My wife (bless her heart) picked it up for me today. If I can find the game in Caldwell, Idaho, the rest of you should be able to find it anywhere.
Comparing We Love Katamari to its predecessor is much like comparing a full portrait to a quick sketch. The game is less a sequel and is more of a more fully realized version of its former self. A more accurate name might be "Katamari Damacy With A Budget."
The game starts with a basic overview of the plot of the first game, then knocks down (rolls up?) the fourth wall by telling you that the first game became so popular, the King of All Cosmos now has a fan club. So now you're running around fulfilling fan requests. Blah, blah, you know this from reading about any preview for the game.
But the details are what make the game.
The controls are subtly improved on, such that turning is easier and you actually roll over things that you expect to be able to roll over. It's quite subtle, but noticable. Probably the most useful improvement is that when the katamari is blocked, you get a "katamari-cam" view that lets you see through the object that's blocking your path. The shape of the katamari cam differs from one level to the next (i.e. in the snowman level, it's shaped like a snowflake), but it's immensely useful when you get stuck in a cramped space.
The music is as eclectic as ever. One song is a amalgamation of the music from Katamari Damacy done with.. animal noises. Another is the original theme (the track used for "make the moon") hilariously done Bobby McFarren style.
At the end of each stage, both the King and the fan critique your katamari. The king tends to be happy with any ol' Katamari, but the fans give you a much harder time! The king tosses the katamari idly while the discussion happens, then lobs it up into the sky where it becomes a planet. If you fail to meet the goal, first the fan chews you out and then the King gets really upset and fires laser beams at you. If you quit, the King takes your puny katamari and smooshes it into stardust.
You can load data from Katamari Damacy, and the stars & constellations you created will be available in the Cosmos, as will any stardust. Having a star from each stage of the original game (including the 3 eternal stages) is required to get a 100% collection!
There are only a few things about We Love Katamari that I don't like as much as the original:
- The cousins are ridiculously easy to find, at least so far.
- The collection screen only has the item categories, doing away with the size chart and location chart.
- The difficulty takes a while to ramp up; the challenge comes more from how far you can beat the goal, not making the goal itself.
Everything else is a subtle polishing, such as when you run into an object at high speed and it actually gets knocked around a bit. The stages have a ton of variety, compared with the original that only had 3 basic stages with minor variations among them.
So do "We Love Katamari"? Yes. Yes we do. Except for that box art that makes South Park look like fricking Looney Tunes.
Nathan
Comparing We Love Katamari to its predecessor is much like comparing a full portrait to a quick sketch. The game is less a sequel and is more of a more fully realized version of its former self. A more accurate name might be "Katamari Damacy With A Budget."
The game starts with a basic overview of the plot of the first game, then knocks down (rolls up?) the fourth wall by telling you that the first game became so popular, the King of All Cosmos now has a fan club. So now you're running around fulfilling fan requests. Blah, blah, you know this from reading about any preview for the game.
But the details are what make the game.
The controls are subtly improved on, such that turning is easier and you actually roll over things that you expect to be able to roll over. It's quite subtle, but noticable. Probably the most useful improvement is that when the katamari is blocked, you get a "katamari-cam" view that lets you see through the object that's blocking your path. The shape of the katamari cam differs from one level to the next (i.e. in the snowman level, it's shaped like a snowflake), but it's immensely useful when you get stuck in a cramped space.
The music is as eclectic as ever. One song is a amalgamation of the music from Katamari Damacy done with.. animal noises. Another is the original theme (the track used for "make the moon") hilariously done Bobby McFarren style.
At the end of each stage, both the King and the fan critique your katamari. The king tends to be happy with any ol' Katamari, but the fans give you a much harder time! The king tosses the katamari idly while the discussion happens, then lobs it up into the sky where it becomes a planet. If you fail to meet the goal, first the fan chews you out and then the King gets really upset and fires laser beams at you. If you quit, the King takes your puny katamari and smooshes it into stardust.
You can load data from Katamari Damacy, and the stars & constellations you created will be available in the Cosmos, as will any stardust. Having a star from each stage of the original game (including the 3 eternal stages) is required to get a 100% collection!
There are only a few things about We Love Katamari that I don't like as much as the original:
- The cousins are ridiculously easy to find, at least so far.
- The collection screen only has the item categories, doing away with the size chart and location chart.
- The difficulty takes a while to ramp up; the challenge comes more from how far you can beat the goal, not making the goal itself.
Everything else is a subtle polishing, such as when you run into an object at high speed and it actually gets knocked around a bit. The stages have a ton of variety, compared with the original that only had 3 basic stages with minor variations among them.
So do "We Love Katamari"? Yes. Yes we do. Except for that box art that makes South Park look like fricking Looney Tunes.
Nathan
. But I thought the controls are a little worse. I think it's more difficult to turn. It seems like it's slower. Other than that, I love it.
