Catherine (PS3/XBOX 360)

[drekkard]

Hi, after having read and watched some things about this game, I decided to give it a go and bought it on the PSN Store this weekend. I haven't found any thread about it, and it comes as a surprise, given the quality of the game. Maybe people is thrown off by the anime style, or the puzzle nature of part of the gameplay. But really, that's one of the best titles I've played in a long time.

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The story and settings are very original, the production values are great and there's a lot of creativity put into even the smallest details. It's a great game that plays very well and entertains at the same time.

As for the game itself, it's a blend of anime, adventure and puzzle game. The puzzles are great and difficult, and once you get how it plays, it's one of those "one more try and I go to sleep" games where you end up awake until very late. Did I say it's quite difficult, too? Personally, I can't stand most of today games, where there's no challenge. Challenge and reward go together, and there's a lot of challenge and reward in this game.

I can only recommend it to whoever that seems interested. I'm about 90% of the game and the story has been entertaining, fun and really a breath of fresh air. I have yet to see if there is a lot of replay value, but even if there wasn't, the great time I've spent up to now justifies the price for me.

I don't know why, but while occidental games are, in average, much better than japanese games, they lack the creative factor. It's not a surprise to me that the best games I've played in the last 6 months have been japanese: Dark souls and Catherine.

 

[gerd]

I've read a lot about this game Alex.
I agree that it is one of the more original and creative games.
Maybe i would buy it later, but right at the moment i'm full of SSX that is coming out march 2. It's my favourite game franchise and i've had to wait 7 years for a next-gen version...
I've had soooo much fun with this games.

But yes Catherine seems a very good game...Aren't the puzzles too difficult?

 

[drekkard]

Well, the longevity will depend on your skills. I'm quite used to difficult games and I think the first walkthrough of the single player experience will be about 12 hours. There are lots of cinematics, but I loved them all.

I know there are bonus modes when you finish the story, and there are other things to do. Plus, you can try to play the game again and choose completely different paths (there are some morale choices along the way), but I don't know if this has a real impact other than a different ending (there are 8).

I too think games are expensive, this was an impulsive buy with my wife but we don't regret at all. Anyway, that's a game you will either love or hate, so if you have doubts about its quality or lasting value, you can rent it and if you like it pay homage to the developers by buying it when a cheap version comes out (if it happens).

If it were a 20$ game, It would be heresy not to buy it!

@Gerd: About difficulty, it really depends on every person. I like challenges. I can't stand games that you only have to play them to get to the finish. I like mind challenges a lot, and this game really poses a threat to your mind now and then. Though only once in the full story I have been forced to switch off the console and come back later.

So, considering I'm playing in "Normal" difficulty, you may consider it difficult. There's also some issues with controls in some specific situations, specially at the beginning, but as you progress they stop getting in your way.

In Catherine, difficulty is not based on skill, but on strategy, so if you ever get stuck, you can always go to Internet and find the solution, that's for sure. Personally, I'm of the old school of gamers. I will stop playing and think for it during the day, and when I come back home I put the game again and I find the solution myself, even if I have to spend twenty minutes to move a single block of the puzzle. Playing this way the rewards are bigger!

 

[gerd]

That is almost completely the opposite of the way i play games Alex. Although with this type of games i might act like you.
When the games are more about hand/eye coördination or on other skills i'm usually very lousy at them. I must be one of the lousiest players on this site. To me those sort of games are pure escapism. While playing PES or FIFA i want to feel like Messi or Guardiola or at least like some overachiever ( i tend to play with lesser teams). When i play Forza Motorsport i frequently use the rewind option and don't feel bad about it...

I want to have fun and not feeling frustration...

 

[Radiation]

I got this a few weeks ago on import from Granger Games. I never knew they sold imports!

I really enjoyed it, the story alone kept me interested and even though it is quite cut scene heavy like MGS could be. They story and the manga style is really enjoyable and it never felt like a chore sitting through them.

I can imagine that some would play it, see that the basic game is just sit watch some scenes, pull some blocks, watch more scenes. But it's just pure simple fun.

I played it on easy on my first play and that has a rewind option so if you screw up you can instantly rewind 1 step at a time (I think there is a limit) and with the combination of checkpoints and the levels not being that long... it wasn't a pain re trying the more difficult sections. Late in the game I did hit some tough levels and it was only after about 20 attempts that my brain said "i wonder if i can ... oh shit! that worked!" and i got past it.


[story spoilers]

Spoiler

I'll be vague just in case someone clicks this out of curiosity and would regret having it spoiled.

I was slightly disappointed with how the story wrapped up... the mystery of it all was great, who was this girl, what would happen with catherine, who was behind it all!?. But then it kind of felt a little silly when they revealed it.

Still... I had a blast playing it and every other game I had went on hold once I started playing. It really did have that 'one more level' feel.
Atlus are rapidly becoming one of my favourite dev/publishers.