To avoid repeating my other review, I'll just say this about the game: Catherine is an exceptional cocktail combination of various gameplay styles (puzzle, arcade game, dating simulator, social simulator, dynamic choices that change the story and ending, drinking game, etc). Each of these styles is executed with aplomb. More importantly though, Catherine has some of the best writing I have seen yet in any video game I have ever played. It has deep, DEEP themes that are rarely touched upon in games, and does so with maturity, humor, and much depth. Rarely has a game made my wife and I so introspective, and the fact this game did and did it so well earns it special points. The characters are extremely realistic, dynamic, organic, likable, easy to root for, oh-so-complex, pitiable, and any other quality you would want to see in a story to qualify it as excellent. This is also helped by the awesome art design and graphics, as well as the amazing sound design that really brings out the story in compelling and understandable ways without resorting to the overwrought tropes that anime styled entertainment often goes. The voice acting is top-notch and the music is downright amazing. It is no stretch to say that Catherine is a serious game-of-the-year contender, even among the year's heavy hitters, and I suspect it will remain so despite all of the hugely anticipated titles coming out later this year. My wife and I LOVED Catherine, and actually bonded as a result of her watching me play it. Any game that encourages closeness between my wife and I (despite the deep themes of infidelity and faithfulness in the game), gets extra points from me.
However, this particular product review isn't just about the game, but the deluxe edition additions that come with it. Here's a rundown of the package:
The whole package is contained within a "pizza box" from the main watering hole of the story. This WOULD be cool if it weren't just a cheap cardboard box with an even cheaper "stray sheep" sticker slapped on sloppily on the front. I was really disappointed when I first took off the wrapper and just saw this lack-luster, lazy attempt and it sort of made me worry about the quality of the rest of the package.
Large sized pink polka-dotted Vincent boxers. Really, these are more like shorts. There's no fly in the front whatsoever, and you literally can't tell the front from the back if you pull out the tag. That's not that big of a deal. The polka dotted pattern looks great, and it looks like high quality. I am 5'10" and fall under the "skinny" category, and so the boxers are fairly big on me, but fit around the waist and are very comfortable. Being able to wear the main character's nightmare boxers is pretty awesome, and my love for the game probably influenced my liking of these shorts. Despite not being exactly what you expect, this is my favorite part of the package, but nothing spectacular.
A large sized "retro video game" shirt that you also see Catherine wearing in-game. Yet another "large" sized piece of clothing for a small, skinny guy. I swim in it, unless I wear a something like a flannel shirt to hide just how big the shirt is. I can't help but wonder what size the clothes in this edition are in Japan. Did they make it large for the American version because they assume we all must be a super fat@$$ here?! Whether that's true or not, it sort of gets on my nerves. The shirt itself is of a cheap material, the graphic is not very high quality, but it does look decent. It's not my favorite part though.
The soundtrack. Catherine has one of the best soundtracks of any video game this year, if not THEE best. It's a very eclectic-yet-catchy combination of classical, rock, smooth jazz, 70's jive groovy music, dramatic anime pianos, and a few other genres that sounds incredible when you hear it. I love it. This soundtrack disc, however, only has about 10 songs on it, whereas the actual game has THREE TIMES as many songs, many of which are better songs than what this disc contains. I am disappointed here, as getting the soundtrack was a major incentive for me in getting this. People who shell out twenty bucks for extras should get better treatment than this. A two-disc soundtrack with 20-25 songs sounds about right. Where the H-E-doublehockeysticks is "It's a Golden Show"!?
The "art" book. This essentially boils down to two things: the first half is a repeat of character dossiers, as well as a general synopsis of plot, that are typically found in a game's manual booklet. The second half is a bunch of scandalous pictures of the "hot, blond Catherine," with commentary talking about why Catherine is "hot and blond." I'm barely exaggerating. This is yet-another missed opportunity to showcase what work really went into this fantastic game, which is a huge shame because Catherine has some spectacular art/character design. To waste it on shoving "tantalizing" pics of Catherine with her legs spread and another of her eating a pizza sexily (it's really not sexy) in your face is enraging. To charge an extra 20$ for this sort of quality and obvious lack of work is infuriating, especially when you consider the lost opportunity.
Yet another "sexy" Catherine item. You know, I love this game, and I love all the characters, but Atlus' decision to market the game solely on Catherine is a disappointing decision. The pillowcase itself is nice, but the picture is poorly slapped on and feels like if you sweat on it, it will rub off on your face. It's most definitely not the same as what is pictured on the product page. It's pretty poor quality. I took it out once, promptly put it back in its wrap, and haven't taken it out since. It's about equal in quality to the cardboard box it comes in.
This is a really hard thing to score for me. The game itself is absolute near-dareIsay-perfection, in pretty much every way. I have nothing but the sincerest accolades for the game. This "love is over deluxe edition," however, is super poor in comparison in pretty much everything except the boxers, which I'm sure I like as much as I do because it is such a great nod to the amazing game itself. The whole thing screams "slapped together" and "cheap," as well as poorly focused because of the unbalanced, lazy, and frankly, brainless effort to shove Catherine down your throat throughout the whole thing. Where's the swag featuring the equally-if-not-more attractive Katherine blowing out candles sexily, huh Atlus!?
That all said. I'd have to give this EDITION a 3.5 star rating. In light of my complaints in this edition, however, I cannot bring myself to give it four-stars, as it is really only worth it to the niche audience who would truly love this game. The bonus materials is all 2-star material, aside from three-star polka-dot boxer shorts. The fact is, this game is SO good, it raises the overall package of this deluxe edition higher. I was really upset when I first opened it all up, and then promptly forgot all that when I started playing the game itself, and kept playing on and on and on. The game is amazing, and so for me, in retrospect, I'm glad I got the Deluxe edition, if only for the sake of supporting Atlus' making such a great game. For most though, I doubt this is good enough to warrant the extra twenty dollars. So for all you who are on the fence or just sort of curious about Catherine, get the regular edition. If you've played the demo and LOVED it, or know this is your cup o' tea, get the Deluxe edition. That's my recommendation. Thank you and good day. :)
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*******Edited review 8/8/2011********This is just a quick update, as I have now completed the game a few times. Catherine is a game that will stay on my mind for some time. It's just so weird! With eight different endings (I've achieved 2 out of the 8), it offers a ton of replay value. The caveat to this is that the puzzles remain largely the same. However, many of the puzzles, especially at the later stages, have obstacles that change randomly during your play through potentially increasing or decreasing the difficulty. That being said, a player cannot simply memorize a set path to finish a stage, which adds to the complexity of the puzzle solving. After completing, I still highly recommend this game. I will definitely be trying to get the other endings and up my scores for puzzles to achieve all of the gold rankings. Enjoy!
*******Original review**********
Every so often a game is released that makes one wonder, "WTF?" but in a good way. This is one of those games. In fact, ATLUS does a great job of making games that are contrary to the norm. From the Persona series, to Demon's Souls, I have thoroughly enjoyed the art style, gameplay, humor and maturity of their games.
This review is for the Catherine "Love is Over" edition of the game. It differs from the standard edition only in the physical items provided. The game comes in a pizza box from the "Stray Sheep" bar and pizzeria, which houses all the physical items. Inside the box are a pair of polka-dot boxers, a t-shirt, and a pillow case, all themed on the game of course. As to the quality of these physical items, they're standard. If you're a size large, buying this edition is a decent deal because the garments will fit you. Otherwise, they're cute little collector's items to have if you don't mind your friends looking at you with eyes of wonder/bewilderment/embarassment (pick one). In any case, don't be ashamed of who you are! Is the extra $20 worth the items? It's truly subjective. I for one, simply enjoy collecting these types of things. I will probably use the pillow case, to be honest. :)
As to the game itself, you take on the role of a character named Vincent, a 32-year old who's in a long term relationship with his girlfriend, Katherine. Katherine is a strong, career driven woman, but it appears she may be longing for something more out of her relationship with Vincent. As this becomes apparent, Vincent grows ever more anxious and this is the point when the player's choices come into question. Then another woman comes into the picture, named Catherine. She's a carefree, go-with-the-flow type of girl, contrasting with Katherine. Vincent and Catherine hit it off as well. What choice will Vincent make in regards to these women? This depends on your choices.
My perception of the story thusfar (I've played through the first six chapters normal) is that it contains both light-hearted largely comedic moments, as well as deep, thought-provoking social commentary. Some of the dialogue really had me belly-laughing, while some was truly cringe-worthy cheese. Is marriage always the logical next step when you're already in a comfortable relationship? As we get older and we see our friends getting hitched, perhaps the train of thought is that marriage is necessary to be socially acceptable. These are some ideas that this game juggles. Add infidelity to the mix and the lines between faithfulness and one's own personal gratification are blurred. Next point.
You are presented with different dialogue options that affect your moral compass so-to-speak. That is, you choose options which are designed to positively/negatively impact the character with whom you're talking to or texting. This in turn will ultimately decide how Vincent feels about his relationships and where his alligence lies. I think that this has been implemented in an interesting way. At times, Vincent can send text messages, and he'll generally be presented with three lines of thought positive, negative, and sometimes neutral choices. At the end of each stage and if you're connected to Xbox Live or PSN, your first playthrough choices are added to an online database and compared with other first time player's choices, which I thought was pretty cool.
So really, what type of game is this? At its core, this is a puzzle game both traditional and uncoventional elements are littered throughout. To top it off, it has survival horror elements. My game experience is based on the 'Normal' difficulty setting, and it's challenging, but not frustratingly so. The puzzles exist in a nightmare realm based on the thought that if you die in a dream, you also die in reality. Have you ever dreamt that you were falling off a cliff or someplace high up, only to wake up just before impact? What if you actually hit the ground and died before waking? That's the basis for this puzzle game if you die in the dream, you die in reality. Good thing we have tons of continues at our disposal!
In this dream (nightmare) world, you're continually having to climb in order to escape death. You grab and manuever blocks in order to reach higher ledges. You obtain items to help you do so. At the same time, you're faced with a time limit as the blocks below you continue to fall as time goes on. There is a variation of this for some stages, but ultimately, the faster you climb up, the better off you are, the more points, unlocks and achievements you'll get. Overall, I find this to be well implemented, but not perfectly so. If you use the standard Xbox controller you're well aware that the directional pad is shoddy at best, and using analog for pinpoint movements can be tricky. At times I find myself climbing, descending, straddling or moving in the wrong direction due to the directional pad. Of course, this is also human error, and not a true fault of the game itself.
There is a point distribution based on picking up treasures and moving quickly up the tower. You can build up a combo point each time you elevate one block higher, accumulating bonus points as the combo rises. Each time you rise up a block level, your combo timer resets. You then have to reach the next high point, but if you can't reach it in time, the combo will reset back to 0 and you'll have to build another combo of course. At the end of stages you can exchange earned points to buy items for use in the nightmare realm.
On normal and easy mode, you can undo block movements if you see that you've made mistakes. This is a life saving feature and does not detract from your score. There are also many opportunities to learn various techniques to conquer seemingly impossible block obstacles. The mechanics of the puzzle game defy logic, but once you learn the rules, there are many options available for beating a level.
All in all, even though I have not yet completed the entire game, it is thoroughly entertaining. The characters are engaging, and don't seem like the generic run of the mill types. Humor is abundant. The story is captivating and original for a video game. Since there are some differences between Eastern/Western audiences, it won't be each person's cup of tea. It's a game that is completely quirky and will keep you on edge once you get into it. I find myself panicking at moments when the timer is winding down a real sense of urgency. With multiple endings, and different difficulties I'd say this is at the very least a rental. Try it, friends!
Best Deals for Catherine "Love Is Over" Deluxe Edition -Xbox 360
I was worried that the special edition bundle would be a slight waste of cash if the game wasn't any good, but it turned out to be really great!First off, the game: A lot harder than expected. Whenever you're not making decisions about the main character's love life, you're in a dream-world, climbing up series of blocks that can only be pushed or pulled, and most of your time will be spent. Dying, usually. This game is really, really challenging. I started out on Hard mode, and thought that it was just hard. Normal is pretty hard too. Easy takes some getting used to as well. Basically, this game is not for those who don't enjoy puzzles.
Boss levels aren't that different from normal levels, where the blocks at the bottom of the stage slowly fall off. Instead, you're being chased by "Killers," or large nightmares manifested from your previous day's worries. These can be really challenging and stressful, but finally clearing them is incredibly satisfying.
Once you get past the puzzles, you have a lot of chances to improve your social life at the local bar, try to figure out what's going on with all the odd deaths, and drink. Drinking makes you move faster in dream. I learned this a bit later on, ha. But depending on how you think and act, Vincent, the main character, will react differently to certain stressing situations, in favor of either his girlfriend, or the girl he cheated on her with. Whether you try to be loyal or sneaky, the game effectively makes you connect with Vincent as he suffers the consequences of lying. It's wonderful in that aspect.
The puzzles really do get on your nerves though, which is why I give it 4 stars and not 5. I love puzzle games, especially when it's hard to look up how to solve the puzzles because there are SO MANY BLOCKS, but once again, be ready for puzzles, or easy mode.
Next off, the Deluxe edition bundle.
-Boxers: THESE THINGS ARE SO COMFY. I don't know the exact size, but they fit me perfectly, and I think they're my favorite now. Except for one factor: There is no fly. Sorry guys. Girls, you may not notice, but guys... you'll notice pretty quickly. And no, you didn't put them on backwards.
-Tshirt: Meh. It's a t-shirt based off of a blouse or dress or whatever that Catherine wears once or twice. I wasn't that interested in it.
-Soundtrack: The soundtrack to this game is AWESOME. Slap that right on your MP3 player. It's like, remixed classical music. Very cool.
-Pillow case: Forgot about this one, actually. It's of Catherine in skimpy clothing. No comment there.
-Pizza Box: Everything comes in a pizza box from the Pizza-Bar in game. I kinda love it, despite it's slight uselessness.
Overall: Fantastic bundle! A bit expensive right now, but I love it.
Honest reviews on Catherine "Love Is Over" Deluxe Edition -Xbox 360
Atlus has done it again! Catherine is a truly unique game, that will have you thinking even after you complete the main story. Never have I played a game that presented such interesting gameplay (whether it be the puzzle solving in Nightmare Mode, or texting/conversing with friends in Stray Sheep). That being said, it is also one of the more challenging games that I've played. The puzzle solving is incredibly stimulating once you get the hang of it. The presentation of the limited edition merchandise was cute. I am a small female, and adore the large shirt and boxers as a sleep ensemble.I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys stimulating game play, and fascinating plot.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Catherine "Love Is Over" Deluxe Edition -Xbox 360
My bf gave this to me as a cute little present. This is one of those games that have you going WTH? I would describe it as a Roleplaying + Puzzle + Thriller game. Getting the hang of the puzzles takes some learning but even when you have it down you find yourself learning more complicated techniques to help you deal with the puzzles. Everything from a simple conversation to texting either girl will go towards one of the girls. It is really an engrossing game that will have you wanting to know what happens next. Truly a beautiful and unique game.
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