Round-Up: Katamari 2, Sun Composer, Square's E3, Mulligan's Departure

Author: by Nich Maragos, Simon Carless

- The sequel to 2004's surprise hit Katamari Damacy has been officially announced for the U.S., undergoing a name change from Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy ("Everyone Loves Katamari Damacy") to We Love Katamari in its trip across the ocean. The game's storyline seems to mirror the game's actual creation: the King of All Cosmos attracted fans from all over the globe in returning the stars to their position in the sky, and now those fans want more rolling action, so the King and his diminuitive son the Prince team up to give it to them. We Love Katamari is scheduled for release in the second half of 2005, at an unknown price point. - Webzen, the developer of the upcoming MMORPG Sun, has signed film composer Howard Shore to pen the game's soundtrack. Notable scores from Shore in the past have included The Silence of the Lambs, Gangs of New York, and especially the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which presumably was the impetus for Webzen to seek Shore's talents. Shore's soundtrack will be recorded by the National Philharmonic of Russia, under the direction of conductor of Vladimir Spivakov. Sun is planned for release for the PC in Q4 2005. - Square Enix has officially announced its list of games it will show at next month's E3 Expo. Among the highlights of the extensive number of titles the company will be showing - the action-based side story Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII for PlayStation 2, the already massive in Japan Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for PS2, the Disney-licensed Kingdom Hearts II for PS2, the Final Fantasy VII Advent Children CG movie, and an early look at Final Fantasy XII for PlayStation 2. - Jessica Mulligan, the Turbine Entertainment executive producer recently interviewed by Gamasutra, has confirmed that she will leave the Asheron's Call creators effective today, for unspecified new opportunities. The newest expansion pack for the title, named Asheron's Call: Throne of Destiny, was also delayed until July 18th in the same announcement, but Mulligan clarified, after thanking her co-workers and team: "Before the conspiracy theorists drown out the rest of us, this is in no way connected with the launch delay discussed above." - Also updated today: product news involving Illusion's use of the Meqon physics engine, as well as newly updated jobs from Activision, Blue Fang Games, Heavy Iron Studios, Mind Control Software, Pandemic Studios, Rockstar North, Rockstar San Diego, Saber Interactive, and Ubisoft Shanghai.