Creating a Katamari Sequel

Seeing What Sticks is an article posted as a 'Postcard from GDCE' over at Gamasutra. In the piece they do a run down on the keynote Katamari creator Keita delivered late in the show. The topic? The approach he took to create a sequel to the quirky and successful original title. From the article: "Speaking through a be-suited translator, Keita alternates between being gleefully provocative and self-effacing. The sense of humor all too apparent in Katamari is equally noticeable here, with even the translator stopping to laugh before telling the audience what Keita actually says. Like, for example, thinking he was offered the keynote by mistake."

Comments

Was funnier way back then...

[Windowser]

Someone asks why he doesn't play many games anymore. He answers simply: "Because there are no fun ones."

Same reason for me. I liked better the games I was playing on my COCO2. I'm still amazed that they could make a funnier game in 64k with an 8 bits CPU than they do with a 32 bits CPU with 1 gig of RAM.

Time to get my COCO out of the closet !

Re:Was funnier way back then...

[Anonymous Coward]

Time to get my COCO out of the closet !

Should be easy since you're already in there...

Games aren't games anymore

[Mr. Grimm]

They just don't feel the same for the most part, mainly because they're just trying to imitate things you couldn't do in real life easily instead of letting you do things you could never do in real life at all.

Re:Games aren't games anymore

[Gothic_Walrus]

They just don't feel the same for the most part, mainly because they're just trying to imitate things you couldn't do in real life easily instead of letting you do things you could never do in real life at all.

Wait a minute.

You're telling me that I could get myself a giant katamari and roll up cars and buildings?

FUCK YES!

Re:Games aren't games anymore

[Anonymous Coward]

You're telling me that I could get myself a giant katamari and roll up cars and buildings?

No, you would have to start with a tiny katamari first.

Re:Games aren't games anymore

[Anonymous Coward]

They just don't feel the same for the most part, mainly because they're just trying to imitate things you couldn't do in real life easily instead of letting you do things you could never do in real life at all.

Oh you mean like shooting Space Invaders with a turret or eating dots like Pacman does, and that automatically makes it more fun??

Guess you never heard of Psychonauts or Destroy All Humans.

"Suspend your expectation...

[LuckyPossum]

...and wait and see what happens". Fuck yes, more games not at all like Katamari Damacy, but with the same guy making them.

As much

[Sv-Manowar]

As much as Katamari is a revolutionary game, and extremely fun, contiunally making sequels for it will make it loose it's originality, and eventually it will fall into line with the rest of games.

Companies need to be continually innovating with new games, along with their best games coming back for sequels. Not relying on one game every so often to be successful then make tons of sequels for it.

Re:As much

[superpulpsicle]

It's not so much the sequels to worry about, but the really shitty imitations to come. Look at tetris, then there was blocktris, hatris, sextris and a million other lousy spawns.

Re:As much

[realityfighter]

While I agree that pumping out sequel after sequel can only cheapen the franchise, I think that the first game really needed a sequel. It was short - only ten levels needed to finish the game, most could be played under ten minutes (in fact, they had to be since the game was timed) and the game form itself left us imagining all the wonderful crap we could roll up, if only there were more levels! My first thought on finishing the game was, "there needs to be a sequel. I need to play it NOW."

Software Patents

[ctid]

One thing that the summary omitted was Takehashi's comment about patents. During the demo of two-player mode, he pointed out that the miniature hands which appeared at the bottom of the screen would not appear in the USA version because of a problem with a software patent. He said that we really need to sit down and sort this problem out.

By the way, my claim to fame is that I was the person who asked him why he didn't play games any more.

Re:Software Patents

[tod_miller]

My claim to fame is I patented showing miniature hands on the screen.
Bullshit.

Anyone played any driving game on an 8bit platform?

Hands that show your movements on the steering wheel are there, so surely prior art(even if it isn't a button controller, they even changed gears).

Re:Software Patents

[ctid]

My claim to fame is I patented showing miniature hands on the screen.
Bullshit.

Anyone played any driving game on an 8bit platform?

Hands that show your movements on the steering wheel are there, so surely prior art(even if it isn't a button controller, they even changed gears).

Presumably you're not claiming that he did not say this? If you are claiming that, you certainly were not there. If you mean that he did say that and he was mistaken, then that is possible, but it seems more likely to me that you are mistaken.

Just to be clear about this, when he said it it looked like there were two sets of two hands on the screen and they moved forwards and backwards in response (presumably) to what he was doing with the controller. It definitely wasn't hands on a steering wheel and, as far as I could make out, it wasn't two hands and two controllers (which is what is shown in the gamasutra article which is linked in the story). I might be mistaken about that the two "pushing" hands, but I'm pretty sure that I am not.

Re:Software Patents

[BremXJones]

"Just to be clear about this, when he said it it looked like there were two sets of two hands on the screen and they moved forwards and backwards in response (presumably) to what he was doing with the controller."

That's what it looked like to me too.

Didn't mention it in the article as (er) I dunno why. Maybe my Brother walked in the room with a tasty pasta dish when I was writing that bit up or something.

KG

Re:Software Patents

[tod_miller]

WHat the hell are you talking about?

if I am, or not, presumably did or, not... you are smoking some heavy shit aren't you!

I just said the patent is bullshit, maybe English isn't your first language, I apologise therefore becuase my writting is rather 'lax.

patent = bullshit because 'hand' feedback of users actions has prior art in video games, and how old is the patent he [did not specify which] mentioned.

I didn't claim he did or did not say anything, or something... or... I feel like Vicky Pollard.

Anyway, yeah. Chillax!!111OMG!!!111kthxbi

Re:Software Patents

[ctid]

patent = bullshit because 'hand' feedback of users actions has prior art in video games, and how old is the patent he [did not specify which] mentioned.

When you grow up you will come to learn that things are not true just because you believe them to be true.

Re:Software Patents

[tod_miller]

Again, what the f.ck are you saying. Don't think you can win an argument (if there was one) with the condescending retort. You cannot win by saying 'Oh grow up' it doesn't work you see.

I am not saying he did or did not say anything, you reading ability might be measured in what rainbow book you are on (Blue 3?) I am not sure.

I merely said there must be prior art, so the PATENT is b.llshit, NOT the fact that he said it, and wether or not he said it:

I do not find it hard to believe that there is such a patent, and I did not discredit or imply that you were wrong.

So get a clue you moron, and stop trying to turn every f.cking quip into an argument.

Re:Software Patents

[bonk]

Okay, now I am confused.

Who is saying who said what about what, now?

Re:Software Patents

[cornface]

what the f.ck are you saying.

Why bother censoring "fuck?"

It's obvious what it's supposed to be. Anyone who you are trying to censor it from is going to know what it's supposed to be. Anyone reading it is going to insert "fuck" there.

What are you trying to accomplish? There are no filters to prevent you from saying "fuck." If your intention is to prevent offense, maybe you should pick a different word. One that is not "fuck."

Fuck.

Fuck!

On another topic, you come across as a moron. In addition, while reading your posts I imagine you as being hideously ugly, with maybe a bit of drool, or a lazy eye...definitely snaggly teeth, a bad odor, and greasy hair. Probably there's a bit of urine that's leaked out and splashed onto the front of your stained drawers; clearly visible because as usual, you've forgotten to zip up after you were done jerking it to old JC Penney catalogs in the bathroom.

God, I hate you.

Re:Software Patents

[tod_miller]

Intuitive little fella ain't you!

I just wonder which realm you rdrew such a descriptive vision from - you were describing your own squalor were you?

I think he was folks. Why do you hate God anyway?

Re:Software Patents

[Anonymous Coward]

How old are you tod? Go back to bed... Mommy and Daddy are going ground you if they find you up on the computer.

Maybe you should get a job and move out of your parent's basement. Better yet, go back to grade school and take English 101 again.

I apologise therefore becuase my writting is rath

[tod_miller]

And my spelling apppaarreently. kthxzbi!!11OMG

Glad for the European Launch

[wild_berry]

Am I right in inferring from the fine article that there will be a EU release of the Katamari games?

Re:Glad for the European Launch

[Anonymous Coward]

Am I right in inferring from the fine article that there will be a EU release of the Katamari games?

Hell, no! Why someone release games in the EU? They get translated (by the germans) or censored or fscked in any way legally possible without pissing off too many people.

Very annoying for any creative mind.

CoCo 2 and CoCo 3...

[SeanDuggan]

Gosh, someone else who grew up with those. FWIW, there are a number of sites out there with emulators and images of the games. One of these days, I'll find a copy of Interbank incident and finally beat it...

Incidentally, I don't know if you got at all hooked on Robot Odyssey, but there's a free Java port of it called Droidquest out there. I know it brought back a lot of happy memories for me.