Little Katamari
Big Katamari
Massive Katamari
Describing the visual style of Katamari to the uninitiated is troublesome to say the least. Let's just set the scene; within moments of popping the disk in your PS2 you find yourself bombarded with a splendid, technicolour intro movie - swirling colours, a kaleidoscope of patterns, dancing Pandas and larger-than-life characters, all delivered with the panache of Monty Python's finest cartoon segments. On the surface, the in-game visuals are basic. You won't find a single curve in this game, where everyday objects become stylised, angular interpretations - octagonal pizzas and cube-headed people, reminiscent of isometric pixel art or a Lego-like world in living 3D. Textures are limited to flat colours and rudimentary patterns befitting the chunky, polygonal items, and yet the assortment of objects and the environment they're set in is spectacular - running the gamut from paper clips, books, cats and dogs through to bridges, mountains and planets, with hundreds of objects in between. The collection of each item is signalled with an appropriate sound - cats squealling, trumpet fanfares, cows mooing and people screaming. As your Katamari grows to the size of a house, a cacophony ensues as you pass right over clusters of people, animals and scenery with your destructive roll-a-rama. Accompanying the sound effects is a selection of fabulous, complementary J-pop tracks and numerous remixes of the signature Katamari song. It's not long before that damn track is rolling around in your head like your brain's own little musical Katamari, picking up rational thoughts, growing to the point where all you can think is "na nanana nana nana ka-tacomplementary-mari da-mac-y". Argh!
2-player battle
2-player co-op
Despite its lo-fi visuals, it's a beautiful game and makes for quite a spectator sport - if not for the crazy assortment of collectable items then for the player's waving, twisting joypad as they furiously attempt a sharp 90 degree turn at speed. There's no denying that We Love Katamari has stripped down, simple gameplay, but that's far from a bad thing. It's not even a very long game, as your ultimate objective, to make a Katamari large enough to roll up the Sun, can be reached after four or five hours of play. However, this is a game that has replay value coming out of every orifice. Even after completing the game you'll probably find new fan requests that you've yet to tackle, and the old fans have variants on their original demands. Then there's the two player mode. Challenging a friend to collect the most of a specific item in time limited, head to head, split screen frenzy. Alternatively, go for co-operative mode with both of your controlling a single Katamari.
It's difficult to think of anything this game is lacking. Some may argue that the graphics could be better, but given the number of items visible at any one time plus the scale of the play area, it's doubtful the aging PS2 could cope with anything more demanding. Besides, it wouldn't be the same without the eccentric visuals. A few more starting areas would help keep interest up during the early levels where target sizes are within a metre or two, as the village, with its all too familiar train station and sports ground, gets a little repetitive until you're tasked with creating a Katamari large enough to breach the blockages. Two-player games would benefit from more than the three areas that are provided, but ultimately it would have been nice to see the ultimate multi-player option - online, 8-way Katamari battles! Perhaps next time, Namco?
SPOnG score: A
We Love Katamari is one of those games that defies a worthy description. To understand it, it has to be played or at least seen in action. Its kooky style and unique gameplay make WLK one of those unique titles that comes along every few years. Sadly, these are the qualities that are also likely to be its biggest hindrance given today's gaming obsession with guns, gangs and ultra-violence, rendered in high definition, billion-polygon glamour. With this in mind, SPOnG challenges anyone to play this game without being absorbed to the point of experiencing "lost time".
