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We Love Katamari Preview

Posted by Zonk on from the i-love-katamari-too dept.

1up.com has a first look with video of the upcoming We Love Katamari. From the article: "Without question, the new game is its father's son -- very literally so, in fact. (The narrative that appears between stages details the tough-love story of the fruity King Of All Cosmos and his childhood struggles to win the acceptance of his own stern and cold-hearted dad.) More to the point, the gameplay itself is largely unchanged from last year's surprise hit. The control scheme is exactly the same, and the fundamental concept of rolling things into a giant katamari ball within a certain time limit remains intact as well."

42 comments

  1. Seems a shame by LewieP · · Score: -1

    "More to the point, the gameplay itself is largely unchanged from last year's surprise hit. The control scheme is exactly the same, and the fundamental concept of rolling things into a giant katamari ball within a certain time limit remains intact as well." so one of the most origional games in recent times is having an EA type sequal. I hope that there is alot of new stuff, and new depths of gameplay, but that it just appears similar on the surface.

    --
    oxymoron of the day - Xbox gamer
    1. Re:Seems a shame by wezelboy · · Score: 1

      I'm encouraged by the preview. What about the big hype sequels that totally screw up the essential game play of the original? At least WLK isn't going to be one of those.

    2. Re:Seems a shame by uglysad · · Score: 1

      I'm glad they are keeping it the same. A lot of games over the period of sequels lose what made the game fun in the first place. Sticking with its roots will get me to buy it. Going off in a new direction sometimes turns out to be bad for the series. Some inovation and new stuff would be great (co-op) as long as they don't change how it is fundementally then it should turn out fine. Now if they make it would make it longer than the original...

  2. Hopefully this sets a trend by dannyitc · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Katamari was the epitome of everything that is good about gaming. A low-budget (which thankfully was reflected in the price), addictive, intuitive, fun and creative game that focused on gameplay. A breath of fresh air in a market too often filled with games with huge production values and flashy graphics that attempt to overshadow poorly done game mechanics.

    Keita Takahashi's speech at the Game Developer's Conference was very interesting, to say the least, and I think more game developers would benefit from listening to what he has to say.

    1. Re:Hopefully this sets a trend by Phil+Resch · · Score: 1

      On the topic of low-budget, does anyone know if the sequel will have the same price point? Or will the expanded content necessitate a pricier game?

      I don't think I would have bought the first game if it hadn't been so cheap, even with all of the hype. I could see paying 30 bucks, maybe, for a new copy of the sequel, but anything more than that and I'd probably just decide to wait for a used copy.

    2. Re:Hopefully this sets a trend by generic-man · · Score: 4, Informative

      EB's taking pre-orders at $30. The sequel sells in Japan for about ¥4400, which is the same as the original cost at launch. The Japanese version is effectively a budget title compared to the usual ¥6850 price point for new games there.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    3. Re:Hopefully this sets a trend by badasscat · · Score: 3, Informative

      Keita Takahashi's speech at the Game Developer's Conference was very interesting, to say the least, and I think more game developers would benefit from listening to what he has to say.

      I read that, and I honestly don't think he said much, at least if the story you linked to really got to the essence of his point. From the story, his point seems to be that games aren't very important, that he isn't very good at creating them, and that Katamari Damacy only turned out the way it did because he couldn't figure out how to do what he really wanted to do. He even said simple isn't necessarily best, it's just all he knows how to do.

      I don't really see how this helps anybody in the game industry.

      His first argument is probably the only one that carries any weight, although it's also the one most likely to be ignored. Game creators do have a sense of self-importance that leads them to create these massively pompous epics that play more like work than games. I don't just mean RPG's, either; I mean almost all games today. If more game creators would take the attitude that what they're doing doesn't really matter, I honestly think we'd get some better games.

      Unfortunately, human nature doesn't work that way - nobody wants to think that what they're doing is irrelevant.

      If what you took from his speech is that games should be more simple and accessible, well, he pretty much said exactly the opposite. I'd look more to a guy like Shigeru Miyamoto for that sentiment, although he hasn't really been backing up his words with his games lately, and anyway the public seems to be moving in a different direction.

      KD at least proved that there is still a market for a really good, innovative, different type of game that's played strictly for the fun of it rather than trying to wow with graphics or create some sort of community of grind addicts online. Unfortunately, I don't see a mad rush of developers trying to emulate what KD did - all I see in the pipeline is a continuing and seemingly endless stream of GTA, Halo, and Everquest clones.

    4. Re:Hopefully this sets a trend by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If more game creators would take the attitude that what they're doing doesn't really matter, I honestly think we'd get some better games.

      Welcome to Valusoft.

    5. Re:Hopefully this sets a trend by Soul-Burn666 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Small, indy games exist and are a lot of fun...
      For example the games here (free):
      Aba games
      Hizoka Chi's games
      Or Cave Story, japanese indy game translated by fans.

      Or various other indy games such as Ballance or Chronic Logic's games, or CrimsonLand.

      Ofcourse, hardly anyone ever heard about these games, but it doesn't mean they don't rock. Just download the demos and see for yourself. None of these games are "GTA, Halo or Everquest clones", but rather truly original ideas (playing a ball??) or fun ideas that somewhere disappeared (shooters, platformers)...

      --
      ^_^
    6. Re:Hopefully this sets a trend by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      From the story, his point seems to be that games aren't very important, that he isn't very good at creating them, and that Katamari Damacy only turned out the way it did because he couldn't figure out how to do what he really wanted to do. He even said simple isn't necessarily best, it's just all he knows how to do.

      I don't really see how this helps anybody in the game industry.

      It's because he's honest about all these facts. Also, that he was willing to try something that no one else had done instead of making yet another same-old-same-old. And the fact that he's so new to the industry was precisely what allowed him to design a game so utterly different from others out there -- his expectations have yet to be blunted.

      I'd look more to a guy like Shigeru Miyamoto for that sentiment, although he hasn't really been backing up his words with his games lately, and anyway the public seems to be moving in a different direction.

      Shigeru Miyamoto is notUnfortunately, I don't see a mad rush of developers trying to emulate what KD did - all I see in the pipeline is a continuing and seemingly endless stream of GTA, Halo, and Everquest clones.

      Oh god, tell me about it. Katamari Damacy was the game that convinced me to chip in for half the price of a used PS2. While I've played it so much that my record for the last level is now 12:34, four seconds shy of finishing within half the time limit, and I can easily clear the ocean of all matter with five minutes left to go on the clock, there has been nothing else for the PS2 that has much interested me that I don't already have for my Gamecube (specifically, the two Midway Arcade Treasures compilations).

      I may, sometime in the future, get one of the earlier GTAs, but I rented San Andreas once and we were immediately put off by the deluge of profanity. Not for us, I fear.

    7. Re:Hopefully this sets a trend by MilenCent · · Score: 1

      Argh, my comment seems to have messed up.

      What I was trying to say about Miyamoto is that the man isn't responsible for everything Nintendo puts out, he's more of a producer these days, he supervises and suggests, even recommends, but he doesn't make games himself as much anymore. There are many creative minds at Nintendo these days, and they all deserve some of the credit (or lack thereof) for their output.

  3. So, it's the same game... by larsoncc · · Score: -1, Troll

    Hey, I'm all for simple games, but even TETRIS has evolved throughout the years. I must say, I'm a little dissapointed that the game hasn't changed much.

    Here's what you get in the new version:
    *Bonfire mode (don't put your ball in the water)
    *Race mode (go fast)
    *Underwater (go slow)
    *Snow man and night (different visuals)
    *Co-Op mode (seems like a good way to get frustrated at your friend)

    It sounds neat, if you don't have the current version.

    They won't get me to buy the game because of the new story, I'll tell you that.

    If you're playing Katamari because of the story, you're barking up the wrong tree. It's lengthy and hallucinogenic - as in, you have to press X over and over again to skip the largely meaningless, rambling, nonsensical text. I wish there was an option to make the King just shut the hell up.

    In fact, if there is an option to "never talk to the king or show stories" in the new game... I'd probably buy it just for that "feature".

    --
    Video Game News, FAQs, etc
    1. Re:So, it's the same game... by generic-man · · Score: 2, Informative

      In the original, you can hit START to skip the conversation and intro sequences. I think the intro sequences disguise the loading time, though, since you have to wait a few more seconds for the level to load.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    2. Re:So, it's the same game... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tetris evolved for the worse. It's no longer a game where you can be good simply by stacking pieces faster and more efficiently than your opponent. You need to learn how to use bombs, when to send them, when to use boosts on your side, etc.

      All these things killed Tetris. It was a game easy to play yet hard to master, with the perfect learning curve. With the addition of the powerups, the learning curve got too complicated.

      So sometimes trying to improve something that's already very good backfires.

    3. Re:So, it's the same game... by British · · Score: 1

      Where has TETRIS evolved over the years? Every single port I have seen of Tetris(ranging from the TI-99/4A on up) has always had the same boring pieces. Never have I seen an incarnation with different pieces, etc.

      Block out to me is a different game entirely.

    4. Re:So, it's the same game... by larsoncc · · Score: 2, Informative

      Tetris 2 (SNES and NES) was totally different from Tetris - it relied on color matching as much as shape manipulation. In fact, it was much closer to Columns than the original Tetris.

      Hatris (PC) did shape matching, not shape alignment.

      Weltris (PC) was all about the different angles, making you think in 3D.

      Tetris Plus (Saturn) added a cool puzzle mode (you were in caves and got a spelunker to the bottom of the screen).

      I could go on... Most "official" Tetris games offered up original features.

      --
      Video Game News, FAQs, etc
    5. Re:So, it's the same game... by larsoncc · · Score: 1

      Agreed that the first one was the best. But Tetris is still available at retail for any system you could want it for (save the PSP, but give that some time, it'll be there too). In the latest incarnations (like Worlds) you don't have to play with all the new modes, but you can.

      My point was more along the lines of "hey, this guy is talented, and he could make more than one game." The sequels to Tetris may not be as classic, but they are new and different - if you're looking for Tetris 2 you're looking for a different type of game than Tetris. But both can be available to consumers at the same time. It's a product franchise, not just a game.

      I'd like to see what else is up this guy's sleeve. I don't want to see him making the same game for 10 years.

      --
      Video Game News, FAQs, etc
    6. Re:So, it's the same game... by Alzheimers · · Score: 1

      Tetrisphere

      It's the greatest tetris clone that noone's ever played. The controls are simple, yet the logic is complex and subtle like the original. The techno soundtrack is amazing, harkening back to the days when Future Crew's Skaven and Purple Motion's MODs and S3M based beats ruled my music collection. The 3D motion is fluid and sharp even for a last-gen title, and incorporates nice special effects that don't get in the way of the action.

      It's worth buying that $20 N64 on ebay just to get this game. Get two controllers, and experience a 3D multiplayer puzzle game that has never been bested. Just make sure you hook it up to your stereo, so you can get the full effect of playing it with the music at it's best.

      Trust me, you'll never look at a sphere the same way again.

    7. Re:So, it's the same game... by porcupine8 · · Score: 1

      Have you ever played Tetris Attack for SNES? Best. Game. Ever. Apparently there was a pokemon version on N64, but I've never played it. Of course, it bore little resemblance to the original Tetris, only that it involved clearing squares from a board in some way before they reached the top. But the squares fill the board from side to side (for the most part), slide up the screen, and you flip adjacent squares to line up similar colors to clear them. Sooooo addictive. The main reason I will never give up my SNES (unless they release a nostalgia version for the Revolution...)

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    8. Re:So, it's the same game... by jclast · · Score: 1

      You're thinking of Panel del Pon. And the N64 version was called Pokemon Puzzle League. Apparently the North American audience (myself included) are too dumb for the real name.

      It's available with Yoshi's Cookie and Dr. Mario for the GameCube as part of the Nintendo Puzzle Collection. Definitely the best import GameCube game I have, and it's the reason I bought a FreeLoader.

      --
      e2 | LJ
    9. Re:So, it's the same game... by porcupine8 · · Score: 1

      OMG it's on gamecube? I didn't know that. I've been wavering for quite a while between "give in and get a used gamecube + GBA adapter" or "wait for Revolution"... The news about Revolution's downloadable classic games I thought had swayed me, but with this new information...

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    10. Re:So, it's the same game... by palndrumm · · Score: 1

      It sounds neat, if you don't have the current version.

      Which suits me just fine, since I'm in Australia and we (plus all of Europe, I believe) didn't get the original anyway...

    11. Re:So, it's the same game... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tetris Attack is my second favorite game after Robotron 2084. Tetris Attack and Arkanoid Doh It Again are the only thing I ever play on my SNES emulator.

      If you have a DS, Meteos is pretty much Tetris Attack but you are only able to swap vertically instead of horizontally.

    12. Re:So, it's the same game... by kyojin+the+clown · · Score: 1

      yeah, where the hell is this game? it looks fun, why can't i buy it? namco you cretins.

    13. Re:So, it's the same game... by mink · · Score: 1

      The music for Tetrisphere was composed by Neil D. Voss. In the demoscene he was known as sequencer, but most of his tracks seem to be lost to the mists of time.

      However he has been actively doing music for games for a long time now. He did the music for the New Tetris as well.
      I asked him in e-mail for info about works, but he jsut has a strange interactive website at alinear.net

      --
      Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
  4. choice quotes from original... by ajservo · · Score: 1, Troll

    Cancer! It's so YUMMY!

    1. Re:choice quotes from original... by bludstone · · Score: 1

      We are moved to tears by the size of this thing.

      --

      no .sig
  5. Sing it with me! by jwriney · · Score: 4, Funny

    All together now...

    Na naaaaaaaaaaaa, na na na na na na, na, na naaaaah na nana naaaaaaa...

    Na NAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, na na na na na na (etc)

    --riney

    1. Re:Sing it with me! by Nova1313 · · Score: 2, Funny

      the soundtrack is simply amazing. I want to wad (or roll?) you up into my life.. Let's roll up to be a single star...

      --
      There exists some positive integer N that you are the Nth person to read this signature.
    2. Re:Sing it with me! by claussenvenable · · Score: 1

      Don't forget the bass beat!

      Na naaaaaaaaaaaa, na na na na na na, na, na naaaaah na nana naaaaaaa...
      DOOga dooga dooga dooga DOOga dooga dooga dooga!
      Na NAAaaaaaaaaaa, na na na na na na, na, na naaaaah na nana naaaaaaa...
      DOOga dooga dooga dooga DOOga dooga dooga dooga!

  6. video? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Who needs video?

    http://mininova.org/tor/68710

  7. PS2 exclusive? by gumpish · · Score: 1

    Seems like this kind of game is right up GameCube's alley. Is Sony the publisher/developer?

    Of course, I only have an Xbox, so I guess I'll never get to play it...

    1. Re:PS2 exclusive? by jclast · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No no no. As much as the DualShock 2 is my least favorite controller, it is uniquely suited for Katamari Damacy.

      The analog sticks are the same size and they're directly accross from one another. I wouldn't want to try it with a c-stick or the Xbox's offset sticks.

      --
      e2 | LJ
  8. Xbox controller by gumpish · · Score: 1

    This raises a question I've had for a long time - what's stopping 3rd party manufacturer's from selling an Xbox controller with the d-pad and left analog locations swapped? (Or is such a controller available?)

  9. Kind of amusing by Pluvius · · Score: 1

    All of these people who thought that Katamari Damacy was so awesome because it was innovative and broke the trend of sequelitis are now defending We Love Katamari because innovation is risky and it's better to make a good game that's more of the same than to make a bad game that's innovative.

    Not that I'm not looking forward to this sequel; it's just that I find this funny.

    Rob

    1. Re:Kind of amusing by jimi+the+hippie · · Score: 1

      With any luck this new game will improve on what the developers wanted in the first place. It could be a sequel and still introduce new style. Then again, it could just be an expansion pack.

    2. Re:Kind of amusing by FiloEleven · · Score: 1

      I think this may be one of those times, though I won't attempt to comment on their frequency, where a sequel is warranted. The original game was and is tons of fun, but it's also very small. The bonus of having more levels and larger levels is what appeals to me about We Love Katamari - I'm sure I'll enjoy the 'specialty' levels' tweaked dynamics as well, but in all honesty I just want more to roll.

      The nice thing about this sequel is that the developers themselves said, "Our game is good, and people like it. But people want more, and we can do this better." I don't know how much pressure there was from higher-ups in Namco to roll out the sequel, but the fact is that the first game was a labor of love, and the second looks to be in the same vein but written especially because the fans want it. Katamari Damacy was a sleeper hit (stateside, anyway), but most of us who enjoy it are pretty hardcore fans, and I'm glad that the dev team has recognized this and given us another game. I'm also glad that Namco has recognized that they have a winner, although not a blockbuster, and is willing to release a second game that will probably bring them only a moderate profit.

      --
      Your brain is not a computer.
    3. Re:Kind of amusing by pthisis · · Score: 1
      I think this may be one of those times, though I won't attempt to comment on their frequency, where a sequel is warranted.


      Disagree. The original was great...

      The original game was and is tons of fun, but it's also very small.
      ...but it was also the perfect size. By about 80% of the way through it was getting a bit repetitive. Any longer and it would've been tiresome.

      They made a perfect-length game, charged a great price for it. Definitely a good value.

      But it's really not a game that demands a sequel, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get it even though the original was one of my more satisfying purchases of the last year.

      I'd love to see the author try another new idea. But Katamari Damacy sated my need for rolling things up, I'd think the same is true of most people.
      --
      rage, rage against the dying of the light
  10. There has been info on WLK for a while now. by animosity079 · · Score: 1

    I've seen previews/hands-on at

    http://ps2.ign.com/articles/616/616670p1.html

    http://www.psxextreme.com/scripts/previews2/previe w.asp?PrevID=419

    and http://www.game-instructions.com/previews/we-love- katamari-hands-on-preview/

    Still, its always good to read a new article to keep the interest going.

  11. OT: Your sig by GTRacer · · Score: 1
    Your sig is throwing a "Premature end of script headers: index.cgi".

    Took a look at the site from the homepage and it's good stuff. Just wanted to give you the news on the siggy.

    GTRacer
    - Love the SUV/compensation shirt

    --
    Defending IP by destroying access to it? That makes sense, RIAA/MPAA. Go to the corner until you can play nice!
    1. Re:OT: Your sig by porcupine8 · · Score: 1

      Thanks, I'll let the owner of the site know.

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
  12. Dyslexic by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 1

    Unfortunately, I'm dyslexic so when I bought this game I thought I would get to see some squid in a voting booth.

    Kalamari Democracy. Huh huh.

    --
    Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!