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Common Sense Note

Parents should know that this game is a unique action and puzzle game appropriate for all ages. It contains no objectionable material, though some of the offbeat humor might be lost on young kids.

Families who play this game might want to discuss creativity in game design. How is it different than other games you play? Why do you think so few games fail to branch into new territory? Why do game makers repeat the same genre conventions rather than trying something new?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Chris Jozefowicz

This sequel to last year's Katamari Damacy improves what was already a great game with more levels and more variety. With a creative premise and loads of quirky humor, WE LOVE KATAMARI will delight gamers young and old, male and female.

In this installment, the Prince is once again working for his dad, the King of All Cosmos, who this time wants to create a new collection of planets. Players control the Prince as he heads to Earth with his katamari, a sticky ball that players use to roll up assorted Earth objects the way they'd roll up snow to build a snowman. When players roll up a big enough katamari, the king uses it to create a planet. Along the way, players will also be rolling through a beefed-up collection of themed missions, including one that involves rolling a thin sumo wrestler over hundreds of food items, trying to get him fat enough for a wrestling match.

Nothing about the controls or the basics of gameplay has changed much from the original game, which is perfectly fine when the basics are so solid. Players still use the controller's two thumbsticks to maneuver the katamari -- the left thumbstick moves the left side and the right thumbstick moves the right side. Katamari rolling still starts small: the Prince must accumulate little things (eggs, pencils, snowflakes) before the Katamari will pick up bigger things (ninjas, dumptrucks, the Arc de Triomphe). And simple kinds of katamari-building still constitute the bulk of the game: players usually either build the biggest katamari in a set time or build a katamari of a set size as fast as possible.

The humor in We Love Katamari continues in the bizarre vein established in the first game. Most conversations between the Prince and the King deliver some form of unexpected zaniness, such as when the King begins speaking in Esperanto before sending the Prince to a school to roll up some students.

The most significant change in gameplay comes in the form of a two-player cooperative mode. Just about every single-player level can be undertaken with two players, one controlling each side of the katamari. It's a nice idea, but rolling with finesse is surprisingly difficult when the left hand (player one) doesn't quite know what the right hand (player two) is doing. Players can also once again compete in a few boards in head-to-head competition with their own katamaris.

Just like the first game, We Love Katamari has a delightful presentation to match the unique gameplay. The graphics are so-so, with blocky characters and objects, but this works well enough within the cartoon-like world of the game. Every board dazzles the eye with hundreds of multicolored things, people, animals, etc., moving about, evoking a world of crazy toys. Also, just like the first game, We Love Katamari features a soundtrack of kooky pop songs that are a fitting aural background to the action.

Though We Love Katamari is a bit longer than the first installment, it is still a little on the short side. Nevertheless, the charming world of the game provides enough of a draw to ensure a good deal of replay value. Players can revisit any board they've played to collect different objects or attempt roll their katamaris bigger and faster. Along with its predecessor, We Love Katamari represents some of the most inventive, exciting gaming to be found on the Playstation 2. Why can't all games be this much fun?

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