We need more "quirky" games!!

[Lainehart]

I recently obtained a US copy of Katamari Damacy, seeing as I live in Australia - I was lucky that I even found it... and now I love it to bits!

For those that don't know, Katamari Damacy follows the adventures of a little green Prince who is trying to replace all the stars in the sky, which had been stolen (yep, just like that... stolen)
Assuming control of our 5cm, mallet-head-shaped hero, you must roll around your "Katamari" (I think it means sticky ball, correct me if not) and attach things to it until it is big enough to replace a star.
Of course, the bigger your Katamari - the bigger the objects you can pick up... eventually people, cars, walls, everything can be picked up!!

It's these kind of original concepts and downright quirky stylings that need to make residence in the western world... I urge anyone who wants to try something new, wierd and refreshing to rent or buy a copy of Katamari Damacy and check it out for themselves...

People may or may not agree with me, but I definitely think that more foreign (especially Japanese) game developers need to stick their necks out and try to sell in the US, UK and so on. If not, then more of our developers should at least go out and make something spontaneous and original!

Well maybe a little of what I just rambled on about makes sense...

Meh

Well I only just realised there was a Katamari thread going already... I suppose that don't matter too much since I wasn't trying to focus solely on Katamari

...

I like rice

...

Don't double-post, use the edit/delete button instead. ~Void

[Shoeberto]

Katamari Damacy is pretty much the most innovative game concept anyone's seen in a looong time. Unfortunately, most companies go with what they know is going to sell rather than experimenting with new concepts, which is why there's so little innovation like this. But when you think about the budget that goes into games (often times moreso than a movie) it's not suprising that investors want to take the safe route.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

Since there already is a Katamari Damacy thread out there, I'm going to treat this as the topic of quirkier, more innovative games.

I do agree with that, I do think more game makers need to break out of the mold and try different things. However, as noted by Hsu, it's a big risk on the part of game makers, what if the game flops? Katamari Damacy's success is pretty amazing, it's quickly become a cult favorite hear in the US, enough to warrant a sequel with the title "We Love Katamari" (scaled down from the original Japanese "Everybody Loves Katamari Damacy). While some companies may want to try to capitalize on its success with their own quirky games, it is a huge risk as to deciding what kind of quirkiness will be loved, and what will be hated.

[Xander]

I think Toejam and Earl/Toejam and Earl II are *very* quirky. ^_^

[XxSephirothxX]

I thought Toejam and Earl II was a sort-of average platformer, but I absolutely loved the original. It was wacky but a total blast. The weirdest game I've ever played, however, was Cubivore. You get hump points.

[Madame Adequate]

Intelligent Qube, Irritating Stick, Nobody Can Stop Mr. Domino, Donkey Konga... there are quirky games out there, but they're sadly quite rare. Most are content to follow the standard patterns for their genre. I can't really think of ANY quirky games for the PC, not since things like Day Of The Tentacle and Grim Fandango, at least.

Katamari Damacy is quite a wonderful example of successful quirkiness, though. Everyone really does <3 it.

[Lainehart]

I've never actually played Toejam and Earl... I guess I'm too young
I realise that it's a big risk to be quirky, but if everyone just dabbled with a few ideas
and got the public to test em out, it'd be a big help.
Some game companies are getting the idea though, I can recall that quite a few of them have compulsory "idea submissions"... basically meaning everybody employed in that company has to think of a new idea for a game every day/week/month or whatever it may be.
Hehe, Katamari inspired me to make a really far out RPG... I'll tell y'all if I ever get anywhere with it!

*Edit: "Get anywhere with it" meaning "get anywhere near finishing it"

[Xander]

I thought Toejam and Earl II was a sort-of average platformer, but I absolutely loved the original. It was wacky but a total blast. The weirdest game I've ever played, however, was Cubivore. You get hump points.

I can't think of any average platformer where you catch humans, dance to a beatbox, get points jumping on fungus and so on with the fun things. TJ and E II is an innovative platformer..I think. But I suppose the first was more quirky in general.

[Polnareff]

Stretch Panic on PS2 is a pretty quirky game. It's this game where you use a demon scarf to snap....breasts. That's right, breasts. Plus, some of the enemies with breasts do some pretty hilarious things with them, such as using them as propellers, bouncing on them, and stuff like that.

Conker's Bad Fur Day on N64 is a really raunchy game, but it can be somewhat quirky sometimes.

[Cless]

Rez for the PS2 and Dreamcast was a very quirky game. It made the grand claim of "taking you to synaesthesia" (synaesthesia being the neurological mixing of the senses), through using sight, sound, and rumble in sync. They even brought out this thing in Japan called the Trance Vibrator, which you would sit on to enchance the "rumble" aspect, thus bringing you deeper into "synaesthesia". It's quite a surreal experience playing it, although underneath all the babble, it's basically a very simple on-rail shooter. And one that you could complete in about two or three hours.

But, it's more of an "experience" than a game, and for all it's length; what an experience. It can induce a trance like state quite easily, with it's hynotic visuals, pulsating techno music and rumble all moving in sync. It looks like turd in screenshots, as the graphics are wireframe, but it has to be seen to be believed. I remember it wasn't recieved that well by critics, and it only sold something like two copies. Though, credit to it for attempting something different in this world of GTA clones and samey "genre" games.

Rez, I salute you!

[Lainehart]

Agreed, Rez is coolies! In fact, when you think about it there are some really good, really quirky games out there... they're just so damn hard to find! I guess that's because people are afraid to try new things and the games just end up rotting in some two dollar store...

I recently found a copy of ICO in an actual two dollar store! It was sitting there on a table... I asked the guy at the counter why they were selling a PS2 game in a two dollar store and he told me they'd picked up a heap of copies that an electronics store threw out... how lucky I felt that day, especially when I got home and played it!!!
Now, I don't know if you can call ICO 'quirky' or 'far out' but one thing it definitely has going for it is 'original' and 'stunning'... I love ICO to bits now!!!

[Sepho]

Game developers have to make money, and they're more likely to make money if they produce a product that the masses will buy into, so sadly, there's not much incentive these days to try anything new. My thanks goes to developers who are willing to be innovative.

Ape Escape is one of my favorite games - I was playing it at 3 this morning. I love how they decided to use the analog sticks to control the way the net swings, and just the overall concept is quirky and fresh (you go around netting monkeys that are all being controlled by one, genius monkey. The goal is to catch this genius monkey and turn him back into a poopslinging chimp).

Man, I wish I knew where my copy of ICO was.

[Lainehart]

Ooh, I remember Ape Escape! Spiky-haired man chases flashing light-topped monkeys and gets yours truly absolutely hooked! Good example of a "mainstream" formula being reinvented. Can anyone recommend some really good, original games? I finish most of my games within a night - so something fresh and different that I haven't yet played would be awesome... I have every console from SEGA and Nintendo (bar the DC, DS and GCN) and a PS1/PS2 (oh and of course a not-so-much-of-a-console PC)

[Chris]

The Ren & Stimpy Show: Stimpy's Invention is the quirkiest game of all times!