Katamari creator Keita Takahashi mentioned creativity in games in a recent interview by saying:

"Defining the word creativity is difficult in a sense...I do feel many games do lack the wow factor in a sense. Something that you feel very surprised by.

"I feel that the setting (Katamari) is normal for me. There's nothing surreal about it. I think if Katamari is considered so creative then to me it feels like the videogame industry in general has lost its direction."

I thought Beautiful Katamari on the Xbox 360 would be a good place to start. With between two and two million times the processing power of the PS2, the 360 should allow for so much more compelling, dynamic, and... well, beautiful gameplay. That's what I thought, anyway.

The game will feature an online mode along with "beautiful" HD visuals. The Japanese release date is as yet unknown as well as the possibility of a stateside launch, although if the game does superbly in Japan then a North American version seems likely.

"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."

The game will feature wireless play for up to four people, and a new island interface that highlights player options and the different stages represented by animals in need of new homes. Look for information in the coming days.

Last year, Namco scored a surprise hit with Katamari Damacy. Actually, surprise hit might be an understatement. Who would’ve thought that a game with a decidedly Japanese flavor, very artistic and minimalist graphics, a nonsensical story, and featured overly simplistic gameplay that had you rolling anything and everything in sight using just the two analog sticks would appeal to us Americans? Well, apparently it struck most of us as entertaining and now Namco has rolled out (pun intended) We Love Katamari for us to experience it all over again. So is it fresh enough to pick up or is it just more of the same? That depends on what exactly it is you’re looking for in the sequel.

Almost everything you know and love from the original Katamari Damacy returns in We Love Katamari, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view. Since this is the good section, we’ll focus on the good.

The graphics return unscathed. That means plenty of angular models and blocky-headed characters – they remind me of a bit of those Little People toddler toys. Of course, without those designs, we couldn’t call this a Katamari game. It’s that design and artistic styling that gives this game its own distinct personality, and WLK is bursting at the seams with personality.

Along with the graphics, the humor carries over as well. The King of All Cosmos still speaks in the plural first person, in-game characters crack jokes about being rolled up, and the Prince, whom you control, continues to be belittled about his diminutive size. But, don’t worry, those that do will get what’s coming to them after they’re rolled up in a ball the size of a two-story house.

The story also carries a lot of the humor, though calling it a “story” is stretching it. Try as hard as they could to make any sense as to why the Prince is rolling stuff up, it’s still not a story. In the first one, the King of All Cosmos “accidentally” destroys all the stars in the sky (in the Japanese version, it’s alluded to that the King destroyed them while on a drunken bender) and the Prince has to fix his father’s mistake by rolling things up to put into the sky. This time around, Namco breaks the “fourth wall” and all the characters are fans of the game and they all ask the King for different kinds of favors that all end up with the Prince having to roll the katamari. Again, it’s a weak attempt, but why let that bother you when all you really want to do is roll, roll, roll.

Gameplay remains largely unchanged as well. Controlling the katamari is like driving a tank – up on both sticks moves you forward, down moves you back, both to the right is right, etc. The only new addition is the prince look. The old royal look, in which the Prince will fly high in the air to allow you a great look at your surroundings, is still present, but with the new prince look, he’ll jump on top of the katamari and give you a closer view of what is in your general vicinity. This view is a lot better for checking out what is directly around whereas the royal look is great for planning which future areas to tackle next.

Single-player gameplay may be almost identical to the first KD, but two player is where everything changes. The two-player vs. mode, in which the winner is determined by who rolls the biggest katamari or whoever gets rolled up, is back. But, the biggest innovation is two-player co-op. In this multiplayer mode, each player is responsible for pushing one side of the katamari – P1 gets the left half, P2 gets the right half. The only way to be successful in this mode is to communicate since you can only move forward if both of you hold up, etc. If you don’t then all I can say is good luck trying to turn the way you want. Also, good luck trying not to get into an argument with your partner when attempting this mode.

While We Love Katamari shares a lot with its predecessor, it outshines the original in the number of levels and cousins you can find scattered throughout. Whereas Katamari Damacy featured three levels that expanded as you progressed, We Love Katamari features quite a few more than three. Though the house to city progression still exists, at least it’s a different house and city. In addition to that, you’ll find yourself rolling underwater, within the clouds, along a race track, and even in outer space. And this time, when you start rolling up the world, it really feels like you’re rolling up the world. In KD, the world consisted of the main city, a new port city, a raised metropolis, and a few island towns. This time Namco added in some worldly landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the Arc de Triumph, and the Great Wall of China to make it feel like you were swallowing up the globe. It isn’t geographically correct, but the fact that they added them in there is awesome.

Just like in the first game, each stage hides a cousin and a present, though this time there is more than one cousin in some of the stages. Cousins are nothing more than a different skin for whoever is rolling the katamari, but it’s nice to have the option to change that up every once in a while. With over 30 cousins to find, it’ll definitely eat up some time. As an added bonus, finding all the cousins opens up a new level. Presents are also just cosmetic changes to your avatar, though this time, up to three accessories can be equipped – one on the head, back, and waist.

The soundtrack remains just as off the wall as the rest of the game. Lots of j-pop and lounge-type songs fill up the soundtrack. Unfortunately, it isn’t as catchy as the first game’s soundtrack. In fact, my personal favorites from WLK are arrangements and variations on KD’s “na-na-nana” theme.

There isn’t anything ostensibly bad about this game. The only hang ups anyone could possibly have with it are that it’s more of the same. It’s true that the sequel doesn’t deviate much from the old formula – there may be new stages, but objectives are still the same – but that’s what fans fell in love with and that’s what the fan’s wanted more of.

One other thing is that WLK is horribly short. You could get the “ending” in a couple of hours. That said, however, there is no true ending as the main goal to roll a bigger katamari or roll it to a certain size as fast as possible. In that sense, the game is more like a shooter or a puzzle game where the objective is to beat the high score.

And though this really isn’t a negative pertaining to the game’s overall score, it is good to know that We Love Katamari retails for $29.99, ten dollars more than the original was when it came out last November.

We Love Katamari is a great game - it’s simple and fun and that’s all fans really need and expect from it. Fans of the first game no doubt already have it in their grasp. If you’re new to the game, be warned that while you may not warm up to the game’s peculiar humor and style, the joy and satisfaction of clumping up random objects into a huge rolling ball is universal.

The gameplay is very simple and there is just something so refreshing about rolling up junk.

It won’t appeal to everyone, but the chunky colorful graphics fit with the game’s general theme

The soundtrack isn’t catchy like the first game’s, but it’s still good. Sound effects are funny

You would think rolling up stuff would be boring, but then you would be wrong.

Story is short, but you’re not playing it for the story. Your goal is making a bigger katamari.

]]> Sat, 01 Oct 2005 21:02:00 -0500 The Gaming Horizon Archive http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps23 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps23 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps23# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Sean Kearney.

We Love Katamari, the sequel to last year’s clump-ball rolling game Katamari Damacy was on the showroom floor today, and Gaming Horizon got a chance to check it out. The playable demo featured two levels, and was E3 themed, with a few jokes thrown in specifically for the E3 attendees.

For those of you unfamiliar with the original Katamari Damacy, it is a uniquely addictive game in which you play as “The Prince of All Cosmos”, a young alien creature who is on a mission for his father, rolling up large clumps of random items into his “katamari”, or ball of collected stuff, to replace the stars in the sky, which have mysteriously gone missing.

You spend your time rolling your katamari around Earth, picking up items as you go along, and with each item you collect, your katamari gets a little bigger, until it becomes so big that you can collect massive homes and giant ships in it, as the goal of each level is to make a katamari of a certain size. It’s a simple enough concept, but it is in the game’s simplicity that its addictiveness and sheer pleasure really shine. The game is controlled mainly using the two analog sticks on the PS2 controller and features graphics that although rather simple for the power of the PlayStation 2, are completely stylized in a quirky and interesting way. These elements in the game, along with one of the most eclectic and catchy soundtracks in modern videogames, makes this a title that you can pick up and play again and again.

The demo of We Love Katamari showcased some familiar graphics and gameplay, and featured the return of the “King of All Cosmos”, who appeared in the demo to be a much more sincere character than in the first game and far less sarcastic to his son, The Prince, who returns as the game’s main character.

The most exciting new feature in the E3 demo was a new multiplayer co-operative mode, in which you and another player each control half of the same katamari, and have to communicate with one another in order to move the ball. The gameplay changes dramatically in this mode, as the two analog sticks on your controller function as one, and you are forced to work with the other player to get even the most simple movements from your katamari; in order to move forward in the game, both you and the other player must move both of your analog sticks forward at the same time, in order to stop moving, you must both stop at the same time.

The interesting thing I experienced while playing this game on the showroom floor was the many ways I was able to communicate with the player next to me without saying a word. I found myself leaning in to the turns I wanted to take, and often times looking or gesturing with my head in the direction I wanted to go in order to get the player to follow the same path as me. As well, it seemed that towards the end of the level, the two of us started to anticipate how the other one played the game, and reacted in a way that made the gameplay a lot smoother, and allowed us to complete the level much more easily. By the end of the game, it was obvious that we were rewarded for our ability to communicate with one another, an idea that was very interesting and unique.

The co-operative feature in this game is done in a very unique way, and one that I think it was executed excellently in the demo. It really put a new spin on the Katamari Damacy series, and I believe gaming as a whole. The co-op mode made me think about communication in video games, and brought the idea of gaming as a cooperative art to the front of my mind. I think that this is going to be a major title when it is released on the PS2 sometime next year, and that it is going to be well- received. And for good reason.
]]> Thu, 19 May 2005 03:09:09 -0500 Tim Grube http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps22 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps22 http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_preview_we_love_katamari_ps22# This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

Katamari Demacy was a sleeper hit when it released on the PlayStation 2 last September. It is bizarre, but very original. To follow up with the series, Namco announced that they are developing the sequel and it won’t be called Katamari Demacy 2. Instead, We Love Katamari. Hey, another bizarre title—but I’m sure it’ll be another great game.

The sequel will continue the story that was left from the original where The King of All Cosmos grew to prominence after taking all of the Prince’s katamaris and restoring the stars. So now, The King of All Cosmos employed the Prince and his cousins to help with much larger tasks.

Gamers this time around will find themselves in a variety of new locations around Earth while keeping the same trademark graphical style and musical quality with an innovative soundtrack. A new thing that many will enjoy is the fact that gamers can also roll with a friend in the all-new two-player cooperative mode. Both players will control part of the clump and develop new strategies. Battle Mode will also be included with three size scopes for competitive rolling action.

If the game is still kept simple, I’m sure many will still enjoy it. The original released at a killer price of $19.99, maybe the sequel will be the same? It sounds like it is shaping up to be another hit title. Only time will tell. ]]> Mon, 25 Apr 2005 17:08:00 -0500