Beautiful Katamari Exclusive Interview (Page 2 of 3)

GP: Many gamers loved that Katamari was a huge success even though it was a smaller budget title. Are you surprised that it became so big?

KT: Whether or not the game actually had a low budget could be up for discussion, but it definitely had a relatively low budget compared to most big games. We are definitely surprised at how popular the game has become throughout the world.

GP: Have you ever thought about changing the plot entirely? For example, could you ever see the series rolling a photorealistic Katamari through a crowded city street, picking up cars and other real-life objects?

KT: We feel that because of the power the Xbox 360 and other new consoles offer, it is definitely something we could do. But we think that Katamari would probably lose its charm and original style if we went with a photorealistic setting. We don't want to lose what Katamari is, which is the main attraction of the series.

GP: Katamari has received acclaim for being extremely creative. How will that extend to this version?

KT: The previous versions were applauded for being very creative and unique. At first glance at Beautiful Katamari, you will notice things that have stuck pretty closely to previous formulas. You will see small changes here and there, but nothing major.

One area is in the seamless growth of the Katamari, and now there is no loading when your Katamari grows and that keeps you immersed in the world. Gameplay-wise, we're sticking with the same basic formula and it's a difficult tightrope to walk because the idea of Katamari is so pure and simple that we don't want to mess it up.

With Beautiful Katamari we're trying to keep the balance between keeping the game Katamari and adding to the game just for the sake of making it next-gen. We are making lots of improvements to the Katamari experience, but keeping it the core Katamari that everyone knows and loves, optimized for the Xbox 360.

GP: What are your plans for downloadable content via Xbox Live?

KT: This is definitely something we are looking at, and one of the things that we'd like to do is have new objects, cousins, and presents available for download. We're also looking into having entire stages available for download in the future. So it's definitely something we're investigating and hope to achieve.

Comments [0]

post a comment

Post a Comment