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Was Noby Noby Boy misunderstood by the gaming masses? Creator Keita Takahashi seems to think so, as he believes the game's limited resources didn't fully realize his vision. "Ultimately, with Noby Noby Boy, I wanted to break the barriers between toy and game," Takahashi explained to Develop. "But for me personally, a bit more could have been done to the game. I'm not completely satisfied with the game, in terms of quality, due to the restrictions on budgets."

Takahashi, famous for his work on the original Katamari Damacy, has been surprisingly forthcoming on Noby's budget (or lack thereof). Had Takahashi been given additional resources he believes the game would have reached a much larger audience. "I won't go in to what I wanted to add to the game, because that's a really long list of things, but as an overall assessment, I think the game could have been much more detailed and easier for everyone to understand."

It appears Noby's shortcomings won't stop Takahashi from working on an even crazier design. Already, he's thinking of a new project, one that "is even harder to explain than Noby Noby Boy." Fans of Takahashi's works wouldn't want it any other way -- but we wonder if publisher Namco Bandai will embrace an even more experimental game.

Namco has released one last trailer for Katamari Forever to coincide with its release this week. Once again, the questionably-sober hand puppets return to talk about why they think Katamari Forever is the best Katamari game yet. It's a surreal video that makes us feel like we're watching Adult Swim while, um, eating brownies -- something Katamari creator Keita Takahashi claims he doesn't do. After watching this trailer, we're not entirely sure we believe him.

Namco Bandai has announced that their upcoming PS3 exclusive Katamari Forever has gone gold. That means it's done. Finished. Kaput.

The upcoming Blu-ray release will retail for $49.99, which is about 17% cheaper than the average PS3 game, and about 250% more than what we wanted to pay for the game. While Forever promises a good deal of content and a variety of visual filters, we're not entirely sure if PS3 owners are willing to pay such a high premium on what is, essentially, an HD remix of past Katamari games. The temptation of an easy Platinum may attract Trophy hunters, but we have a feeling many of you will be skipping on this release until the (inevitable) price drop.

Alongside the Japanese release of Katamari Forever, andriasang.com reports that a demo is rolling out on the Japanese PSN tomorrow. While we're sure this information is particularly useful to our Japanese readers, it should also come in handy for those of you who have "friends" with a Japanese PSN account.

For those that have somehow steered clear of the delightful madness that is Katamari Forever, this new entry in the series includes spiffy graphical filters, SIXAXIS support and some new twists on the classic Katamari gameplay. You can read all about it in our recent preview. Or, if you'd rather, you can just listen to some puppets explain it.

Utilizing the most epic form of storytelling -- the hand puppet -- this new commercial from Japan sheds some light on the upcoming Katamari Forever game. Two animal puppets guide us through a series of gameplay clips, showing off some more of KF's classic levels (most seem to come from We Love Katamari, such as the Snowman and Race Track levels).

Katamari Forever will hit Japan on the 23rd of next month, while a worldwide release hasn't yet been determined. But don't worry, it shouldn't be too long before the game rolls our way.

In the photo above you'll see Kelly Farrell -- and she's a hell of a lot smarter than us. The twentysomething created, with the help of hacking collective NYC Resistor, a Katamari Damacy controller that uses a real ball. The big silver metal ball uses an optical mouse along with [technical jargon goes here] to make a very cool controller.

Originally, Kelly wanted to use a full-sized yoga ball, but the rubber was too resistant and didn't play well with the other components. Check out her video after the break to get a more detailed explanation of how it all works.

Can you spot the difference between the four Katamari Damacy Tribute images seen above? All four pictures showcase a different visual filter used in the game, and according to Siliconera, this change in art style and appearance can be adjusted by the player. The four filters are: classic, colored pencil, wood grain and cel-shaded.

Now, the question is: Which image corresponds to the right filter? We could just tell you, but we thought you'd have more fun playing a guessing game. So which one is which? Answers are after the break, no peeking!

Did Noby Noby Boy whet your appetite for more quirky Japanese magic? Keita Takahashi's original ball-rolling creation is returning in a brand new PS3 game, Katamari Damacy Tribute. According to Siliconera, the new title will be presented in full 1080p HD and will feature a "new visual presentation." The soundtrack features remixes from previous titles, which in conjunction with the title, suggests the Tribute may be a hodgepodge of previous games in the series.

Stay tuned for more details.

Two things surprise us about Namco Bandai's announced Tokyo Game Show lineup: the complete dearth of Katamari titles and, coincidentally, the inclusion of Katamari creator Keita Takahashi's Nobi Nobi Boy for PlayStation 3, a title we haven't heard about since October 2007. According to the publisher (via Siliconera), the game (the title literally translates to "Stretch Stretch Boy") will be shown in video form only, a bit surprising considering the playable prototype that appeared last year at GameCity.

Namco Bandai's lineup includes 29 titles, including Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm and the multiplatform Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2. Interestingly, the publisher is also showing off four PlayStation 2 titles, edging out Sony's support of PS2 at this TGS by a margin of 4 to 0.

Digital Unrest's Chris Simmons originally made this comic in April 2006, and we subsequently crashed his servers. The strip has bee remade this week with new art and, given that it never got a fair shot last time, we're going to throw it in again this week. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Chris. Here are our picks for the week's best game-related webcomic. Polling after the break; be sure to vote for your favorite!

Orderly Debate (Digital Unrest)
The World May Never Know (Fanboys Online)
Bluetooth Headset (CAD Minis)
For Your Consideration (Penny Arcade)
Rupees Cannot Buy Hearts (MNC)
The Fundamental Theorem of War (2P Start)
Anguish (Penny Arcade)
Giving Birth (Castle Vidcons)

(Not game-related, but make sure you read PVP Online's five-part FoxTrot/Family Circus "tribute")

Katamari Damacy rolled onto the gaming scene in 2004, bristling with the unanticipated fury of a budget title with mass-market appeal. Damacy's success and popularity in the United States, where it has quickly achieved a devoted cult following, is remarkable for a game that's so distinctly ... Japanese. However, anyone who's played the game can instantly grasp the appeal -- a delicious layer of charm coats the inner goodness of straightforward, addictive gameplay, and that's why Katamari Damacy is this week's game that is Born for Wii.

When the irresistibly alluring, slightly fruity King of All Cosmos accidentally destroys the heavens, his solution is a novel one -- roll up piles of junk and send them skyward to replace the fallen stars. Fortunately for us, he's far too lazy to do the grunt work himself. And that's where we come in as the tiny Prince, charged with the daunting task of restoring the stars to the sky with the aid of a magical ball (a katamari, of course) that sticks to damn near everything.

It's been a very long time since we've heard anything about Beautiful Katamari and the Wii. And, seeing as how the game has been out on Xbox 360 for quite some time now, we were done thinking that it would ever grace Nintendo's console. Thanks to select retailers' online shops, however, hope is slowly being restored.

Major retail chains Target and Wal-Mart are both listing the game on their respective websites, while Buy.com lists the game with the same price ($29.99), but states it's "temporarily sold out." Even rental service Gamefly has a section up for a Wii and PS3 version of the game.

So, what's the deal? Who knows at this point, but the Wal-Mart page points to an August 29th release, so perhaps we'll hear something soon? We're not going to get our hopes up like before, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't want this to happen.

[Thanks, Zack!]

Read - Wal-Mart listing
Read - Target listing
Read - Buy.com listing
Read - Gamefly listing

Katamari Damacy meets Day of the Dead, care of Nicolas Caesar Scary-Art.com (thanks, brian). Can we call him Prince of All Dying Stars? Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
DS Fanboy Lite: Feb. 23 - Feb. 29
Joystiq interview: Crystal Dynamics' Lindstrom talks Tomb Raider: Underworld
Joystiq Podcast 039 - Leap year edition
Metareview: Patapon (PSP)
This Week in DLC: Sucking up Triggerheart Exelica

News
Ironclad's Sins sells more than 100,000 in less than a month
SCi plans radical restructuring with mass layoffs and project cancellations
Call of Duty 4 feature patch is now live
See the Battlefield Heroes debut trailer
GDC08: First screenshots of Mirror's Edge
Eidos returns to open water with Battlestations: Pacific
Borders Books testing game sales in London
Trism brings tilt-sensitive puzzle gaming to iPhone
Rock Band Weekly: Grateful Dead six-pack
Sony reveals Home integration for Resistance, Uncharted, Warhawk
Pong creator Nolan Bushnell working on MMO
Take-Two: More companies want to buy us
US/Euro MGS4 lacks Japanese voice over tracks
Rocketmen blast off onto XBLA, PSN next week
Major League Eating crammed into WiiWare
Future Futurama flick features extra Xbox episode
Voice of Marcus Fenix talks Gears of War 2
Street Fighter IV test machines in Japan, features Sagat and Balrog
Former EA exec: Kotick's WoW remark meant to scare competition

Rumors & Speculation
Rumor: Lost Odyssey sequels on the way

Culture & Community
GDC '08 breaks attendance record, press may need invite next year
Game Developers Choice Awards on G4 tonight
Jason Ocampo leaves Gamespot for IGN

Microsoft Europe's Xbox community manager Graeme Boyd dropped a "wee" note on his blog this morning to let everyone know that only Xbox Live Silver members can download the Beautiful Katamari demo (released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand just yesterday). Yep, you paying folk will have to wait.

Boyd assures us that the situation will soon be resolved (maybe it already is), meaning, Gold members will get the exclusive access they've been promised, and Silver members will be back on the outside looking in. But, for the moment, all you freeloaders should revel in this brief episode of trading places.

It seems that Katamari Damacy continues to roll on, inspiring imitators and homages long after the original title's release. This time, it seem everyone's favorite clump of souls has rolled onto cable television, with the Cartoon Network program Chowder presenting an extended Katamari-esque sequence involving a rather large piece of bubblegum.

Chowder is the latest in a long line of original Cartoon Network animated shows, created by the mind behind Spongebob Squarepants and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. The show is about an apprentice cook named Chowder. In fact, every character is named after food. There's a girl named Panini. Panini. We think that's just awesome.

[Thanks, Mark]