Famitsu Details Catherine Multiplayer (and Other Things)

John Funk

U.N. Owen Was Him?
Dec 20, 2005
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Famitsu Details Catherine Multiplayer (and Other Things)

Now you can tackle the climbing of giant monumental towers - that may or may not represent fears of the male psyche - while simultaneously crushing your friends.

Atlus' erotic horror title Catherine is a very weird game [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106031-Erotic-Thriller-Catherine-Gameplay-Detailed-Remains-Bizarre]. Telling the story of a thirtysomething salaryman Vincent caught between his girlfriend Katherine and a mysterious and coquettish girl named Catherine - and bizarre and inexplicable deaths of local men - Catherine's gameplay seems to revolve around climbing block towers to escape being devoured. No, I don't get it either.

A demo is scheduled to hit PSN and Xbox Live in Japan later today, and Famitsu has detailed the game's, uh, details - as helpfully translated by Andriasang [http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/01/27/catherine_modes/]. In an unexpected twist, the game will have online multiplayer of the competitive ariety, which (unless I'm mistaken) is a first for one of Atlus' main story-driven titles.

The main menu screen of Catherine offers four choices: Golden Theater, Babel, Colosseum and Configuration. Of those, Configuration should be obvious. Golden Theater is the game's main story mode, which chronicles Vincent's struggle between Catherine and Katherine - a fate which is ultimately decided by the player's choices. Playing the game on Easy will apparently allow for a "Redo" function, which is something that I've always wished I could have in my life.

Babel mode is a stand-alone version of the game's action sections, which revolve around Vincent climbing towers made of blocks to try and escape his nightmare. Players unlock Babel stages by progression in the main story mode, and can compete for the best times on online leaderboards - and apparently take on these towers in a two-player mode.

I'm not clear how that two-player Babel differs from the Colosseum mode, which Andriasang describes as "a competitive mode where two players challenge the game's action stages simultaneously." Players need to balance speed in climbing with methods of hindering their opponent from doing the same. The first person to win two rounds wins the match - kind of like Street Fighter with more sexual symbolism. This mode is unlocked once you've beaten the main story.

Famitsu also detailed one of the more bizarre (and intriguing) concepts in Catherine, the Confession Room. When Vincent reaches the top of a stage, he's asked a multiple-choice question, and the player's response determines how he advances. Given the game's subject matter, presumably these are more relativistic questions about morality and sexuality rather than factual questions like "What is the capital of Zaire, Vincent?"

If players are connected online, they will be able to see how their Confession Room answers compare to the rest of the gaming populace - and can break it down by gender of the player, as well.

Catherine is a very strange game, and it seems like the more I read about it, the more confused I get. Hopefully we'll learn more concrete details with the impending demo. If not, it's out in Japan on February 17th, and out in the West ... sometime. Maybe. We don't know. Please?

For the record, the answer is "Kinshasa." Just in case it comes up.

(Andriasang [http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/01/27/catherine_modes/])

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Infernoshadow211

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Nov 18, 2009
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I still don't know if this is a really cool or really weird game, but I do know that I have to get it if it comes out in the states.
 

ddq5

I wonder what the character limi
Jun 18, 2009
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I have no idea why I want this game. But I do. I guess it's "just crazy enough to work". Multiplayer doesn't really interest me, but hopefully it'll get a reasonable US release date.
 
Apr 28, 2008
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Please come out in the West, please come out in the West...

Or East, its all relative really.
 

Fiz_The_Toaster

books, Books, BOOKS
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Jan 19, 2011
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This game is so bizarre and confusing that I must play it, so I really hope this comes out here.

It kinda reminds me what games were on the Dreamcast.
 

RedEyesBlackGamer

The Killjoy Detective returns!
Jan 23, 2011
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Don't worry, John. The more western news outlets keep bringing up the game and generating pub. the better the chance of a Western release. Besides, why keep Vincent's cameo in the English release of P3P if they weren't planning on a western release? That would be a cruel joke on us.
 

icyneesan

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Feb 28, 2010
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I really hope this comes out in the West/East in a uncensored format with original voicing options, every time I read news about this I just get more and more hyped :p

John Funk said:
Now you can tackle the climbing of giant monumental towers - that may or may not represent fears of the male psyche - while simultaneously crushing your friends.
Or what me and my friends call 'Thursday Night'
 

d3structor

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Jul 28, 2009
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I dont even need this to come out in the west, just to come out with english subtitles. (crosses fingers)
 

Jumplion

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Mar 10, 2008
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I swear, I will start a million friggin' stupid-ass petition to get this game distributed outside of Japan, this game is intriguing the hell out of me. Atlus does their stories right, I have complete faith that that part of the game will be great.

Please, Atlus? Pwwwwweeeeaaassssseeeee?
 

SilverUchiha

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Dec 25, 2008
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This game looks intriguing yet stupid at the same time. However, being intriguing outweighs most any negative quality, so I still want to play it and try this sucker out. Every bit of news I get about it just makes it appeal even more.
 

RatRace123

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Dec 1, 2009
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I don't understand a lick of what goes on with this game, but the incredible weirdness is enticing.

I must play it.
 

elricik

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Nov 1, 2008
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Please, please, PLEASE, let this game come out in the U.S. Every article or video I see interests me more and more!
 

Bara_no_Hime

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Sep 15, 2010
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John Funk said:
Catherine is a very strange game, and it seems like the more I read about it, the more confused I get. Hopefully we'll learn more concrete details with the impending demo. If not, it's out in Japan on February 17th, and out in the West ... sometime. Maybe. We don't know. Please?
Everything by Altus I've played, I've loved.

I bow down to all the gods - please, let this game be released, uncensored, in the West. Please. Pretty please with sugar on top?

I feel like I should make some sort of sexual joke here, but... well, the game sort of does that already, so... yeah....
 

Defense

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Oct 20, 2010
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I'm sorry for ignoring your games for so long Atlus, just release this in America and I swear I'll be a better customer.
 

Ekim Takusan

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Nov 13, 2010
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I love Atlus (mostly the Shin Megami Tensei universe) but this game has me scratching my head more often then it should. Every time I see new releases about what Catherine is the more questions I come away with. I just hope they don't handle the action/tower gameplay the way they did in Baroque. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque_(video_game)

That game left me deeply confused in a bad way.
 

AgDr_ODST

Cortana's guardian
Oct 22, 2009
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Oh Great gaming Gods above(and Atlus) pleeeeease quit tormenting us and release this game for American audiences. I absolutely must play it! I mean seriously every time thiers news it just confuses, intrigues confounds and even ever slightly scares me....I can't say it enough Its gotta be released in the US, they don't even need English audio, subtitles to the japanese spoken word will be more than enough