Video game review by ERIK LEIJON

Here is an excerpt from my interview with the star of We § Katamari (PS2/Namco), the King of All Cosmos. Coming off the heels of last year’s surprise hit Katamari Damacy, in which the King accidentally destroyed all the stars in the sky, which could only be fixed by rolling stuff on earth into clumps, the game has the same strange Japanese music and overall weirdness you liked the first time around.

Mirror: So KC, why another Katamari game so soon after the last one?

King of All Cosmos: Why wouldn’t We return for more fun? And revelry? Yes. Last time We only made enough stars for just the Earth. There’s a bigger solar system of cool stuff out there, very pretty.

M: So this game is different from the last because the Prince (the King’s son, who does most of the work) gets to do things for people other than make Katamari, such as roll up a sumo wrestler, or roll a ball of fire around to light up a campfire. Why is the Prince helping out these humans?

KoAC: You say humans, We say loyal followers. These small, excitable humans loved Us so much the first time, We just had to help make their dreams come true. Prince did the job the first time, when the stars were smashed, and now We want to show the humans We like their style and antics, and their fluffy snow.

M: You also added a multiplayer mode in the game, was this to improve the game’s longevity?

KoAC: One person can have a rolling, good, happy time making Katamari. Two people therefore must have an even bigger, more rolling time making Katamari. There are two modes to play, you know? That’s how much power We have. We want you to play co-op with your friends, cohesively, and then battle mode lets you roll up your opponent, contentious individual…

M: So tell me about the quirky Japanese music and references in the game. Why do Westerners find it so intriguing? I’m thinking specifically about the big band intro with dancing robots.

KoAC: Woo, Tangent! Culture, race, language; things like that don’t matter to Us. Katamari is about making huge balls and rolling around. Bigger than that. Talking ducks and dancing robots are an important part of any person’s diet, not that We are calling you fat.

M: What about your flamboyant style? Your headwear is quite unusual and you always wear brightly coloured clothes.

KoAC: When you’re as big as Us, it is hard to find a tailor with enough soft and flashy fabric. Now Prince, He’s only one centimetre tall, He can shop just about anywhere. Waiting for Our tailor to finish, it’s sooooooo boring.

M: After what happened in the first game, are you still drinking?

KoAC: It’s like something out of a dream. We like totally forgot. The sky looked really empty, We thought it was just a black wall, and not that the stars, pretty and bright, were smashed.

M: I guess that answers my question. Thanks.

Festival warning

If you want to go to the Montreal International Game Summit on Nov. 2–3, you have to sign up in advance. Visit the Web site www.montrealgamesummit.com for rates (students and groups get discounts).

You have to buy tickets if you want to go to festival Arcadia too, from Nov. 4–6. Day passes or festival passes can be purchased at the Ticketpro Web site.

I just don’t want you to show up thinking everything’s free.