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aparra's Katamari Damacy (PS2)
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| [February 21, 2008 12:33:19 AM]
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GAMEPLAY
It is only fitting that as I write this gamelog entry, I listen to the Katamari Damacy soundtrack. Which is what I am doing… The music in Katamari Damacy is amazing! Most of the songs are in Japanese, which doesn’t make too big of a difference, as they are all very catchy. Katamari games have always been known for their music, and the original has a very mixed amount of music that just makes me very happy when I hear it.
It’s funny. When I booted up this game tonight to finish up my gamelog, my housemates and their friends all came into the room, ready to watch me and this game’s silly antics. They were all familiar with the game, and ready to watch in amazement of just how pure of an idea it is. As we gathered in, we all reminisced about our first times playing this game, and how weird it was to people watching, but how great it was for the player. We agreed that although it may not be a game you can sit down and play for hours on end, it certainly is a game you can come back to over and over again with small game times.
DESIGN
When the King of Cosmos sends you to earth to roll up Katamari, he intends for you to roll them up to use as stars. This is how each level is broken up. You are rolling a Katamari per level to create a star, or, in some cases, create a constellation. This is a great level design, as they can say that some stars are brighter and bigger than others, and that is why your Katamari will vary in size.
One of the more interesting ways of creating conflict in this game is the way your father, the King of Cosmos, treats your player, the prince. He is extremely mean, and almost always disappointed in you. This makes the player want to make their father happy, by constantly trying to make the Katamari as large as possible.
Dabadaba! I’m so in love with youuuu. I want to roll you up into my life. Lets lump up to make…a single starrr, in the skyyyyy.
Sorry, need I remind you the music is VERY catchy!!
Anyways, on to other things. One of the largest complaints I have about Katamari Damacy is that this game is really doing the same thing over and over. There is little variance in its actual gameplay mechanic, making it difficult to play for a long time. Which brings me back to my point in the last paragraph, that this game is not meant to be played hours on end, mostly because it is very repetitive. However, for $20 (its starting price in the US), it was a game I certainly could not turn down, and one that has been a golden “star” in my collection.
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| [February 20, 2008 02:42:42 PM]
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SUMMARY
Katamari Damacy stars a prince, whose father, the King of all Cosmos, accidentally destroyed all of the stars in the sky. The King sends you to earth, armed with a device called a Katamari, which has the ability to roll over and attach to itself anything that is smaller than its current size. This is a third person game, using the Playstation 2 controller’s two thumbsticks as its primary control mechanism. The goal of each level is to roll up enough objects into the Katamari so that it reaches a certain size in the time limit given.
GAMEPLAY
Where Katamari Damacy excels can be its ultimate downfall with many consumers. Katamari is a game with an oddball storyline and an even more crazy gameplay style. Many normal consumers would be turned off by the silly idea of playing a character who can roll up random objects. I, however, was not. I found the games sense of humor and wacky ideas both refreshing and appealing. This was a game that originally was never intended to be released in the United States, but because of its large popularity at game developer’s conferences, they decided to make it a limited release. Many US Playstation 2 owners were glad they did.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about Katamari Damacy is its sense of size. In early levels, you begin by rolling up small items: thumb tacs, paper clips, etc. As the game progresses, you slowly work your way up. In my first play session, I got my Katamari to over a meter in the third level, and was rolling up small home animals such as cats and dogs. This sense of how large the world is makes the player more willing to continue to keep at the mundane task at hand.
Another unique thing about Katamari Damacy is its artstyle. Everything in the game is extremely blocky, a gamble of an artstyle in a world where people prey on games with next gen graphics and flashy effects. However, although simple, its artstyle compliments the games silly gameplay ideas and even more bizarre storyline.
I have finished the first 3 levels so far and can’t wait to experience more Katamari!
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 20th, 2008 at 18:28:54.
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aparra's Katamari Damacy (PS2)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Tuesday 19 February, 2008
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