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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 <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 could you NOT love Katamari?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: November 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Over the years, Japan has given us some really great rolled things. Sushi. Legendary scrolls. Pocky brand cookies. Uh, m... marijuana. From Japan. And believe me, the people who created this thing were on a lot of it.

In keeping with the great Japanese rolling-things tradition, we are given 'We Love Katamari!', the sequel to 'Katamari Damacy', by the land of the Rising Sun, a game in which you roll a giant sticky ball over stuff and try to make it bigger!

I won't mince words with you people: This game is insane. The cutscenes which serve to forward the already slightly incomprehensible story are completely nuts, the soundtrack is giddy and crazy, and the concept... well, you get to roll a ball around and pick up stuff with it. Not exactly 'Asteroids', this game. But I suppose even 'Asteroids' was considered odd in its heyday, and hey, that's why we now consider it great. The thing that makes those classic games really fun are their simple structure, which progressively becomes more difficult as time wears on. And I'd like to think that the 'Katamari' series is an effective attempt at recapturing that simple playability of the early video games. Story-based games are fun and everything, but the "story" as it stands here is a lot more 'Ms. Pac-Man' than 'Final Fantasy VII'.

Colorful and chipper, the game is a surefire pick-me-up in a sea of bleak atmosphere'd games featuring world weary soldiers in the midst of combat. If you've been obsessing over some survival horror title for too long or need a well deserved break from the likes of "Halo" and "World of Warcraft", look no further than this vibrant original. You might just remember what fun is!

A favorite comedian of mine once mentioned in his act that by the time this generation's kids are grandparents, they will sound completely insane talking to their grandkids about the games they used to play. They will have elaborate virtual reality sets right in their own living rooms, and the old folks will meanwhile be screeching, "well, in my day, we had a yellow circle that ate dots and fruit. And it was chased by ghosts! And then there was this other one where a monkey would throw barrels at you--" ("Whatever, grandpa.") "Wait, wait, I didn't tell you about the frog that tried to cross the street yet!"

Hopefully one day we can also tell our befuddled offspring about the glory that was rolling a ball over stuff and having it stick. I don't think they'll get it, but at that point, they won't need to. We'll know that something like that once existed, and we'll also be able to remember when something like that was enough.

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!

Great mindless fun!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: December 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

My husband loves video games. Being a typical woman, I am not into the shoot em ups. Sims2 and Roller Coaster Tycoon is more my speed. Although the "art" of video games intrigues me, I am not that good at them.

I heard about this game on several shows on G4... like X-play. Then I read about it in my husbands gaming magazine. It went on my birthday list.

All I can say is that this game is SO much fun. It seems so easy and it is, but, I've gotten mad many a times, when I've missed the mark a few times. It seems to have a high replay value, and I can play with my five yr old. She loves the game too.

I highly reccomend this game. Especially to the "girly" gamers out there like me.

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

Just plain fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

We ordered this game because we had played the demo on another disc, and we thought it was funny. It has been a joy to play and lots of fun. My two sons have enjoyed it inmensely. Non violent, no bloody scenes, no fights, the game is just fun for anyone. I have even played it a couple of times and it seems like the kind of game to enjoy after a stressful day. I recommend it.

...And Katamari <3's Us

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: January 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

"Katamari Damacy" is a game that tends to polarize people; either you love it or you don't get it. When it first came out, it made a splash on both sides of the Pacific; no one had ever seen a game quite like this before. The premise -- you roll around a ball and stuff sticks to it -- sounds dumb in writing, but it makes for some remarkably addictive gameplay. It's one of the weirdest games ever, and fans will be happy to know that the sequel is even weirder. It's also better.

"We <3 Katamari" doesn't make the mistake of trying to revamp the gameplay; the controls are virtually identical to the first one, and the graphics are still colorful and simplistic. The flashy, LSD-tinged cutscenes are intact, as is the hilariously random, lost-in-translation dialogue. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The sequel takes all (okay, most) of the best elements from the first game and expands upon them, opening up new possibilities and a multitude of fun environments. As before, you roll the Katamari around, picking up objects and growing steadily larger. Starting with small items such as paper clips, pens, and sushi, you gradually move up to appliances, bugs, tools, plants, animals, furniture, people, cars, trees, buildings, cities, landmarks, continents -- and, finally, planets. Everything and anything can be picked up and added to the ball. If this sounds stupid to you, you're probably looking at the wrong game.

There is a plot, sort of. In the first game, the King of All Cosmos -- a ditzy, self-absorbed cosmic monarch with a pillow-shaped head -- went on a drunken rampage and destroyed all the stars in the sky. His little green-clad son, the Prince, solved the problem by rolling up Katamaris, which the King launched into space and turned into new stars. In a nice twist, the second game centers around the popularity of the first. You're still the Prince, only now you're strolling around a pretty meadow. The meadow is full of "Katamari Damacy" fans, each of whom has a request for the King. The courses and challenges are based on what the fans want, and the best element of the game is its wide variety of different courses. The main courses are still set in the house/town/world environment from the first game, but there's also a lot more. For instance, at one point you have to roll up all the rain clouds in the sky so a kid can go on his field trip. In another course, the Katamari is on fire and you must constantly pick up fuel to keep it from going out. You get to roll underwater, make a giant snowman, collect 1,000 paper cranes....the creators have outdone themselves in interesting challenges.

As in the first game, each level contains a Royal Present to find. Once found, the presents can be equipped and worn. They range from the conventional (a scarf) to the utterly bizarre (a miniature Mt. Fuji on your head). However, the presents pale in comparison to the game's biggest subquest: the Second Cousins. Turns out the Prince has a very large extended family, and his 42 second cousins are scattered throughout the levels. Finding them is highly rewarding because once you've found a cousin, you can play as him or her. Tired of the Prince? Try playing as Lucha (who's a wrestler), Lalala (who's a nudist), Miso (who has a bowl of soup for a head), or one of the others. Some of the cousins are hard to track down, but finding them all unlocks a Secret Bonus Level. Gotta love those Secret Bonus Levels.

As you progress, you're rewarded with cutscenes showing the King's childhood, how his Daddy didn't appreciate him, how he met the Queen of All Cosmos, etc. How exactly does this relate to the game? Not much, although the running gag of "Katamari" is that the King considers himself the star of the game, despite the fact the Prince does all the work. In fact, the poor little guy is usually griped at for not making the Katamari big enough. How big is big enough? Well, the ultimate goal of the game (one of them, anyway) is to roll up the sun. Yeah, the sun. I would not dream of revealing how you do this, because if you've read this far, then you must be interested in the game. So let me repeat that "We <3 Katamari" is more than worth it. If you were a fan of the first game, you'll flip for this sequel, and if you're new to this bizarre little franchise....well, welcome aboard.

PS: There's one more game, "Me and My Katamari," for the PSP. Unfortunately, it looks as if the Katamari series ends there; I've heard that the game's creator abandoned video games to design children's playgrounds. I don't know if it's true or not, but clearly, the world needs more people like that.

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!)

One of the Awesomest Games EVER.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

We love Katamari is the most strangest game I have ever played. It's so strange, and demented, and awesome at the same time, I love it!

We love Katamari takes place after the original game, Katamari Damacy, where the King of the Cosmos destroyed all the stars, and they had to make new ones by rolling stuff up with a sticky ball.
In this sequel, they continue more katamari rolling fun for the fans!
The object of the game is to roll up stuff with a sticky ball. You have to get it to the size showed, within the time limit. It may sound simple, but it's actually really addicting.

And aside from just rolling, you get to hear some really awesome music, and see some of the strangest video game movies ever. Which are also awesome.

I would definetely recommend We Love Katamari to anyone. It is very cool, and very much worth the money.

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