What is Katamari? A primer on the oddball and unique Japanese video game series
All about a sticky ball called a "katamari" and the Japanese video game series about it.
Katamari Damacy (or Katamari Damashii) roughly translates to "clump spirit". It also refers to a successful Japanese video game created by Keita Takahashi that involves pushing and rolling a highly sticky ball around, collecting objects in its path, and then allowing the ball of junk to grow big enough to form a "star". All this is done by order of the King of All Cosmos.
Er, did that make sense? No? Well the games' storylines don't make sense either but the quirkiness is part of their charm. The first game, Katamari Damacy won several awards including "Excellence in Game Design" at the 2005 Game Developers Choice Awards, "Best Innovation" at 2005's G-Phoria, and a "Good Design Award" in Japan.
Katamari is a game everyone, from kids to grownups, will be sure to enjoy! If you want to learn more about the strange and wacky Katamari phenomenon, please read on.
What is Katamari? - All about the Japanese video game series.
Katamari Damacy (Katamari Damashii) is a third-person puzzle-action video game that is published and developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2. It was first released in Japan in 2004 but is now available internationally.
The game's plot concerns a little prince on a mission to rebuild the stars, constellations, and moon which were accidentally destroyed by his father, the King of All Cosmos. This is achieved by rolling a magical, highly adhesive ball called a katamari around various locations, collecting increasingly larger objects until the ball has grown big enough to become a star. Katamari Damacy's story, characters, and settings are bizarre and heavily stylized though the brands and items in the game are based on existing products in Japan.
Katamari Damacy was well received in Japan and North America. The game was dubbed a sleeper hit, and won several awards. Katamari Damacy inspired the development of other video games, and led to the release of five sequels in Japan and other territories: We Love Katamari (2005), Me & My Katamari (2005), Beautiful Katamari (2007), I Love Katamari (2008), and Katamari Forever (2009).
Information from Wikipedia / Photo reprinted from Media Herald Dispatch
Watch the Katamari Damacy pre-launch commercial - See the exciting preview for the unique and quirky Japanese video game series.
If the explanation above didn't do it for you, maybe this advertisement will. This awesome Katamari Damacy TV commercial was aired in Japan a few months before the game's release. Watch and prepare to laugh and be amazed!
Learn more about Katamari Damacy
Visit the pages listed below for information about the games in the Katamari series.
Katamari in Pop Culture
The Katamari video game was well-received all over the world and soon it made its way into popular culture.
Katamari in real life? - Watch a TV commercial inspired by Katamari
The following is a clever commercial for Travelers Insurance (an American insurance company) that was obviously inspired by the Japanese video game.
Katamari game play videos and reviews on YouTube - See the game in action through the eyes of gamers from all over.
It's time to play Katamari!
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