I'm finding it funny to go back to this game's store page on Steam, reading some user reviews and seeing that the average play time people invest in this is around 4 to 6 hours, whilst with me the situation was a bit more severe:
Here I am, writing this after 44 hours of playing Katamari Damacy, and only considering the game to be beaten after completing ALL of the stuff you can do. Once I started rolling up things, I just couldn't stop.
Every stage beaten as fast as I could, getting all shooting stars; every specific object collected in constellation levels, including the cursed giant bear and cow; all 1438 objects collected (and, of course, I read every single collection entry for those, since they are funny) and, finally, after a fair share of tries, a perfect 10m/10m diameter Katamari in the "Make the North Star" level.
Growing up without a PS2, Katamari Damacy was one of those games I had always fantasized myself getting to play, especially as a teenager, as I got more into weird and unique japanese games. What I ended up getting was really special, both fulfilling and surpassing my expectations.
The concept is, arguably, simple: roll up a very adherent ball to pick up stuff on the ground and make it bigger. And bigger. AND bigger.
In order to master it, though, one needs serious hand coordination skills, as you control the game with both of your controller's analog sticks, much like what you would do on a RC toy car controller.
The thing is: once you get the hang of it, you just can't seem to stop playing it. And I'm not really sure why. Why is rolling up a ball and making it bigger and bigger so satisfying?
It is. And it is funny not only to play it, but to look at it, and to listen to it.
Everything about this game screams originality and pure japanese quirkiness. To me, at least, it was impossible not to love every single character, every cutscene and every song in this game (I've been humming them for weeks!).
Katamari Damacy comes from a moment when game developers used to execute more of their wildest ideas, and it stands as one of the most interesting titles from the PS2 catalog for a very good reason.
Everything about it is not only unique, but it works flawlessly in every aspect of its execution. It also has an INSANE replayability factor, more so than most games I can think of, so even if the game is short and is lacking in more stage variety (even if it's there), you'll find yourself playing these stages over and over again. I, for example, just couldn't find peace of mind if I didn't master a stage by repeating it UNCOUNTABLE times before proceeding on to the next one.
It was also a bliss to play this remastered version. The game looks and plays the same, but in gorgeous 16:9 and HD resolution. There were some very small changes made here and there, but it is basically the same as it was in 2004, and I absolutely love that.
This is pure, unadultered fun, and definitely one of the best videogames I have ever played. My rating is not getting higher just because it can be a bit short, leaving you craving for more Katamari action... which, aparently, the sequel delivers beautifully.
And I'm dying trying not to grab it as fast as I can. I need focus and to be productive right now, and I know it will suck me in a very dangerous vortex if I start playing one of these again right after mastering the first one.
To sum it all up: just play it.
Here I am, writing this after 44 hours of playing Katamari Damacy, and only considering the game to be beaten after completing ALL of the stuff you can do. Once I started rolling up things, I just couldn't stop.
Every stage beaten as fast as I could, getting all shooting stars; every specific object collected in constellation levels, including the cursed giant bear and cow; all 1438 objects collected (and, of course, I read every single collection entry for those, since they are funny) and, finally, after a fair share of tries, a perfect 10m/10m diameter Katamari in the "Make the North Star" level.
Growing up without a PS2, Katamari Damacy was one of those games I had always fantasized myself getting to play, especially as a teenager, as I got more into weird and unique japanese games. What I ended up getting was really special, both fulfilling and surpassing my expectations.
The concept is, arguably, simple: roll up a very adherent ball to pick up stuff on the ground and make it bigger. And bigger. AND bigger.
In order to master it, though, one needs serious hand coordination skills, as you control the game with both of your controller's analog sticks, much like what you would do on a RC toy car controller.
The thing is: once you get the hang of it, you just can't seem to stop playing it. And I'm not really sure why. Why is rolling up a ball and making it bigger and bigger so satisfying?
It is. And it is funny not only to play it, but to look at it, and to listen to it.
Everything about this game screams originality and pure japanese quirkiness. To me, at least, it was impossible not to love every single character, every cutscene and every song in this game (I've been humming them for weeks!).
Katamari Damacy comes from a moment when game developers used to execute more of their wildest ideas, and it stands as one of the most interesting titles from the PS2 catalog for a very good reason.
Everything about it is not only unique, but it works flawlessly in every aspect of its execution. It also has an INSANE replayability factor, more so than most games I can think of, so even if the game is short and is lacking in more stage variety (even if it's there), you'll find yourself playing these stages over and over again. I, for example, just couldn't find peace of mind if I didn't master a stage by repeating it UNCOUNTABLE times before proceeding on to the next one.
It was also a bliss to play this remastered version. The game looks and plays the same, but in gorgeous 16:9 and HD resolution. There were some very small changes made here and there, but it is basically the same as it was in 2004, and I absolutely love that.
This is pure, unadultered fun, and definitely one of the best videogames I have ever played. My rating is not getting higher just because it can be a bit short, leaving you craving for more Katamari action... which, aparently, the sequel delivers beautifully.
And I'm dying trying not to grab it as fast as I can. I need focus and to be productive right now, and I know it will suck me in a very dangerous vortex if I start playing one of these again right after mastering the first one.
To sum it all up: just play it.