Massive Weaponry
Labyrinth Level 1
Global user
Registered: 11-2006
Location: Canada. I win.
Posts: 286
|
|
Reply | Quote
|
|
Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Game Info:
US/Canada Release Date: 09/22/04
Japanese Release Date: 03/18/04
Developer: Namco
Type: Single Player/Multiplayer (Maximum of 2 players)
Genre: Puzzle-Action
Platform: PS2
ESRB: E (Everyone)
Price (New): $19.99 CDN
----------------------------------------
Ah, yes. Katamari Damacy. Strongly recommended. And I believe 10000 Ninjas can testify to it’s level of fun and addictiveness, as well.
----------------------------------------
Overview:
Alright, on with the show, then. Katamari is one of the better games of ’04. It’s a quirky, colourful creation from Japan that involves rolling stuff up into a ball to replace the missing stars in the sky.
----------------------------------------
Story:
Story? What story? I’m only half kidding here, as Katamari lives in the spirit of old style arcade games (i.e. Focusing mainly on gameplay rather than storyline). It does have a story, however minimal. Basically, it involves the King of All Cosmos getting drunk and accidentally destroying all the stars in the sky. Being that everyone is mad at him for this act, he sends you, his 5cm-tall son, the Prince, to go and replace all the stars in the sky.
The Score: The story is there, it’s just not abundant. So it gets an average 5/10
----------------------------------------
Graphics:
The graphics are nothing special, really. Actually, they’re quite the opposite. Most of the objects in the game are simply shaped and have simple animations. This simplicity has it’s good points, too though. For one thing, it keeps the loading time down to the point where it’s barely there. It also suits the game quite well in terms of the game being more cartoony than most. Rather than focusing on [fingerquotes]gritty, realistic graphics[/fingerquotes] (in other words, making everything look like it’s been run through a coffee filter), it takes a walk on the very bright, cheery, colourful side of video gaming, which seems to have been forgotten by most developers nowadays.
The Score: The graphics are quite low quality by today’s standards, yet they still manage to be visually pleasing and somewhat meditative. The resulting score is a solid 8.5/10
----------------------------------------
Sound:
In keeping with the cartoony feel of the game, the sound effects tend to be quite cute and whimsical (and, hey, it works). The soundtrack is brilliance in a can (winner of Gamespot’s ‘Best Soundtrack of ‘04’ award). So overall, the sound is quite pleasing.
The Score: Since the sounds fit the game so well, this reviewer awards Katamari the big, juicy, 10/10
----------------------------------------
Gameplay:
Q: What’s a game without good gameplay?
A: Not Katamari.
Seriously, folks, this game completely reinvented casual gaming 4 years ago, and it’s still as fun as it ever was today. Basically what the game consists of is you rolling this sticky ball called a katamari around, picking up stuff to make your katamari bigger. As your katamari gets bigger, you can pick up bigger stuff. I kid you not, that is pretty much all of what the game consists of. And please note that the definition of ‘stuff’ is pretty damn broad. For example, you may start off rolling up small objects, like caramels or Majhong tiles, but as you get bigger, you start rolling up cats, garbage cans, people, cars, and eventually buildings and even landmasses. It’s fun. It’s hard to describe WHY it’s fun, but it’s fun.
The Score: You will keep coming back for more, guaranteed. The score? Obviously, 10/10
----------------------------------------
Conclusion:
Overall, Katamari is one of my favourite games of all time. It is the epitome of the casual gaming experience, so even non-gamers might have fun with it. As for hardcore gamers, it’s still a good way to sit back, relax and unwind.
Final Score: It’s lack of story is completely rolled over by it’s big, fun gameplay. Highly recommended. The result? A nice score of 9/10
----------------------------------------
Well, that’s my second review, what did you think? Gimme feedback!
Until next time,
Fitz
Last edited by Massive Weaponry, 8/22/2009, 2:28 pm
|
