Slashdot Mirror
Katamari Creator Wasn't Interested in Sequel
MTV Games, in a report on the Katamari sequel, reports that game creator Keita Takahashi wasn't slightly interested in making a sequel. From the article: "Suddenly celebrated for his originality, Takahashi would soon have to tackle the possibly contradictory idea of doing a sequel. He told his bosses at Namco several times that he wouldn't do one. 'But it came to a point where the company was willing to release a sequel without me,' he said. He discovered that the company's planned sequel seemed more like a re-release, primarily swapping Christmas graphics into the original game. 'That went against everything I wanted to do with Katamari,' he said. So he agreed to get involved. "
Does that mean he was, instead, greatly interested in making a sequel?
On a side note, I just bought Katamari Demacy for my wife this weekend. We haven't played it (or even opened it yet), but based on the reviews, I think she's gonna dig it.
I have to say I'm a bit saddened that he didn't stick to his convictions on this. If he would have stuck with "no I don't want to work on this sequel" and they did put out the other game without his support at least it would have shown as some sort of protest to making the unnecessary sequel and shown the public (well the public that hears about it anyway) that designers do actually care about their product enough that they wont be part of it's uninspired sequel.
The fact that designers are willing to let go their ideals is one of the reason I think that games aren't being taken seriously as a form of expression/art. What are you trying to express if you're willing to put a sticker on it, put it out as a sequel, and say that it's better then the previous artistic expression?
I loved the original Katamari Damacy. The visuals, game play, and sounds were all just so different then the conventional video game. I saw the game as a breath of fresh air in a game industry that is growing stale.
In my opinion, contrary to previous posters, I don't find we love Katamari worth buying if you already own Katamari Damacy. The game play and concepts are exactly the same as the last game with a shiny new wrapper. You're still just rolling a ball trying to get it bigger in every level. They may add an additional theme for a level (you're not rolling a ball this time you're rolling a thin sumo wrestler) but that's the entire difference.
To me this sequel is about as much of an addition and improvement to the original game as Metal Gear Solid VR Missions added to Metal Gear Solid. It turned an original creative idea into a gimmick.