Finally a 2004 recap of interest.
Here’s the skinny on the winner… read on for the rest!
Katamari Damacy - 2004’s Watchword For Innovation?
Although it was, perhaps, obvious, the overwhelming choice of most of the respondents was Namco’s ‘object aggregation simulator’ Katamari Damacy. An astounding 75 percent of commenters mentioned the PlayStation 2 title at least once, and it’s obvious that the completely unconventional gameplay, in which the lead character rolls a ball around, sticking objects in the game world to it, as the ball increases in size and more objects can be accumulated. Here are a selection of the many responses praising the innovation of the title:
Katamari Damacy, hands down. Unique concept. Unique gameplay. Solid execution. And most important of all, it was _fun_.
- Vince Dickinson, EA Tiburon
I don’t think you can use the words “creative,” “games,” and “2004″ without saying “Katamari Damacy.” This is simply a wonderful, original game that players of all ages can understand and, most importantly, enjoy. I was shocked with how simple yet engaging the game is. The premise is, as far as I know, completely new, and certainly the execution of the game is unique. I consider one of Katamari Damacy’s biggest accomplishments to be its reinvigoration of an arcade-style gameplay mechanic by utilizing simple controls to realize progress in the game. It’s all about the controls!
- Eric Ellenberg, Georgie Institute of Technology
Katamari Damacy, of course! 
A drunken king? Recreating the stars out of balls of trash? Who could ask for anything more?
- Mark DeLoura
Katamari Damacy - you take a simple mechanic such as rolling a ball, and somehow pick up this multilayered dynamic as you abstractly roll over it. Each layer increases your range of challenges. Plus, each layer rewards you in the simplest of ways: “Oh! I caught a cow!” “Oh! I caught a bikini girl!” “Oh, now I can get that Giant Squid that was bullying me before!” “Oh!!! I caught a rainbow!”
- Nat Loh, Mechanical Butterfly Studios LLC
Katamari Damacy. I’ve never been so addicted to complete stupidity at any other point in my life.
- Anonymous
Katamari Damacy was easily the most creative game of 2004. The gameplay was simple but addictive. Just being able to market a game where the object is to roll EVERYTHING up into a giant ball is amazing.
- Chris Allen, Volition
The one game that immediately springs to mind is Katamari Damacy for the Playstation 2. The graphics were simple, the gameplay was simple, but the concept was extremely unique. Sure, there was the jazzy music and the incredible sense of scale one got in the later levels (you could eventually pick up towering scyscrapers and even land-masses with your ball, though you would start relatively small each time), but just the idea of rolling around, picking things up, and making your ball grow was entertaining and extremely unique.
- Matthew Thomas, University Of Montana
Katamari Damacy, because it didn’t limit itself by obsessing over the guns, the photorealism or the IP of others. Think about it - what do any of those have to do with creativity?
Xbox 2 set to feature removable hard drive - reports
