We Love Katamari

"Comprehensive We Love Katamari Review"

We Love Katamari is the sequel of the cult game Katamari Damacy. In the original, The King of All Cosmos ‘accidentally' destroyed all the stars in space. It is up to you, the Prince, to roll up objects on Earth using ‘katamari's.' A katamari is a sticky ball that the Prince rolls around. In the sequel, We Love Katamari, all of the fans of the original want you to roll up more katamari's to make new planets. Yes, We Love Katamari has no plot what so ever, and it doesn't take itself to seriously. Unique, oddball, funny, are words that don't even begin to describe this series. It's definitely the best things to ever happen to the gaming industry.

Gameplay: Single handedly, the gameplay is the driving force in this game. It's basic, easy to get into, and continually rewarding, there's no reason anyone could not like this game. At the beginning of the game, you start-off with a very small katamari; about 5 cm. This is where you learn that you can pick up objects, and you soon get larger and larger. As you progress through the game, more levels are unlocked, and each one lets you get larger than the last. Yes, your katamari can be over 1,000 meters tall. Since you get larger and larger, you feel rewarded after every object you pick up.

The newest additions to this game are ‘fun' objectives. Katamari Damacy had objective missions, but few of them were fun, the rest were complete misses. In We Love Katamari, the objectives are a complete blast to play. An example of one is that your katamari is a snowball, and as you move throughout the snowy world, you katamari gets bigger. Another example is when your katamari is a skinny Sumo-Wrestler, and you need to collect food in order to make him fatter. Once the time is close to running out, you have to roll over the opponent Sumo-Wrestler. It's just simple new concepts that add a nice variety to the already awesome gameplay. You won't find a game like this anywhere. 9.5

Sound: There are over 30 songs In this game, each one of them being very different from the last. Sure enough though, at least one will make you laugh so hard, that you'll always want to listen to it. Mostly every song is in Japanese, and they all have a different sound to them. The original had a buyable soundtrack, and I wouldn't be surprised if this one did too. The songs are incredibly catchy, even though you have no idea what they're saying. These songs fit the game perfectly. The in-game sounds are also quite good. Some objects you pick up have their own sounds. When you pick up an office building, you hear lots of screaming, and telephone sounds. Or when you pick up a bike, it makes the ‘ching' noise of a bicycle bell. This all helps you become immersed into an experience that is unrealistic, but yet very compelling. 9.0

Graphics: You can see that the developers had a lot of fun making this game. The style of the graphics is best described as archaic. They just look like PS1 era graphics, but this doesn't mean it isn't pleasant to look at. In fact, I can't think of any other way they can express this games charm if they didn't use this engine. When you see things like The Great Wall of China, and the Eiffel Tower, you can't help but laugh. It's especially fun when you stick them to your katamari. The only flaw I find is that it doesn't run at 60fps. This is a pretty big letdown. Having the downright worst graphics on any PS2 game, why shouldn't it run at 60fps? At least it doesn't have any slowdown. 8.75

Control: Although some might find this game overly simple to control, I find that it is overcomplicated. In order to move the Prince and your katamari, you use both the analogue sticks. “Why both?” you might ask, and my answer is, “I have no idea.” To move forwards, you have to move both of them forwards, and this also goes for moving backwards. To move the camera, you have to hold the left one down, and the right one up, to move it to the left, and vice-versa. Wouldn't it be easier if you moved the katamari with the left analogue stick, and the camera with the right (yes)? In order to do an 180 degree turn, you need to click both sticks, but with my simplified controls, you'd only have to click the left stick. This is my only major gripe with the game. 7.0

Replayability: Even when everything is completed, there's just so much charm in the game that makes you want to come back for more. Although the game might be a little, it's just too much fun to put down. Playing the level where you can make your katamari bigger than the Eiffel Tower is the most addictive thing, ever. There are also some secret missions that take a lot of dedication to unlock them. We Love Katamari is just satisfying, period. 9.0

Overall Score: 8.7, B+

Rent or Buy: For $30, there's no reason you shouldn't buy this game. Try it out though; it's different from anything you've ever played.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/26/05