up
pairs of items for Gemini, fish for Pisces, a huge bear for Ursa, and in probably
the funniest level in the game, "good-looking women" for Virgo.
Typically,
the Katamari (which looks like a knobby, tie-dye soccer ball in its naked form)
starts out at anywhere from 10 centimeters to 1 meter in size. The Prince then
rolls it around and anything small enough sticks to it. At smaller levels, you'll
be rolling it around on a tabletop picking up caramel candies, thumbtacks, and
mahjong tiles (the game is unapologetically Japanese, so expect a bit of culture
shock with some of the items). As the Katamari grows in size, the objects that
can be picked up increase as well, so you can go from the tabletop to the yard
outside and pick up things like buckets, sandbox toys, mice, etc. Eventually,
you get large enough to pick up cats, then dogs, then small children, and it just
gets bigger from there until you're eventually rolling over skyscrapers.
The controls are intuitive and simple, using only the two sticks on the Dual Shock
and the occasional press of the R1 button to have the Prince jump up and get a
bird's eye view of the area. The challenge comes in rolling up enough items to
get your Katamari to an acceptable size before the King runs out of patience,
but the actual process of doing so is largely open to interpretation by the player.
There's an obvious layout to most of the levels that can be followed for max efficiency,
but the game doesn't really enforce this and the game encourages exploration by
placing "rare" objects in weird places that can be collected. It's not at all
necessary to find these, but records are kept on what has been rolled up and what
hasn't, so anyone shooting for a 100% completion rate has their work cut out for
them -- there are a LOT of items.
The graphics are interesting. With
the way the game works, Namco knew they couldn't have a lot of load times in the
middle of a level (there are some, but they're cleverly hidden). They also knew
they needed to have a lot of items on the screen at once as well as scale everything
according to how big the Katamari is at any given time. As a result, the graphics
are very blocky and basic, but are packed with so much variety and humor that
it really doesn't matter at all. They also extended the squared-off look of the
game to the cutscenes, making clear that the look is intentional. It works, and
it conveniently explains away the need for any kind of graphically expensive details,
a bit like the stark simplicity of games like Rez.
The game does
indeed have cutscenes, though. The "story" follows the exploits of a Japanese
family as they go off to meet their astronaut father at the local spaceport. The
graphics are done in the same style as the rest of the game, but what these scenes
showcase most is the dead-on translation that Namco brought to the North American
version: Everything is spoken in a bizarre, oddly affecting deadpan that fits
perfectly with the game's sense of humor. These little shorts get so hysterically
weird that it's impossible not to smile when see them. "I feel the Cosmos!" is
headed to being the biggest videogame catchphrase since "All your base." The thing
here is that it's completely intentional, but just as funny.
But the
dead-on voices are just part of the game's charm. The true standout in the sound
department, and maybe the most perfect thing about Katamari Damacy, is
the amazing soundtrack. Namco has always been known for their strong musical presence
in their games, but the tunes here are astounding and add immeasurably to the
game's overall energy. The music runs the gamut from Sinatra-esque crooning (in
English) to pop-ish singalong jams to an almost poignant, show-stopping song with
a children's choir singing their hearts out -- all about rolling stuff into a
ball and launching it into the sky. Pure genius.
It all folds into an
experience that really has to be played to be believed. In the time I've had this
game, I've shown it to every single person that's set foot in my apartment, and
every single person has broken out laughing, and then asked to give it a shot.
It's that kind of game.
There are a few minor blemishes that are worth
pointing out, though. Primarily, the camera could have used a bit more tweaking,
or at the minimum some kind of user control. The way it works is that the view
will stay at a certain height until the Katamari reaches a specific size, and
then it'll pull back. The problem comes when it's not quite large enough to trigger
the camera to change positions, but big enough that it's hard to see. This is
especially problematic when rolling around the inside of the house where a number
of stages take place. The camera will sometimes get stuck outside, while the Katamari
is rolling around inside banging into things and getting trapped. This can be
particularly frustrating as it usually happens late in the level with the clock
ticking down. There were a few times where I only had a few centimeters left to
go, but because my Katamari was stuck in the foyer of this house with no way for
me to see it, I couldn't get out and roll up enough stuff in time, forcing me
to do the stage over. It doesn't happen often, but it's something that could have
been relatively easily fixed.
The other thing isn't a problem so much
as just something that isn't very much fun: The multiplayer. It seems like kind
of an afterthought they tagged on, and while it's not bad (you can roll up your
opponent if you're significantly larger than they are, which is a nice touch)
it's just not all that compelling. It's easily ignored, though, so give it a shot
if you're curious and then don't worry about it.
The last thing is the
game's length, and this is what keeps it from being truly legendary. There's a
lot to see here, and the game will almost certainly inspire many replays, but
the main set of levels can be completed in under three hours. You can re-enter
the levels at any time, but this game isn't really on the same level for replays
as, say, a shooter like Gradius V. You can't "play for score" in Katamari
Damacy, at least not in the same way. There are three stages where you can
open up an untimed "eternal mode" by rolling up a particularly huge Katamari within
the usual time limit, but there's no real reason to become super-proficient at
rolling things up. The game is intentionally not difficult at all, but the necessary
downside of that is that the game can be completed rather quickly. Still, at $20,
that seems like an awfully selfish complaint, considering what you're given.
Overall:
9/10
Katamari Damacy is something
every PS2 owner needs to have. This is a game I can absolutely recommend to everyone,
regardless of age, gender or gaming habits. Playing this game is not only relaxing
but can also be downright therapeutic; it's quirky, funny, loads of fun, and will
make you smile every single time you turn it on. What more could you want?
[ top
] |
Even
the gods need to go on the occasional bender. Hey, they have a pretty stressful
job, and what better way to take the edge off a hard day of ruling the cosmos
than to get absolutely plastered? Of course, the downside of being both an all-powerful
deity and also being blasted out of your tree is that those lapses of judgment
that always occur can have pretty dire consequences. Careening around the sky
and smashing all the stars into nothingness, for example, is the type of thing
that people tend to notice. 
