The King Of All Cosmos Rolls Onto The PSP(TM) System With "Me And My Katamari(TM)"

The Award-Winning Rolling Franchise Goes Portable

News by GamesIndustry International Contributor

Published on Nov. 17, 2005

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (November 17, 2005) - Leading video games publisher and developer Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that "Me and My Katamari^TM" (working title), the first portable version from the award-winning Katamari franchise, will be launching in North America and Europe in 2006 exclusively for the PSP^TM (PlayStation^®Portable) system. "Me and My Katamari" is the third installment in the Katamari series and delivers more of the simple and addictive game play enjoyed in "Katamari Damacy^TM" and "We Love Katamari^TM," this time for the handheld platform.

"The mesmerizing appeal of the Katamari franchise's game play continues to transcend cultural boundaries and receive critical acclaim," said Yoshi Niki, Business Unit Director, Namco Hometek Inc. "We are excited to expand our offerings to the PSP system, so that our fans can play Katamari whenever and wherever they are."

Taking a break from celestial construction, the King of All Cosmos takes the royal family on vacation to a tropical island paradise, where they become tasked with the responsibility of creating new katamari islands for homeless animals. An epic undertaking of this time, earthly proportions, the King calls upon his pint-sized son, the Prince, and all of his cousins for help.

New, exciting features found in "Me and My Katamari" include:

Wireless play for up to four people on the PSP system;

A cast of playable characters that includes the Prince and his cousins - a mix of familiar faces and new additions;

A host of customization options for player characters, including new masks and headgear, as well as the ability to wear them on the head, face and body;

A new island interface that highlights player options and the different stages represented by animals in need of new homes.

For more information about "Me and My Katamari" for the PSP system, please visit http://katamari.namco.com.

To download "Me and My Katamari" screenshots, please visit www.kohnkecomm.com/dl/namco/mamk_announcement_screens.zip

About Namco Hometek Inc.

Namco Hometek Inc. is the U.S. consumer division of Namco Limited, a Tokyo-based world leader in the high-tech entertainment industry. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Namco Hometek Inc. is an award-winning video games publisher for next generation game consoles. Namco has created some of the industry's greatest video game franchises: Tekken^®, SOULCALIBUR^®, Dead to Rights^®, Pac-Man World^TM, Ridge Racer^®, Time Crisis^® and ACECOMBAT^TM. For more information about Namco and its products log onto www.namco.com.

TEKKEN^®, SOULCALIBUR^®, PAC-MAN WORLD^TM, Ridge Racer^®, Time Crisis^® and ACECOMBAT^TM are trademarks or registered trademarks of Namco Limited in the United States and/or other countries.

Dead to Rights^TM is a trademark or registered trademark of Namco Hometek Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

"PSP" is a trademark and "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duo^TM may be required (sold separately).

Contacts for Namco Hometek Inc.:

Gaming press contact:

Kit Ellis

Kohnke Communications

415-777-4000

kit@kohnkecomm.com

Consumer press contact:

Chris Kooluris

HighWater Group

(212) 338-0077 x 313

chris@highwatergroup.com

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