KatamariDamacy
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'Katamari Damacy Reroll' upgrades the original for HD
The original Katamari Damacy game is coming back, and this time it's in high definition. Katamari Damacy Reroll is a remastered version for the Switch and PC that's due in December 7th, complete with motion control via Joy-Con, HD Rumble support, and a two-player mode. The arrival of the game simply makes sense, as we argued the original Wii's motion controllers made it an ideal target for a port many years ago -- the Switch adds everything we'd hoped for and more.
'Katamari Damacy' creator's next game will be released in 2018
We noticed that Sony was taking a concerted step away from quirky indie games back at E3. One of the titles caught in the fray was Wattam, a charmer rom a few of the minds behind Katamari Damacy and Journey that made it debut at the first PlayStation Experience back in 2014. Sony's newfound reluctance toward indies left Funomena's debut title in a lurch, but PlayStation's loss is publisher Annapurna Interactive's gain. The game will drop is PlayStation 4 exclusivity and will be released next year on "console and PC."
Project Tango game 'Woorld' is here to make your life silly
This one is for all the Levovo Phab2 Pro owners out there. The Project Tango-powered augmented reality game Woorld is available today via the Google Play Store, just for Phab2 Pro people. Woorld comes from Keita Takahashi, the creator of eccentric classics Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy, and it features a familiar brand of adorable, cartoonish characters and objects. However, since this is an AR game, everything is overlaid on the real world through the Phab2 Pro's screen.
'Katamari Damacy' making clicky comeback on iOS and Android
That one game where you roll about and everything sticks to you, Katamari Damacy, is making a comeback on iOS and Android. The original PlayStation 2 game won over many hearts with its simple but charming world, and was followed up by sequels for numerous platforms, although series creator Keita Takahashi was only involved with the first two games). The iOS and Android title will be called Tap my Katamari, and is the first game in the series since the 2012 Vita title Touch My Katamari.
These are your favorite video game soundtracks
Not that long ago we published a list of the Engadget crew's favorite game soundtracks. But, of course, we left some of your favorites out. Well, we listened. What you'll find below are a selection of soundtracks that y'all made impassioned pleas for in the comments and on Facebook and Twitter. The big takeaway? You gals and guys really like the music from Eastern-developed games like Chrono Trigger and Shadow of the Colossus. You'll find those along with other, perhaps more modern, examples as well.
Custom-built Katamari controller is made from yoga ball, DualShock 2 pad, power of the cosmos (video)
Conventional wisdom would suggest that making a for-real Katamari Damacy ball would be tricky, but that didn't stop Chris McInnis, Ron LeBlanc and Tom Gwozdz from taking up the challenge. As part of the Nuit Blanche festival in London, Canada (which also included some building-projected gaming), they were able to fashion their very own Katamari ball from a yoga ball, some stickers, wood, an Arduino microcontroller, several optical mice and a dissected DualShock 2 controller. See how it steers after the break.
NYC Museum of Modern Art opens game collection with 14 classics, exhibiting in March 2013
Given the subject matter, this is usually where the author waxes philosophical about whether -- having been accepted by a major international museum -- games are indeed "art." We're gonna skip that needless exercise today and simply tell you that the New York City Museum of Modern Art is officiating its intake of 14 video game classics as the start of an ongoing gaming collection, set to go on display in March 2013 in the MoMA's Philip Johnson Architecture and Design Galleries -- the same galleries that house an original iPod and more. The games range from Buckner & Garcia inspiration Pac-Man to modern classic Portal, and even includes some lesser known gems (vib-ribbon, anyone?). The MoMA blog calls this initial selection just the "seedbed" for a chunkier collection of around 40 titles, all of which will be part of a "new category of artworks" at the iconic museum. Head below for the full first 14.
Daily iPhone App: Katamari Amore
Na naaaaa na na na na na na na, na na na na na naaaa! Odds are that by now, you've played a Katamari game, and you know the deal: Roll a ball around, pick up stuff, make the ball bigger, and pick up more stuff. That's what Katamari Amore is, and you won't find anything really new here. The music is the same, a lot of the items are the same, and with the exception of some more nonsensical words of wisdom from the King, the story is pretty much the same. That being said, this is still a really fun game to play, and though the controls on the iPhone (and iPad) are not quite as precise as those on the original console game, rolling around and picking things up is still a good time. And if you've never played one of these games, you won't really find a cheaper way into the series: Katamari Amore is on the App Store for free, and if you like the Time Trial mode (sadly the only available mode in the free version), you can open up the rest of the game for $3.99. The full game has 17 missions and six endless modes, so you can roll that ball for as long as you want. If you really love Katamari, you'll probably get your kicks out of this one, and while this probably isn't the absolute best introduction to the series for newcomers (I'm still partial to the original game on the PS2), it's a pretty easy way to try it out. Royal Rainbow!
Katamari Hack rolls across your favorite websites, leaving swath of HTML5 destruction in its wake
Google Chrome may have come out of Pwn2Own unscathed, but you can rip through any website it (or another HTML5-compliant browser) displays -- just pull out your handy Katamari Damacy ball and wreak havok on the page. Na NAaaa, na na na na na na na, na na na na na naaaa... Alternatively, paste the following Javascript into a bookmark, and then click it when you're tiring of a page. javascript:var i,s,ss=['http://kathack.com/js/kh.js','http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.5.1/jquery.min.js']; for(i=0;i!=ss.length;i++){s=document.createElement('script');s.src=ss[i];document.body.appendChild(s);}void(0);
I Love Katamari rolls (literally) into the iPhone's App Store
We don't cover a lot of games on Engadget Mobile -- or a lot of apps, for that matter -- but every once in a while we get graced with a franchise that's bound to get readers unusually fired up. This time around it's the cult hit Katamari Damacy in its I Love Katamari form, hitting the iTunes App Store courtesy of publisher Namco. The concept -- rolling a giant ball of crap around town -- seems almost tailor-made for the iPhone's control method, but unfortunately, we're hearing that the current version is a little rough around the edges with frequent slowdowns once you get enough stuff sucked into the ball. The platform's young, the game's young, and we're hoping it gets better over time, but only the most diehard Katamari fans may want to bite on the $7.99 asking price at this point.[Via TUAW]
What's the deal with Beautiful Katamari?
It's been a very long time since we've heard anything about Beautiful Katamari and the Wii. And, seeing as how the game has been out on Xbox 360 for quite some time now, we were done thinking that it would ever grace Nintendo's console. Thanks to select retailers' online shops, however, hope is slowly being restored.Major retail chains Target and Wal-Mart are both listing the game on their respective websites, while Buy.com lists the game with the same price ($29.99), but states it's "temporarily sold out." Even rental service Gamefly has a section up for a Wii and PS3 version of the game.So, what's the deal? Who knows at this point, but the Wal-Mart page points to an August 29th release, so perhaps we'll hear something soon? We're not going to get our hopes up like before, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't want this to happen.[Thanks, Zack!]Read - Wal-Mart listingRead - Target listingRead - Buy.com listingRead - Gamefly listing
Katamari creator downplays importance of video games
Ever the eccentric, Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi went on stage at a video game conference and tried to tell the audience that video games are NOT the most important thing in the world.We couldn't believe it either.Standing barefoot in front of London Nottingham's GameCity conference, the obviously brain-damaged Takahashi alleged that "it would be impossible for us to be here... if the world was not peaceful." He tried to convince the crowd that real world suffering and problems were occasionally more pressing than games. "If you're suffering from poverty and disease, could you worry about collecting coins? I don't think so," he argued, unconvincingly.Takahashi also implied, rather laughably, that things like recycling and being friendly were just as important as beating Halo 3 on Legendary for the third time. "I'm not trying to be the next Al Gore but I'm not sure if we could afford to have video games in ten or twenty year's time," the fearmongering designer said, adding that white is black and up is actually down.After the confusing opening, Takahashi showed off a demo of Nobi Nobi Boy, thankfully distracting the audience from the problems of the real world once again.
Can you imagine? Katamari rolling to PS3
While at the Tokyo Game Show, 1UP was able to confirm with director Jun Morikawa that Beautiful Katamari would not be arriving on the PlayStation 3. But, fans of rolling take heart! Morikawa says that the series will "definitely be making its way to the console soon," just not in the Beautiful Katamari state. So, will this be the Katamari that evolves the series at least a little bit past the roots established in the 2004 original? Well, what does your heart tell you? Because ours is walking away, shaking its head and laughing, which we can't imagine is a good sign.[Via PS3F]
Katamari creator to keynote UK's GameCity
Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi will give a keynote address at this year's GameCity festival in Nottingham, England. According to GI.biz, Takahashi will also be showing off his upcoming title Nobi Nobi Boy. Takahashi's keynote will take place Saturday, October 27. Festival participants include Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Freestyle Games, Travellers Tales, Free Radical Design, Mode 7 and Frontier; more details are expected shortly. The second annual GameCity festival will be held October 24 through 28 at Nottingham Trent University.
Nobi Nobi Boy: new PS3 game from Katamari creator
Should PS3 fans be sad about the loss of Katamari Damacy on their system? Not necessarily. Keita Takahashi – creator of the famed rolling series, ostensibly on a break from playground design – has just debuted a new game for the PS3: Nobi Nobi Boy. Considering "nobi" means "stretch" in Japanese, we can probably expect a game that does for stretching what Katamari did for rolling.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
The universe really is full of Katamari rumors
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/The_universe_really_is_full_of_Katamari_rumors'; Remember the rumor that Beautiful Katamari was going to roll onto the Wii? It won't die. It's come back again, this time with psychotic reasoning behind it.IGN's Matt Casamassina has "100 percent reliable" word from mysterious, anonymous sources that Bandai Namco is planning a version of the game on Wii. As the story goes, they encountered difficulty porting Beautiful Katamari to the PS3, so Namco decided to scrap it and create a new Wii version instead.This is really the part that arouses our suspicion. A port is too hard, so they switch over to an all-new game? It just sounds like an excuse to troll the PS3 and make the Wii look better at the same time. It may be true, but we're not taking that reasoning as an explanation for anything.We still aren't sure we should even care, with no Keita Takahashi involvement, but we can't help but become wistful when we think about a new Katamari. We wish we could hear some final word about this. We're tired of the emotional rollercoaster![Via GayGamer]
The Joystiq Weekend: June 23 - 24, 2007
The Prince of All Cosmos sporting his Katamari music player, found by Flickr user nuzz -- "not my doing, but hilarious," he writes. We didn't fare too much better in our admittedly brief search, but we did stumble upon an iRoll button with a similar image. It's green like Xbox, but that's probably just a coincidence. Check out the highlights for the weekend:JoystiqueryPodcast Rodeo for June 24: E.A.R.Today's chowiest video: John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat in StrangleholdToday's shootingest video: Quake WarsWeekly Webcomic Wrapup: winning formula editionNewsDale Earnhardt Jr. signs endorsement contract with SonyNew Time Crisis 4 screenshots, Guncon 3 picsSonic the Hedgehog turns 16Devil May Cry anime hits the webJaffe's warehouse pics possible studio space in UtahAustin Powers available free on Xbox LiveChun Li cries the pain of loss awayBoston Globe: Wii puts violence in motionBlue Dragon ad campaign wins Cannes awardDS games at Toys R Us are buy 2 get 1 free this week The Darkness delayed for Euro PS3 until July 20Metroid Prime 3 details emerge from Play magazineAddiction experts: Video games aren't an addictionRumors & SpeculationManhunt 2 controversy may boost salesCulture & CommunityPostal designer speaks out on Manhunt 2 bansThe anomaly of Nancy Drew gamesGamespot changes review system, adds 'medals'DIY pixel art T-shirts
Today's full of stuff video: Beautiful Katamari
While we fear the series has run its course -- and rolled up the shark -- seemingly Xbox 360 exclusive and XBLA downloadable title Beautiful Katamari wins us over for today's video pick. The extended gameplay clip looks nearly the same as what we remember from the PS2 until the camera keeps pulling back and the Prince rolls up countries and continents. That's a big katamari, full of so many dreams and so much stuff.See the video after the break.
Gamespot: Beautiful Katamari coming to Xbox Live Arcade [update]
[Update: We shouldn't have doubted you, Ross! Gamespot has stated that the information in the article was indeed "total crap". Original post follows.]As the extreme and possibly insane cynic might ask, "Isn't there already a colossal ball of junk on Xbox Live Arcade?" To that we answer, "No sir, but there soon will be. Although, Feeding Frenzy was a bit rubbish, wasn't it?" The destined arrival of Bandai Namco's next Katamari game on Xbox Live Arcade is announced in a rather blasé manner by the first sentence in Gamespot's hands-on preview of the title: "The big, huge Katamari ball of junk just keeps on rolling, this time with a new installment called Beautiful Katamari slated to hit Xbox Live Arcade in October."The news sticks to yesterday's word from Newsweek's N'Gai Croal that Beautiful Katamari would be an Xbox 360 exclusive, and neatly contradicts previous XBLA portfolio manager Ross Erickson's "total crap - not happening". Something obviously changed in the months since then, an observation not befitting of the Katamari franchise, it seems. Gamespot's Brad Shoemaker labels the game as "more of the same," noting the presence of new levels, high-definition graphics, 4-player online gameplay and, perhaps most importantly, an original soundtrack. Despite losing momentum in terms of moving the series forward, we suspect there's still plenty to heart about Katamari -- especially if the price is right.
Newsweek: Beautiful Katamari rolling exclusively with Xbox 360
Striking a blow to symmetrical ball-rolling controls everywhere, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal reports that Beautiful Katamari's royal rainbow will extend only to the Xbox 360. He explains that an exclusivity deal is already "very close to fruition" and is likely to be announced formally at July's Min-E3 event in Santa Monica. The trail of digital crumbs leading to the deal seems especially obvious in retrospect, with Ridge Racer 6, Ace Combat 6, Eternal Sonata and Pac-Man: Championship Edition all indicating quite the chummy relationship between Namco Bandai and Microsoft. With the Katamari franchise not being nearly as unstoppable as its clutter-collecting cosmic prince, PlayStation 3 alarmists shouldn't view this as the end of their fragile and constantly beeping world. That being said, seeing a distinctly, almost obviously "Japanese" game picking up Microsoft's system alone certainly points to interesting times ahead. It also makes completing the level that much harder. [Thanks, Matthew]
