Lawrence.com

Last year, gamers were introduced to a quirky $20 game that would end up being one of the bigger sleeper hits of recent memory. That game was Katamari Damacy, and its unique gameplay and memorable soundtrack made it a big enough hit to warrant a sequel. Once again, the King has sent the Prince down to Earth to collect as much random junk as possible in an effort to create new stars and planets. This is done in exactly the same fashion as last year: rolling around a sticky ball of Katamari.

It should come as no surprise that We Love Katamari doesn't stray far from the concept of the original. After all, gameplay was controlled entirely with the two analog sticks, and it worked perfectly. It seems that Namco decided that there was no use in complicating matters, and didn't change a thing in terms of control. While similar in almost every way to the original, We Love Katamari does manage to mix things up enough to keep things interesting.

Most of the environments in the original Katamari Damacy were fairly linear. One level had you inside a kitchen, the next allowed you to move around the whole house, the next featured you on the streets outside that house, and so on. The 'missions' in We Love Katamari aren't as confined to one general area. The game includes underwater levels, snowy mountains, candy forests, space, racetracks, the sky, and many other interesting locales. It also manages to introduce more of an objective-based system for completing a level. The original featured levels that would be based around collecting spiders, fish, or other objects, but WLK takes it up a notch. One mission is set in almost total darkness at the beginning, and lights up gradually as you collect fireflies. Another example is the campfire level. In this, your Katamari is initially on fire, and you have to keep it on fire by picking up items. If you manage to get the ball big enough without the fire burning out, you bring it to the top of a mountain to light a small pile of wood, ending the level.

We Love Katamari introduces a co-op mode, but it's extremely flawed and easily the worst part of the game. Rather than the promising concept of split-screen action with two Katamaris, it forces both players to control a single ball. This is very hard to coordinate, and just ends up being a bunch of "ok:.now you hold both sticks up. No wait:go left. Now hold up on both of them. No:not that way. This way." It's awkward, it doesn't control well, and it's certainly not fun. Luckily the versus mode has been improved significantly. Rather than battling in constricting circle-shaped arenas, WLK allows players to take it to the streets in an effort to make a bigger Katamari than your opponent.

One of the best aspects of the original was the fantastic soundtrack. I can't count how many times the main theme has been stuck in my head for hours. We Love Katamari is no different, and even features a swing version of the theme. Some tracks are great, while others are just odd. Either way, every track perfectly matches the lunacy presented on the screen.

Navigating the huge levels will surely present gamers with a bevy of ridiculous sights. Geese play guitars for students, mushrooms with arms and legs dance around campfires, and giant angry clouds march around and dance. If you're a fan of the bizarre and/or ludicrous, you certainly won't be disappointed. Everything is done in the same simple, blocky graphics style as the original, and fits just as perfectly as ever. I've heard people argue that Katamari Damacy has bad graphics, and I completely disagree. Sure, it's not a technical feast of polygon counts or texture shading, but that's not what's always most important. What's important is the fact that these graphics fit the game perfectly. Is there any gamer out there that would actually prefer "realistic" graphics for this game? It simply wouldn't fit.

The cutscenes in the original were more weird than funny, and didn't really have much to do with the 'plot' of the game. In WLK, the cutscenes tell the backstory of your father, the King of the Cosmos. It's predictably confusing, but it covers his early (unsuccessful) boxing career, and subsequent shunning by his father. If you're anything like me, you'll be extremely confused, but simultaneously entertained for some reason.

All in all, We Love Katamari is virtually identical to Katamari Damacy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sure, it adds new objectives to missions, and improved the versus mode, but it's still the same game you played last year. The original cost $20, and this one costs $30. Put those together and you've got the price of one full game. The good thing is, both of them are good enough to justify a $50 tag. Do yourself a favor and purchase We Love Katamari. It won't take long to beat, but it's always good for a "Hey, check this game out" when you've got non-gamer company. You don't have to be a hardcore gamer to appreciate the personality, charm, and style this game brings to the table.

Graphics: A-

Sound: A+

First Play: A-

Last Play: A-

Gameplay: A-

Overall: 90% A-