We Love Katamari
Score: 93% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Family/ Action/ Miscellaneous
Graphics & Sound: It's a well-known fact that Japanese gamers have odd tastes in games and tend to go nuts over some of the silliest concepts. Many of these concepts never fly outside Japan, which is why we rarely see these releases. This fact alone helps to make Katamari Damacy such a surprise because at first look, it doesn't look like something a typical American gamer would get into. Of course, the exact opposite happened and Katamari became one of the year's biggest hits. We Love Katamari builds on the success of the original and while it may not be as original a concept as its predecessor, it is still just as fun. We Love Katamari keeps the simple, child-like look of the original. There's nothing overly complicated going on in the game world as it is made up mostly of large shapes and bright colors. The entire style has an abstract look that has an oddly bizarre beauty. There's no real rhyme or reason for anything in the game's levels, yet they jive so well with the game's look that you never stop to even think about things being out of place. Any improvements over the original are minor and barely noticeable. Lines are a little cleaner and sharper, but that's about it. One major improvement is the camera, which doesn't get in the way as much. Ask anyone what the most memorable aspect of Katamari Damacy was and most will probably mention the game's soundtrack. We Love Katamari continues the first game's zany, off-the-wall soundtrack by including a eccentric mish-mash of music types ranging from J-Pop to jazz to even a few lounge songs. Like the rest of the game, there's no real cohesion to any of it, but when taken in the context of the game you'll never ask, "Why?" You'll smile, nod and say, "Because that's the way it is."
Gameplay: For the few of you who haven't heard of Katamari Damacy, you take the role of a young prince who must collect things in a katamari, a big sticky ball that picks up everything it touches. The more stuff you pick up, the bigger the ball gets. What sounds like a really simple, and admittedly stupid, concept for a game actually turns out to be a pretty addictive experience. This simplicity also makes it the perfect game to get those non-gamers in your life (in other words, wives and girlfriends) into gaming. In the first game, the prince was charged with the job of replacing all the stars in the sky that were misplaced by his oddball father, The King of All Cosmos. The sequel picks up after the original and is more of a joke than anything else. Apparently the prince's adventures have not gone unnoticed by the people of Earth, who have made the King and his katamari a worldwide obsession. This leads to constant requests for demonstrations of the katamari, a request the King is happy to fulfill given his massive ego (and besides, its not like he really has to do any of the hard work). This leads the King to request that the Prince, along with his cousins, set out into the world and make bigger, more exciting katamari to please his adoring fans. Between levels, you'll also get a healthy dose of backstory on the King, which really doesn't have much to do with what's going on, but is still entertaining. The problems found in We Love Katamari are few, but notable. The single-player game is really short and can be finished in a little less than a weekend. Considering the length of the original, this isn't too bad except for the fact that We Love Katamari is $10 more than the original. Still, this isn't the biggest of the game's problems considering the amount of replay value the game offers. Where the game really falls apart is the co-op multiplayer mode, which is a total wash. While the actual movement of your katamari, which is handled through the use of the two analog sticks, is very easy to use, the idea of having two people control the same katamari doesn't work well. Basically, each controller becomes the equivalent of one analog stick. This requires both players to synch their joystick movements with near-perfect timing and almost requires that you meld your minds together in order to know what the other is thinking. Think driving a tank and you've got a pretty good idea.
Difficulty: In short, We Love Katamari is challenging but in a calming way. The concept behind the game is very simple and rather calming since you're really just rolling up a bunch of stuff in a ball. Where the game becomes a challenge is that most levels are timed, so you have to race the clock. Also, as katamari become larger, they become harder to push and move around. All of the included mission types are straightforward with only one type presenting a challenge that could be considered frustrating - missions that require you to pick up everything but a certain type of object. Even while playing this mode, you never find yourself screaming at the screen and most of the time will eagerly jump right into failed missions.
Game Mechanics: The major differences between We Love Katamari and the original are minor, but still really nice additions. For one, it is much easier to get bigger katamari earlier. Whereas in the last game, you needed to get through almost the entire game before you could pick up bigger objects, We Love Katamari speeds up the process. There are more objects to roll up this time and levels are much, much larger, both factors that contribute to the larger katamari. And, after a few levels, you'll find yourself not only picking up people and cars, but continents and clouds. Levels feature much more variety as well, as do some of the tasks. You'll still find old standards like making a katamari of a certain size in a set time limit or collecting "X" of a certain object. But there are also a few new levels as well, such as a snow level where you need to make snowmen or a level that takes place on a racetrack. The latter of these is actually rather interesting since the katamari moves under its own power and leaves you with the job of collecting cars on the racetrack. We Love Katamari is the perfect sequel to a quirky game. It gives fans of the first more of what they liked the original for while injecting just enough "new" elements to make it feel like a better experience. Yes, the box art and screenshots of the back look childish, but don't let the cover fool you, We Love Katamari is a great game that should find its way into every gamer’s collection.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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