Feat. Game 10.30.2005 - Katamari Damacy

[Lord Nepenthean]

Katamari Damacy

[img width=145 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-072/bf/U-072-S-05010-A.jpg[/img]Week: 10.30.05-11.05.05
Game: Katamari Damacy
Console: Sony PlayStation 2
Year: 2004
RFG ID: U-072-S-05010-A
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Strategy
Sub-Genre: Unique
Players: 1-2 Players

Game Page Address: http://www.rfgeneration.c...l?ID=U-072-S-05010-A&
Screenshot Page: http://www.rfgeneration.c...hot.pl?ID=U-072-S-05010-A

These days, games seem to be more and more monotonous.  The newest trash from Hollywood gets video game counterparts, the big production companies keep churning out remakes of old games, new games come out with uninspiring characters and gameplay, and EA changes the last digit on the packaging of their sports line.  Can anyone really blame us for collecting classic games when the current generation is like this?  Certainly not, but that's not to say that creative, fun games aren't still coming out these days.

Enter Katamari Damacy, a game that couldn't be more Japanese if it wanted to be.  It may be a bit quirky, but the unlikely U.S. release has come with much praise from gamers outside of Japan.  Its fresh, addicting, and downright fun.

Like the release of Mr. Mosquito (Ka in Japan), Katamari Damacy has found surprising success in a market that would not have supported it in the past.  Should more game publishers distribute games like this stateside and in Europe?  Would you buy them if they did?  Or, are they just too weird?  Would it be better if companies simply tried to make something new that still caters more towards the West culturally?

[TraderJake]

I love this game. I love it's sequel. I love Taiko, Drum Master. The best lesson to be learned from these games are that while they may be completely Japanese, they are a whole hell of a lot of fun, and should not be ignored just because it has not been completely Americanized. Those who skip this game because it is a Japanese game miss out on what is one of the most original titles of this Generation.

[CatchFiveBats]

I tend to lean more toward Japanese games because I know that they are pretty much guaranteed to be fun.  Or, if not fun, at least entertaining.

@TraderJake - Taiko: Drum Master is a really fun game.  I've got a friend who also bought it, and the two-player mode is a blast too.

[Izret101]

I like weird games like this.
It is something new and creative. Some games are just starting to get too "generic".

I have yet to play the sequal but i played the hell out of Katamari Damacy.

It is definately an experiance.
People i know whon don't really care for games liked it.
People who where not very good at games where able to pick it up relatively quickly.
My mom thought it was insane, my dad thought it was cool and said it was more entertaining than all the other games i have brought for him to try.

If you have yet to play it your seriously missing out.

[Hydrobond]

I would much rather play a game like this where I can pick it up and play it for 15 minutes.  I don't like to play console games that require the player to know more controls than can be learned in 5 minutes, or that require a strategy guide larger than my calculus book.  They really should just release katamari for Game Cube, I will not buy a new system just to play this one game, and I would gladly purchase a GC compatable copy.  

A game like this would be great to play with the revolution controller.  I think the movement could be very intuitive with a motion sensing controller.

On a side note, the first time I played it I was over at a friends house.  I did one of the easy levels real quick to get a footing on the game then asked which one he thought was hard.  He directed me to the only one he hadn't been able to beat yet.  Got it first try.  :-)