Topic: I'm late to the party, I know, Katamari

[Svevan]

So Katamari Damacy was twenty bucks at Fred Meyer, and I was picking up some totes and felt like buying a game (ah Fred Meyer, never leave us in the Pacific Northwest aka Heaven). The game is weirdly g ay (hey look I'm not allowed to say G AY) and by that I don't mean bad, I mean like it's really ga y. Anyways, lots of fun, an intriguing concept that pokes at our desire to order things and control them. I also think it may be a slight critique on the amount of objects and things we as humans use and consume, see from the perspective of a fake God who has no concept of our lifestyle.

Anyone who's played 'em, should I get the sequel?  

[Flames_of_chaos]

My problem with the series is that the game is a big one trick pony so the sequel won't probably be played that long.

[Nick DiMola]

I will be honest and state that I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and by god does this game appeal to it. Rolling around picking crap up never ceases to feel satisfying for me. The sequel is also fantastic and is definitely worth playing. Depending on your love of the first it may or may not be worth a purchase. If you are all about the first one, by all means grab up We Love Katamari. If you like it and think it's fun but doesn't really have lasting power you might just want to rent the second or wait till you can find it for like 10 dollars.

[NWR_pap64]

The first one was a really fun romp. There's nothing more satisfying than starting really small, then end up plucking up whole islands like they were lego pieces.

The second one is more of an expansion, although it does offer some neat back story on the king.

[matt oz]

Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari are BY FAR the greatest PS2 games I own.

I don't know why I love them, I just do.  Everyone I've shown the games to thinks they're stupid and pointless.  But the quirkiness, the humor, just everything about the game is awesome.

If you like KD a lot, then definitely pick up WLK, just for the king's childhood cutscenes alone.  Plus, the last level is so much more massive than the first game's, you can even roll over the king and queen!

[Smash_Brother]

Played 10 minutes, thought it was the "Blair Witch Project" of gaming, as in I had no idea why all the fuss was made about it.

[NWR_pap64]

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
Played 10 minutes, thought it was the "Blair Witch Project" of gaming, as in I had no idea why all the fuss was made about it.

10 minutes? Who cares what YOU think then... :p

All kidding aside, while the game is FAR from the perfection some are making it out to be (and the creator is a d**k and the sequels weren't needed, hampering the one time appeal of the first game), it does provide an odd sense of fun and satisfaction.

True, the game borders on repetition, its too short and the charm does wear off after a while, but like I mentioned earlier in the thread, being able to start small, picking up things like ants, bees and flowers, then building a ball so big it is able to pluck whole islands and continents like they were Lego pieces provides an insane amount of satisfaction.

The game also has a quirky sense of humor (even if some of it is annoying). Again, it is insanely fun to pluck people off as they were nothing but mere objects, then seeing them wiggle in pain inside the ball.

Its definitely not for everybody, but those that are able to appreciate it will tell you the game can be oddly fun.  

[Magik]

From what I remember the creator never wanted to do any sequels.  It was Namco that in the end decided on making the sequels.

Katamari is, essentially mindless fun, which isn't a bad thing.

[matt oz]

na na na na na na na na Katamari Damacy!!!!!!

The humor really comes through when you look at the info on the stuff you've rolled up.  Most of it isn't funny, but some of the descriptions made me laugh out loud.

I think I like WLK better, because it introduces different ways of playing, for example, rolling a sumo wrestler and feeding him, or rolling up objects based on their monetary value (but since life is priceless, living things are worth $0).

The campfire levels really annoyed me though.  My fire kept going out, especially at the beginning, because I didn't realize you had to keep rolling up stuff or else the fire would go out.

Now I've gotten all the cousins and everything, and I've unlocked the rose level, and I'm at about 150,000.  I don't know if I'll ever get to 1 million.

[capamerica]

The first one was cute and I didn't mind dropping $15 on it. Had the game cost any more then $20 I wouldn't have picked it up and had I, I would have been ripped and would have returned it to get my money back. I Played it for a couple days and after that the appeal totally disappeared and it just sat on my shelf collecting dust.

The sequel and PSP versions SUCK.
The game should have never have had a sequel. It was a gimmick, a cute gimmick but not one that deserved a sequel let alone 2.

Katamari is a VERY over-rated game and series. I truly hope Namco doesn't make any more versions of it.

[matt oz]

I'd go for another Katamari game.

[TrueNerd]

Don't get the sequels. While We Love Katamari might technically be a better overall game then the first one, the charm and unfilterable joy do not carry over to the second one. My first playthrough of Katamari was constantly enjoyable and very memorable. I didn't even complete the second one because you realize how repetitive it is once that joy and charm wears off. Just finish the first one and remember it fondly forever.  

[NWR_pap64]

Quote
Originally posted by: TrueNerd
Don't get the sequels. While We Love Katamari might technically be a better overall game then the first one, the charm and unfilterable joy do not carry over to the second one. My first playthrough of Katamari was constantly enjoyable and very memorable. I didn't even complete the second one because you realize how repetitive it is once that joy and charm wears off. Just finish the first one and remember it fondly forever.

Wholeheartedly agree with this.  

[KDR_11k]

Had the game cost any more then $20 I wouldn't have picked it up and had I, I would have been ripped and would have returned it to get my money back.

Be glad you don't live in Europe, we only got WLK and it costs 60€. For some reason Namco thinks Europeans only need the second part in a series (they did the same for Xenosaga).

[Svevan]

MOVE TO AMERICA, THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE FAT (except in New York)

[Nick DiMola]

So, lots of Beautiful Katamri details emerging lately...

The latest that really has me annoyed is that it will release for the Xbox 360 via XBLA. I absolutely despise the idea of a game coming out virtually without an ability to have a physical copy. With a physical copy I can play the game 30 years from now without worry that Microsoft is still running the XBLA service just in case my 360 HDD dies. If I don't see I physical release of this game I highly doubt I will even bother purchasing it. Something about virtual purchases just rubs me wrong. If I buy something I want something tangible, not just a "guarantee" that if something goes wrong I can always download a new copy. I guess we'll see if this facet of the Beautiful Katamari story is true within the coming months.

Anyhow, the game is looking fantastic and I hope it sees the proper physical release that it deserves.

[SixthAngel]

Quote
Originally posted by: Mr. Jack
So, lots of Beautiful Katamri details emerging lately...

The latest that really has me annoyed is that it will release for the Xbox 360 via XBLA. I absolutely despise the idea of a game coming out virtually without an ability to have a physical copy. With a physical copy I can play the game 30 years from now without worry that Microsoft is still running the XBLA service just in case my 360 HDD dies. If I don't see I physical release of this game I highly doubt I will even bother purchasing it. Something about virtual purchases just rubs me wrong. If I buy something I want something tangible, not just a "guarantee" that if something goes wrong I can always download a new copy. I guess we'll see if this facet of the Beautiful Katamari story is true within the coming months.

Anyhow, the game is looking fantastic and I hope it sees the proper physical release that it deserves.

I don't understand why any game that has a chance of actually selling on the shelves would become dowload only.  Dowloadable and in the store would be a good combination and the company could even make a limited release to test the waters before going download only.  Since it is dowload only and seems to have the exact same graphisc as the ps2 (although gamestop wanted to make a big deal out of the 720p ability) I doubt there is much effort being put into the game.  Expect a few generic levels, not many since the total number is not revealed, and probably no new items to roll over.  I like Katamari but I need to finish the first before picking up any new ones, even the other one on ps2.

[Nick DiMola]

Well it looks like Gamespot messed up good. There is now an apology on the link I posted stating simply that it is a full retail package not an XBLA download ... thank god.

[JoeTrumpet]

I absolutely love Katamari Damacy. I actually quit gaming early 2002 after being sorely disappointed with gaming in general (Wind Waker was the last game I was willing to endure), and forgot about it until Katamari Damacy came along. I played it and couldn't put it down until I finished it, and promptly purchased the sequel upon release. For anyone that loves the original, the sequel is well worth it: it's basically the same game but better, which was by all means fine with me.

Amazing game, and one of my favorites of all time.

[DAaaMan64]

Bah, the sequel was americanized and lacked the character that the first one had.  See the king of the cosmos.