Review: Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy
As everyone knows, sequels are a necessary evil in the game industry. I say “evil” because, for the most part, I would rather play a new and creative game instead of a lame rehash. Of course, not all sequels are completely bad. Some can use the same gameplay engine to continue the story of the first game; if the story is worthwhile, then I have no problem with these types of sequels. Others tack on a few new ideas and levels and package it as a new, amazing update! Which is usually not worth buying.
Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy (Everybody Loves Katamari) is a sequel which straddles some of those definable sequel borders, so to speak. On the one hand, the core gameplay idea is exactly the same: roll stuff up into your katamari. On the other, so much content is added that it really feels like a different game. After completing Katamari Damacy shortly before the sequel was released, I felt that I had had enough rolling. The idea was great, I thought, but where can you possibly go from here? The answer, it turns out, is many, many places.
(The reader will have to forgive any mistakes I may make in regards to the story and dialogue of Everybody Loves Katamari. I played the Japanese version, and will be the first to admit that my Japanese is, um, not too great.)
The premise in Everybody Loves Katamari is a bit different from that of the first. The Prince wanders around bits of the earth, and meets up with various people. These people either need his help, or have a particular favor to ask, obviously invariably involving rolling. One example is a woman whose child's room is messy. You roll around in the kid's room, cleaning it up. Another is a student who didn't pay his energy bill, so he can't study at night. The Prince therefore rolls up a giant ball of fireflies to cast some light on the problem. A third is the boy who loves camping, and needs help lighting a campfire. The Prince's katamari is a ball of fire, and he must roll around collecting more and more burnable items, otherwise the fire will go out.
These examples, while showing the some of the different things the player can roll, may not be enough to convince you of the differences between the first and second Katamari games. How about an underwater level, which is effectively a low-gravity environment? I hope everyone experienced the Quake level 'Ziggurat Vertigo,' and knows how much fun it is to take a normal physics model and reduce the gravity. What about the guy who loves both racing and Katamari Damacy? In his level, you race your katamari around a track at insane speeds, rolling up other racers as you go by. The Prince also helps out Hansel and Gretel, rolling up the Witch's house of candy (including the Witch herself!).
You're probably tired of hearing about all the new stages, but I have to mention just two more. One kid is a sumo wrestler, but he can't build up bulk just by sitting inside and playing Katamari Damacy! The Prince takes him out and rolls him around, collecting more and more food items. Of course, the kid's bulk increases to ridiculous sizes; it's quite brilliant. Another kid has a sick friend, so the Prince rolls around a school building, collecting origami cranes to help him get better. That idea is just very clever, for those who know the significance.
There are many other small enhancements that make the game just more fun to play. Now the player can use any of the Prince's cousins to play the game; they aren't just for multiplayer anymore. For the obsessive collector, small icons now tell you whether or not you grabbed all the cousins or the present in each level. The vs. multiplayer mode has been enhanced, making it much more competitive. Now a dash attack will decimate your opponent's katamari, making it harder for one person to gain an insurmountable advantage. A new cooperative mode also exists, which allows two players to push the same katamari, and requires a bit of the ol' compromise and teamwork (unfortunately, I haven't actually played this new mode yet).
As much as I wax on and on about the brilliant new features of this game, I must confess that I haven't actually completed Everybody Loves Katamari. For me, this is not as much an issue of boring gameplay, but more related to the fact that I'm playing the game in Japanese. Instead of just turning my brain off while playing, I have to concentrate on the text and dialogue. This would not be so bad normally, but the King speaks in all katakana, and many times the text bubbles advance too quickly, not giving me enough time to read. These issues are a bit frustrating, and make it more difficult to play the game, but I will no doubt finish it in the future.
In conclusion, Everybody Loves Katamari is a worthy sequel; more interesting and creative than the first. Although I left it unfinished, I don't think that is a factor against the game. I expect you all to go buy it, you philistines.
STATUS: Unfinished
US Release Date: 9/20/05
Links of interest:
Official site
Desktop wallpaper collection
Feature on 1up.com
Incomplete list of presents in Everybody Loves Katamari
Comments
adam wrote on :
wow, i like the new fancy-dancy layout
Ed wrote on :
Hey, i'm at concourse b. Should i meet you here or at the baggage claim?