hard to think "sinister" when one is discussing an RPG occurring in the mind of a dying Polish composer or rolling things up with a katamari, so we'll remain simply sceptical of the listings. Maybe we will know more after our trip to Tokyo next week.
Thanks to our tipsters for the heads up.
First this, now this: The Bandai Namco Games US page lists Beautiful Katamari as a PS3 title and a Wii title. Previously, the game was supposedly a multi-platform title, but then the PS3 version was apparently abandoned due to porting issues and sluggish PS3 sales. Since this past spring, there has been rumblings of a Wii version, and the game's designer confirmed it was under consideration. Still, Beautiful Katamari was then announced as an Xbox 360 exclusive, and the released box art even carries the "Only on Xbox 360." According to Bandai Namco's site, the PS3 game's release date is TBA as is the Wii one (Xbox 360 should be out in October). Does that mean "Only on Xbox 360" is totally meaningless? If this is true, guess so!
Katamari Listed as PS3 Game [BNG, Thanks Kotakuland! Send tips next time, you bastards :)]
