KatamariDamacy
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Namco aims for simplicity
With the wacky and inherently likable Katamari Damacy series selling over 500,000 copies worldwide, it seems that Namco aren't the only ones to be surprised that a unique concept and accessible gameplay can go a very long way. It's unusual that strong sales are now spurring them on to produce more innovative titles--usually it's the money that causes us to be inundated with tired sequels and recycled concepts.Speaking about the rolling exploits of the Prince of All Cosmos, Namco explained that they "Set out to make a game that surpasses international boundaries, age, and gender; a game that anyone can pick up and quickly have fun," a line of thought that perfectly matches what we've been hearing from the good folks at Nintendo. Namco followed that up with a desire to create more games in the same spirit of Katamari, though we certainly hope that doesn't just mean more and more ball-rolling sequels. Instead, we're hoping that a commitment to simplicity and fresh ideas implies a commitment to developing for the Revolution, Nintendo's poster child for exactly that sort of thing (along with the DS, mind you). If there's anything that the Revolution could use more of, it's games involving massive, all-encompassing balls of junk.
Judging a game by its cover: regional box art
Hardcore Gaming 101 is running a great feature juxtaposing the Japanese box art of Western games. Games include Halo, Ratchet & Clank, Metroid Prime (developed in Texas), Deus Ex Invisible War, and more. There's some interesting observations to be made, like how Ratchet and Clank look like anime characters, and that Japanese box art is usually much better. So what's We (heart) Katamari, a Japanese game, doing up there?Right after I read the Hardcore Gaming bit, I saw Alice rejoice that the Katamari sequel was finally going to reach European shores. I guess good things come to those who wait: their box art kicks the US release's ass! We had just gotten comfortable with Japan's being better, and now Europe has to come along and remind us how sophisticated they are!What other great box art never survived the move? I'm thinking of Out of this World for Genesis absolutely perverting the beautiful box art for the European Another World. Hey Europe! I'm gonna go play Shadow of the Colossus... again![UPDATE: Added in some extra links for your reading pleasure.][Via Opposable Thumbs]
