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[giancarlo123x]

On the final level (or I think I am). This game is amazing and has been hard to put down. Probably best sleeper hit for me so far this year. Its really late already so ill save some for tomorrow. I think im going for my dickhead playthrough as soon as im done.

 

[Urban Scholar]

hmm 3-2 is giving my issues. I think I'm a JYB fan(boy) because that man's voice pierce through like nothing and I knew it was him.

 

[Chrono Helix]

Do you consider youself to be a pervert? Be honest now

I think this is the second game to ask me this. I was suprised that the pie chart was pretty 50/50

When I got this question in the japanese version around 7/8 of the answers were "I won't deny it".

 

[Magnus]

I thought the same thing myself...

Yet Jeff Gerstmann from Giantbomb kept making it sound like the script didn't come across right during localization or something. He also complained that "people don't act like this", when...maybe he hasn't ever been in a love triangle before himself, because people totally do act weird like that when caught in that situation sometimes.

There's typical Japanese-disjointed conversation in the game. It's always around in animé and a bit painful to see after getting used to American tv movies. Characters will very suddenly switch topics, or not follow up well on whatever another character just said. Some of the bar scenes I've seen so far alternate wildly between great conversation and dialogue, and nonsensical and random moments that don't seem realistic, even for the game's story and setting.

Early in the game, at the bar:

Spoiler

SAY HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE WOMAN'S WRATH?!

I rolled my eyes so hard. What a clumsy and unnecessarily blatant and plain introduction to a story concept. In an otherwise fairly realistic world, people wouldn't suddenly start talking like that, about something like that. It's so jarring and shatters my immersion in the game.

All that said, I've learned to deal with clumsy game scripts from years of playing JRPGs and plenty of other genres, and I can look past it for all the other awesome in the game. Having a great time so far.

 

[Loudninja]

Eurogamer review 9/10
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-27-catherine-review

 

[The Return of]

I'm on the final stage right now.....lol game is addictive

 

[IrishNinja]

...how the fuck did gamefly have this marked as "available now" an hour ago, and now it's back to "low" with nothing sent? fuck this service, send my damn copy so i can stop avoiding spoiler stuff here.

 

[anddo0]

I'm on the final stage right now.....lol game is addictive

That was fast. How long did it take you to reach this point, which difficulty?

My copy is out for delivery

 

[Moofers]

Sat down and put about 2 hours into this last night. The game is great. Its everything I was hoping for. Yeah, the conversations are a bit disjointed at times, but its not too bad and overall, the storytelling is good.

My only complaint is that I wish they'd have just gone all out and put nudity in the game. I mean why the hell not? You've got a story about sex and relationships, yet they couldn't just show a little bit of tits and/or ass? Its not a big deal, really, its just one of those things where you're acutely aware that you're not watching an R-rated movie or even HBO despite the age requirements for the game.

That's a very small gripe though. Presentation is through the roof, the concept is fresh and original, and the whole package has me sucked in. I'm very happy to have Catherine.

 

[The Return of]

That was fast. How long did it take you to reach this point, which difficulty?

My copy is out for delivery

Playtime says 19 hours and 15 mins and normal, but I'm still not finish. I figured maybe 20 hours when I'm done, some of it was idle time, but I still I rarely play games past 2 hours a day, the only time I do is with fighting games....I really enjoy this game a lot. I got to leave soon for class too lol, forgot all about that thing called sleeping.

 

[dark10x]

Had a great time last night with the game. Spent a good couple of hours playing and wanted to keep going but ultimately had to stop. Oddly enough, my wife watched me play the entire time. She was surprisingly into it and really enjoying the game. The mix of puzzles and social scenes really clicked, I think. I don't think the strange dialog really hit her in quite the same way as English isn't her native language either. I love when we can play games together, I'm just surprised Catherine was one of those. I'm just glad I didn't buy the special edition and have to explain the pillow case.

I rolled my eyes so hard. What a clumsy and unnecessarily blatant and plain introduction to a story concept. In an otherwise fairly realistic world, people wouldn't suddenly start talking like that, about something like that. It's so jarring and shatters my immersion in the game.

Yeah, that kind of stuff is really bizarre and very typical of Japanese games. Perhaps the worst offender of this remains ZOE 2. Jesus, the dialog in that was so clipped and bizarre that it pretty much trashed the story elements for me. I do own a Japanese copy as well and the dialog works a bit better (makes more sense based on how they speak), but the writing is still pretty poor.

 

[JumpingTheGun]

Well Ive been playing on Easy and got to 3-2 last night and the puzzles are really starting to pick up in their difficulty. I can tell the final stages are gonna be a real pain since I could already feel slight rage boiling last night just in Stage 2. Otherwise, Ive never played anything like this before. When I got to the first confessional booth I knew it was a game not meant to be played with your girlfriend or wife around. This shit could end relationships.

Man I love this game.

 

[lljride]

UPS delivered my copy late as hell last night (well, late for me, around 8) so I just got to play past the first level from the demo. I still love everything about the presentation, I had a smile on my face the whole time. Can't wait to get home and play some more tonight.

 

[Andrew.]

Being an online gamer...as in playing games on sites like miniclip and armorgames etc. i was thinking it may be easier to navigate the puzzle areas with a plug and play keyboard and the arrow keys. I havent yet tried it....anyone have any thoughts as to if its even worth a shot?

 

[Dr.Horrible]

Am I the only idiot who didn't think you could even touch the trap boxes? I felt so stupid once I figured out how easy they are.

Oh, and I absolutely love the game. Made it to the beginning of day 4 on easy last night. It definitely has the "one more level" thing going for it.

Day 3 boss spoiler

Spoiler

creepy babies are creepy

 

[ULTROS!]

I finally got the game, in day 4 now.

Spoiler

the long chest hair was hilarious.

 

[ROBOKITTYZILLA]

I played for a short while last night and I am absolutely loving this. This is quickly becoming one my favorite titles.

These are my minor nitpicks so far:

- Why can't I disable subtitles? They're a bitter reminder that I can't have a subtitled Japanese language version of the game and they detract from the awesome custscenes and character sequences. It's hard to ignore and hard not to read ahead of the voice actors.

- I understand that it was an artistic decision but I wish the Plasma screen raping "Golden Playhouse" logo wouldn't pop up so often. Also, it's kind of distracting.

 

[SolidSnakex]

- Why can't I disable subtitles? They're a bitter reminder that I can't have a subtitled Japanese language version of the game and they detract from the awesome custscenes and character sequences. It's hard to ignore and hard not to read ahead of the voice actors.

Press start and then turn them off.

 

[JumpingTheGun]

I played for a short while last night and I am absolutely loving this. This is quickly becoming one my favorite titles.

These are my minor nitpicks so far:

- Why can't I disable subtitles? They're a bitter reminder that I can't have a subtitled Japanese language version of the game and they detract from the awesome custscenes and character sequences. It's hard to ignore and hard not to read ahead of the voice actors.

- I understand that it was an artistic decision but I wish the Plasma screen raping "Golden Playhouse" logo wouldn't pop up so often. Also, it's kind of distracting.

You can disable them if you pause during the cutscenes. A box appears in the upper right corner of the screen to shut them off.

 

[mattp]

got my copy last night, only ended up playing about an hour though.
i love the little bit i've played. but, i have a huge complaint. the fucking audio mix is TERRIBLE. the volume difference from the anime cutscenes to the realtime ones is so bad.
oh well

 

[TheExodu5]

Being an online gamer...as in playing games on sites like miniclip and armorgames etc. i was thinking it may be easier to navigate the puzzle areas with a plug and play keyboard and the arrow keys. I havent yet tried it....anyone have any thoughts as to if its even worth a shot?

I think it would be. My biggest complaint about the controls is the 'double tapping' for climbing an object you're not facing. A keyboard would make things go more smoothly.

...though you wouldn't be able to look around with the right analog stick.

 

[Master Milk]

I'm stuck on 6-2. I hate when I unknowingly get past a section, die, and then can't get past the section again.

 

[ROBOKITTYZILLA]

You can disable them if you pause during the cutscenes. A box appears in the upper right corner of the screen to shut them off.

Awesome. Strange this would be an in-game option and not on the main options menu. Thanks!

 

[CloakedPuppet]

Had a great time last night with the game. Spent a good couple of hours playing and wanted to keep going but ultimately had to stop. Oddly enough, my wife watched me play the entire time. She was surprisingly into it and really enjoying the game. The mix of puzzles and social scenes really clicked, I think. I don't think the strange dialog really hit her in quite the same way as English isn't her native language either. I love when we can play games together, I'm just surprised Catherine was one of those. I'm just glad I didn't buy the special edition and have to explain the pillow case.

My g/f really enjoyed watching me play as well. The fact that she enjoys puzzles made it an easy sell. I think I may go through Portal 2 a second time with her just for kicks.

BTW this game is ridiculously addictive. First game that I've had trouble putting down in a long time.

 

[Andrew.]

I think it would be. My biggest complaint about the controls is the 'double tapping' for climbing an object you're not facing. A keyboard would make things go more smoothly.

...though you wouldn't be able to look around with the right analog stick.

What if you used the keyboard on port two....and used the controller if need be...i kno it prolly would not work on the boss/final levels....cuz its too quick to change btween a controller and keyboard.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Really fun game. I like the text messages a lot for some reason. My complaint is that sometimes I'll be spidering on the back of some blocks (usually by accident) and its really hard to get him all the way back around onto the front again. The camera doesn't swing as far as you need it to and when you're back there the controls are reversed. It wastes so much time. Also just beat four on normal and I love the difficulty so far. Just the right amount of challenging.

 

[joe1138]

got my copy last night, only ended up playing about an hour though.
i love the little bit i've played. but, i have a huge complaint. the fucking audio mix is TERRIBLE. the volume difference from the anime cutscenes to the realtime ones is so bad.
oh well

Yeah, this is is really annoying and a pretty big oversight. Other than that I've really gotten into this game. On the start of Day 3 right now, can't wait to get home and play some more.

 

[Erigu]

My complaint is that sometimes I'll be spidering on the back of some blocks (usually by accident) and its really hard to get him all the way back around onto the front again. The camera doesn't swing as far as you need it to and when you're back there the controls are reversed. It wastes so much time.

I really don't know why they reversed the controls like that. It's such a pain. "Oh, now he's back on the side, so... wait, I never remember when they switch. Okay, so that wasn't right. And now I can't see him. Is he on the back? On the other side? Which way should I...? Nggggh..."

 

[.la1n]

Just finished this up today and wow that was refreshing compared to most of the games I've played lately. So much fun from start to end. Def my vote for sleeper hit this year, I hope they do manage to get good sales out of it, I still weep for poor Shadows of the Damned.

 

[JumpingTheGun]

Just finished this up today and wow that was refreshing compared to most of the games I've played lately. So much fun from start to end. Def my vote for sleeper hit this year, I hope they do manage to get good sales out of it, I still weep for poor Shadows of the Damned.

me too. it already seems tough to find. none of my local GS's are carrying it.

 

[Reclaimer]

Got to 3-3 on normal last night, lots of fun. Of note: although some here said you can change the difficulty mid game, you can only do so at the bar as far as I know. Save often. In as many new slots as you can. Even with (perhaps because of?) the difficulty, my first few hours were very addictive.

However, this game's story is a lot more clumsly than reviews led me to believe. Dialog isn't always the best, but it's pacing (and literally the timing they activate the different lines of dialog) is questionable, and sometimes just laughably bad.

These people spout out lines like a child is clumsily activating clips on a sound board. It often doesn't sound like the characters are talking to eachother, or that the actors even know the context of their dialog.

And that lip syncing is absolutely absurd. Very very poor in just about every way, timing doesn't match at all, and even if it did the shapes the lips make are way off of looking like they could actually pronounce phonemes, and very stiff.

Disappointing. Then again, I haven't played Persona, or watch much anime, so perhaps my tolerance for this kind of awkwardness is low.

But goes to show the power of games: even with all my personal issues with the presentation, I'm still looking forward to diving back into the game tonight.

 

[creid]

Rapunzel is whooping my ass. Can't seem to get past the 5th level or so.

Also, I'm playing on Easy and am already up to day 5 in 4 hours or so. It would really be nice to finish this tonight as I am busy for the next couple of days, but I imagine the difficulty is going to get in my way.

 

[Master Milk]

So of course I got past 6-2 right after complaining about it. I just finished 6-3 as well. I'm not looking forward to the last stage of this floor. The "boss battles" always kick my butt a fair bit.

 

[JumpingTheGun]

Got to 3-3 on normal last night, lots of fun. Of note: although some here said you can change the difficulty mid game, you can only do so at the bar as far as I know. Save often. In as many new slots as you can. Even with (perhaps because of?) the difficulty, my first few hours were very addictive.

However, this game's story is a lot more clumsly than reviews led me to believe. Dialog isn't always the best, but it's pacing (and literally the timing they activate the different lines of dialog) is questionable, and sometimes just laughably bad.

These people spout out lines like a child is clumsily activating clips on a sound board. It often doesn't sound like the characters are talking to eachother, or that the actors even know the context of their dialog.

And that lip syncing is absolutely absurd. Very very poor in just about every way, timing doesn't match at all, and even if it did the shapes the lips make are way off of looking like they could actually pronounce phonemes, and very stiff.Disappointing. Then again, I haven't played Persona, or watch much anime, so perhaps my tolerance for this kind of awkwardness is low.

But goes to show the power of games: even with all my personal issues with the presentation, I'm still looking forward to diving back into the game tonight.

You clearly don't watch much anime. =P

 

[Takuya]

And that lip syncing is absolutely absurd. Very very poor in just about every way, timing doesn't match at all, and even if it did the shapes the lips make are way off of looking like they could actually pronounce phonemes, and very stiff.

For cutscenes or gameplay? I read somewhere that the cutscenes were not re-rendered with lip-sync.

In other news, picking up my copy tonight, EB Games finally got the pre-orders in.

 

[Shadow780]

The directional control in which Vincent changes when he's hanging is a little frustrating, changing the camera doesn't help that much. Sometimes I press left but he goes right instead.

 

[Aeana]

hmm 3-2 is giving my issues. I think I'm a JYB fan(boy) because that man's voice pierce through like nothing and I knew it was him.

...JYB is in this?

Damn it.

 

[Cheska]

The directional control in which Vincent changes when he's hanging is a little frustrating, changing the camera doesn't help that much. Sometimes I press left but he goes right instead.

I feel like the camera is pretty much worthless most of the time. Also, depending on how far you are

Spoiler

one of the bosses spurts out this love enchantment that inverts your controls for a period of time. Just in case you were experiencing the switch up in only one level.

 

[brianmcdoogle]

Some thoughts and questions:

The camera control does nothing. I was behind some blocks, tried to swing the camera around so I could see myself, and it wouldn't move more than an inch. I really don't understand why they have camera control in this game.

The lip syncing is distractingly bad. I understand it's a dub, but considering most lip syncing in games is bad, this just seems like a bad job and not a dub.

The writing alternates between really good and laughably bad. Vincent's motives are making no sense, and I echo the complaint that the game is just going along with a predestined script instead of a natural occurrence of actions/events.

I am also having strange difficulty spikes. I just finished the Clock Tower, and 6-3 was the only one I struggled with, but the difference between that level and all others is huge. I've maybe died/restarted once or twice on most levels, but 6-3 took me a long time to complete. Then, the boss floor on 6-4 was incredibly easy and I got a perfect on it. I usually do really well in puzzle games, so the lack of difficulty isn't that surprising for me, but the difficulty spikes seem arbitrary and not progressive. It's like Deadly Premonition.

Also, I don't understand how the alignment meter works. I answer what I think are good answers, and the needle looks like it is moving to the red. Yet, when it appears again, it's much closer to the right side of the blue. It wiggles too much and isn't on screen long enough to determine the result of my choices. Either this needs to be more clear, or hidden from the player.

Speaking of, the dialogue choices seem like the opposite once in a while. I thought I was helping someone but I basically told him to go off and die.

I'm enjoying it, but not as much as I hoped. The game looks gorgeous, the voice acting is great (except for the younger of your friends... the guy in the blue), but the music is really forgettable.

I hope this is the look for the next Persona game, but they better have more than 1 environment and 10 characters to talk to. Oh well.

 

[Panda Rin]

Currently on 4-1 and it's kicking my ass right now. It's been a while since I've played a game that made me play for 5 hours straight.

 

[Addnan]

Downloaded the demo from the US marketplace and enjoyed it a lot. Would have bought it for PS3 if it didn't YLOD

Anyone know if the 360 version is region free?

 

[Shiv47]

Played for about two hours last night on Normal, and Jesus was that Stage 2 boss a pain in the ass, so much so I clearly see myself switching to Easy at some point, as I imagine the frustration level will climb quickly. Enjoying the game a lot otherwise, it's a nice change of pace from all the usual stuff.

 

[Volcynika]

...JYB is in this?

Damn it.

You get your Troy, but he comes along for the ride!

 

[Erigu]

Jesus was that Stage 2 boss a pain in the ass, so much so I clearly see myself switching to Easy at some point

There's no shame in picking Easy for your first run, really...

 

[firehawk12]

Disappointing. Then again, I haven't played Persona, or watch much anime, so perhaps my tolerance for this kind of awkwardness is low.

Pretty much. For all Japanese games, you get used to it or learn to live with it.

 

[yami4ct]

4-1 was insane, until I watched a video and saw them using a strategy I completely missed. It made me feel real stupid. Pretty much aced the

Spoiler

baby

though, so that was cool. The game is really good, and I like the characters, but it feels like they're missing the depth all the side characters the persona games had. It really feels like they spent most of the time getting the tech right for the next game. Still very good, just not a game changer like P4 was to me.

 

[thetrin]

Got to 3-3 on normal last night, lots of fun. Of note: although some here said you can change the difficulty mid game, you can only do so at the bar as far as I know. Save often. In as many new slots as you can. Even with (perhaps because of?) the difficulty, my first few hours were very addictive.

However, this game's story is a lot more clumsly than reviews led me to believe. Dialog isn't always the best, but it's pacing (and literally the timing they activate the different lines of dialog) is questionable, and sometimes just laughably bad.

These people spout out lines like a child is clumsily activating clips on a sound board. It often doesn't sound like the characters are talking to eachother, or that the actors even know the context of their dialog.

And that lip syncing is absolutely absurd. Very very poor in just about every way, timing doesn't match at all, and even if it did the shapes the lips make are way off of looking like they could actually pronounce phonemes, and very stiff.

Disappointing. Then again, I haven't played Persona, or watch much anime, so perhaps my tolerance for this kind of awkwardness is low.

But goes to show the power of games: even with all my personal issues with the presentation, I'm still looking forward to diving back into the game tonight.

Hmm, I feel the exact opposite. The way the characters interact, and the frankness with which they deliver their lines kinda blows me away. The back and forth isn't always the best, but the actual delivery is great, and the actual writing is fantastic. They talk like regular people. They swear in appropriate ways, and they're regular, flawed people, rather than perfect male power fantasies with impeccable moral compasses.

 

[SteveWinwood]

Hmm, I feel the exact opposite. The way the characters interact, and the frankness with which they deliver their lines kinda blows me away. The back and forth isn't always the best, but the actual delivery is great, and the actual writing is fantastic. They talk like regular people. They swear in appropriate ways, and they're regular, flawed people, rather than perfect male power fantasies with impeccable moral compasses.

A lot of the conversations at the bars remind me of conversations I've had with my friends at bars... It's striking a lot of strange chords.

 

[kanugo]

Downloaded the demo from the US marketplace and enjoyed it a lot. Would have bought it for PS3 if it didn't YLOD

Anyone know if the 360 version is region free?

VideogamesPlus confirmed it's NOT region free.

 

[Dr.Horrible]

A lot of the conversations at the bars remind me of conversations I've had with my friends at bars... It's striking a lot of strange chords.

Same.