Catherine Review

[DustyDrB]

I have to ask: Is one of the hiring criteria as a reviewer for a site such as this an "ability to show remarkable restraint when faced with alarming levels of douchiness"?

Well, I'm still looking forward to this game. I just wish I wasn't a cheapskate and didn't pick the slowest shipping method...

 

[II2]

I had to move the player back to make sure I really did see a butt monster, and I sure wasn't seeing things!

I'm super excited that Catherine is finally here, quirkiness and all! I've been waiting for this game for quite a while and I'm definitely getting it right after work.

Shooting love out her vajayjay, yep. Creepiest goddamn thing I've seen in years.

I got a very amped up David Lynch vibe from the whole game; you feel that?

In a broad parallel, Lynch's seminal "Eraserhead (1975)" was (beyond all the weirdness) a movie about the fears regarding unplanned pregnancy and marriage from a dweeby, freaked out male perspective.

 

[shadyh8er]

It actually looks pretty good. Probably won't buy it, but I'll probably borrow it because the otaku in me hungers for it.

 

[Aptspire]

I've seen some love, as well as some hatred, for this game
That's okay, everyone has their own opinion
as for me, I've finished the third 'nightmare' part (second boss), and I'm LOVING both the cutscenes, therefore the story, and the nightmare, therefore the gameplay. I beliueve that the anime parts go quite well in it, and the discussions with the other patrons (as well as the sheep) are quite interesting.
as far as story goes, I enjoy a great traincrash

 

[mikev7.0]

You are not alone. I think the most important part of the review that was missing was the simple sentance "For the love of all that which doth not suck play the Demo first!!"

Then again that probably wouldn't help sell games and when a site does a special video for the unboxing of the deluxe edition? Come on people....

Do you see conspiracies everywhere, or is it just in videogame reviews?

Beg pardon? I never said anything about a conspiracy. Those are your words. I meant to imply that a site that has carried as many articles and given as much press to this game as the Escapist has, is very likely to also give it a glowing review. I'm sure you can do the math as to why. I find this upsetting as Catherine is by no means one of the best games in my opinon or deserving of an almost perfect review. It's average. Then again the Escapist took another average game with disturbing imagery and destroyed it. I'm learning things work different here. Not so much conspiracy as spin. Basically to me if it quacks, has downy stuff, webbed feet, and a bill, it should not be so defensive when someone suggests that it probably recieved it's advanced education in Oregon.

Yet do I see conspiracies everywhere? No. Although to be honest those 4th dynasty pyramids are looking more than a bit suspect. (Yet in a very good way so I'm cool with even them.)

Sorry mate, I'm British; I have no idea what "probably recieved it's advanced education in Oregon" means.

Anyway, am I right in thinking that the thrust of your argument is that because you didn't like Catherine, it shouldn't have received the score it did, and the fact that it did receive that score, means that we're either on the take, or bad at our jobs?

No not at all. Here let me finish what I was saying instead of just letting the thought trail off towards what I thought was the obvious. Come on people.... the Escapist (for whatever reason) is pro Catherine. It's obvious that you would like this game to succeed. Why the heck else would you be arguing with someone for just having a different opinion and pointing out that opinions do not equal facts? That's what confuses me because in the eyes of the general public it's one of those games that does the gamer cause about as much good as Duke Nuke Em' and you Anihillated that game.

Oh. "Probably recieved it's advanced education in Oregon" means that it's probably a Duck. Sorry I guess I was being a little "States centric" there. If I must use a hackneyed phrase at least allow a guy his obscure twist...

 

[mikev7.0]

It actually looks pretty good. Probably won't buy it, but I'll probably borrow it because the otaku in me hungers for it.

I'm asking this with zero sarcasm okay, but what is an Otaku? I keep seeing that word here and not in other places and it's not associated with gaming is it?

Anyway I love your avatar!! Sooooo cute! (warning: Incoming States centric humor.)

*waves at your avatar* Hi Congressman Wu!!

 

[mikev7.0]

So is the game fun for people who have no desire for sex? It just seemed so creepy, especially that title screen where he's wrapped with barbed wire. Also a monster that shoots things out of it's vagina? WTF? I haven't seen things this trippy since I badly OD'd on painkillers.

The sex is all implied - you don't see anything more hot and heavy than kissing on screen. The story is about relationships, and the various pitfalls - and rewards - they contain. And of course, the actual gameplay has nothing to do with sex at all. (Erm...ok, that one boss is a sex monster, but you get my drift.)

You are not alone. I think the most important part of the review that was missing was the simple sentance "For the love of all that which doth not suck play the Demo first!!"

Then again that probably wouldn't help sell games and when a site does a special video for the unboxing of the deluxe edition? Come on people....

Do you see conspiracies everywhere, or is it just in videogame reviews?

Beg pardon? I never said anything about a conspiracy. Those are your words. I meant to imply that a site that has carried as many articles and given as much press to this game as the Escapist has, is very likely to also give it a glowing review. I'm sure you can do the math as to why. I find this upsetting as Catherine is by no means one of the best games in my opinon or deserving of an almost perfect review. It's average. Then again the Escapist took another average game with disturbing imagery and destroyed it.

How do you know the game is average if you haven't played it?

In any event, has it not crossed your mind that the reason we kept running so much Catherine material was that our audience was extremely interested in the game? If we run a post about Catherine, and it gets a lot of traffic, yes, of course we're going to run more information about Catherine, because clearly it's something our audience wants to know about.

That's just it. I have played it.

No, that didn't cross my mind since I'm not used to ATLUS getting much press. Usually not many of us gamers are interested in the lastest from ATLUS I'm accustomed to being part a kinda' small club of ATLUS fans. Again I haven't been through the archives but I've never read anything else on here about any of the many other and better ATLUS games I own. I didn't know the articles got a lot of traffic. Thanks. That lets me know that sometimes it would be best to not post or check something out unless I really want to see more of it.

Look, to put it in perspective and hopefully close the book on all this (because Catherine isn't worth it to me frankly.) All I meant was that according to your own review it is my opinion that the review doesn't match the score.

However, in the words of a favorite stand up philosopher of mine "That's just my opinon, I could be wrong.."

When I was growing up I couldn't afford a lot of games so I relied on Electronic Games Monthly and their reviews to pick the best ones. I thought that anything they rated Silver or higher I would love and it was always true and the ones they rated as Gold (Believe it or not they took heat for daring to give FFVII a Gold. FFVII!!) are the very classics that are talked and joked about today at The Escapist.

The Escapist is what I use for the same reason today. I have bought two games based on your reviews miss Arendt and I would have bought this one if not for the demo. I would have purchased $60 worth of buyer remorse instead of $50 worth of refined fanboy awesome.

I would have made that mistake because I am under the impression that a Gold or 5 means my dough is safe. Those games are ones everyone should own. (That was sure true with the EGM Golds.)

I mean I'm sorry about your hair but in your own words "This game isn't for everyone." If that's true then why did it get what I see as the equivalent of "Gold"??

 

[mikev7.0]

I meant to imply that a site that has carried as many articles and given as much press to this game as the Escapist has, is very likely to also give it a glowing review. I'm sure you can do the math as to why. I find this upsetting as Catherine is by no means one of the best games in my opinon or deserving of an almost perfect review. It's average. Then again the Escapist took another average game with disturbing imagery and destroyed it. I'm learning things work different here. Not so much conspiracy as spin. Basically to me if it quacks, has downy stuff, webbed feet, and a bill, it should not be so defensive when someone suggests that it probably recieved it's advanced education in Oregon.

If you took a moment to stop impugning our integrity and stepped away from this specific review you disagree with. You'd find that your implications simply don't hold water. For example, if that was correct then Duke Nukem Forever (which we ran 14 trailers for as opposed to the 6 we ran for Catherine) should have received a "glowing review" instead of a 2 out of 5. That game also had far more actual sexual content than Catherine, which you seem to support as the only reason anyone gives a damn about it. Likewise on the flip side, games like Terraria or Frozen Synapse (both of which only had a single trailer posted) were games that I personally really enjoyed despite them both coming out of left field hypewise.

*facedesk*

"Impugning our integrity??"

*blinks*

What are you? Freakin' C-SPAN now?? I don't come to the Escapist due to it's intregity man. I-I don't think anyone really does. We come here for entertainment, sorta'. More like info about entertainment. So I wasn't impugning something I don't care about here.

I dared disagree, that was all. I forgot that wasn't allowed and neither is pointing out that no one has a right to declare their opinion as fact.

I also implied that the Escapist was pro Catherine and that people thinking of buying this game should filter the review through that possibility. So how does that implication not hold water? Other than the obvious fact that it wasn't meant to. It was meant to imply something.

If you read my above posts you would also realize that the fact that a game that every person that I actually know who plays it loves it and has a lot of fun with it (about five gamers now) got a 2 is also confusing to me. That would be Duke Nuke Em'. Both games are at least average. One gets panned, the other lionized. I was just asking (myself mostly) why since I've played both games and would call them at least 3s.

 

[shadyh8er]

It actually looks pretty good. Probably won't buy it, but I'll probably borrow it because the otaku in me hungers for it.

I'm asking this with zero sarcasm okay, but what is an Otaku? I keep seeing that word here and not in other places and it's not associated with gaming is it?

Anyway I love your avatar!! Sooooo cute! (warning: Incoming States centric humor.)

*waves at your avatar* Hi Congressman Wu!!

Literally, "otaku" is like the Japanese equivalent for "nerd." It's actually an insult in Japan, but in the west it's a seen as a synonym for "anime fan."

Hope that helps, and thanks for the avatar compliment!

 

[Susan Arendt]

I mean I'm sorry about your hair but in your own words "This game isn't for everyone." If that's true then why did it get what I see as the equivalent of "Gold"??

Because a game doesn't have to be for everyone in order to be fantastic. Not all kinds of games are going to appeal to a wide audience, but that doesn't make them any less excellent in their own right. Child of Eden is another great example of that.

I provided ample evidence why I thought the game deserved the score it got - you brush that aside and assume I gave it a 4.5 simply because I'd gone in with a preconceived notion that it was great. And yet you apparently agree with some of my other reviews - so apparently I only put my ethics on hold for this one?

 

[Torrasque]

The demo was a whole lot of fun, so I'll definitely be picking this up today =)

 

[Logan Westbrook]

No not at all. Here let me finish what I was saying instead of just letting the thought trail off towards what I thought was the obvious. Come on people.... the Escapist (for whatever reason) is pro Catherine. It's obvious that you would like this game to succeed. Why the heck else would you be arguing with someone for just having a different opinion and pointing out that opinions do not equal facts?

Urr, not really. I don't really care if you like Catherine or not, or whether or not you buy it for that matter. What started this discussion was you implying that we were on Atlus' payroll because we gave Catherine a score you didn't agree with.

 

[Slycne]

*facedesk*

"Impugning our integrity??"

*blinks*

What are you? Freakin' C-SPAN now?? I don't come to the Escapist due to it's intregity man. I-I don't think anyone really does. We come here for entertainment, sorta'. More like info about entertainment. So I wasn't impugning something I don't care about here.

I dared disagree, that was all. I forgot that wasn't allowed and neither is pointing out that no one has a right to declare their opinion as fact.

I also implied that the Escapist was pro Catherine and that people thinking of buying this game should filter the review through that possibility. So how does that implication not hold water? Other than the obvious fact that it wasn't meant to. It was meant to imply something.

If you read my above posts you would also realize that the fact that a game that every person that I actually know who plays it loves it and has a lot of fun with it (about five gamers now) got a 2 is also confusing to me. That would be Duke Nuke Em'. Both games are at least average. One gets panned, the other lionized. I was just asking (myself mostly) why since I've played both games and would call them at least 3s.

Alright, so we're simply dumb or bad at our jobs then? Is that what you're saying? Look I'm perfectly fine with you disagreeing, and I never said that was wrong in any way. My point of contention was always your notion that because we've posted any content prior to the release that our reviews are no longer objective.

 

[mikev7.0]

I mean I'm sorry about your hair but in your own words "This game isn't for everyone." If that's true then why did it get what I see as the equivalent of "Gold"??

Because a game doesn't have to be for everyone in order to be fantastic. Not all kinds of games are going to appeal to a wide audience, but that doesn't make them any less excellent in their own right. Child of Eden is another great example of that.

I provided ample evidence why I thought the game deserved the score it got - you brush that aside and assume I gave it a 4.5 simply because I'd gone in with a preconceived notion that it was great. And yet you apparently agree with some of my other reviews - so apparently I only put my ethics on hold for this one?

No this has nothing to do with Ethics! As I mentioned above, I don't understand what a reviewer could do that was "unethical." Seriously. I mean I know that it is all based on opinion and there is nothing unethical about having a different one than I do. There is also nothing wrong with my stating that my opinion is different from yours. I even stated that it's because of the rating system that I grew up with where the top tier was reserved for games anyone would enjoy.

Yes I have bought games based on your reviews before. Child of Eden being one of those (No Caveat Emptor in play there, whew! I think that game will eventually be one of the all time classics.) the other was 9 9 9. I think that was why I said something. It was like me looking back at the review and saying "Really?" since as I also mentioned I almost bought this game. Maybe it's that I should play more than just the demo and if I played the full game I would think it was as brilliant as you did? Maybe it's that people (okay I know she's faaaaaar from people but work with me here please.....) like Catherine just drive me nuts and I just can't abide a premise where I ditch Katherine for little miss "Can someone shoot my ears now please? Tee Hee." That animated demon spawn just instantly sets my teeth on edge.

Again, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

I have to ask though: Is this the direction you want to see ATLUS go? Less Luminous Arc, Etrian Odyssey, My World My Way and Izuna the Unemployed Ninja and more stuff like this? Honestly, this is as rough as I've seen them get and it kind of freaks me out. When I pop an ATLUS game into my DS it's like arriving at Disneyland. That demo was my first introduction to what ATLUS would do with only one screen and the processing power of the 360. It was like arriving at Disneyland....just in hell....and there really is a staircase of Satan here?? Seriously, someone tell Eddie because he's going to laugh his ass off!

 

[Susan Arendt]

I mean I'm sorry about your hair but in your own words "This game isn't for everyone." If that's true then why did it get what I see as the equivalent of "Gold"??

Because a game doesn't have to be for everyone in order to be fantastic. Not all kinds of games are going to appeal to a wide audience, but that doesn't make them any less excellent in their own right. Child of Eden is another great example of that.

I provided ample evidence why I thought the game deserved the score it got - you brush that aside and assume I gave it a 4.5 simply because I'd gone in with a preconceived notion that it was great. And yet you apparently agree with some of my other reviews - so apparently I only put my ethics on hold for this one?

No this has nothing to do with Ethics! As I mentioned above, I don't understand what a reviewer could do that was "unethical." Seriously. I mean I know that it is all based on opinion and there is nothing unethical about having a different one than I do. There is also nothing wrong with my stating that my opinion is different from yours. I even stated that it's because of the rating system that I grew up with where the top tier was reserved for games anyone would enjoy.

Yes I have bought games based on your reviews before. Child of Eden being one of those (No Caveat Emptor in play there, whew! I think that game will eventually be one of the all time classics.) the other was 9 9 9. I think that was why I said something. It was like me looking back at the review and saying "Really?" since as I also mentioned I almost bought this game. Maybe it's that I should play more than just the demo and if I played the full game I would think it was as brilliant as you did? Maybe it's that people (okay I know she's faaaaaar from people but work with me here please.....) like Catherine just drive me nuts and I just can't abide a premise where I ditch Katherine for little miss "Can someone shoot my ears now please? Tee Hee." That animated demon spawn just instantly sets my teeth on edge.

Again, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

I have to ask though: Is this the direction you want to see ATLUS go? Less Luminous Arc, Etrian Odyssey, My World My Way and Izuna the Unemployed Ninja and more stuff like this? Honestly, this is as rough as I've seen them get and it kind of freaks me out. When I pop an ATLUS game into my DS it's like arriving at Disneyland. That demo was my first introduction to what ATLUS would do with only one screen and the processing power of the 360. It was like arriving at Disneyland....just in hell....and there really is a staircase of Satan here?? Seriously, someone tell Eddie because he's going to laugh his ass off!

You blatantly stated that you thought my score was based not on my evaluation of the gameplay, but on bias created by preconceived notions.

That's a slur against my professional code of conduct and ethics.

I have no problem with you having a different experience of the game. I don't suggest for a moment that your opinion is invalid. It's unfortunate that you played a game and didn't enjoy it, but that happens sometimes.

As for the direction I want Atlus to go - absolutely. I want Atlus to continue creating and publishing unusual, quirky, intriguing games, whether I personally enjoy playing them or not. I don't insist that everything they do be to my personal specifications, because I think that they add great value to the industry simply by adding their own uniqueness to it.

 

[dalek sec]

Catherine Review

As difficult and fascinating as the woman in the title.

Read Full Article

I was hoping you might be able to answer a few questions I might have about the game since you reviewed it, I've looked around online and couldn't find any review or site that could answer them so I hope you could help me out here.

Just what exactly about the story that makes it sound interesting? From what you said about it in the review it's pretty much a guy cheats on his girlfriend with a random lady and starts to have nightmares and so on. I'm not trying to sound like a punk, I'm just wondering what makes it so interesting and mature as a few people here have put it.

Would I be able to understand this game a little bit more if I actually had some dating experience under my belt cause I keep getting that impression with these reviews about it.

Lastly was that monster at the end of the review really scary? Cause honestly to me, it look kind of silly.

Sorry for the questions but I've looked everywhere I could online at game review sites and couldn't get a straight answer from their reviews there, thank you in advanced!

 

[i don't know]

I shit myself every time I look at 3:19. It's even more mentally scarring than the breast/rear monster that came a while later.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Catherine Review

As difficult and fascinating as the woman in the title.

Read Full Article

I was hoping you might be able to answer a few questions I might have about the game since you reviewed it, I've looked around online and couldn't find any review or site that could answer them so I hope you could help me out here.

Just what exactly about the story that makes it sound interesting? From what you said about it in the review it's pretty much a guy cheats on his girlfriend with a random lady and starts to have nightmares and so on. I'm not trying to sound like a punk, I'm just wondering what makes it so interesting and mature as a few people here have put it.

Would I be able to understand this game a little bit more if I actually had some dating experience under my belt cause I keep getting that impression with these reviews about it.

Lastly was that monster at the end of the review really scary? Cause honestly to me, it look kind of silly.

Sorry for the questions but I've looked everywhere I could online at game review sites and couldn't get a straight answer from their reviews there, thank you in advanced!

The story is an excellent character study of a man with no ambition who is going through life without purpose. He is a lot like our generation. It is a great drama with memorable characters. Where I think it really comes into its own is when the plot takes a left turn into Crazyville towards the end. I can't go into it without spoilers, but trust me, it is awesome. The other questions I can't really answer.

 

[mikev7.0]

I mean I'm sorry about your hair but in your own words "This game isn't for everyone." If that's true then why did it get what I see as the equivalent of "Gold"??

Because a game doesn't have to be for everyone in order to be fantastic. Not all kinds of games are going to appeal to a wide audience, but that doesn't make them any less excellent in their own right. Child of Eden is another great example of that.

I provided ample evidence why I thought the game deserved the score it got - you brush that aside and assume I gave it a 4.5 simply because I'd gone in with a preconceived notion that it was great. And yet you apparently agree with some of my other reviews - so apparently I only put my ethics on hold for this one?

No this has nothing to do with Ethics! As I mentioned above, I don't understand what a reviewer could do that was "unethical." Seriously. I mean I know that it is all based on opinion and there is nothing unethical about having a different one than I do. There is also nothing wrong with my stating that my opinion is different from yours. I even stated that it's because of the rating system that I grew up with where the top tier was reserved for games anyone would enjoy.

Yes I have bought games based on your reviews before. Child of Eden being one of those (No Caveat Emptor in play there, whew! I think that game will eventually be one of the all time classics.) the other was 9 9 9. I think that was why I said something. It was like me looking back at the review and saying "Really?" since as I also mentioned I almost bought this game. Maybe it's that I should play more than just the demo and if I played the full game I would think it was as brilliant as you did? Maybe it's that people (okay I know she's faaaaaar from people but work with me here please.....) like Catherine just drive me nuts and I just can't abide a premise where I ditch Katherine for little miss "Can someone shoot my ears now please? Tee Hee." That animated demon spawn just instantly sets my teeth on edge.

Again, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

I have to ask though: Is this the direction you want to see ATLUS go? Less Luminous Arc, Etrian Odyssey, My World My Way and Izuna the Unemployed Ninja and more stuff like this? Honestly, this is as rough as I've seen them get and it kind of freaks me out. When I pop an ATLUS game into my DS it's like arriving at Disneyland. That demo was my first introduction to what ATLUS would do with only one screen and the processing power of the 360. It was like arriving at Disneyland....just in hell....and there really is a staircase of Satan here?? Seriously, someone tell Eddie because he's going to laugh his ass off!

You blatantly stated that you thought my score was based not on my evaluation of the gameplay, but on bias created by preconceived notions.

That's a slur against my professional code of conduct and ethics.

I have no problem with you having a different experience of the game. I don't suggest for a moment that your opinion is invalid. It's unfortunate that you played a game and didn't enjoy it, but that happens sometimes.

As for the direction I want Atlus to go - absolutely. I want Atlus to continue creating and publishing unusual, quirky, intriguing games, whether I personally enjoy playing them or not. I don't insist that everything they do be to my personal specifications, because I think that they add great value to the industry simply by adding their own uniqueness to it.

Yep that's what I stated but I had no idea and didn't intend for it to be a slur against anything. I'm not a reviewer and furthermore have the belief that we all bring our preconcieved notions or bias to anything we talk about unless it's something that can be discussed in purely objective terms (like Mathematics or Science.) So I intended no offense. I was just saying how I honestly felt.

I don't insist that Atlus makes everything to my personal specifications either, I was just hoping that the first Atlus game for the 360 (Divinity II doesn't really count since it's just a remake) would be more along the lines of some of their other games that pretty much anyone can enjoy. So again, no offense, I just honestly disagree. It'll be interesting to see how the sales for it pan out. Particularly when compared to the thrice slammed (and then still beat on) Duke Nuke Em' Forever.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Catherine Review

As difficult and fascinating as the woman in the title.

Read Full Article

I was hoping you might be able to answer a few questions I might have about the game since you reviewed it, I've looked around online and couldn't find any review or site that could answer them so I hope you could help me out here.

Just what exactly about the story that makes it sound interesting? From what you said about it in the review it's pretty much a guy cheats on his girlfriend with a random lady and starts to have nightmares and so on. I'm not trying to sound like a punk, I'm just wondering what makes it so interesting and mature as a few people here have put it.

Would I be able to understand this game a little bit more if I actually had some dating experience under my belt cause I keep getting that impression with these reviews about it.

Lastly was that monster at the end of the review really scary? Cause honestly to me, it look kind of silly.

Sorry for the questions but I've looked everywhere I could online at game review sites and couldn't get a straight answer from their reviews there, thank you in advanced!

No problem! Second question first - the monster certainly looks silly, but when you think about what it represents (and can hear what it's saying) it gets far more unsettling. But mostly, I was going for a joke in the review.

Now, as to your first question, yes, I think you might understand what makes the story intriguing a bit better if you had some dating experience. Pretty much anyone who's ever been in a long-term relationship has had that moment of "Is this person the one, or am I just thinking that because we've been together for so long?" So the game creates all sorts of questions to ponder. There's more to it than guy cheats on girl, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't played it yet. Of course, what also makes the story so engaging is the acting. Any story, no matter how simple, can be made enthralling with the right people telling it, and the voice actors of Catherine are exceptionally good.

Hope that helps!