bingle

Bing,

I know this one is getting hard to find, and a lot of people have probably heard all they want to hear about it, but currently it stands as my "best game on PS2" (and I've played a lot).

Of course, I have a soft spot for bizzare or surreal games, and anything that explores a new gaming concept gives me orgasms, so this one was pretty much a shoe-in.

Basically, the story is that you're the Prince of All Cosmos, and your dad went on some sort of trip (most sites infer alcohol, but given the rest of this game, I'd have to say something hallucinogenic) and broke all the stars in the sky, plus the moon. Since he's a lazy, slightly cruel father with the attention span of a hyperactive puppy, you get to fix his mistake. You do this by rolling around a big ball and collecting random (Potbellied stove? Panda Ride?) stuff that makes your ball bigger. You have to reach the target size before you run out of time, or you'll get ridiculed by the King. Bumping into big things knocks stuff off your ball, and some areas are only accessible at certain sizes.

The ball is controlled solely by the analog sticks, sort of like a tank game - pushing both in one direction rolls in that direction, and pushing in opposite directions turns the ball. The controls are somewhat hard to master, and will provide most of the challenge of the early game.

The most amazing thing about this game is the seamless scaling - you'll start out small in a place bounded by big obstacles, but once you get bigger you'll see more of the world and the initial obstacles will be just more fodder for your ball.

The second most amazing thing is the soundtrack - as eclectic as the game is, it includes Japanses swing style tracks, a cappela title music, and a lot of weird katamari-themed music that seems to be written exclusively for the game.

However, the downside to the game is that it's way too short - there are something like 15 total levels, and most of them are over in less than 20 minutes, some much shorter. It's also not too difficult of a game to beat, there were only a couple levels I had to try multiple times on. Getting a hundred percent is a different story; there are tons of different items to collect and secret objects to find. Replaying some levels a few times is a must.

Anyway, if you want to try one of the most original titles on the PS2, pick up Katamari - you might have more luck getting it online, though, as it became an unexpected hit and most game stores have sold out their copies.

Bingle