Katamari Damacy

[Inkthinker]

LOVE this game. It's just bizarre fun to roll a big sticky ball around and pick up everything... EVERYTHING. The damn soundtrack is so lovably peppy, too.

Anyhow, I've beaten all the levels, but I'm still trying to get Eternal Mode on Around the World... you have to roll the Katamari up to 800m, at which point you can see literally squat, because the camera is positioned almost directly above you. I've managed to rack it up to 754m, but ran out of time... anyone else managed to pull off this feat? And do you have any strategy suggestions?

[Celisasu]

I haven't beaten all the levels yet(or anywhere near for that matter as other games distracted me). But yes, this is a great game. And weird. Very weird. As in whatever the creators were on had to be one of the best high's ever weird.

[Convoy]

Better hurry up because the sequel's coming!!

http://the-magicbox.com/0501/katamari212.jpg

http://the-magicbox.com/0501/katamari25.jpg

http://the-magicbox.com/0501/katamari26.jpg

http://the-magicbox.com/0501/katamari23.jpg

[Sanagi]

Today I discovered that the final movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony makes a great complement to the final level. It seems to echo the strange rush of the game's expanding horizon. And it's just about the right length(about a minute short, but close enough).

At the same time, I unlocked eternal mode, so maybe it was inspiring. :D

[saintjon]

me and my brother had a deer in the headlights moment watching the demo at the mall the other day. We finally found the box and read the back and it didn't make any more sense. It seems to be very innovative though, which always scores points with me.

[Daemon]

I haven't beaten all the levels yet(or anywhere near for that matter as other games distracted me). But yes, this is a great game. And weird. Very weird. As in whatever the creators were on had to be one of the best high's ever weird.

I think X-Play put it best; roughly said

Whatever they're taking Japan so is much stronger than you can find in the toughest of highschools,

[Sanagi]

http://toastyfrog.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=4053131&publicUserId=5379721

[comic_lover]

LOVE this game. It's just bizarre fun to roll a big sticky ball around and pick up everything... EVERYTHING. The damn soundtrack is so lovably peppy, too.

Anyhow, I've beaten all the levels, but I'm still trying to get Eternal Mode on Around the World... you have to roll the Katamari up to 800m, at which point you can see literally squat, because the camera is positioned almost directly above you. I've managed to rack it up to 754m, but ran out of time... anyone else managed to pull off this feat? And do you have any strategy suggestions?Weird,different,and innovative.Not my cup of tea,but definitely appreciated.

[Sanagi]

KATAMARI DAMACY DS!

http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=4590

:eek: :D :cool:

[Sanagi]

Have any of you guys ever reached Demo Island - the town on top of the mountain near where you start in Make a Star 9 and Make the Moon? I've picked it up with a rather large katamari, but I was wondering if you can get there at a smaller size and see any detail.

[Inkthinker]

Have any of you guys ever reached Demo Island - the town on top of the mountain near where you start in Make a Star 9 and Make the Moon? I've picked it up with a rather large katamari, but I was wondering if you can get there at a smaller size and see any detail.


I've wondered the same thing... I noticed that I picked it up out of the crater, but it'd be even better to get up there at a smaller size... perhaps something that can be explored if you're in the Free Mode?

[Sanagi]

I've wondered the same thing... I noticed that I picked it up out of the crater, but it'd be even better to get up there at a smaller size... perhaps something that can be explored if you're in the Free Mode?
I dunno... I've tried repeatedly dash-rolling up the mountain, but it's hard to control and seems like a case of "so close, so far away." I'll try it some more but I kind of doubt there's anything there.

[LoneWolf21]

I have it. Total blast to play, although I'm not at the "Make the moon" level yet. I still need to improve my turning and such to help pick things up easier/faster.

[Sanagi]

http://wigu.com/overcompensating/2005/05/big-damacy.html

[Sanagi]

An account of what KD2's multiplayer co-operative mode is like.

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3140687

Good multiplayer was one of the things lacking in the first game, so this sounds cool. My biggest question at this point is whether it'll still cost $20 now that they know it'll sell.

The localization was equally superb, featuring the same humorous tone as the first game's English translation and text tailored specifically to E3. (The size-obsessed King was, of course, unimpressed by the next-gen consoles due to their compact form factors.)
Damn... I'd love to see that!

[Melchior]

I have yet to hear of a review of Katamari Damacy that does not include something along the lines of "the creators were on drugs. Really strong ones, too.".

Absolutely love the game, and snagged a copy of the soundtrack (I play it when closing at work every now and again). My top size without Eternal is somewhere around 845 or 890 meters. Need to check sometime. Never noticed picking up Demo Island, but since I've only had the occasional little island left, I must have hit it. :)

Hints with the larger sizes: make circuits around the outside, since there is a ring of giant mushrooms and clouds and islands there, though if you can't grab the mushrooms yet swing back inside. Make sure you hit the icecap area, and take a ring around the evil stones. Other than that, sight down a row of islands and dash!

At around 650 pick up the Volcano, and you should have the rainbow by then...

[Sanagi]

879m is my max and I've tied it a few times but I can't seem to get any more than that. Usually it's a little bit less, as even if you clear out the ocean, if you skip small stuff it disappears as the view zooms out.

I have exactly 10m on the North Star. :D That took some careful work. The King said "Is that even possible?" But I still don't have the biggest bear or the biggest cow. I've almost got all the girls for the Virgo stage, %97 if I recall correctly(I love that stage, it's too hilarious).

[LoneWolf21]

The new issue of Game Informer, which should be out in stores soon (I got mine early as a subscriber) has a one page preview of the sequel, apparently to be called "I love Katamari" or something, and apparently one of the new features will be co-op play.

[Sanagi]

Woo, I made 880! I really don't think you can get much more than that.

[Sanagi]

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3142234

Lots of discussion of Katamari and the upcoming sequel from the creators of the games.

[Sanagi]

The official U.S. website for We Love Katamari has opened. Warning: Music, animation, and annoying cursor doohickey. No new news here, but there's wallpapers and they're having some kind of fanart contest.

http://katamari.namco.com/

[hydro123456]

LOVE this game. It's just bizarre fun to roll a big sticky ball around and pick up everything... EVERYTHING. The damn soundtrack is so lovably peppy, too.

Anyhow, I've beaten all the levels, but I'm still trying to get Eternal Mode on Around the World... you have to roll the Katamari up to 800m, at which point you can see literally squat, because the camera is positioned almost directly above you. I've managed to rack it up to 754m, but ran out of time... anyone else managed to pull off this feat? And do you have any strategy suggestions?


What is this eternal mode? I got up to 1000 something on the moon level, but I thought that was the last one.

[Uatu]

I don't remember exactly, but I think enternal mode allows you to roll around certain levels for an unlimited amount of time.

[Sanagi]

You have to get your Katamari big enough that angels appear and circle it. Eternal modes are unlockable for stages 4, 8, and 10.

[Domo Goddess]

The game was good, but it also made me very dizzy !

[Sanagi]

Ah, apparently the portable version of KD will be for PSP, not DS. (http://toastyfrog.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=5684238&publicUserId=5379721) That makes sense given Namco made the first two games for Sony systems, but I have to say I'm disappointed since the PSP doesn't have dual analog sticks... But hey, I don't own either portable so what the hell am I complaining about?

[jessecuster]

So call me slow, but I just bought this last night (the original not the sequel) and wow this game is fun. I bought it and Burnout 4 for my Xbox so I had both going at once last night and as mnuch as I love Burnout, I could not stop playing KD. I was surprised at how much harder it is than I thought. I am only on Star 5 though.

[Sanagi]

Today I bought We Love Katamari and played it nonstop through (as far as I know) all the levels.

Let's get one thing out of the way... There's a vague feeling here that the coolness of Katamari has been diminished by the fact that the makers of the game now know that it's cool, and know that it will sell. It's not just some crazy idea anymore. It's a proven formula. The game's designers now know that it is popular, so much so that they titled the sequel We Love Katamari. Is it all a bit too... self-indulgent? Self-referential? Post-modern? Is this a case of a once-cool band selling out? Is this the video game equivalent of The Matrix Reloaded, existing to prove that something cool can be ruined by its success?

Well... Maybe a little. Like I said, it's a vague feeling. It's kind of how I felt about Super Monkey Ball 2. Somehow, despite being better in nearly every way, it doesn't quite replace the spirit of the original.

But that shouldn't obscure the fact that We Love Katamari is a brilliant game that fixes everything that was lacking in Katamari Damacy. It pretty much gives you everything you wanted, and everything you didn't know you wanted, that was missing before. And the ideas here go far beyond the original. You will roll in the sky. You will roll underwater. You will roll in space. You will roll on a racetrack. You will roll over a tourist-highlights version of the real world. You will trade your katamari for a sumo wrestler who gets fatter as you stuff him with junk.

Between KD and WLK, I've paid the price expected of a single game. In a sense they could be considered a single game that was released in two installments. In KD I had the basic premise, the proof of concept. In WLK, I have the completion of the concept.

Anyways, the bottom line is, I already don't want to go to my classes tomorrow because I'd rather spend the day playing We Love Katamari.

[SAMAS]

I got W<3K a few days ago, too.

I have to agree on the loss of originality, but that feeling was quickly replaced by one of creativity. I love the racing stage(A stage set on a racetrack where you Katamari never stops moving, as it's part of the race!), and the World stage just blew me away. I rolled up Europe, the US, China, even Altantis! I got my Katamari well over a kilometer in width, and still had tons more to pick up, including the King of All Cosmos Himself!

I'm not entirely sure, but I think the House, Town, and World levels are now three scales of the same stage.

I'm still a little disappointed in the Vs. Mode, though. It's more like the way the Vs. of the first game should have been. Hopefully, the PSP version will get it right.

If you have Katamari Damacy already, get this game. If you don't, get Katamari Damacy, then get We <3 Katamari.

[Jared_Humpherys]

Time to brag about my We Love Katamari accomplishments:

My max size is 3596.45 meters, meaning I've rolled up both the king and queen.

I've got all the cousins(and have done the cousin roll-up stage), and therefore the best ending.

I've rolled up no less than 1004 celestial bodies before nabbing the sun(and that's without getting all the stardust).

I've got roughly 7 shooting stars thus far(the King mentioned something about a wish coming true, but I haven't seen any results).

I have almost all the royal presents.

I've currently at 10,000 roses in the 1 million rose stage(god damn, that takes forever!)

I've got the second bonus movie(which is the same as the 1st bonus movie, only in Korean! BLARGH!).

I have one word for the rest of you Katamari fans: PWNED!

[Sanagi]

I have one word for the rest of you Katamari fans: PWNED!
Well hey, I've only had it for a couple days! And I have multiple books to read and papers to write about them by next week... Grumble grumble...

But seriously, that is impressive.

[Sanagi]

Someone built a machine to play the rose level. It takes about 100 hours to finish. (I still haven't unlocked it yet... Sounds pretty evil.)

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/656/656729p1.html

[Jared_Humpherys]

Someone built a machine to play the rose level. It takes about 100 hours to finish. (I still haven't unlocked it yet... Sounds pretty evil.)

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/656/656729p1.html

Jeezeum Crow. I'm still only on 35k. Ugh.

Anyways, I upped my record last night to 3609.56 m.

[Sanagi]

That stage really teaches you how big a number a million is.

Ever notice how the mask item is customized to each of the cousins? Shikao's mask makes his head a TV, with a tiny image of your actual screen on it.

[Sanagi]

Best cosplay ever (http://www.livejournal.com/users/lionboogy/219774.html)

[Sanagi]

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3146407&did=1

Preview of Me and My Katamari for the PSP.

Sounds like they've come up with a good control scheme, albeit not quite as intuitive as the PS2 games due to the lack of a second analog stick. The game is more focused on the original game's straight-forward gameplay rather than the various twists of WLK. The most promising new feature has to be the four-player mode.

[AndyAnime]

Ever notice how the mask item is customized to each of the cousins? Shikao's mask makes his head a TV, with a tiny image of your actual screen on it.

Yeah, one of my favorite cousin/item combinations is Kuro with the Cool Mask and Belt. Makes him look like a tokusatsu hero. Y'know, like Kamen Rider or the Super Sentai.

[Sanagi]

A surprise sequel to Katamari Damacy has just been released! For free! On the internet! Well, don't get your hopes too high, but it is an official project.

http://katamaridamacy.jp/qa_data/katamari.html

It's a flash game that basically answers the question, what if Katamari Damacy was an old PC game? You move the king with your mouse and the cousins follow him, picking up stuff with their katamaris. Eventually the cousin manages to pick up the king, and everything falls apart. I haven't been able to find any particular goal. The "1 play" and so on are the number of cousins running around at once. If you click on the pyramid before the game starts, you can choose "48 play" which is ridiculous.

[Inkthinker]

Near as I can tell, you just keep picking stuff up until you actually rip the green tiles from the background to reveal a crayon drawing of the King. Totally weird, which makes sense, but I wish the goal was more clearly stated to the illiterati.

[Sanagi]

Real life Katamari rolling planned in San Francisco!

http://occlupanid.livejournal.com/70824.html

[Sanagi]

And the real-life katamari was rolled.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=9mton1fz.8duztlu7&Uy=eu1z0x&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1
http://blog.wired.com/games/index.blog?entry_id=1486025
http://occlupanid.livejournal.com/