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Catherine |OT| Sheep, Matrimony, Terror - Love Is Gone
- Thread starter cj_iwakura
- Start date
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:Ok, that's good then if there are no major differences between releases. Makes it harder to decide what platform though.
You're probably going to be using the d-pad a lot during the puzzles, if that makes a difference. Beyond a certain point I used it pretty much exclusively.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
ixix said:
Really? I think you just swung me to the PS3 version if I wind up getting it.
Shorty11857
Member
The difficulty in night 6 has really ramped up, hopefully I can keep going on normal
PooBone
Member
Finished the game yesterday. I enjoyed it up until day 9. The game sets you up and tells you how long you have to go to make it to "true freedom," then throws about two more hours and more block puzzles at you. I got REALLY REALLY tired of the damn blocks by the end of the game, but I still enjoyed it.
Caj814 said:
Oh yeah, THAT part. It's like Atlus decided the game wasn't hard enough as it was, so they decided to add something that pretty much boiled down to dumb luck.
That said, though, (spoilers for gameplay)
it's not quite the last area, despite them saying it would be
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
The puzzles are entirely block-based, and one tap of a direction on the d-pad equals one block moved. This is pretty handy considering that in the later stages moving one block too far can easily mean instant death.
I used the analog stick for the first couple of puzzles just because I thought "3d character, 3d environment, use the analog" but the actual gameplay is pretty much purely digital. After I realized that and switched to the d-pad I never once looked back.
semiconscious
Member
Akuun said:
looking back, that's likely my favorite aspect of the whole game - the way vincent's nightmare experiences force him to re-examine himself, & his relationships. i was surprised just how well they managed to make it work, & make it feel right (as in, pretty believable)...
Made it up to 7-2 on hard in one sitting for tonight. Haven't tried 7-2 yet, but I'll continue on tomorrow in my next play session where I hope to wrap up the game.
I don't find the game too difficult once you learn the mechanics, but I do find certain things just stupid as shit. There are blatant levels that instead of testing your wit... just have 100% random factors. These are usually on boss levels, after the check point when they go nuts on hard. You'll be trying to have successful patterns, repeat the same thing after you die, then you die before you even reach that spot, because of something like the boss pulling a block you needed to keep going up, even though last time it never fucked with that block. Shit like this pisses me off in ANY kind of game... do not have random factors like this that lead to player death.
As I mentioned the pillow system in the story is horrible on hard since you'll generally be on 2ish pillows at anytime. You have 2 attempts to make it to the check point from memory, pray random factor doesn't kick in, then you roll the dice to complete the second half of the level. Fail your # of pillows and you are forced to drudge through too many loading screens, and unskippable cut scenes, and it also ruins the questions in the confessional as well as pulling you out of the game experience. It should have been infinite pillows no matter what... or at least if you run out of pillows let me restart from the beggining of the level with the # of pillows I came in with.
As for the story, characters, etc I'm not jiving with it at all. Things like some of the confessional questions are stupid("Are all men stupid?" GEE WHAT A GOOD QUESTION), and a lot of the game is wishy washy about you are trying to be in the game. I'm being honest in my answers as Vincent, and even though you are steering him to good...he just lies anyway and is a douche. It makes my choices as the story is going on have no barring or impact, and if it's all just for a payout at the end, it makes the story as you play even more "meh," compared to previous Atlus game offerings.
There's a lot to just scrutinize this game over, and there isn't much here that makes this game worth its $60.00 price tag....Glad I rented it, even though Persona 4 is still my favorite game of all time. Jeff Gerstman's review which I just read a few minutes ago probably sums up my feelings about the game as well:
http://www.giantbomb.com/catherine/61-32367/reviews/
I hope Persona 5 is next. :/
I don't find the game too difficult once you learn the mechanics, but I do find certain things just stupid as shit. There are blatant levels that instead of testing your wit... just have 100% random factors. These are usually on boss levels, after the check point when they go nuts on hard. You'll be trying to have successful patterns, repeat the same thing after you die, then you die before you even reach that spot, because of something like the boss pulling a block you needed to keep going up, even though last time it never fucked with that block. Shit like this pisses me off in ANY kind of game... do not have random factors like this that lead to player death.
As I mentioned the pillow system in the story is horrible on hard since you'll generally be on 2ish pillows at anytime. You have 2 attempts to make it to the check point from memory, pray random factor doesn't kick in, then you roll the dice to complete the second half of the level. Fail your # of pillows and you are forced to drudge through too many loading screens, and unskippable cut scenes, and it also ruins the questions in the confessional as well as pulling you out of the game experience. It should have been infinite pillows no matter what... or at least if you run out of pillows let me restart from the beggining of the level with the # of pillows I came in with.
As for the story, characters, etc I'm not jiving with it at all. Things like some of the confessional questions are stupid("Are all men stupid?" GEE WHAT A GOOD QUESTION), and a lot of the game is wishy washy about you are trying to be in the game. I'm being honest in my answers as Vincent, and even though you are steering him to good...he just lies anyway and is a douche. It makes my choices as the story is going on have no barring or impact, and if it's all just for a payout at the end, it makes the story as you play even more "meh," compared to previous Atlus game offerings.
There's a lot to just scrutinize this game over, and there isn't much here that makes this game worth its $60.00 price tag....Glad I rented it, even though Persona 4 is still my favorite game of all time. Jeff Gerstman's review which I just read a few minutes ago probably sums up my feelings about the game as well:
http://www.giantbomb.com/catherine/61-32367/reviews/
I hope Persona 5 is next. :/
â Narayan
Member
Many of the bosses have this problem. I'll be climbing flawlessly and while pulling a block or bouncing on a spring block, something will kill me. A lot of my deaths have been from random stuff like that.Amory Blaine said:
Honestly, that's probably the only complaint I have for this game.
After reading some comments in here, I don't think that the puzzles have really clicked with me yet. I'm not terrible or anything, but I'm also not particularly good yet.
I keep falling back to the same strategy of a) creating stairs, and b) removing blocks to drop down levels. I watch all of the strategies in the waiting rooms of the Nightmare before the confessionals, but I seem to just forget them when I'm faced with a puzzle... especially a boss puzzle.
I'm not sure how to approach certain block formations, aside from solid walls. Also, I panic when I try to circle around the formation on the back side and I can't see ANYthing or maneuver the camera in any fashion where I can actually see. Any advice?
I keep falling back to the same strategy of a) creating stairs, and b) removing blocks to drop down levels. I watch all of the strategies in the waiting rooms of the Nightmare before the confessionals, but I seem to just forget them when I'm faced with a puzzle... especially a boss puzzle.
I'm not sure how to approach certain block formations, aside from solid walls. Also, I panic when I try to circle around the formation on the back side and I can't see ANYthing or maneuver the camera in any fashion where I can actually see. Any advice?
GuardianE said:
Some things I've noticed as someone who is playing on hard:
*Level design for whatever reason on most of the game is set to focus on the left half of the screen as you climb. This means it's rare that you go to the right side of the screen to mess with shit, as you can keep progressing with just left half.
*You want to find the smallest number of pulls, ALWAYS. On hard you generally can't afford to do too many pulls without progressing up, or else come the boss stages they catch up too quick. Since I doubt you're playing hard, you have plenty of time, but remember, that to go up, your goal should be the least # of things you need to do to get to the next row. If you're having to pull like 5+ blocks or something to get to the next row, then you're probably doing it wrong since it's rare that you need this many pulls until the later levels.
* Try to look on the left side where is the next area you want to get up to where there is a straight line of blocks. Is it 3 up high away, 4 high away? It's from here you can see you can picture the solution backwards going from top the bottom. Experiment the quickest way to get to that spot, and then memorize it, so if you fail you'll be able to do it faster next time.
Hope some of this helps.
ReturnOfTheRAT
Member
Yeah, the dub is good. It's not a problem, unless your need it, and if you do, go ahead and import it.
Inazuma is THE technique that you need to be confident in to succeed in the 7th floor. Without it you'll waste a lot of time building pyramids and getting stuck. Once that clicks, you'll blow through this floor. Everything to beat the game is there in front of you.
Inazuma is THE technique that you need to be confident in to succeed in the 7th floor. Without it you'll waste a lot of time building pyramids and getting stuck. Once that clicks, you'll blow through this floor. Everything to beat the game is there in front of you.
â Narayan
Member
Do you know this from experience? How is the Japanese VA superior to the English VA? Having it sound better to your ears really isn't a qualifier for making it superior.Erigu said:
Erigu said:
Is it (honest question, not intended to be sarcastic)? Even if it is, I had no issue with the English dub. To be honest, the only time I get picky about the lack of the original Japanese voices in a game is KoF (which Atlus already confirmed will be JP only with XIII); this has everything to do with not only being used to the characters sounding a specific way, but the fact that the English dubs SNKP used themselves in the MI series and XII were terrible.
zlatko said:Some things I've noticed as someone who is playing on hard:
*Level design for whatever reason on most of the game is set to focus on the left half of the screen as you climb. This means it's rare that you go to the right side of the screen to mess with shit, as you can keep progressing with just left half.
*You want to find the smallest number of pulls, ALWAYS. On hard you generally can't afford to do too many pulls without progressing up, or else come the boss stages they catch up too quick. Since I doubt you're playing hard, you have plenty of time, but remember, that to go up, your goal should be the least # of things you need to do to get to the next row. If you're having to pull like 5+ blocks or something to get to the next row, then you're probably doing it wrong since it's rare that you need this many pulls until the later levels.
* Try to look on the left side where is the next area you want to get up to where there is a straight line of blocks. Is it 3 up high away, 4 high away? It's from here you can see you can picture the solution backwards going from top the bottom. Experiment the quickest way to get to that spot, and then memorize it, so if you fail you'll be able to do it faster next time.
Hope some of this helps.
Yeah, I'm playing on Normal. I'm getting better, but I always feel like I'm missing something obvious... or that I'm going about the climb in an inefficient way. And when I use the "staircase" method (the one where you pull out a block, climb on top, pull the above block and the bottom block, the climb up top and pull the next block, etc, etc), I'm always one block shy of being able to reach the upper edge.
This is a simplified representation of a predicament I often run into:
_____________
I __ I __ I __ I
I __ I __ I __ I
I __ I __ I __ I
I __ I __ I __ I
That does help, though. Thank you.
Korigama said:
Just got through it and I guess I called it when I first saw the initial Catherine trailers.. .
Catherine was a succubus the entire time that NO ONE else saw since I found it weird after all the times she appeared there was no signs of her being there and no one else saw recalled her after going to the bar multiple times. Well I guess I'll finish it later tonight and start a 2nd play through going all red. . .but it seems pointless since it looks like it leads to a typical Japanese BAD END
From what (admittedly little) I've seen of the English dub, some characters sound off (Ishida Rue / Trisha, "the voice", the narrator, Johnny...). In some cases, I found that quite irritating. I realize that's likely not to be an issue if you don't know the original version, but...
Your mileage may vary, naturally...
It has Wakamoto, so, by default...!Korigama said:
But seriously, yeah, I'd say it is, myself... It's just hard to equal/beat some of those actors.
And I'd be in support of the original version (no matter the language) being included anyway. I can see how that would be a problem with the Xbox 360 version though...
I don't think it's bad, overall, from what I've seen. Just... it would have been nice to have both.
I like how Capcom tends to give you the choice (even going far as to let you pick your preferred voice for each character).
Last night as I was trying to sleep images from this game kept flashing through my head. Always just when I was about to fall asleep, BAM! Level boss! BAM! Horrifying Monster! BAM! Sheep!
Then I tried to put on my iPod to distract me, only to realize the playlist was set to the Soundtrack.
Finally fell asleep to Zero Punctuation.
Then I tried to put on my iPod to distract me, only to realize the playlist was set to the Soundtrack.
Finally fell asleep to Zero Punctuation.
GuardianE said:
They pretty much design it so the staircase isn't typically a way from the start to reach the next area, it's usually done at the end, if at all later on.
For that picture, you can infinity loop up with 3 blocks if you pull the left and middle out, climb up and pull the left out, push it all the way off the right, pull the middle out, climb, pull the right out, push it all the way left, pull middle out, repeat.
iconoclast
Member
GuardianE said:
This is an easy pattern once you learn the trick. Move the bottom left block all the way to the right, pull out the middle block, climb up one level, pull out the right block and move it all the way to the left, pull out the middle block, climb up one level, pull out of the left block and move it all the way to the right, pull out the middle block, climb up, etc etc. You can keep going infinitely as long as breakable or immovable blocks don't get in your way.
edit: beaten.
Mortrialus
Banned
Korigama said:
I'll agree with him to an extent. As much as I enjoyed the dub, and how I almost always prefer them, I still think every game that is going to use a dub should include the original audio track and English subtitles. This debate has been settled in the anime community for about a decade now: Sub vs. Dub? How about include both and make everyone happy?
Korigama said:
The game is most certainly set in Japan. How else could Vincent meet with the characters of Persona 3 if it wasn't?
Erigu said:
This is understandable (the option for both is always a nice bonus).
To be honest, I do consider it a wasted opportunity to not have the original Japanese and a professional English dub handled by Atlus with KoF XIII after SNKP turned to them for help with the game's release (it was something I was looking forward to after hearing they would be working together before finding out it would be JP only).
Mortialus said:The game is most certainly set in Japan. How else could Vincent meet with the characters of Persona 3 if it wasn't?
Cameo. One answer considered was the possibility of him being on a business trip. Either way, it's already established that the setting for Catherine is the US. It's been discussed more than once throughout this very topic.
Catherine has easily the best dub in any localized game I've played. All, and I mean ALL of the voices sound completely believable and do not sound out of place at all. The voice acting is really top notch.
Small rules for climbing (minor spoiler for those who do not want to learn the trick on their own):
- It sounds like you're using the trick where
As for the graphic you have, I'll try to explain the strategy for this (they call it Inazuma in the game), which lets you climb a wall like this. This is an answer to your example:
_____________
I _A I _B I _C I
I _7 I _8 I _9 I
I _4 I _5 I _6 I
I _1 I _2 I _3 I
Hopefully that helps show how the pattern goes. For wider walls, just keep in mind that you can
Edit: beaten repeatedly, haha
I'd get Deus Ex because I'm super hyped for it and possibly has more play time available in it, but Catherine is really a great game too. Plus Catherine is out right now and Deus Ex comes out in a few weeks... the wait is really agonizing.genjiZERO said:
Small rules for climbing (minor spoiler for those who do not want to learn the trick on their own):
- It sounds like you're using the trick where
you pull out one block, climb on top of it, pull out the block directly above the first one, then slide down and pull your first block to the side. The corollary to this trick is that when you're at the top of a staircase and are one block short, you can pull out that block over the block you're currently standing on, then pull out the block you were standing on over the previous block you stood on, and keep repeating until you reach the bottom, when you can climb all the way back up again. This ALWAYS works as long as you have at least two spaces at the bottom of your staircase. If you don't have that space, then that's when things get more complicated.
As for the graphic you have, I'll try to explain the strategy for this (they call it Inazuma in the game), which lets you climb a wall like this. This is an answer to your example:
_____________
I _A I _B I _C I
I _7 I _8 I _9 I
I _4 I _5 I _6 I
I _1 I _2 I _3 I
1. Pull out blocks 2 and 3.
2. Climb up and pull out block 6.
3. Pull block 6 to the left so that it stands in front of block 5. You'll fall onto the side of block 2.
4. Climb along the sides of the blocks and pull yourself back up on block 3.
5. Push block 6 to the left so that it stands in front of block 4.
6. Pull out block 5.
7. Climb on top of block 6 and pull out block 7.
The rest of the steps repeat the same pattern.
8. Pull block 7 to the right so that it stands in front of block 8.
9. Climb back along the sides and pull yourself back up on block 6 (it's in front of block 4 at this point)
10. Push block 7 to the right so that it covers block 9.
11. Pull out block 8.
12. Climb on top of block 7 and pull out block C.
2. Climb up and pull out block 6.
3. Pull block 6 to the left so that it stands in front of block 5. You'll fall onto the side of block 2.
4. Climb along the sides of the blocks and pull yourself back up on block 3.
5. Push block 6 to the left so that it stands in front of block 4.
6. Pull out block 5.
7. Climb on top of block 6 and pull out block 7.
The rest of the steps repeat the same pattern.
8. Pull block 7 to the right so that it stands in front of block 8.
9. Climb back along the sides and pull yourself back up on block 6 (it's in front of block 4 at this point)
10. Push block 7 to the right so that it covers block 9.
11. Pull out block 8.
12. Climb on top of block 7 and pull out block C.
Hopefully that helps show how the pattern goes. For wider walls, just keep in mind that you can
give yourself additional height by changing the direction your stairway runs.
Edit: beaten repeatedly, haha
Papercuts said:
iconoclast said:
Thank you guys very much! It's looks so obvious now, but I just didn't put it together. This will really help me immensely.
EDIT: Thanks to you too, Akuun. I think my brain simply didn't process that I could hang a cube off an edge like that. I knew it, but didn't put it into practice.
Mortrialus
Banned
Korigama said:
I've beaten the game. Aside from the English names, I don't recall anything explicitly stating the game is set in the U.S.
cj_iwakura
Member
Here's my opinionated breakdown, having finished the sub from start to finish.
Dub Superior
Vincent
Orlando
Toby
Erica
Announcer (he really grew on me)
Sub Superior
Computer Announcer
Katherine (I love ya Michelle, but you're no Kotono Mitsuishi.)
Jonathan
Tie Game (Both VAs are amazing)
Boss
Catherine
The dub is amazing, regardless.
Dub Superior
Vincent
Orlando
Toby
Erica
Announcer (he really grew on me)
Sub Superior
Computer Announcer
Katherine (I love ya Michelle, but you're no Kotono Mitsuishi.)
Jonathan
Tie Game (Both VAs are amazing)
Boss
Catherine
The dub is amazing, regardless.
Gucci Messiah
Banned
I used analog the whole game, including the puzzles without a problemULTROS! said:
I consider the console release of that one a tiny miracle in itself, so I wouldn't ask for much beyond that. Poor SNK-Playmore... ^^;Korigama said:
I don't think it is, actually...
And while I agree that the game doesn't appear to be set in Japan, I don't think it takes place in the States either...
Mortrialus said:
Like I said, this debate has already come up before.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=29683304&postcount=1542
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=29684439&postcount=1563
Erigu said:
The other inaccuracy that probably led to people calling things into question, aside from interior design, was probably
the rainfall being measured in millimeters instead of inches in the anime cutscene after stage 8
cj_iwakura
Member
Korigama said:
Nich Maragos confirmed it himself as well. An 'unnamed city'(that I thought was Chicago at some point, but that's another story).
Gucci Messiah
Banned
You can buy sake at the bar, how is Catherine not set in Japan? I haven't been to a bar here in the states where I can buy sake.
cj_iwakura
Member
MCXC Pioneer said:
Boss is a classy gentleman who caters to his clientele, that's how.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Wait, there were English subtitles available in the JP version?cj_iwakura said:
cj_iwakura
Member
XiaNaphryz said:
Nope. I mean the JP version. I had no idea what was going on, I just didn't want to wait.
XANDER CAGE
Member
MCXC Pioneer said:
Probably the same reason Vincent and Katherine kneel at the table in his apartment - it's an anachronism because the game was made in Japan, sort of like when American movies set in other countries or different time periods often have little mistakes in them.
Gucci Messiah
Banned
Those are pretty big, obvious mistakes thoughBigJiantRobut said:
cj_iwakura
Member
MCXC Pioneer said:
Maybe Japan has conquered the world and forced their traditions onto the subjugated American populace.
(They do have the Persona users on their side.)
Mortrialus
Banned
MCXC Pioneer said:
Agreed. There is no way they would have made mistakes like these. If the game is set in the U.S., it's intentionally anachronistic.
XANDER CAGE
Member
MCXC Pioneer said:
Not really. I've been to bars that serve sake. Maybe not dive pizza joints like Stray Sheep, but it happens. And really, the kneeling thing isn't a huge obvious mistake though. It's just a cultural anachronism.
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