Like Electorplankton, Katamary Damacy and Nobi Nobi Boy mastermind Keita Takahashi made his start outside of video games. Before he began developing surreal explosions of colour and ridiculousness for Namco, Takahashi studied sculpture, and the tactile, object-based exploration of environments is what Katamari Damacy and Nobi Nobi Doy are all about. Katamari is probably the most popular one, though. Katamari Damacy was another of the games included at that 2012 exhibit at the New York Museum Of Modern Art, specifically praising the game for its quirky manipulations of scale that makes it accessible for all ages. Again, that's viewing it from a purely design sensibility. And like the paintbrush in Okami, being able to interact with the world of Katamari by rolling them all up in a big ball is what stops it from just being aesthetically pretty. But the design is also very important, existing in the same continuum of Takashi Murakami's superflat school, awhich takes the look of manga and anime to an extreme. Katamari's almost a commentary on Japanese design and culture.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
