We Love Katamari (PlayStation 2)

In WE LOVE KATAMARI, the sequel to Katamari Damacy, the Prince is once again working for his dad, the King of All Cosmos, who this time wants to create a new collection of planets. Players control the Prince as he heads to Earth with his katamari, a sticky ball that players use to roll up objects the way they'd roll up a snowman. When players roll up a big enough katamari, the king uses it to create a planet. Along the way, players will roll through a beefed-up collection of themed missions.

Players still use the controller's two thumbsticks to maneuver the katamari -- the left thumbstick moves the left side and the right thumbstick moves the right side. Katamari rolling starts small: the Prince must accumulate little things (eggs, pencils, snowflakes) before the katamari will pick up bigger things (ninjas, dumptrucks, the Arc de Triomphe). Players usually either build the biggest katamari in a set time or build a katamari of a set size as fast as possible.

Just like the first game, We Love Katamari has a delightful presentation to match the unique gameplay. The graphics are so-so, with blocky characters and objects, but this works well enough within the cartoon-like world of the game. Every board dazzles the eye with hundreds of multicolored things, people, animals, etc., moving about, evoking a world of crazy toys. Also, just like the first game, We Love Katamari features a soundtrack of kooky pop songs that are a fitting aural background to the action.

Though We Love Katamari is a bit longer than the first installment, it is still a little on the short side. Nevertheless, the charming world of the game provides enough of a draw to ensure a good deal of replay value. Players can revisit any board they've played to collect different objects or attempt roll their katamaris bigger and faster. There's also a two-player cooperative mode.