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Review: We Love Katamari
- Title: We Love Katamari
- Developer: Namco
- Publisher: Namco
- System: PS2
- Reviewer: Zonk
- Score: 8/10
If you've played Katamari Damacy, you'll be quite adept at using the controls for We Love Katamari. There have been no real changes to the two thumbstick schema. Using the joysticks in concert, you push the Katamari and it gathers stuff. The more stuff you gather, the larger the Katamari gets. Missions are given to you by the King of All Cosmos, who usually tasks you with achieving a certain size of Katamari within a time limit. Added components to the gameplay are basically just new settings and mission objective types. For example, there are underwater levels now. Aside from some limited verticality, they're just missions with a lot of fish. The new objective types are slightly more interesting. One level lights your Katamari on fire, and requires you to keep it lit by continuously rolling up stuff. You pause too long, your Katamari goes out, and your dad shoots you with laser beam eyes. Tough love, indeed. Another level pits you against a second player in a race to assemble a snowman.
That integrated second player mission is part of the multiplayer emphasis in the second game. In addition to a few two player vs. missions, there is a head-to-head mode similar to the multiplayer mode in the first Katamari. It is better developed than in the first game, though, with a few different arenas of play available. The head-to-head mode emphasizes strategy as well, by requiring each player to gather more of a specific object that their opponent. The most enjoyable aspect of We Love Katamari's multiplayer is cooperative play. Two people working together can play every mission in the game. At least, working together is the idea. Moving the Katamari efficiently with two people operating requires a little getting used to, but with a duo working together you can really get the ball moving. It's also hilarious getting into a groove. "Go Backwards!" "I am going backwards!" "No, left backwards."
The fun factor of the game is still very high, even after a year spent playing the first title. There's an immense satisfaction in adding mass to your Katamari, and a sick pleasure in having your work transformed into a stellar object. The "purpose" of the game, if there can be said to be one, is to please fans of the original Katamari and assist the King of the Cosmos in refilling the rest of the sky. Completing missions is interspersed with extremely disconcerting cut-scenes about The King of the Cosmos' past. Starting with his youth, the cut-scenes give us background on exactly what makes the King tick. Because, of course, not knowing kept us up at nights. The fan service is literal and unabashed. The denizens of the mission select field cavort among the trees, giant birthday cakes, and oddly tapping birds. When you pass nearby they call out for attention, requesting that you see to their idiosyncratic whims. Various moments during the game will see you gathering up sweets for a sugar-rush seeker, cleaning up a kid's room for a lazy parent, and entertaining a class full of students by rolling up the contents of their school. Of course, I have to sit here wondering if they were all that entertained. After all, they ended up as part of a star.
The game has the same shaped-Lego look of the first title, with everything from penguins to people represented in the somehow appealing format. The game has its own beauty, but it will hardly stretch your PS2's capabilities. The enjoyment factor of the game's presentation lies in the variety and sheer amount of stuff that exists within the mission spaces. Every time your Katamari accrues mass and the game's scale shifts, you gain a new appreciation of the minimalist style. One vaguely frustrating change in the game is the addition of in-mission load times. The increased mission size has resulted in the need to load up additional materials in order to gain access to new parts of the map. An understandable but somewhat frustrating limitation.
Sound plays an important role in every game, and the brain-crushingly entertaining soundtrack from the first game has a successful successor in We Love Katamari. Catchy tunes with jazz, J-Pop, techno, and swing backgrounds round out the audio environment you roll around in. The main theme has several incarnations on the soundtrack, and all of the songs are enjoyable ear candy. The catchiness level of the first game has been toned down in favour of some more worked out pieces, but the experience is still thoroughly Katamari.
Fan service and catchy tunes. Fun and innovative gameplay. A game guaranteed to keep your raver buddy amused for hours on end. There are so many pleasant things you can credit We Love Katamari with. My only two big complaints are that it's basically the same game as the original, and it's very, very short. The game is well worth playing, but a bit more expansion of the concept would have been appreciated. As it's so similar to the first title, it shares the problem that once you've mastered the controls it is not very hard to work your way through the game in a frustratingly short amount of time. Nothing is perfect, though, and I'll take my fun where I can get it. If you've played Katamari Damacy and enjoyed it, there is no way you won't like We Love Katamari. If you haven't, it's well worth taking a look just so you can get a taste of what all the fuss is about.
Didn't the Japanese just get the first picture of a Giant one of these recently?
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
The first game was SHORT! basically 12 missions with 6 side missions all almost the same. 3 area that's it.
This game is MUCH longer, remember first off you're paying 30 bucks, so don't expect a 50 buck game. But you have at least 6-10 areas for you to roll in, tons of new missions and most of them are quite lengthy Plus there's easily much more to find and do. I'd have to say it's a decent length.
Overall though the review nails it. It's a "thank you for the support", basically "you wanted more here's more fun, we won't innovate too much so we don't ruin it, but we'll have as much fun as we did the first time" gotta say that's how I found it and that's all I wanted. Kudos to Namco. Keep the good games coming.
Someone's really gotta get the king of the universe to start going to those AA meetings...
Seriously, the creativity of this game, combined with the untapped potentials of the Revolution controller... can you imagine the fun if this was done correctly?
if ($game != NetHack)
print("$game ain't bad, but it's no NetHack!");
else
print("$game gets a 10-10-10");
Silly Rabbit, Katamari is for Kids!!
"I don't really care, and anyone who has had the chance to play the original isn't likely to care either."
What a great way to grip your audience.
I like it breaded and deep-fried. :)
You are not the customer.
It's already fun, and it's already done correctly. You don't need a Nintendo Revolution controller.
Buy the game here: We Love Katamari. And if you use the "secret" A9.com discount, you can save an extra 1.57%!
Does anyone else really despise this game? The music is annoying, the game play is puke inspiring,and the concept is as boring as knitting socks with your grandparents. This game made me want to stick my member into a blender :(
Heh. Incoherence is kinda a prerequisite for reviewing this particular game.
Have I been living under rock? I have never heard of this game. Was this a huge game or something? I guess I may be behind the times a bit, because I still play Half Life/CS, Rise of Nations, etc.
After you complete a mission, you get to unlock another hentai scene.
That was the KING's sick past?!
You sir, have ruined my day!
nah,,,,,not really I guess it's pretty disturbing whichever way you look at the extra story plot line. And anyway it's only in there because it pleases the fans in a sick way, like the rest of the game.
About the under water level, it's way more fun than mere vertical challenge...Your katamari can be fished out of the water, losing valuable rolling time. And also you move slower than on land. Also, you literally speed cruise around a small island on the racing level, picking up your opponents who cheekily try to out-speed you.
But I've got to say that one of the funnest (yes...) part of the game is how unabashedly violent and sick the idea of the game is. You roll up people, they scream, they flail around trying to dislodge themselves from the massive ball, they fail at that. You roll the ball, by how weighting in tonnes, and the people get crushed by even bigger objects you pick up. Finally, when you're done, your Dad BLASTS the whole thing into space where they become a "star", presumably cathing on fire in a nuclear fission type reaction.(how else does it glow from light years away?)
Best. Game. Ever.
Will Spore have Katamari elements in it?
I liked the objective of the game.
To finish you have to destroy the entire solar system by rolling it up in your katamari.
Such destructive pleasures...
"Trademarks are the heraldry of the new feudalism."
I think it might be you
Did you try the hat and cake links?
OFF-TOPIC? sheesh! How is the parent off-topic? If the review isn't the topic, I don't know what is. Besides, he's got a good point. The review's intro is wretched.
Not really. Coherence is needed most for subject matter that's difficult to describe. Otherwise, you're just blabbering into the void.
Can we mod -1 melodramatic sig?
Mod my comments down. It'll be fun.
I have to agree with the first part (I won't say about the about the second part - although I do wish Zonk would submit less)
Not wanting to release a sequel just for the money is a noble stance. It suggests he values the game more than the money, right? We could use more designers - and movie producers - like that.
Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others. -Groucho Marx
Grand Theft Katamari,
with a mod for cousin on cousin action!
Great, I will go buy it right now! Can't wait to get it! Thanks for the heads up!
Didn't they just have a review about this not too long ago - like late summer? I remember reading something about this on Slashdot, and it wasn't any more clear then. I had to google it to figure it all out. But, anyway, there's an awesome sort of flash-based game that's similar in concept at http://home.cwru.edu/~jnt5/Katamari/ - it's really interesting, but doesn't go very far, and there aren't any actual levels to it.
-dave
http://millionnumbers.com/ - own the number of your dreams
He just needed Karma.
Referral link included, filling up the book/game reviews with his posts to try and get a few cents on the dollar. Desperation at its lowest.
I too love katamari, something to tide me over until Zelda comes out...
The first Katamari had unlockable infinite levels... so you could putter around the world rolling up junk without a time limit staring you in the face. I can't find any mention of unlockable infinite levels in K2 and that makes me very very sad. Anybody have any info on this?
No, but it sure would be fun to be able to play it without shelling out $200+ (cost of a PS2 plus the game).
Yes, I'm a slightly bitter Gamecube owner about this one. Then again, I shouldn't complain, as this is the only game I've even considered buying another console for.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
Did anyone else read this as "We Love Kalamari" -- I thought this might have been a Star Wars game...
It should probably be noted that the creator of Katamari Damacy didn't want to do a sequel under any circumstances. However, Namco told him that they were considering doing a holiday version of it that basically had a christmas skin on everything. After hearing this, the creator stepped in, not so much to make a great sequel, but simply keep it from sucking less than it would have otherwise.
Perfecting Discordia
www.stevenvansickle.com
I saw a spectacularly-detailed Katamari cake, complete with sculpted Prince recently on the LiveJournal Katamari Damacy group. The amount of fan art/cosplay/crafts for Katamari Damacy is amazing.
For more information, click here.
It was also a Penny Arcade comic
For all that this game is, it just 'fits' the Gamecube perfectly. It's def a game I would play as much as the kids, and I appreciate that more titles for the Gamecube fall in this category. Nintendo has the right idea, and I hope they stick with it for the Revolution; just make great games and let Sony and MS deal with the realisticly violent games. Oh, and let's get another Mario game, Sunshine wasn't it (though Kart and Golf are a blast!)
fak3r.com
if ($game != NetHack)
print("$game ain't bad, but it's no NetHack!");
else
print("$game gets a -10");
...or maybe someone will get to work on an open source clone. Because this game NEEDS a level/object editor.
Skype is too convoluted... Now I'm reverse-engineering the Kyoto Protocol.
Excellent Review!!! The Katamari Games are my favorite series on the PS2. I've long been a Pac-man fan, and Katamari is the first game to truly give the same level of entertainment(and whadda you know, it's another Namco title). I give this game a 10/10, because the negatives given in the review don't really bother me. It may seem like just an expansion, but I wouldn't have it any other way, the gameplay was perfect in the first, why change it? And although it may be short, it has great replay value, because each mission has at least two methods of completion. Not only that, the game never really gets boring, at least not for me, no matter how much you play it.
My only real complaint, is this sequel costs $30, whereas the first was $20. To anyone wanting to try the games, I suggest you get the cheaper Katamari Damacy first, and see if you like it, before you get this sequel.
Honestly, though, it may *seem* short on first pass, but if haven't gome back and re-played the levels, there are some twists the second and third times around. At first you may need to grow to a particular size in a certain amount of time, but the second time might be a time trial to roll up a certain number of objects, and the third time lets you choose if you want to try to grow bigger or roll faster.
That's just one for-instance of why this game is great, though. If you want to plug in and play for 15 minutes without having to remember where you are on a certain "level", you can do it easily. You can jump to any level you want if you have favorites. If you have a girlfriend like mine ("the controller has too many buttons"), it's easy to teach the how-to's.
I'm not done with the game yet, though, so I don't know how much more there is. I've unlocked 7 of the cut-scenes, but don't know how many more there are.
I can't get enough of the game, to be honest -- even if I'm constantly being berated for now rolling big enough katamaris.
Wasn't overly interested when /. linked to another site's review of this game several months ago, does this game (or any game) merit two review articles in as many months?
v2sw7CUPhw5ln6pr5Pck4ma7u7LFw0m6g/l7Di5e6t5Ab6TH.
I thought Zonk was just a Markov chain, or a special needs kid they were helping...
At least thats how I read it. Guess I've been innundated by the news the past couple weeks.
The revolution controller will turn into the next "Imagine a beowulf cluster of.."
But I've got to say that one of the funnest (yes...) part of the game is how unabashedly violent and sick the idea of the game is. You roll up people, they scream, they flail around trying to dislodge themselves from the massive ball, they fail at that.
What's truly bizarre to me about it all is that the whole purpose of the second game is that people are lining up to beg you to do this to them. Obviously this game is a thinly-veiled vehicle for BSDM fetishists...
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
This game is a bit of a repeat, but what's not to love in a repeat. The two player mode what makes the game fun. The first Katamari was nice, simple race to collect as much as possible, where the second has this goal orientation when you compete. the playing of each level in dual mode can be hard if the players are not in sync mentally. It seems strange that the two players could play and see you builds the bigger solar system. Another down side is to play the mere three levels of competitive Katamari one has to complete the game. Where you Katamari. It would be nice if out of the box you could play any level in competition mode. All in all it is a good game, We love Katamari is exactly what its title says... If you love it, get it!
I have to say I agree. I am all for trying new things, and I think there's a TON of potential in the Nintendo Revolution. There's nothing wrong with playing the game the way it was originally intended, and there's nothing wrong with playing it a new way. It's all a matter of what tickles your pickle.
It took me just a bit to get into it, but after an hour and a half or so, I was completely hooked.
And that was basically one of the biggest problems in the game, the pacing. The first few levels were difficult, when you're at a small size. But once you reach a certain size (most people say 6m), most of the levels become trivial and it's just a matter of "where do you want to roll today?" Had it not been for a friend looking over my shouldering coaching me towards some of the better routes, I might not have stuck with it. Looking forward to playing this sequel...
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
Although the review looks like it was actually writen by a person this time, instead of a sugar crazed rabbit. http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/14/ 1828250&tid=212
Thank you for the link. It was actually kind of diverting for a few minutes. With a few more levels of scale and perhaps some obstacles other than pickup-able objects, I could see that as a nice "coffee break game." You know, the kind you play when your head is hurting from trying to process code and you just need to de-rez.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
1. It was a joke emphasizing the silliness of the game.
2. Try the links. The review is plenty coherent.
3. Even blabbering into the void may have its place from time to time.
Not really offtopic... stupid yes but not OT...
I'd love a copy for my Gamecube. I understand there is a DS version coming, but I don't have one of those either. Oh well-- if it doesn't ever make the jump, I'll do what I did with the dreamcast and ReZ and buy it and a PS2 (and maybe an eyetoy) when things are good and cheap.
It really does seem like a good fit for Nintendo, though.
If you can't find a PS2 for less than $200, you're a really lousy shopper.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
"to gather more of a specific object than their opponent"
Ok, we know your a rocket scientist, and we know you have the much valued low-end 5-digit slashdot userid. But did you read what's in the parenthesis?
Let me state it again for you, you probably missed it the first, I will remove those evil parenthesis;
cost of a PS2 plus the game
Brand new in the box ps2 costs roughly $150, the katamari games cost probably $50 total. I ain't a rocket scientist, so my math be wrong here, carry the one... take the inverse and multiply.... I get a total of $200 without taxes added, roughly, and rounding $.99 to 1 dollar. Its such a small difference even if you have 7% sales tax, I will give you the extra change for it, here's my two cents, that should MORE than cover the difference.
If what you are reading sounds funny, or sarcastic, lame, or stupid
it is because it is supposed to be. just laugh
Ah, so you're going to buy a PS2 for two games, but you're going to buy a new one. OK, man. Whatever works for you.
I still think you're not a very good shopper...
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
I live in Canada.
A new PS2 costs $179.99. Katamari costs $29.99. That's just under $210 total.
Not everyone lives in the USA.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
If you can find a used PS2 that was disposed of due to a bad controller port, they're incredibly easy to fix (say 10 minutes). The new controller port part for them is $20, but some of them don't even need it, the connection prongs just slowly work their way too far back to connect. I got my 'broken' PS2 free and had it up and running in no time, without even knowing what I was doing. Speaking of PS2, I might have to get this, it looks cool.
Dude, you were on Dodgeball, weren't you? The guy who thought that you could pay off the $50,000 to buy the gym in Canadian dollars?
No, not everybody lives in America. Gold star, Pierre. It's not my fault you guys use the same symbol for your currency.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
WARNING: Prolonged use may result in sleepless nights, the inability to shut up about Katamari, and the loss of friendships.
:(
I love this game way too much.
Most people are making the mistake of not replaying the levels they cleared. Some of them have up to 5 missions in them.
So, no, you have not beat the entire game by doing the absolute minimum necessary to roll up the sun.
My only real complaint, is this sequel costs $30, whereas the first was $20.
They're both short, but if you put them together, they cost the same as a regular PS2 game. Is this part of what was meant by a new trend of "episodic content"?
and pac-man was derived from the programmer eating a pizza at Namco's offices....
Namco puts out these stories all the time. The author of Pac-Man later came forward and said the "pizza" story was bullshit, although a nice story regardless. Katamari's author probably got a memo: "do a follow-up or you're FIRED fucko". Not nearly as charming for the PR hacks, but probably far more accurate.
Gamestop sells refurbished PS2s for $99 plus the shipping. If there is a store in your area you can just buy it locally. A lot of other stores sell the same thing.
We Love Katamari itself sells for $30 new - although since you haven't played the first one, you might as well pay $20 for Katamari Damacy.
Admittedly $120-135 is still a lot to play one game.
Luckily the grandparents bought my son a PS2, which has pretty much gone neglected with the exception of Katamari.
Sometimes my arms bend back.
Trackball.
You forget the memory card: $20 for eight megabytes of memory to save your game. $100 for a used PS2, $30 for We Love Katamari, $20 for a memory card, plus tax, turns out to be quite a big expense for one game. Tack on another $20 for a second controller to play co-op mode, and you're getting pretty close to $200 already.
For more information, click here.
Oh, try living in Europe. Sure, you can buy a PS2 but not Katamari.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
I like the gameplay in WLK more than KD. The new variations are great. However, I think the WLK soundtrack is lacking. The music sounds like a poorly done sequel. Thank god the game as a whole isn't like that.
spoiler
Actually, the version of history that I'm aware of is not entirely common (to my awareness anyway) and I don't really find it very charming anyway. It's not like this is some prince valiant story about him coming in to save his game, the creator (when interviewed) basically made it seem like Namco called and said "We know you said no sequels at all, but we want another dollar so we're fucking up your game without you." and the creator trudged back into the office to, as I said, keep it from simply 'sucking less'.
I don't really see much glamour in this one when it feels like the creator was blackmailed into working on something he initially refused and still didn't like the end product despite any rave reviews. And it could be true that even this was a PR hack, but it seems a lot less likely when it makes the company look like the asshole. While the author could have said it for a pity party (I highly doubt he would need it with the large cult surrounding his first Katamari), I'd be leaning away from that theory when the interview I read made me consider NOT buying KD2.
Perfecting Discordia
www.stevenvansickle.com