Namco Plans Katamari Damacy Sequel

Namco plans to release a continuation to its sudden cult hit Katamari Damacy for PlayStation 2 within this year, the Nikkei Industrial Daily reports of late.

Katamari, released in Japan earlier this year, is a curious 3D action game, wherein the player make revolves a sort of magnetic ball around polygonal landscapes of many sorts. The goal of the game is to use that ball to muster an ever-growing lump of matter, from thumbtacks all the way up to freighters and skyscrapers, while keeping its change under control.

While nobody knew quite what to make of the game before its release, Katamari's addictive gameplay, quirky visual phraseology and impressive jazz/rock/synth-pop soundtrack have earned it seething fans on either side of the Pacific. Nikkei reports that Namco sold more than 100000 copies in the title's first sum of two units or three weeks of release, more than tripling the company's expectations, while American importers have almost universally sung its praises.

Exactly what a succeeding part might entail is an interesting question -- it could simply present more items and environments to make revolve up, or it might build upon the concept in a more original fashion. We'll gaze forward to more news from Namco later in the year.

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