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Jan 13th, 2008 at 23:31:36 - Katamari Damacy (PS2) |
GAMEPLAY:
The gameplay has not changed much overall in the second hour of play, apart from increasing katamari size. I have been picking up full size people and small vehicles. The game is still entertaining to play, and the story is still unfolding; apparently the children in the cut scenes are fathered by an astronaut... The main two characters in the game, the Prince and the King of all Cosmos, haven't developed much in the second session. The story is managing to stay oddly enticing, maybe the astronaut will connect with the Prince and King of all Cosmos?
There is a secondary type of level, in which Constellations are made by collecting a certain number of a certain type of item (i.e. crabs for Cancer). This provides a slightly different gameplay, which is good a addition for variety. This mode is less simple than the collect-anything mode of play, which makes for a new challenge.
The game still proves to be strangely humorous, featuring Space Rainbows and other interesting things.
DESIGN:
The game brings a very new and unique concept to the field. Rolling a sticky ball over random objects does not sound like a very interesting game concept, but Katamari Damacy makes the idea fun with odd Japanese influences and an attitude like "We know this is a silly idea so we'll flaunt it as one". The game was taking a risk in trying a very new and simple concept and I think it paid off, the game is very innovative and fun.
The soundtrack of the game is particularly interesting. I think the strange yet fun soundtrack is a big addition to the game's overall mood. The music makes me feel happy and fun. Also the level design is good, especially in the sense that levels become larger as the katamari gets larger. It is an original concept, where previous barriers can become building blocks in the near future of the level. This design element requires the player to remember levels in interesting ways. It is helpful to remember the location an item that is currently much to big to roll over but will perhaps be benificial once the katamari has grown a bit.
I also like the level design in that there is a set time limit for each level, and in that time limit you must reach a certain size goal, but if the goal is met before time is up you can continue to increase the size of your katamari. This allows for beginning players to beat the game at the minimums or advanced players be generous in their katamari's size.
The game keeps me interested because I am always wondering what I'll be able to roll over next. The level environment allows almost everything to be rolled over at some point, so the limits to what you might add to your katamari next are near endless. Katamari Damacy reminds me that games with new and unique can be very successful even if incredibly simple. The capability in a game for all skill level players to compete or be challenged is a major plus in game design.
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Jan 13th, 2008 at 18:52:11 - Katamari Damacy (PS2) |
SUMMARY:
In Katamari Damacy, the main objective is to roll your "katamari", a small ball that objects stick to, over objects of increasing size. You start out rolling up very small items, like thumbtacks, and progress to roll up bigger and bigger items as your katamari's size increases.
GAMEPLAY:
The story behind the game is that the King of all Cosmos, a god-like figure who can create and destroy stars, accidentally erased all of the stars from the sky. You, the Prince (son of the King), are very very small, but must roll up objects with the katamari which can then be turned into a star by the King. Slowly, you will fill the sky with stars again. The story is partially revealed through the King's narration, and also through quirky cut scenes involving children watching the news, which reports all the stars missing. The whole game has a very bizzare Japanese feel, which adds a considerable amount of humor to the game.
The controls of the game are very simple, and the objective is very simple, but the game still provides a good deal of challenge. Navigating away from objects too big to roll over and moving objects proves as a fun challenge. The game is surprisingly fun considering it's simplicity. The tutorial was very quick but I was still able to start playing the real game easily.
In each level, there are presents, or secret items, which can be found and rolled over to collect. These presents serve as clothing accessories for the Prince to wear. In my opinion, these presents are a bit too difficult to locate. There are few clues as to where the presents can be found in each level, and locating a single object is hard when there are so many different items scattered around to be picked up.
So far, the game is very fun to play. It is particularly fun rolling up certain items, like small children or animals. For some reason there is a strange satisfaction in rolling up children. The game serves as a good stress reliever, because of it's simplicity and flow, and because the game is a humorous aggression outlet from rolling up random objects.
This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Jan 13th, 2008 at 22:58:08.
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