#125 Katamari Damacy

Some quirky Japanese games (I'm talking to you, Mr. Mosquito) wind up being cooler in concept than they are in execution. But Katamari Damacy, a newly imported garbage-rolling game for the PS2 has more than lived up to my expectations. The game puts you in the shoes of a tiny alien prince. Your father, the King of the Universe, needs you to clean up the mess he and his friends made on an overnight bender. Seems these immortals partied so hard that the stars fell from the sky. It's your job to pay a visit to Earth and roll up all the detrius you can find, then send it up into the cosmos to be made into a star. Thing is, as far as the Gods are concerned, everything down here is junk. Thumb-tacks, sushi, cats, dogs, people...doesn't matter. Roll 'em up and blast 'em into space.

The game's kooky concept is backed up with great game-play. Think Super Monkey Ball with a sticky orb. The look and tone of the game is rooted deep in the Japanese pop sensibility. The opening features dancing panda bears, ducks, rainbows and lots of mushrooms. The soundtrack is second-to-none and arguably the best original music for a game this year.

Oddly, an CD of the game's tunes (samples here) costs twice as much as the game (value priced at $19.99).