It can be hard to describe in words how fun it is to
play Katamari Damacy. Let me just say that it's so
fun that I dressed like this.
I hum the main theme throughout the day, and the soundtrack is on my ipod. I have tried to introduce this game to everyone I know. And unlike modular arithmetic and Dr. Who, this one seems to take. One day my mom, who isn't especially fond of videogames, played for six hours.
My grandparents like it.
My wife dressed like this.
In Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, the story revolves around the premise that these two idiots somehow create a music so wonderful that the population of Earth, simply by hearing it, becomes harmonious and peaceful, truly enlightened. Sometimes I imagine that Katamari Damacy is the real deal.
So what is this game? Loosely translated, it means 'ball of crap.' In it you roll a ball that collects debris from the ground and gets bigger. Then it can collect larger items off the ground. And then it gets bigger. And so on and so on...
The graphics have a deceptively simple and playful style. The music is very Japanese, wonderful. The writing at first appears to be a poor translation, but is simply too perfect.
It is fun to roll.
The creator of the game, Keita Takahashi, is the romantic ideal of the creative artist. He reminds me of Bill Watterson. Both created, seemingly from nowhere, works of instant and lasting appeal, as enjoyed by children as by jaded critics. They have each been quickly recognized as being in a different class from the usual fare. So much so in fact, that the become the first examples quoted by those who wish these popular forms of media to be considered as capable of being "true art".
Both creators eschew the limelight and are critical of the usual trappings of success; Waterson was a lone voice against the wholesale licensure of his characters to become products, and Takahashi shocked game developer sensibilities by refusing to create sequels ad nauseum.
Even when I'm not playing it, Katamari Damacy is my favorite game and a great example of what good games aspire to be.
I hum the main theme throughout the day, and the soundtrack is on my ipod. I have tried to introduce this game to everyone I know. And unlike modular arithmetic and Dr. Who, this one seems to take. One day my mom, who isn't especially fond of videogames, played for six hours.
My grandparents like it.
My wife dressed like this.
In Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, the story revolves around the premise that these two idiots somehow create a music so wonderful that the population of Earth, simply by hearing it, becomes harmonious and peaceful, truly enlightened. Sometimes I imagine that Katamari Damacy is the real deal.
So what is this game? Loosely translated, it means 'ball of crap.' In it you roll a ball that collects debris from the ground and gets bigger. Then it can collect larger items off the ground. And then it gets bigger. And so on and so on...
The graphics have a deceptively simple and playful style. The music is very Japanese, wonderful. The writing at first appears to be a poor translation, but is simply too perfect.
It is fun to roll.
The creator of the game, Keita Takahashi, is the romantic ideal of the creative artist. He reminds me of Bill Watterson. Both created, seemingly from nowhere, works of instant and lasting appeal, as enjoyed by children as by jaded critics. They have each been quickly recognized as being in a different class from the usual fare. So much so in fact, that the become the first examples quoted by those who wish these popular forms of media to be considered as capable of being "true art".
Both creators eschew the limelight and are critical of the usual trappings of success; Waterson was a lone voice against the wholesale licensure of his characters to become products, and Takahashi shocked game developer sensibilities by refusing to create sequels ad nauseum.
Even when I'm not playing it, Katamari Damacy is my favorite game and a great example of what good games aspire to be.