Reviewed on:
PlayStation 2The Good:
More of the same of what made the first game so original and addictive.The Bad:
Two-player mode could still be improved.The Verdict:
A worthy follow-up to one of the most inventive games in recent years.
REVIEW:
In case anyone hasn't yet been introduced to the cult of Katamari, here's a brief introduction.
The first game, Katamari Damacy, consisted of fairly simple but ferociously addictive Pac-Man-inspired gameplay, with you in the role of The Prince, given the duty of rolling everything in sight up into a ball (the katamari). Somehow, the King of All Cosmos accidentally destroyed all the stars and needed katamaris to replace them. The challenge being that you can only roll up objects that are smaller than the current size of your katamari, so you can't start rolling up buildings right off the bat.
The second part of the equation that has inspired such devotion among the game's fans is its unique style, which is like some bizarre combination of Lego, Teletubbies, and a Japanese game show. Which is to say, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but there's something incredibly infectious about it.
For the much-anticipated sequel, We Love Katamari, Namco has kept the game as strangely surreal and irreverent as ever — even to the point of recursiveness, referring to the first game as a game within the game. They have also retained the same proven gameplay of the original but added a few new twists to keep things fresh.
For starters, there's a bit more variety among the game's stages. In one, instead of rolling up your usual katamari, you're rolling up a rather lightweight sumo wrestler, trying to make him big enough to knock over your much larger opponent. In another, you have to roll up a snowball big enough to top off a giant snowman.
The physics of the game also seem to have been improved, feeling smoother and more natural than the first. The level design has been slightly refined as well, with fewer dead ends and less places to get stuck.
Like the first game, We Love Katamari has a two-player "versus" mode, but this time there's a two-player co-operative mode to go with it. Unfortunately, it's not entirely successful. In it, both players are rolling the same katamari, with one controlling the katamari's left side movement and the other the right. Some people might find this fun for a few minutes, but the novelty quickly wears off. I would have much preferred to see additional vs. mode options.
Another hallmark of the first game is its music, and in that area We Love Katamari continues the fine tradition of the original, with a mix of Japanese pop tunes, techno, and one track that sounds more than a little like Tom Jones. Some of the songs might not be quite as catchy as the first game, but it's still miles apart from most game soundtracks.
In the end, like Ms. Pac-Man, We Love Katamari is basically more of the same of what made the first game so great, with a few tweaks here and there. And with a game as wildly inventive and addictive as the original, could you really ask for anything more?
