Fatal Attraction

[Popcorn]

I gotta go with Gibbon here. I'm not opposed to a sequel or whatever, but I wouldn't get particularly excited over one. I think Katamari 1 does everything I want it to.

[Green Gibbon!]

You're just after my ass.

[Locit]

We're all after a little ass here or there. Incidentally, I must have this game, if only due to the cows on the cover. And for the rolling. I like rolling.

[Spazz]

We're all after a little ass here or there.

Speak for yourself. As GG! put it: "Asses are for shitting and sitting. And that's it."

[Zeta]

Still, the idea of a sequel itself doesn't bother me so much as the word "franchise."

Dude, they're already whoring the NiGHTs character out everywhere - Sonic Pinball Party, Bill Hatcher, Sega Superstars. If they're going to put him in crap like that, we may as well see the character in his own element where he's actually GOOD.

In otherwords - NiGHTs already has all the BAD aspects of a video game franchise. We might as well get the good parts, too.

Of course, you might also be talking about KD. The way you responded to the quote made it vauge as to which game you were actually talking about.

Still, from the sounds of it, it wouldn't be too bad to see a KD game once every 5 years or so if they can come up with good ideas that regularly. I mean, as long as they don't just keep on churning out random star-making games just to cash in on the game's cult following.

[Locit]

Speak for yourself. As GG! put it: "Asses are for shitting and sitting. And that's it."

I was speaking more along the lines of "piece of ass" of the "fine" variety, rather than a fixation on the hindquarters themselves.

[Green Gibbon!]

I was referring to Damacy, but that goes for NiGHTS also. Throwing a NiGHTS cameo in here and there is a vastly different thing from pimping the character out into stuff like NiGHTS Party or a crappy NiGHTS cartoon show. The NiGHTS hotel and Shenmue capsule toys are okay.

Even a true sequel would be unwelcome unless it brought something as new and fresh to the plate as the original offered, and I don't think it can because the original is such a wholly self-contained experience. I mean, what else would you do with it? Prettier graphics and new stages, which would be nice, but wouldn't live up to the standard.

[Delphine]

There can never, ever be a NiGHTS sequel, because if there is, it will be something like this:

<b>NiGHTS 2: Reala's Nightmare</b>

<i>Join Reala on his quest to rebirth his Master and rid the Dreamworld of NiGHTS once and for all!!!</i>

Defeated but not destroyed, Reala swears revenge -- and vows to destroy NiGHTS the way NiGHTS tried to destroy him!!!

Help Reala battle his way through over 20 Nightmares, gathering powerups, scaring humans out of their Ideyas, reviving old friends and facing old enemies!!

[Zeta]

Well, like I said - if anyone could figure out a logical control scheme to allow you to pull off acrobatic free-flight in 3-Dimensions, well, that's something to improve on.

Not that I'm saying that 3-D games are neccissarily BETTER - God, no. If anything, it's often the opposite way around.

However, since the concept of NiGHTs itself is based around the freedom of flight, taking the advantage to bring it into the third dimension and make it a much more open experience would be - in my opinion - the major thing to do with the series.

On-rails games like Sonic or Viewtiful Joe or Megaman or Starfox that revolve around a series of challenges placed in order obviously don't benefit that much from being brought into 3-D. Many games benefit from linearity. I don't neccisarrily think NiGHTs was one of them.

But when the whole point of the game is to give the player the boundless joy of flying through the skies, well - 2-D is a little limited. I even thought so when I played the original. I sometimes even got frustrated playing as NiGHTs himself, prefering to let time run out so I could freely roam around under my own power.

Well, it all just boils down to me wanting the ability to fly, and desperately seeking an accurate translation of that in video game form so I can live out my fantasy of swooping up and down and around and doing a twirling mid-air barrel roll.

I've tried thinking happy thoughts, but that's not working. So I need someone to accurately translate that into a videogame form. I would prefer to see it worked out with the NiGHTs franchise (because the characters are wonderful, and over all - it was closest in feeling to what i wanted to see done). But I really don't care at this point.

As I've said though, the primary problem with executing such a game would be designing an intuitive control scheme that would let you be a floating acrobat in 3-D.

[Ngangbius]

This game gets totally sweet once you pick up the buildings. This could possibly be my pick for game of the year. =D

Questions about the items you pick up and to mainly anyone who has the import copy.

Does anyone know if the product labels for food and drink items are modeled after actual brand names in Japan or are they given generic brands?

Also, in the U.S. version, if you take a look at the Snacks collection you see certain items that looks like a pack of cigarattes, but in the game they call it 'chocolate'. Now were they also called chocolate in the Japanese version as part of a joke at the King's ignorance of Earth or is this a case of censorship on Namco of America's part?

[Esrever]

Damn it, I wish I was at home, playing this game, instead of at work, browsing this forum instead of working.

[Segaholic2]

I hope it comes in before this weekend.

[Green Gibbon!]

Does anyone know if the product labels for food and drink items are modeled after actual brand names in Japan or are they given generic brands?

It's all fabricated brands, no Coke cans or anything.

Also, in the U.S. version, if you take a look at the Snacks collection you see certain items that looks like a pack of cigarattes, but in the game they call it 'chocolate'.

They have two or three different types of cigarette packs, including lights. There's also a few chocolate items, though, but there are definitely cigarettes in there.

So what'd they translate "business fat man" as? "Large business person"?

[Ngangbius]

No, they still call him a fat business man.

Figures they would change to the cigs to "chocolate", but I gess they were worried that it would get an automatic "T" rating because of that.

Can't blame them since in this day and age it could happen. =P

[Green Gibbon!]

That's why they need to fight the power. I'm blown away with joy that they kept the original title, logo, and even cover art, why get chicken over a pack of cigarettes? Fuck the soccer moms, as though they weren't all potheads in their own youth.

[Esrever]

Well, changing the logo, boxart or title would have been a totally voluntary aesthetic censor, the kind usually done in the hopes of broadening the appeal of the game and increasing sales. But changing the cigs is probably an involuntary content censor, done to ensure the game maintained the "E" rating it deserves. Ridiculous as it was, I'm pretty sure the cigarettes would have given the game an automatic Teen rating, just as the incredibly mild swearing did for the original Crazy Taxi, or as the "vandalism" did for JSR.

Something I've noticed is that American ratings bodies tend to be overly concerned about nudity, language and drugs, but relatively forgiving of violence. In Canada, it's the other way around. Go figure!

[plasticwingsband]

Something I've noticed is that American ratings bodies tend to be overly concerned about nudity, language and drugs, but relatively forgiving of violence. In Canada, it's the other way around. Go figure!

Just remember what the MPAA says: Horrific, deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words! - Sheila Broflovski, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

[Green Gibbon!]

So what if the game had a T rating? I guarantee there aren't any 6-year olds asking their moms for Katamari Damacy for Christmas, and even if there were, I can tell you from experience that most consider "T" in the permissible range, just like your mom let you watch PG movies when you were 8.

Jesus fucking Christ, what have we done to our society?

[Segaholic2]

So why are we arguing about the ratings? Ratings haven't been a factor in my game purchasing decisions since I was 10 years old. What difference would it make if Katamari Damacy is T instead of E? I doubt that would affect the target audience whatsoever. I didn't even look at the rating when I ordered mine... Actually, I'm still not sure what it's rated. E, yeah?

[Light Speed]

I don't think my parents even know video games are rated. If they did they wouldn't care. If a 5 year old did get Katamri Damancy I sure they would know what cigarettes are and that they are BAD!

[Ngangbius]

So what if the game had a T rating? I guarantee there aren't any 6-year olds asking their moms for Katamari Damacy for Christmas, and even if there were, I can tell you from experience that most consider "T" in the permissible range, just like your mom let you watch PG movies when you were 8.

Jesus fucking Christ, what have we done to our society?

Actually, according to the ESRB--"E" really means everyone ages 6+ so that would equal a PG rating while "T" is supposedly equals to a "PG-13" rating.

*shrugs* The video game rating system is in need of a reform, but then again you can say the same thing for the TV and Movie systems also.

Giving KD a "T" because of cigarettes is ludicrous especially since I consider the game to be tamer in content than Kingdom Hearts.

And for your enjoyment: Japanese Commercial

And Full Soundtrack. Get it while it's still hot!

[Segaholic2]

Nice. Too bad I already downloaded it somewhere else. :p

[Kishi]

For me, the high point of the game is when your ball is so huge that human beings see it an flee in terror, and then you chase them and slam the ball into them, dazing them long enough for you to absorb them as they contine to scream in fear and protest. And they all do it differently; my favorite is the Japanese punk kid with the exaggerated Japanese punk kid hairdo: "Oh GAWWWWWWD!" The first time you can ever get the ball big enough to do this is in Create a Star 4, and it's such an epiphany the first time you do it.

In fact, rolling up humans is so much fun that I've become turned off from the Creat [Constellation] stages, since so far they're not to that large a scale. It seems more levels won't open up until I do at least some of them, though, so that's that.

Also good is being assaulted by like a cat or cow or some other predator early on in a stage, having a bunch of stuff knocked off your ball, feeling ever vindictive, and then coming back once the katamari is huge and carelessly running over them. That'll teach the bastards.

[Green Gibbon!]

Yeah, I just had my first experience rolling over large groups of screaming people last night, and it was quite satisfying. My favorite is the ring of women around the yacht in stage 6. (Is that where I picked up the mermaid?)

I still think I favor the legos, though, only because you can roll through one half of the construction and the other half remains standing. It's some pretty impressive physics.

[Ngangbius]

In fact, rolling up humans is so much fun that I've become turned off from the Creat [Constellation] stages, since so far they're not to that large a scale. It seems more levels won't open up until I do at least some of them, though, so that's that.

Heh, you know there is a Constellation stage later in the game where...
.
.
.
S
U
R
P
R
I
S
E
.
.
...you get to roll over human females as well as female items(i.e. dolls, statues of girls, mermaids). Needless to say Virgo has became my favorite Constellation stage.

But those Ursa Minor and Taurus levels bites as I can't see a dang bear carving or milk carton when my ball is over 3m. The largest I've bee able to obtain for both stages in a series of several tries is Medium. Meh.

And I just love rolling up the buildings and hearing the people inside scream in terror.