Catherine Review

Alphakirby

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AbstractStream said:
Alphakirby said:
AbstractStream said:
RedEyesBlackGamer said:
snip.
Yeah,Normal is still hard as hell.
I got my deluxe edition today (Fuck Amazon,you're fast!) and I'm currently wearing the "Empty" shirt that came with it. I'm on stage 4 already which means I'm halfway there.
I agree. If normal is like this, can't imagine difficult. You really must be a masochist to play on that difficulty.
I managed to sneak in some gameplay yesterday and the second stage got me for a bit. It took some getting used to. After that, honestly I have no idea what I did, but I kept climbing so that's a good thing. (I'm on stage 4 as well ^^)
Now I'm regretting not getting the deluxe edition. Damn!
The joke is that the description for hard mode is basically saying that it's only for masochists so what you said fits the bill. Two trophies nobody in existence will get are the trophy for getting a gold award on every stage in hard mode and the trophy for getting all the tropies. (Yeah I have the PS3 version,but I like my PS3 damnit!)
 

Kasawd

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I've tucked into the game on normal difficulty. Several hours in and I'm enjoying it, immensely. While the puzzles are simple, in theory, the unique block obstacles and scattered questions lend the game a feel of progress while everything slowly goes to hell, on the storytelling end of things.

Ever since playing the .Hack games on the PS2, I've appreciated a game willing to give you mundane tasks to break up the gameplay(Though, to be honest, it seems rather spare), whether it be by e-mail or texting.
 

Catolf

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mikev7.0 said:
Catolf said:
mikev7.0 said:
Susan Arendt said:
mikev7.0 said:
Susan Arendt said:
RedEyesBlackGamer said:
Susan Arendt said:
Catolf said:
Susan Arendt said:
Catolf said:
Oh wow, great score and great review to boot? *o*

Catherine is definitely not a game for everyone, and your making me re-think playing easy mode and going for normal, which is both intimidating and crazy to me, but dammit.. I think.. i can do this.. lol
Stick with it! I promise you, you'll get better as you go. I struggled for aaaaages on the second boss, and then went back and did it in one try when capturing footage for this review. I was like "Huh...I can't remember what I found so hard about this."
Okay, I'll play it on normal.. i hope I don't pull my hair out. lol
Oh, well...you will. :) Just grab as many pillows as you can! (They're extra lives.)
Random question: Why didn't John review it? He seemed to always be the one posting Catherine articles and loves the Persona team. Not cracking on you, I'm just wondering why John didn't jump at the chance to review it.
Seniority has its privileges, and I've been looking forward to this game for ages. Also, John is no longer with The Escapist. He's off to China to teach English.
Well at least the admitted bias explains how this game got such a glowing review and a great score, seriously, I appreciate that because before I read that post I was wondering if I had demoed the same game.

I love puzzle games really. I'm still trying to get a copy of Steal Princess and Atlus makes some of my favorite games but I have to respectfully and totally disagree with you about Katherine. Faithful or no, the amount you actually get to play versus the inane soap opera you're forced to sit through makes it difficult not because of the puzzles (those were easy so I really disagree there, too.) but because of the story and the characters that I could care less about if I tried really hard.

I think what turned me off most (other than the easy puzzles.) was that you don't actually get a choice about cheating on Katherine the one character that seemed to have their life sorta' together (except the bit about not having already left a wishy washy non-productive relationship.)

Isn't the Escaptist a place that believes player choice (especially critical choices) is one of the most important things in a game? Then again you already explained the high score so there's that. So maybe that's just Extra Credits.

Yes I've been really hard on Catherine, that's because I know Atlus and they can do a lot better than this. I'm not quite as eagerly awaiting their next attempt. Not while teams are producing games like Child of Eden that cost a lot less money.

It's okay Atlus I still really really like you as a friend.
You honestly believe I gave the game the score I did because I was looking forward to the game? You can't be serious.

I certainly understand your complaint that the story doesn't let you decide to cheat or not - it's necessary for the plot for Vincent to keep banging away at Catherine, and that's what he does, whether you want him to or not. Player choice is not the singlemost important determination in a game's quality, and the lack of it with regard to Vincent's adultery does not doom this game.

There are many reasons why someone might not enjoy this game - the difficulty level, the design of the puzzles, the overall weirdness, and the aspect you brought up. That doesn't change the fact that the story is extremely well presented and the puzzles are quite ingenious.
Yes I do, and yes I can. That isn't for you to say. It is possible for someone who has followed games and their industry as long as I have to say and to believe that.

I said that player choice is one of the most important aspects of a game and just pointed out that from my experience it was lacking.

You're right there really are many reasons why someone might not enjoy this game. Too bad that wasn't in your professional review. "It might not be for everyone" doesn't quite cut it. Not when you give it an almost perfect score which in my mind should be logically reserved for only the best of games. The story being "extremely" well presented is a fact??!! That I will disagree with. Vehemently. It's your opinion and nothing more. That you would state it as fact only vindicates my doubt.

The puzzles are ingenious? The LAZER is ingenious. Fractal Geometry is ingenious. These puzzles are on the level of See Spot Run. That is only my opinion as that's all it can be. Well y'know unless you're you of course. Then it's factual apparently.
How... in the world can you disagree with a story that you have not even heard of yet.../ experienced. You know she isn't the only reviewer to say that right? Do you live in a tiny bubble? *pokes bubble*
Can't you just go back to the whole: "I'm not going to bother to try and understand you anymore.." thing? That works for me.

I have seen the story and (sadly) played part of it first hand. What part of "I've played the demo and followed the game since it's inception" do you not get? It's a typical loser meets succubus story except rather than handle it comedically they are apparently using Days of Our Lives as a filter.

An' leave my bubble alone! It's there to keep out the stupid.
More like keep in the stupid.. hur hur AM I RIGHT? *nudge nudge*
 

RedEyesBlackGamer

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Jan 23, 2011
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Alphakirby said:
AbstractStream said:
Alphakirby said:
AbstractStream said:
RedEyesBlackGamer said:
snip.
Yeah,Normal is still hard as hell.
I got my deluxe edition today (Fuck Amazon,you're fast!) and I'm currently wearing the "Empty" shirt that came with it. I'm on stage 4 already which means I'm halfway there.
I agree. If normal is like this, can't imagine difficult. You really must be a masochist to play on that difficulty.
I managed to sneak in some gameplay yesterday and the second stage got me for a bit. It took some getting used to. After that, honestly I have no idea what I did, but I kept climbing so that's a good thing. (I'm on stage 4 as well ^^)
Now I'm regretting not getting the deluxe edition. Damn!
The joke is that the description for hard mode is basically saying that it's only for masochists so what you said fits the bill. Two trophies nobody in existence will get are the trophy for getting a gold award on every stage in hard mode and the trophy for getting all the tropies. (Yeah I have the PS3 version,but I like my PS3 damnit!)
Having played through it all, I could barely do some of the stuff on Easy. But on Hard? I'm going to go over to the corner and cry now.
 

Koroviev

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Oct 3, 2010
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RedEyesBlackGamer said:
Alphakirby said:
AbstractStream said:
Alphakirby said:
AbstractStream said:
RedEyesBlackGamer said:
snip.
Yeah,Normal is still hard as hell.
I got my deluxe edition today (Fuck Amazon,you're fast!) and I'm currently wearing the "Empty" shirt that came with it. I'm on stage 4 already which means I'm halfway there.
I agree. If normal is like this, can't imagine difficult. You really must be a masochist to play on that difficulty.
I managed to sneak in some gameplay yesterday and the second stage got me for a bit. It took some getting used to. After that, honestly I have no idea what I did, but I kept climbing so that's a good thing. (I'm on stage 4 as well ^^)
Now I'm regretting not getting the deluxe edition. Damn!
The joke is that the description for hard mode is basically saying that it's only for masochists so what you said fits the bill. Two trophies nobody in existence will get are the trophy for getting a gold award on every stage in hard mode and the trophy for getting all the tropies. (Yeah I have the PS3 version,but I like my PS3 damnit!)
Having played through it all, I could barely do some of the stuff on Easy. But on Hard? I'm going to go over to the corner and cry now.
This is true. I've set the difficulty to easy and am replaying the levels at higher difficulties in between nightmares. While I've managed to earn a few gold trophies playing on Normal difficulty, I have yet to so much as finish a level on hard.
 

Koroviev

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Vinny Albrecht said:
Ughhh...this game really, really isn't fun.
If you're having a hard time, then I recommend practicing at the bar in between nightmares. Even if you can't necessarily perform well on higher difficulties just yet, attempting to do so will at least push you to use some of the more effective techniques that you might otherwise overlook. Also, I don't know if you have read the manual or not, but there is an option to grant yourself "very easy" mode in lieu of standard easy. In order to activate it, all you need to do is hold down the select button on the main menu screen.

If you're not having a hard time and simply dislike the gameplay irrespective of difficulty, then that's a shame. In that case, do you care for the story?
 

Vinny Albrecht

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It's not hard, well from what I've played. It just isn't my type of game. I didn't enjoy playing it much, and to me it was just boring.
 

Roofstone

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It does seem unique enough to be fun, but not a game for me I believe. So I'll be passing this one. Thanks for the review, I was a bit on the bench about this game. No more.
 

Vinny Albrecht

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I'm not trying to be harsh an everyone's opinion here, but why would you pay 60$ for a puzzle game? Honestly there's not much to this game at all. You do the same things over and over again, while controller a complete douche bag.
 

Ioc2much

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Vinny Albrecht said:
I'm not trying to be harsh an everyone's opinion here, but why would you pay 60$ for a puzzle game? Honestly there's not much to this game at all. You do the same things over and over again, while controller a complete douche bag.
Why would I pay 60$ for a FPS all you do is shoot people over and over again
Why would I pay 60$ for a fighting game all you do is beat people up over and over again

You're logic seems lacking here. The puzzles are fun, the story is good, and if you can't tell I am a fan of this game. I suggest people play it before judging it.
 

Vinny Albrecht

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Ioc2much said:
Vinny Albrecht said:
I'm not trying to be harsh an everyone's opinion here, but why would you pay 60$ for a puzzle game? Honestly there's not much to this game at all. You do the same things over and over again, while controller a complete douche bag.
Why would I pay 60$ for a FPS all you do is shoot people over and over again
Why would I pay 60$ for a fighting game all you do is beat people up over and over again

You're logic seems lacking here. The puzzles are fun, the story is good, and if you can't tell I am a fan of this game. I suggest people play it before judging it.
Why? Because you get more bang for your buck out of FPS and Fighters than Puzzles. More unlockable's, and just a lot more to do. After you beat this game I doubt your gonna go back to play it anytime soon. The beauty about FPS's and Fighters and other multiplayer games is that your always striving for more. Games like Battlefield and Call of Duty have a longer shelf life than games like this because there's a lot more to them. That' why they are the highest grossing game types out there. I'd gladly hand over 60$ to a FPS or Fighter if they gave me enough to look forward to, but what does Cathrine have? pretty much all you see in the demo.
 

Vinny Albrecht

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Ioc2much said:
Vinny Albrecht said:
I'm not trying to be harsh an everyone's opinion here, but why would you pay 60$ for a puzzle game? Honestly there's not much to this game at all. You do the same things over and over again, while controller a complete douche bag.
Why would I pay 60$ for a FPS all you do is shoot people over and over again
Why would I pay 60$ for a fighting game all you do is beat people up over and over again

You're logic seems lacking here. The puzzles are fun, the story is good, and if you can't tell I am a fan of this game. I suggest people play it before judging it.
Why? Because you get more bang for your buck out of FPS and Fighters than Puzzles. More unlockable's, and just a lot more to do. After you beat this game I doubt your gonna go back to play it anytime soon. The beauty about FPS's and Fighters and other multiplayer games is that your always striving for more. Games like Battlefield and Call of Duty have a longer shelf life than games like this because there's a lot more to them. That' why they are the highest grossing game types out there. I'd gladly hand over 60$ to a FPS or Fighter if they gave me enough to look forward to, but what does Cathrine have? pretty much all you see in the demo.
 

Vinny Albrecht

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Everyone is entitled to an opinion here, if you like it cool, I'm just part of the crowed that doesn't like it. Its not because I don't like puzzles because that couldn't be farthest from the truth. This game just didn't catch my eye, and I personally wouldn't pay $60 for it.
 

Koroviev

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Vinny Albrecht said:
I'm not trying to be harsh an everyone's opinion here, but why would you pay 60$ for a puzzle game? Honestly there's not much to this game at all. You do the same things over and over again, while controller a complete douche bag.
I admit that I have had some issues with the controls. Sometimes Vincent just doesn't seem particularly interested in facing the block that I need to push/pull.

Edit: Clicking "quote" is the best way to reply to a specific post within a thread. Hitting "reply" makes it so that the person that you meant to reply to does not realize that you have done so.
 

Susan Arendt

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Jan 9, 2007
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Vinny Albrecht said:
I'm not trying to be harsh an everyone's opinion here, but why would you pay 60$ for a puzzle game? Honestly there's not much to this game at all. You do the same things over and over again, while controller a complete douche bag.
The same reason I'd pay $60 for any game - because I find it entertaining and enjoyable. I love the story and find the puzzles to be a great deal of fun. I certainly understand why others might not have that reaction, though.

Everyone's criteria for personal entertainment is different. Some people require an enthralling story, others want a great deal of replay, still others want multiplayer. If your personal criteria don't mesh with Catherine's offerings (at least not at the full sale price), that's perfectly reasonable, but don't be so quick to consider other people nutty for thinking it's worth it.