Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Katamari creator downplays importance of video gameshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/29/katamari-creator-downplays-importance-of-video-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/29/katamari-creator-downplays-importance-of-video-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/29/katamari-creator-downplays-importance-of-video-games/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Ever the eccentric, Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi went on stage at a video game conference and tried to tell the audience that video games are NOT the most important thing in the world.

We couldn't believe it either.

Standing barefoot in front of London Nottingham's GameCity conference, the obviously brain-damaged Takahashi alleged that "it would be impossible for us to be here... if the world was not peaceful." He tried to convince the crowd that real world suffering and problems were occasionally more pressing than games. "If you're suffering from poverty and disease, could you worry about collecting coins? I don't think so," he argued, unconvincingly.

Takahashi also implied, rather laughably, that things like recycling and being friendly were just as important as beating Halo 3 on Legendary for the third time. "I'm not trying to be the next Al Gore but I'm not sure if we could afford to have video games in ten or twenty year's time," the fearmongering designer said, adding that white is black and up is actually down.

After the confusing opening, Takahashi showed off a demo of Nobi Nobi Boy, thankfully distracting the audience from the problems of the real world once again.

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]]>environmentkatamarikatamaridamacypollutiontakahashiKyle Orland2007-10-29T16:54:00+00:00Simpsons Game parodies those crazy Japanese and their wacky gameshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/16/simpsons-game-parodies-those-crazy-japanese-and-their-wacky-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/16/simpsons-game-parodies-those-crazy-japanese-and-their-wacky-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/16/simpsons-game-parodies-those-crazy-japanese-and-their-wacky-game/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Hoping that the Japanese have a better sense of humor than their American counterparts, EA has released a trailer featuring the previously-discussed "Big Super Happy Fun Fun Land" section of The Simpsons Game, which parodies Japanese culture as well as (apparently) Japanese video games.

Pardon the parentheticals, but the only game we see spoofed in this trailer is Katamari Damacy. Yes, we see Mr. Sparkle; We see the anime-inspired cutscene; We (unfortunately) hear the high-pitched "engrish"; But where are the games? Are we missing something obvious?

Take a look for yourselves after the break, and please enlighten us.

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]]>eakatamarikatamaridamacyparodysimpsonssimpsonsgameScott Jon Siegel2007-10-16T16:55:00+00:00Can you imagine? Katamari rolling to PS3http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/24/can-you-imagine-katamari-rolling-to-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/24/can-you-imagine-katamari-rolling-to-ps3/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/24/can-you-imagine-katamari-rolling-to-ps3/#commentsFiled under: ,


While at the Tokyo Game Show, 1UP was able to confirm with director Jun Morikawa that Beautiful Katamari would not be arriving on the PlayStation 3. But, fans of rolling take heart! Morikawa says that the series will "definitely be making its way to the console soon," just not in the Beautiful Katamari state.

So, will this be the Katamari that evolves the series at least a little bit past the roots established in the 2004 original? Well, what does your heart tell you? Because ours is walking away, shaking its head and laughing, which we can't imagine is a good sign.

[Via PS3F]

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]]>beautifulkatamarikatamaridamacytgs07Justin McElroy2007-09-24T17:45:00+00:00Katamari creator to keynote UK's GameCityhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/23/katamari-creator-to-keynote-uks-gamecity/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/23/katamari-creator-to-keynote-uks-gamecity/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/23/katamari-creator-to-keynote-uks-gamecity/#commentsFiled under:

Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi will give a keynote address at this year's GameCity festival in Nottingham, England. According to GI.biz, Takahashi will also be showing off his upcoming title Nobi Nobi Boy.

Takahashi's keynote will take place Saturday, October 27. Festival participants include Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Freestyle Games, Travellers Tales, Free Radical Design, Mode 7 and Frontier; more details are expected shortly. The second annual GameCity festival will be held October 24 through 28 at Nottingham Trent University.

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]]>englandfestivalgamecitykatamarikatamaridamacykeitatakahashinobinobiboynottinghamukRoss Miller2007-07-23T16:55:00+00:00Nobi Nobi Boy: new PS3 game from Katamari creatorhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/17/nobi-nobi-boy-new-ps3-game-from-katamari-creator/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/17/nobi-nobi-boy-new-ps3-game-from-katamari-creator/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/17/nobi-nobi-boy-new-ps3-game-from-katamari-creator/#commentsFiled under: ,


Should PS3 fans be sad about the loss of Katamari Damacy on their system? Not necessarily. Keita Takahashi - creator of the famed rolling series, ostensibly on a break from playground design - has just debuted a new game for the PS3: Nobi Nobi Boy. Considering "nobi" means "stretch" in Japanese, we can probably expect a game that does for stretching what Katamari did for rolling.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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]]>breakingnewskatamarikatamaridamacykeitatakahashinobinobiboyAndrew Yoon2007-07-17T09:59:00+00:00The B[ack]log: Katamari Do Your Besthttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/26/the-b-ack-log-katamari-do-your-best/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/26/the-b-ack-log-katamari-do-your-best/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/26/the-b-ack-log-katamari-do-your-best/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Well, the title seemed sort of clever at the time. "The B[ack]log" represents one gamer's fight against that seemingly insurmountable and entirely self-inflicted obstacle, the ever-sprawling backlog of games that are either unfinished, unplayed or unloved. That's the "Backlog" part. After surgically inserting some brackets, it becomes "B[ack]log," a reference to both the blog format and the unique sound emitted whenever I view the stack of games I keep adding to every month. And every week, I hope to subtract at least one and ramble about it for a few paragraphs... if you don't mind. A review this is not.

It seems simultaneously appropriate and depressing then, that the first game to be ejected and examined (and then ejected again) is one primarily concerned with hoarding as much stuff as you possibly can -- We Love Katamari for the PlayStation 2.

Gamers are a greedy lot. That certainly doesn't set us apart from other human beings, but when you've played enough platformers, you do tend to feel a bit like an obese kleptomaniac gone berserk. If it's not treasure and golden statues and magnificent gems you're after, it's the oddly spinning peaches, apples, cupcakes and yams you'll want ascend the highest mountains to. And when we're faced with the predicament of choosing between the jeweler and the bakery, Katamari Damacy's solution is to empty the shelves of both, shortly before picking up the stores in their entirety along with the rest of the neighborhood. In Katamari Damacy, you want everything.

Appealing to this primordial desire to collect is probably one of the reasons we were so glad to accept -- and collect -- a sequel in We Love Katamari. Another is that picking up every piece of arbitrary junk is both the game's ultimate goal and its ultimate reward. Not many games convey your progress as immediately and obviously as in We Love Katamari, with your rolling prowess visually represented by the expanding ball of stuff and the shrinking size of everything around it. When you pick up that obnoxious brat that kicked you away earlier, you know you're getting somewhere. Interestingly, you also pick up a little irony on the way. As you're sure to remember, the original game was widely praised (by you, probably) for being a wildly unique experiment in an industry so fond of producing all-too-similar sequels. You know, games like We Love Katamari.


Artist's rendition of We Love Katamari's awful box art (also done in MS Paint)

I never could figure out exactly what message the game's director, Keita Takahashi, meant to impart with We Heart Katamari. The storyline sees the people of the world embracing the wonders of the original game, quickly demanding that the infinitely bizarre King of All Cosmos give them more of the same joy. He listens and complies quite nonchalantly, responding to their requests only because they're in complete awe of him. At one point a young man, perched atop the gigantic king's shoulder, skews his head and asks, "Complacent much?"

And really, that question is posed as much at the king as it is to Takahashi. Is the answer, "Yes, I'll do this one thing for you, but don't expect me to put much effort into it," or does the game merely serve as a reminder that the eccentric designer was and still is a bit of a one-hit wonder? Before expressing interest in designing (and presumably frolicking on) children's playgrounds, Takahashi sent some criticism towards gaming, lamenting its ability to keep you inside all day twiddling analog sticks. Of course, that's exactly what Katamari was and the arrival of a sequel further turned it into the sort of game it couldn't originally be mistaken for -- a solid, albeit unsurprising sequel.


This is Beautiful Katamari. I think.

That's hardly a dreadful description of what is an enjoyable game, but it does make one consider just how many solid, albeit unsurprising sequels it takes before interest starts to wane. Already initial impressions of Namco Bandai's Beautiful Katamari indicate that it's more of the same and distinctly devoid of that new katamari smell. Whose fault is that? In our established and understandable desire for more of what we like, did we inadvertently lessen the series' innovative impact? Wait, it's a series now... Did we do that? Oops!

Though we can't honestly fault ourselves for supporting ideas we approve of, it is perhaps a good strategy to question why we support them in the first place. If we were being honest, we'd note that in terms of raw gameplay, Katamari Damacy borders on being a gimmick thoroughly entwined with inescapable charm. Oh, you can try to imagine a humorless game of object collecting sans a perennially unhinged god and wonderfully insane music, but it'll do you no good. Separating the style from the substance is like cutting through a river with a knife. Nobody loves Katamari primarily because of its gameplay.

The arrival of Beautiful Katamari (likely to be one of those solid, albeit unsurprising sequels) this October will be just as illuminating to us as it will be to Namco Bandai, I suspect. Do we still heart Katamari for what it is -- a delightful diversion from "serious" gaming -- or is it time to restart the innovation-to-franchise cycle? I'm choosing the former for now, but even diversions run the risk of having the attention laid on them... diverted.

WE LOVE KATAMARI (PS2)
Next week: Ludwig wonders how a game that's over ten years old can be better than most of the stuff released in 2007.

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]]>backlogBeautiful KatamariBeautifulKatamarib[ack]logKatamariKatamari DamacyKatamariDamacyNamcoNamco BandaiNamcoBandaiWe Love KatamariWeLoveKatamariLudwig Kietzmann2007-06-26T19:00:00+00:00The Joystiq Weekend: June 23 - 24, 2007http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/24/the-joystiq-weekend-june-23-24-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/24/the-joystiq-weekend-june-23-24-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/24/the-joystiq-weekend-june-23-24-2007/#comments The Prince of All Cosmos sporting his Katamari music player, found by Flickr user nuzz -- "not my doing, but hilarious," he writes. We didn't fare too much better in our admittedly brief search, but we did stumble upon an iRoll button with a similar image. It's green like Xbox, but that's probably just a coincidence. Check out the highlights for the weekend:

Joystiquery
Podcast Rodeo for June 24: E.A.R.
Today's chowiest video: John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat in Stranglehold
Today's shootingest video: Quake Wars
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: winning formula edition

News
Dale Earnhardt Jr. signs endorsement contract with Sony
New Time Crisis 4 screenshots, Guncon 3 pics
Sonic the Hedgehog turns 16
Devil May Cry anime hits the web
Jaffe's warehouse pics possible studio space in Utah
Austin Powers available free on Xbox Live
Chun Li cries the pain of loss away
Boston Globe: Wii puts violence in motion
Blue Dragon ad campaign wins Cannes award
DS games at Toys R Us are buy 2 get 1 free this week
The Darkness delayed for Euro PS3 until July 20
Metroid Prime 3 details emerge from Play magazine
Addiction experts: Video games aren't an addiction

Rumors & Speculation
Manhunt 2 controversy may boost sales

Culture & Community
Postal designer speaks out on Manhunt 2 bans
The anomaly of Nancy Drew games
Gamespot changes review system, adds 'medals'
DIY pixel art T-shirts

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]]>appledaily recapDailyRecapkatamarikatamari damacyKatamariDamacyRoss Miller2007-06-24T23:59:00+00:00Today's full of stuff video: Beautiful Katamarihttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/17/todays-full-of-stuff-video-beautiful-katamari/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/17/todays-full-of-stuff-video-beautiful-katamari/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/17/todays-full-of-stuff-video-beautiful-katamari/#commentsFiled under: , ,


While we fear the series has run its course -- and rolled up the shark -- seemingly Xbox 360 exclusive and XBLA downloadable title Beautiful Katamari wins us over for today's video pick. The extended gameplay clip looks nearly the same as what we remember from the PS2 until the camera keeps pulling back and the Prince rolls up countries and continents. That's a big katamari, full of so many dreams and so much stuff.

See the video after the break.

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]]>ballcosmosdownloaddownloadablegameplayhottest videoHottestVideokatamarikatamari damacyKatamariDamacyprincerollvideoxblaZack Stern2007-06-17T00:00:00+00:00Gamespot: Beautiful Katamari coming to Xbox Live Arcade [update]http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/16/gamespot-beautiful-katamari-coming-to-xbox-live-arcade/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/16/gamespot-beautiful-katamari-coming-to-xbox-live-arcade/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/16/gamespot-beautiful-katamari-coming-to-xbox-live-arcade/#commentsFiled under:


[Update: We shouldn't have doubted you, Ross! Gamespot has stated that the information in the article was indeed "total crap". Original post follows.]

As the extreme and possibly insane cynic might ask, "Isn't there already a colossal ball of junk on Xbox Live Arcade?" To that we answer, "No sir, but there soon will be. Although, Feeding Frenzy was a bit rubbish, wasn't it?" The destined arrival of Bandai Namco's next Katamari game on Xbox Live Arcade is announced in a rather blasé manner by the first sentence in Gamespot's hands-on preview of the title: "The big, huge Katamari ball of junk just keeps on rolling, this time with a new installment called Beautiful Katamari slated to hit Xbox Live Arcade in October."

The news sticks to yesterday's word from Newsweek's N'Gai Croal that Beautiful Katamari would be an Xbox 360 exclusive, and neatly contradicts previous XBLA portfolio manager Ross Erickson's "total crap - not happening". Something obviously changed in the months since then, an observation not befitting of the Katamari franchise, it seems. Gamespot's Brad Shoemaker labels the game as "more of the same," noting the presence of new levels, high-definition graphics, 4-player online gameplay and, perhaps most importantly, an original soundtrack. Despite losing momentum in terms of moving the series forward, we suspect there's still plenty to heart about Katamari -- especially if the price is right.

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]]>Beautiful KatamariBeautifulKatamariKatamariKatamari DamacyKatamariDamacyNamco BandaiNamcoBandaiLudwig Kietzmann2007-06-16T14:30:00+00:00Newsweek: Beautiful Katamari rolling exclusively with Xbox 360http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/15/beautiful-katamari-rolling-exclusively-with-xbox-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/15/beautiful-katamari-rolling-exclusively-with-xbox-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/15/beautiful-katamari-rolling-exclusively-with-xbox-360/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Striking a blow to symmetrical ball-rolling controls everywhere, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal reports that Beautiful Katamari's royal rainbow will extend only to the Xbox 360. He explains that an exclusivity deal is already "very close to fruition" and is likely to be announced formally at July's Min-E3 event in Santa Monica. The trail of digital crumbs leading to the deal seems especially obvious in retrospect, with Ridge Racer 6, Ace Combat 6, Eternal Sonata and Pac-Man: Championship Edition all indicating quite the chummy relationship between Namco Bandai and Microsoft.

With the Katamari franchise not being nearly as unstoppable as its clutter-collecting cosmic prince, PlayStation 3 alarmists shouldn't view this as the end of their fragile and constantly beeping world. That being said, seeing a distinctly, almost obviously "Japanese" game picking up Microsoft's system alone certainly points to interesting times ahead. It also makes completing the level that much harder.

[Thanks, Matthew]

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]]>Beautiful KatamariBeautifulKatamariKatamariKatamari DamacyKatamariDamacyNamcoNamco BandaiNamcoBandaiLudwig Kietzmann2007-06-15T12:47:00+00:00Today in Joystiq: May 31, 2007http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/31/today-in-joystiq-may-31-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/31/today-in-joystiq-may-31-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/31/today-in-joystiq-may-31-2007/#comments We dug through doc18's Flickr album yet again for this Katamari mockup -- take note of Master Chief stuck in the upper right, looking very put out by his situation. Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
The video with most gaming potential: Microsoft Surface

News
First Guitar Hero III videos are ... different
Call of Duty 3 Bravo map pack hits Live
New PSP 3.50 firmware now available, Remote Play internet enabled
More Phantom Hourglass screens hit the 'net
No StarCraft 2 this year
Free Half-Life 2 games via Steam for ATI Radeon owners
Hour of Victory demo now Live
Dead Rising's Frank West gets change of clothes
nDreams reveals casual episodic game aimed at women
GameTap launches free ad-supported service
Indie horror adventure Penumbra: Overture available on Linux, coming to Mac
Ubisoft admits to over-porting Wii
Id has new IP, keep wishing for that Cmdr. Keen remake
New partnership brings European adventure games to North America
NY game retail bills pass; retailers could face felony charges
Tomb Raider and Anniversary comparison video
Activision shoots first against Harmonix in rhythm game war

Rumors & Speculation
Fortune: Nintendo is beating Microsoft and Sony

Culture & Community
Tetris ice cubes put a little geek in your drinks
Danish studio seeks publisher for unique Wii game
Warhammer Online seeks beta testers
Crowd-controlled Breakout excites moviegoers
Xbox 360 firmware update prevents XBL banning
Sign up for Gods & Heroes beta
Billy Mitchell ain't no 'son of a gun,' ex-champ speaks on King of Kong
Circuit City shoppers invited to compete in World Cyber Games
Indies and consoles: an imperfect system

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]]>daily recapDailyRecaphalokatamari damacyKatamariDamacymaster chiefMasterChiefRoss Miller2007-05-31T23:59:00+00:00Gundam, Katamari come to tilt-sensitive Japanese phoneshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/gundam-katamari-come-to-tilt-sensitive-japanese-phones/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/gundam-katamari-come-to-tilt-sensitive-japanese-phones/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/gundam-katamari-come-to-tilt-sensitive-japanese-phones/#commentsFiled under: , ,

No sooner does Japanese cell phone giant DoCoMo announce a new line of phones with tilt-sensitive controls then the game announcements come pouring in. Well, trickling in, at least. Bandai/Namco's You Are Gundam and Katamari Damacy will both take advantage of the phone's unique motion-sensitivity: the former by letting asking players to "[wave] the phone vigorously to match the character's movements;" and the latter by letting you move the eponymous sticky ball by tilting the phone.

While we're excited about the idea of new control schemes for cell phones, we're a little wary about the particular implementation being used here. DoCoMo's 904i series uses GestureTek's EyeMobile system to calculate tilt based on digital camera images, unlike the Wii and PS3 controllers, which use internal gyroscopes. An IGN review of EyeMobile-compatible 3D Tilt-a-World warns that the system fails "if your movements are too sudden for the game to translate" and that the setup requires "a well-lit area so the camera can get a good 'fix' on an image." Not to mention the inherent problem of keeping the phone steady on a bumpy subway ride.

Read - Katamari Damacy Mobile
Read - You Are Gundam

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]]>cell phoneCellPhonegundamjapankatamarikatamari damacyKatamariDamacymobileyou are gundamYouAreGundamKyle Orland2007-04-24T16:20:00+00:00Beautiful Katamari website opens, screenshots insidehttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/beautiful-katamari-website-opens-screenshots-inside/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/beautiful-katamari-website-opens-screenshots-inside/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/24/beautiful-katamari-website-opens-screenshots-inside/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Namco of Japan has just opened the official Beautiful Katamari Damacy website. Unfortunately for English-speaking monoglots, it's filled with incomprehensible squiggly characters. There are still pictures to look at, though, and even a few screenshots of the game tucked behind the links (more in the gallery below).

Beautiful Katamari looks just like previous Katamari games with improved graphics and a few extras here and there. Both Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game have been announced (without a release date) and a Wii incarnation is rumored to be in the works -- Jun Moriwaki, director of Beautiful Katamari told 1UP that "the Wii is also one of our platform choices .... However, the controller for Wii is quite unique so being able to overcome the different issues will be the key."

Gallery: Beautiful Katamari screenshots


[Update: added additional commentary on rumored Wii release.]

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]]>katamarikatamaridamacynamcoJohn Bardinelli2007-04-24T08:45:00+00:00Beautiful Katamari Damacy confirmed for PS3 & Xbox 360, not Wiihttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/18/beautiful-katamari-damacy-confirmed-for-ps3-and-xbox-360-not-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/18/beautiful-katamari-damacy-confirmed-for-ps3-and-xbox-360-not-wii/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/18/beautiful-katamari-damacy-confirmed-for-ps3-and-xbox-360-not-wii/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

katamari damacy
Though series creator Keita Takahashi never intended to roll his Katamari into a deflated mass of has-been ingenuity, according to the latest Famitsu scoop, Namco Bandai is content to do so without him. As rumored, the Japanese publisher will revisit the katamari concept for a fourth time, now on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Director Jun Moriwaki has also expressed interest in adapting the series for DS and PC (using a keyboard), but remains reluctant about a Wii version. Moriwaki explained that Wii's controller presents certain difficulties that the dev team has yet to overcome. Update: 1UP has posted Moriwaki's comments about a possible Wii version: "The Wii is also one of our platform choices... However, the controller for Wii is quite unique so being able to overcome the different issues will be the key."

Dubbed Beautiful Katamari Damacy, this new version won't reinvent the sticky ball, but will super-size it. Famitsu reportedly displays a katamari growing to 10,000-km proportions (Earth is just 2,742 km larger). Beautiful will also introduce online play, likely featuring co-op and competitive modes. Famitsu reports that the game is roughly 50% complete, but still without a release date in Japan.

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]]>360famitsujapankatamariKatamari DamacyKatamariDamacymultiplayerNamco BandaiNamcoBandaips3psnXbox Livexbox360XboxLiveJames Ransom-Wiley2007-04-18T11:59:00+00:00Today in Joystiq: February 6, 2007http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/06/today-in-joystiq-february-6-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/06/today-in-joystiq-february-6-2007/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/06/today-in-joystiq-february-6-2007/#commentsFiled under:

After the cake presentation yesterday, we decided to show off this Katamari cake Thomas Mannino showed us. Enjoy the video, be hungry, and check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
Readers pick best webcomic and hate Mario Party
Today's hottest game video: Command & Conquer 3
Joystiq Podcast 001 - The Dreamcast

News
Ping Pong with Penny Arcade, to the pain!
Blue Dragon paraphernalia arrives in Japan
Wii-chargeable battery packs (almost) ready for release
Xbox 360 sporting new 'super-quiet' internal DVD drives
TransGaming and Nvidia team up for high-end games on the Mac
Sega: Virtua Tennis 3 brings its 1080p game to the Xbox 360
EA bullish on future PS3 performance
PSP mod inexplicably adds a cooling fan
Bubble Bobble Revolution recalled
Rockstar reveals Manhunt 2 for the PS2, PSP, and ... Wii
University of Rochester: Action games improve vision
News Alert: Syrian prez doesn't play video games
Crysis will run on ye olde gaming rig
Sony to market PS3 at English National Opera
Microsoft to reward Xbox Live achievers with freebies
Casual games consuming 'me time'
Oblivion, Okami top GDC Awards Nominations
Tekken in PS3 Store this month
Microsoft to soon decide fate of Space Giraffe, alpha build shipping out
Wii email informs consumers of strap replacement

Rumors & Speculation
Rumor: Killzone 2 demo before Halo 3 beta
Blizzard: consoles soon obsolete, becoming one with PCs

Culture
Tilt modded Xbox 360 controller now wireless
Metal Gear Solid 4 Snake figure
Ben Heck explains how to make Wii laptop
The death of the game mascot

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]]>daily recapDailyRecapfoodkatamarikatamari damacyKatamariDamacyRoss Miller2007-02-06T23:57:00+00:00Didn't Namco already make this game?http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/04/didnt-namco-already-make-this-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/04/didnt-namco-already-make-this-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/04/didnt-namco-already-make-this-game/#commentsFiled under: , ,

rolling ball?If Shanda's Rolling Ball isn't a trademark violation then we don't know what is. Slap a green Martian suit on this kid and the image is indistinguishable from Katamari Damacy. How long before Namco's lawyers make the call to Shanda headquarters?

FYI: Shanda is a Shanghai-based publisher that specializes in online games.

[Thanks chen]

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]]>Katamari DamacyKatamariDamacyNamcoNamco BandaiNamcoBandaiRolling BallRollingBallShandaSNDAJames Ransom-Wiley2007-01-04T13:25:00+00:00Katamari Damacy XBLA rumor is "total crap"http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/03/katamari-damacy-xbla-rumor-is-total-crap/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/03/katamari-damacy-xbla-rumor-is-total-crap/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/03/katamari-damacy-xbla-rumor-is-total-crap/#commentsFiled under:


It looks like Katamari Damacy is not bound for Xbox Live Arcade, as suggested by the already-suspicious Electronic Gaming Monthly Rumor Mill. In a short-but-sweet forum post on XBLArcade, Worldwide Xbox Live Arcade Games Portfolio Manager Ross Erickson decried the rumor as "total crap - not happening."

The authenticity of the post has purportedly been verified by forum admin Tomacco. For those who can't let the dream die, it could still be an Xbox 360 retail title, but we'd have to see a massive drop in the standard price or some heavy-duty features (Katamari MMO? 720p?) to justify a $60 price point.

The EGM-fostered rumor also mentioned PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii iterations; the former seems likely, as the Katamari franchise has historically been linked to Sony, but we're not holding our breath for a Wii Love Katamari.

[Via bits bytes pixels & sprites]

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]]>katamari damacyKatamariDamacyrumorxblaxbox 360xbox livexbox live arcadeXbox360XboxLiveXboxLiveArcadeRoss Miller2007-01-03T13:25:00+00:00The Joystiq (Christmas) Weekend, 2006http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/25/the-joystiq-christmas-weekend-2006/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/25/the-joystiq-christmas-weekend-2006/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/25/the-joystiq-christmas-weekend-2006/#comments
Happy holidays! Destroy All Humans gets a quirky prologue, Street Fighter gets a quirky epilogue and yours truly goofs in thinking a TurboGrafx 16 game would only cost $6. Enjoy the image above (found via Digg) and check out the highlights for this holiday:

Joystiquery
Geometry Wars as art
Today's hottest game video: XFPS demo
Today's hottest game video: Halo gameplay remix
Today's hottest game video: Tomb Raider trailer
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: the Big N edition

News
Protecting adults from children online
WoW's Night before Wintervale holiday treat
Wii 'acquaintances' made easy with Google Maps
Destroy All Humans started as a joke, launched a "dance" career
Xbox 360 video download service succeeding, others failing
DVD players finally more common than VCRs
LCD makers under price-fixing investigation
SofaTube brings YouTube to Wii/PS3 couch potatoes
Christmas sees first VC price increase
Craigslisters trading PS3 for Wii + money

Rumors & Speculation
Vista DRM to slow down high-end graphics?

Console hackery
One Wii to control the entire house
Use a universal remote with PS3
Dreaming of a White PS3?
Play ripped PS1 games on PSP

Culture
Street Fighter's Blanka: an electrical oompa loompa
Geek, nerd, or dork?
American Choppers splice consoles for Christmas

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]]>daily recapDailyRecapkatamari damacyKatamariDamacyshadow of the colossusShadowOfTheColossusRoss Miller2006-12-25T23:59:00+00:00Rumor: Katamari Damacy on PS3, Wii, and 360http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/18/rumor-katamari-damacy-on-ps3-wii-and-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/18/rumor-katamari-damacy-on-ps3-wii-and-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/18/rumor-katamari-damacy-on-ps3-wii-and-360/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The latest Electronic Gaming Monthly rumor mill talks up Katamari Damacy's future on the latest generation of consoles: Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox Live Arcade. Sure, it makes business sense to take a successful title and exploit it for as much bottom line as possible but one shouldn't confuse logic with reality, and right now there is no confirmation from Namco.

Creator Keita Takahashi has long been done with the series every since the original and has announced his plans to move away from the video game industry. Still, the surprise hit has some life left and will probably show up on some console. Don't get your hopes up yet, though.

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]]>katamari damacyKatamariDamacyrumorrumorsRoss Miller2006-12-18T17:54:00+00:00Happy Katamari Damacy music dayhttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/01/happy-katamari-damacy-music-day/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/01/happy-katamari-damacy-music-day/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/01/happy-katamari-damacy-music-day/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We went to a rock concert the other day. We did not like it very much. Too many people thrashing about and playing noise that did have the joy of the universe flowing through it. We much prefer music that captures the true happiness of the soul.

Therefore, we, the King of all Cosmos, have rolled up a collection of Katamari Damacy music performed by a solo guitarist, a klezmer band, and even a one-man a capella quartet into a fun-sized ball of joy. We hope it will bring some elation to your minuscule-sized soul.

Previous game music days





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]]>katamarikatamari damacyKatamariDamacyking of all cosmosKingOfAllCosmosmusic dayMusicDaynamcoKyle Orland2006-12-01T17:50:00+00:00