User Reviews (1 - 11 of 85)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

I <3 Katamari

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 21
Date: September 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have recently had the oppertunity to play the Japanese version of this game. I am looking forward to playing the American one. The game's format remains mostly the same with a few changes. The cute objects and lanscapes are mostly the same except this time you are rolling up planets. (No, I do not know story details as I do not speak Japanese and could only gather what I could from inferences.) Game play seems smoother this go around as far as controlling your Katamari and general level rendering. Some of the environment changes include an underwater level and a classroom level. Katamari rolling has now turned into a quest to help people. One level is actually a race where you guide your self propelled Katamari around an island to collect objects. My favorite new aspect of the game is a change from the blocked view when you roll behind an object such as a desk or wall. Instead of a grey circle you now get a cut out view of where you are rolling your Katamari. Failing a stage will ensure you not only a psychological belittling by the king but also a physical one as he shoots lasers at his son. You can try to dodge them, but it can be rather tricky. Each time one hits the poor little prince he shinks in size. The music is catchy and unique blend of JPop and techno as well as an orchestral score during one stage. Stage objectives for some stages has also been redone. At some points you have to beat your old score or personal best. The game seems like it is longer then the first one as well because stages are played more than once. Plenty more new and exciting changes are included and I don't want to give them all away here. If you were a fan of the first one you will certainly enjoy this one.

How did they do it?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 69 / 70
Date: September 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

With "We Love Katamari," the good and crazy folks at Namco managed to produce a game that keeps almost everything from the original, alters things just a trifle, and yet created a sequel that feels a whole lot richer than the original.

For those who don't know, in Katamari games you control a super-sticky orb (a katamari) that rolls throughout a world packed with stuff. Roll up enough caramels and you'll be big enough to roll up a mouse. Roll up enough mice and you can roll up cats. And so on, until you're rolling up clouds, islands and thunder gods. All this is built up over the course of a few levels, but it can be disorienting to roll up cookies under a car at the beginning of a level and roll up the car itself in the end.

With each level a new star is added to the sky (replacing the ones your monolithic and rather drunken father, the King of All Cosmos, accidentally destroyed).

The original is still one of my favourite titles, but as innovative as it was, it was a bit on the short side and there were really only four kinds of levels:

1. Build to a certain size, and then as big as you can get.
2. Build to as close to a certain size as possible.
3. Gather as many of a particular thing as you can.
4. Gather the largest of a class of thing as you can.

Not so with the new one. In some levels, you have to build yourself as large as possible with a limited number of objects, in others you're self-propelled and have to control the katamari to maximize what you get, in others you have to move quickly or snow gums up your katamari, making it difficult to move - the variations are all of a similar kind to the types listed above, but different enough that each level plays differently.

Getting the levels is different as well, with as many as half a new dozen levels available at a time. The final level is actually accessible early on, but you don't have a hope of winning it for a very, very long time. The King of All Cosmos is back, and with all the popularity of a rock star, people clamour him with requests to have particular stars created. And, of course, it falls to you to do his work for him.

Gameplay and controls are identical to the original, and fans of that one will love the added complexity to the levels while newcomers will have no trouble picking up on the way things work. Recommended for all ages and levels of play, at least by me.

I suppose I take the other view, but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 15
Date: September 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

...I think this game lacks in the originality department. The original "Katamari" was quirky, unexpected, charmingly simple, with a cast of strange characters and a fantastic soundtrack. Unfortunately, the sequel is bland by comparison.

What made "Katamari Damacy" good? It was PRECISELY its originality. Where then is the originality for the sequel (which incidentally is priced 10 bucks higher than its predecessor)? That's not to say that rolling the katamari still isn't fun, but there really is NOTHING new here! The 4 types of game listed in the review below are exactly what was found in the previous installment; there is nothing here that sticks out in my mind.

Even the soundtrack isn't quite as good (although the variation on the theme from the original - which is sung by a very good (clone of?) Tom Jones); I found quite a few of the tunes grating. I did like the new series of movies, though...

For a higher price than the original, this fails to deliver...

Holy Crap

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 10
Date: September 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I never played the first Katamari but this one I picked up out of impulse. I heard from everywhere that it was great but I was afraid that my friends would find out that I bought it because the cover is all colorful and it looks like a kids game while you're playing. Everything is all colorful and whimsical and theres rainbows and crap. Plus, theres skipping. You can skip around the landscape in the level selection menu and if you pass another person like you, they follow you, skipping and singing. It's very very very gay. And yet, it's one of the best games I've played. It's original and just tons and tons of fun. Plus, it's incredibly addictive. I had to go somewhere the day after I got it and the whole time, all I could think about was this game. I couldn't wait to get home and play it. The game is awesome but they could have at least made the cover less colorful. Maybe have a gun and a couple hobos in a back alley on the cover just so I wouldn't be embarassed when people are looking at my game collection and see a title with a heart on it and colorful creatures around a colorful house... ugh.

Lovin' Katamari

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: September 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Excellent game for both adults and children. Easy to play and very, very fun. The story still makes absolutely no sense, but that does little to stop the fun. Co-Op mode is difficult, but very rewarding. VS mode has changed a little. Overall, it's a great game to play with others or by yourself.

Wowees!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: September 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have heard so much about the original (Katamary Damacy) that I bought a copy on an online auction. While waiting for it to arrive in the mail, I discovered that the sequel, We Love Katamari, had been released. I immediately went out and purchased it.

If the game manual by itself makes me laugh and feel good, there is much promise for the game. And the game is absolutely fun! I can't wait for KD to arrive to compare the two, but for now, We Love Katamari is just a plain old fun game. You use the two analog sticks like "two hands", and basically roll the katamari collecting stuff. The underwater part is especially fun, especially with the snorkeling cat!

Overall, the quirky humor, great music, and insanity makes We Love Katamari one of my favorite all-time games. It's a great game for us folks who remember the good ol' days of video gaming (when Atari first came out), when the purpose of a game was to have *fun* and not beat the snot out of your opponent with complimentary 3-D blood and gore. I highly recommend this to anyone who isn't afraid of some far-out fun!

Do YOU Love Katamari? 'Cause I sure as hell do.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: September 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Any mainstream gamer/overpaid critic who tries to tell you that Gaylo 2 or Bland Theft Auto: San Andreas was the Best Game Of 2004 has obviously never played Katamari Damacy. While most of the gaming world was anticipating the fall's big name titles, KD slipped by most people (although it did fare better sales-wise than most niche games), but went on to take the crown for Game Of The Year. Nothing else even came close.

Because the first one was so freakin' original (in a world where every game is trying to be the next GTA), I had no idea what the mushroom-and-LSD using developers had in mind for the sequel. Alot of sophomore efforts just tend to lose the "magical, nostalgic" feeling of the original, and I was praying HARD that Katamari would avoid that pitfall.

My prayers have been anwsered. This is, hands down, the best sequel since Spyro: Ripto's Rage for the PlayStation. "We Love Katamari" easily stacks up to the original, mainly because it doesn't try to imitate the first one at all. Sure, it keeps the original concept, crazy humor, etc., but the new elements truly make this one. Katamari Damacy was a very mininalist game. It had a small number of characters (The Prince, The King, The Cousins, and The Hoshino family) a short play length (3 hours to beat at the most), and only a small handful of locations.

WLK turns the original's blueprint inside-out by adding some RPG elements (you can walk around a park on Earth and talk to people) and a bit more emphasis on back-story (although that's not saying much...XD). It's also longer, with more locations and items, not to mention the people you can talk to (the "fans" of Katamari) all have unique personalities. There's an eager young sumo wrestler who has a challenging fight ahead, a lonely dog who wants some friends to go to the soccer game with him, and a teacher who is curious if Katamari is an efficient learning tool, and many others. The added depth is phenomenal. It makes it feel like an entirely new game. Thank God for developers that are willing to give the middle finger to Cut-and-Paste game designing.

But what REALLY makes this game is the new challenges. Every challenge has 2-or-more subgoals (how big you can get the Katamari, and how fast you can get the Katamari to a certain size), and most of the goals have more variety than those in Katamari Damacy. My personal favorite is the Campsite level, where you roll a flaming katamari (sweet!) around the campsite, trying to collect things to fuel the fire. Once the fireball is big enough, you roll it into a pillar of logs, to make a campfire for the outdoorsmen. If you accidently go in the water or go too long without rolling anything new up, the fire goes out. Absolutely genius!

Other than that, the Co-op mode is a bit tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it makes for some great fun. The music is fantastic as always. Even if they haven't managed to come up with another "Lonely Rolling Star", there are some good tunes on here.

Althought the race for Best Game Of 2005 isn't as obvious as last year (God Of War gives it serious competition, and I'm betting Shadow And The Colossus will do the same), We Love Katamari is still the title to beat. It rolls right past the sophomore slump that drags down many series. Few games can match the sheer quality of this one in any way.

(also, it should be added that in the final level, you can roll The King Of All Cosmos up! It's very hard, but it's hilarious [as well as the perfect revenge] if you can do it!)

Katamari Fan

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: September 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I first played Katamari Damacy at a game exhibition. The I received it as a X'mas gift. I actually got a PS2 to play this game ~ Now I have the sequel.

Unlike the first Katamari the interface is a bit different. Rather than walking on a huge planet to create stars. You have to approach people on a infinite grassland. As you progress throughout the game more characters will appear as you finish each level. The sequel is even more interesting since you map play with two players at a time. It takes some time to coordinate both at a time. If you have two players, you must approach a character simultaneously or else you will not be able to play together. I found this part a bit confusing since there were a couple of times where we'd miss that part. Otherwise, all was fine.

The game play is basically the same except rather than creating stars you are creating planets. I feel the game is a bit more detailed in items and I really like the fact random objects appear each time you play the same level. If you are not familiar with japanese settings this game gives you a quick look into japanese school so on. I also found the fantasy-like and underwater environments creative. Love the music and animations. They're all very weird but it makes me laugh.

This game is one of those japanese cutesy games so if you're interested in RPG/Violence/LevelUp games then this is probably not for you.. however it would make a great alternative. I recommend this game for all ages. However, over time (after an hour) it can make you quite dizzy and sore on the hands.

Someone once asked the creator for Nintendo Mario Bros/Zelda what game did he wish he produced/created?
He answered "Katamari Damacy" ~ I think this pretty much says it all

Loved It!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 17
Date: September 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Played through this game with my fiance (who doesn't really play video games), we both had a great time. They've given you all the classic Katimari gameplay plus they've added a few new things like rolling in the sky (rolling clouds), rolling up the countries of the world (to prevent a meteor strike) and rolling up plants and stardust (so you can get something big enough to roll up the sun). Plus there was a really funny Sumo level where you roll around a skinny Sumo Wrestler over food and he slowly gets fatter, and a snowman level where your rolling around a ball of snow.

Also, the cinematic story clips between levels are way better than the last game (as off the wall as the story is).

We were singing the theme song for days ("na na na Katimari Damacy")

It's just fun!
~Danny

Loved It!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 17
Date: September 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Played through this game with my fiance (who doesn't really play video games), we both had a great time. They've given you all the classic Katimari gameplay plus they've added a few new things like rolling in the sky (rolling clouds), rolling up the countries of the world (to prevent a meteor strike) and rolling up plants and stardust (so you can get something big enough to roll up the sun). Plus there was a really funny Sumo level where you roll around a skinny Sumo Wrestler over food and he slowly gets fatter, and a snowman level where your rolling around a ball of snow.

Also, the cinematic story clips between levels are way better than the last game (as off the wall as the story is).

We were singing the theme song for days ("na na na Katimari Damacy")

It's just fun!
~Danny

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next 

Actions