Touch My Katamari

It's not the game you want to justify your purchase of a Vita, as it won't have you signing the merits of its various technical features and thanking the Lord for a rear touchpad. But it's something more important than that – fun.

Far better than the recent PSP and iOS versions, this is Katamari's most fun portable outing to date. More new stuff would have been nice, though. [March 2012, p.91]

Eccentric and bursting with charm. [Apr 2012, p.58]

Doesn't stray from a winning formula, offers the portable world dual analog sticks (which cements the experience), and brings in a new touch-based mechanic that actually affects the gameplay in a positive way. There isn't quite enough content, the camera does seem to be a bigger problem than in past entries, and I miss a few of the more unique modes found in other titles, but there's no denying it: this is Katamari and the fans should really enjoy it.

We're having a ball with this sticky-ball game that really sticks to you.

We love the game, but if you already have another Katamari game in your collection, you won't find many changes here, and it seems more like an expansion of the second game.

Touch My Katamari does little to break the mold, but with its odd humor and addictive simplicity, it's a great game to have on the go. Plus, at $30, it's one of the more reasonably-priced Vita launch games.

The AMOLED-screen on the Vita really works in favor of Touch My Katamari since it comes with a rainbow of colors. Unfortunately the story mode isn't particularly long, which cuts the fun assignments, quirky Japanese humor and happy J-pop short.

Touch My Katamari is a step in the right direction for the franchise, it's a lot of fun. Best of all, it doesn't cram the Vita's touch controls down your throat and makes good use of the hardware.

it's a nifty trick when you need to fit your big blob through tight spaces or want to cut a wide, steamroller-like swath. But it's also a bit erratic, and players may find themselves invoking the feature accidentally, when their insolent fingers drift from the slivers of non-touchpad space that the Vita so generously provides on its rear end.

Touch My Katamari isn't a revolution for the series, but it does add enough odds and ends to keep the series (excuse me) rolling along. The quirky and bizarre visuals are still here, the solid gameplay persists and you'll still find rolling up sumo wrestlers funny. At least I do.

Touch My Katamari looks and plays better than ever, has a hilarious new story, and new touchscreen controls give players additional ways to roll their own, but that all doesn't change the fact that this is basically the same game we've played so many times already.