July 15, 2005
Minna Daisuki Katamari Damashii Released!
Minna Daisuki Katamari Damashii, or We Love Katamari as it will be called once it hits the western world, has been released in Japan!
Japanese cover art for KD2
Both IGN and Gamespot have previewed the game, and it certainly sounds promising. The biggest changes appear to be that the camera, which had a tendency to embed itself in geometry in the original, has been improved, and the addition of a new co-operative play mode.
Having had a look around the official japanese site for the game, I found some new wallpaper, and strangely, some sort of origami giraffe which supposedly should be used with a keyring. In terms of what is actually going on in these images, well, your guess is as good as mine. I've stopped trying to understand the Japanese.
Namco have a suitably confounding gameplay video that's well worthy watching on their site. The soundtrack for the game has been release as well, and can be purchased online.
My fingers, and toes, remain crossed for a PAL release - don't let us down Namco!
Posted by kitsune at 11:58 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 12, 2005
Happy 25th Pacman!
Pacman was released to the world 25 years ago to this day, and marked a significant milestone in the development of video games.
Despite having some flaws, which would later be addressed in the sequel Ms. Pacman, Pacman was a large evolutionary leap from its predecessors Space Invaders and Pong.
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From a CNN article covering the anniversary:
"Pac Man changed the psychological profile of the average person," explains Twin Galaxies' Walter Day.
"Suddenly old and young, male and female, doctors, dentists, lawyers and housewives found it acceptable to be playing a video game. And Pac Man opened that door for them. Despite the fact that it was technologically advanced, it was as simple as playing a card game for them."
Here are a few things to check out:
An agricultural tribute to the gluttonous yellow ball.An amusing, if extremely geeky t-shirt,
and the game ported to Microsoft Excel (doesn't appear to work in Open Office, sorry).
and of course the obligatory quote:
"Computer games don't affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music."
-- Marcus Brigstocke
Posted by kitsune at 03:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 26, 2005
PSP vs. Consoles
If you played and enjoyed Final Fantasy VI, chances are that you will find this animation very amusing.
The site is in Japanese, but there's an English version of the animation available. Thanks to Tim Nixon at Straylight Studios for pointing me towards this.
Posted by kitsune at 05:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 06, 2005
My Top 10 Games
Robotron 2084 c. 1982
Williams Games
I often get asked by fellow geeks what my favourite games are, and I find I have difficulty answering.. but here's an attempt at a top 10 in no particular order :)
Final Fantasy VI (super nintendo)
I was fortunate enough to discover Japanese RPGs early on, and cut my teeth on Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest in Japan), and Final Fantasy I & II on the 8-bit NES. Unfortunately, Square and Enix decided that RPGs wouldn't work in the US market, and promptly stopped releasing them thereafter. For one reason or another, Square had another go at it in 1994, and released Final Fantasy VI to US gamers as Final Fantasy III. Now of course, Square's RPGs are very popular outside of Japan, and as far as I'm aware, everything they produce these days gets a translation. With the exception of FFXI (FF online), I've played all of the Final Fantasy games, and VI remains my favourite. There's undoubtedly an element of nostalgia in my choice there, as FFVII is probably the better game :)
Ico (playstation 2)
This gem of a game was mostly ignored by the general public, despite rave reviews from critics. Ico is difficult to describe. If I were to tell you that Ico has very basic gameplay mechanics, virtually no combat system, almost no dialogue, and a minimalistic plot, you'd probably assume it wasn't a particularly good or interesting game. You would be wrong however, as Ico's strength is in its simplicity. Ico takes all of the elements of a great adventure game - character interaction, puzzles, and a goal, and widdles them down to their most refined essence. Ico is a subtle, archetypal, moving experience, that genuinely affected me emotionally. It's not often, if ever, that I can say that about a video game.
April from The Longest Journey
The Longest Journey (pc)
My favourite adventure game... and an overlooked masterpiece. There's more depth and intelligence here than in most novels.
Katamari Damashii (playstation 2)
In an industry predominated by generic, predictable, uninspired crap, Katamari Damashii is a breath of fresh air. Katamari Damashii involves rolling a katamari, which is japanese for clump, around the world to collect items, from buttons and flowerpots, to office buildings and giant squid. The larger the katamari the better.
Perfectly simple, and perfectly joyful.
Robotron: 2084 (arcade)
Pure, unadulterated, frenetic, joystick wangling madness. 20 years old, and still one of the most intense gaming experiences around. Tempest, is a close second.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (gamecube)
Loosely based on the works of fantacist H.P. Lovecraft, Eternal Darkness is a sophisticated action adventure game spanning the bredth of history. An engaging plot, novel gameplay elements, quality voice acting, stunning graphics, and a genuinely creepy atmosphere makes this one of the best games of the current console generation.
The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (super nintendo)
It's hard to fault any of the Zelda games (and we won't be mentioning Zelda II, because frankly it doesn't exist, and never did... it was just a bad, bad dream). Ocarina of Time, and The Windwaker were both masterpieces, but once again the old nostalgia engine kicks in and I feel compelled to choose this one. Whacking chickens has never been so satisfying.
Grim Fandango (pc)
I can't think of a single Lucas Arts adventure game that I didn't like. Monkey Island, Sam & Max, Indiana Jones, Day of the Tentacle.. all were marvellous. Grim Fandango was really the pinnacle, and the end of the traditional adventure game. Occasionally something new like Siberia comes along, but sadly the genre is pretty much dead. Grim Fandango is set in the underworld, and is a weird blend of beatnik culture, Mexican mythology, and American hard-boiled fiction/film noir. It's a joy to play, with memorable characters, a solid plot, and witty dialogue.
Manny from Grim Fandango
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (arcade)
Pretty much any spare money I had in my adolescence was sunk into this machine. Street Fighter 2 was simply a phenomenon. Large groups of potential 'world warriors', quarters in a line, would gather around the cabinets of this game, nervously waiting for their turn in the ring. SF2 spawned hordes of imitators, most of which are better than the original, but once again nostalgia prevents me from listing something like Tekken 5 or Soul Calibur 2 here.
Deus Ex (pc)
While I enjoyed the visceral goodness of Quake when it was shiny and new, the FPS genre has lost a lot of its lustre over the years. The now defunct Looking Glass Studios, brilliantly injected new life, and more importantly intelligence, in to the shooter. Thief, System Shock, and Deus Ex were all brilliant games, crossing genre boundaries, and challenging us with a completely new take on the FPS. Deus Ex was an adventure game, an RPG, and an FPS simultaneously. You could advance through the game using stealth and guile alone, or you could run through guns blazing. The choice was yours. It was that element of choice that made Deus Ex a special, ground breaking game.
Posted by kitsune at 12:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 05, 2005
Minna Daisuki Katamari Damashii Rolls Out
madness. utter madness.
Namco have announced that Minna Daisuki Katamari Damashii will be released in Japan on July 6th. Hopefully this will get a PAL release, unlike its predecessor.
Posted by kitsune at 02:33 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 16, 2004
Clump of Souls
Prince of All Cosmos
Namco have posted new screenshots of the soon to be released Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy. Not even japanese classrooms are safe from the cosmic clump!
Gamespot have some information about the upcoming release here, and a review of the original game here for those of you unfortunate enough not to have encountered it.
Posted by kitsune at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)