A bit fuzzy around the edges
Still enjoying the hell out of We Love Katamari. I was a little sad to learn this news, though (from the BBC):
He cannot see a long-term future in making games. Instead the creator of the bizarre, surreal Katamari Damacy game wants to design playgrounds.
"In 10 years time, I am not going to be making games any more," Keita Takahashi told the BBC News website.
I can understand wanting to get out. Katamari Damacy was lightning in a bottle, the kind of game we don't see much from American studios: an original idea that's not a sequel, not some lame retread of a movie, nor an "extreme" version of anything.
Once upon a time, you could build a game with a knowledge of binary, machine language, a circuit board, and a soldering iron. Now it requires focus testing, major licenses, studio backing, hundreds of people, and a couple jillion dollars. I keep hearing rumors of Sony wanting games with budgets of $20 million. Microsoft is probably thinking the same, though the Nintendo Revolution may be a lot cheaper as a platform.
Ten years is a lot of time for Takahashi-san. Japan's gaming industry is certainly more diverse than Americas has been recently. (How many other countries would invent both hentai dating sims, Hello Kitty RPGs, and masterworks like KD or Ico? Also, if you haven't played Ico, go. Play it. I'll be here making snarky comments about Lost.)
