Coming Soon: Katamari Damacy Tribute

Import Video Game: Katamari Damacy Tribute for the PS3

As the game title "Everybody Loves Katamari Damacy" points out, everybody loves Katamari Damacy! And here's a new entry in the series to prove it. Katamari Damacy Tribute (called Katamari Forever in the US) is already available in Japan, and it will be available in the US on September 22. What's more, this is a PS3 exclusive, and as such, the Japanese copy can be played on any American PS3! The game is rather import friendly as well, as long as you can understand the pictures that describe the controls and you can figure out what exactly you're trying to roll up (usually everything).

What's different about this one?
1) During at least part of the game, the King of the Cosmos is a robot. I'm really not sure why.
2) There are now power-ups in the game, such as an item that turns your ball into a magnet and draws anything that you can roll up directly to you from a fair distance away. Pretty useful, especially at certain times.
3) You can jump!
4) There also appears to be a 2 player co-op mode, which I believe is a first for the series (unless Beautiful Katamari included it, but I don't think it did).
5) True 1080p graphics! Though, with the admittedly simple style, that's probably not a huge deal.



However, possibly the biggest draw of this new one is the new graphical filters that have been included, allowing you to have everything cel-shaded, normal shaded, wood grain shaded, and more.



Pretty crazy stuff! If you don't have an HD Katamari Damacy yet, it's definitely worth picking one up. And why not have it now instead of a month from now?

To buy Katamari Damacy Tribute (Japanese version) now, try HERE

Have fun playing!
-Kuro Matsuri

Coming Soon #2: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for DS

So, this is probably a more well known game, but did you know this game has been available to import for over 2 months? It still has almost 2 months before it's released here. That means that you could have gotten this game 4 months sooner than all your friends, provided that you are willing to pay a little more and play the game in Japanese, which may or may not be a big deal to you. Still, it's very interesting to think about.

For those that haven't seen anything about this game yet, this game takes place in between Kingdom Hearts I and Kingdom Hearts II, just like Chain of Memories did. It could be argued that this happens at the same time as Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.



The great part is that it doesn't use the card system that Chain of Memories did, and it's in full 3D. It looks rather impressive for a DS game. The fighting really looks fun.



Not to mention the fact that there is multiplayer in it! This is the first Kingdom Hearts game that allows you to play with friends!



And you can buy Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days right now! Which is honestly pretty crazy.

Have fun playing!
-Kuro Matsuri

Coming Soon #1: Afrika / Hakuna Matata

Afrika or Hakuna Matata for the PS3

So, there's this interesting game that's been out in Japan for quite a while. It's called Afrika. It's a lot like Pokemon Snap, except that you can travel wherever you want, and you're taking pictures of animals that actually exist!

In the official Tokyo Game Show 2006 Trailer, you get to see how incredible all the animals look in-game. While, it's obviously not perfect, it's getting rather close to it!



Not sure if you're intrigued or not? Well, you can check out the nearly 9 minute gameplay video below. Be warned, though, this is the Japanese version being shown, so the beginning story won't be particular obvious unless you know Japanese.



Now, of course, non-HD YouTube videos hardly do any PS3 game justice, but you can still get a pretty good idea of how realistic it looks in full HD.

Now, admittedly, this isn't your average game. There aren't any guns, and it's more of a "safari simulator" than anything else, but it's still an impressive, relaxing, and enjoyable game!

This game should be coming to the U.S. sometime soon, but guess what! You can guess this game right now in English! It's actually the Korean version, but it is completely in English and works just fine on an American PS3! Check it out in the links below!

Where to find it:

To buy the English version (which is currently on sale!), try Play-Asia

To buy the original Japanese version (Best Hits version), try Play-Asia

To see all of the available versions, try Play-Asia

Or, alternatively, look on eBay. This one is likely fairly easy to find on eBay.

Have fun playing!
-Kuro Matsuri