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[Giolon]

Should we revive the review thread?

I'm sure there's a lot of people who are waiting for review scores before they dip.

Why does there need to be a seperate reviews thread from the OT? That's kind of weird...

 

[toythatkills]

Wait, so if I save, and then use all my retries, I then will always have no retries when loading from that save?

That sounds awful.

Yeah, and if you've got some long cut-scene to watch, get ready to enjoy it over and over and over and o...

If you use a load of retries, quit the game so it doesn't save and then reload it with all your used retries in tact. Don't game over.

 

[tiff]

Why does there need to be a seperate reviews thread from the OT? That's kind of weird...

I guess on the plus side it can keep reviews discussion out of the OT.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Yeah, and if you've got some long cut-scene to watch, get ready to enjoy it over and over and over and o...

What? Apart from loading screens I don't remember a single cutscene I couldn't skip in the .jp version. Were the demo cutscenes unskippable?

If you run out of retries, it's game over. You can start from your save but you'll have no retries left, which means you'd probably need to be reloading the game about fifty times on some levels.

This also rings completely untrue. Every time I Game Overed I had my stock of retries left on a reload of my last save.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Why does there need to be a seperate reviews thread from the OT? That's kind of weird...

The thread already exists and reached 6 pages.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=437201

 

[Giolon]

The thread already exists and reached 6 pages.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=437201

Doesn't that only exist because there couldn't be an OT up as early as some reviews caome out? I mean I've literally never seen this separation for any game OT I've participated in.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Should we revive the review thread?

I'm sure there's a lot of people who are waiting for review scores before they dip.

I have them in the OP for a reason.


And yes, AVOID GAMETRAILERS.

They spoil this game with reckless disregard.

 

[richiek]

I played the demo and I was kinda disappointed. The gameplay does seem to be unforgiving. I can see myself hurling controllers playing this. I'm also not fond of sitting thru uber long cut scenes either, tho the storyline seems intriguing. I can't see myself spending $60 for this. (broke right now)

Interestingly enough, my last 2 girlfriends were named Catherine (well actually Katie for short).

 

[Gentleman Jack]

I'm also not fond of sitting thru uber long cut scenes either, tho the storyline seems intriguing.

You can skip cutscenes.

 

[dili]

Multiplayer?
Offline leaderboards and offline co-op.

The game has no online what so ever? Not even the leaderboards? Then why have i been reading the game has online leaderboards elsewhere?

Atlus also fixed an issue with the online leaderboards where players not appearing in the rankings and modified text to reflect the balance changes. If you don’t like the changes you can reset Catherine back to its original state by pressing R3 and L3 (or both analog stick buttons on the Xbox 360 controller) at the same time.

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/03/09/catherine-patch-adds-super-easy-mode-and-power-up-drink/

 

[cj_iwakura]

The game has no online what so ever? Not even the leaderboards? Then why have i been reading the game has online leaderboards elsewhere?



http://www.siliconera.com/2011/03/09/catherine-patch-adds-super-easy-mode-and-power-up-drink/

Uh, I meant online. Kind of silly to have offline leaderboards, I suppose...

 

[SpaceBridge]

I have them in the OP for a reason.


And yes, AVOID GAMETRAILERS.

They spoil this game with reckless disregard.

Oh god, I watched the review. What did I see that was a spoiler. Wait, dont tell me. Reminds of the time, a poster on gamefaqs spoiled the ending of Persona 3. I was soooo pissed.

 

[N30RYU]

Does the final version let us change the videos volume? 'Cause the audio in the demo is quite unbalanced... the videos are much louder than the game.

 

[Lyude77]

I played the demo for this last night, and was surprised how much I liked it! I almost didn't give it a chance because of the, less face it, a bit embarrassing looking box art, that makes the game seem more like a bonus disc for the Maxim magazine.

After I started reading about it, everything was pointing to a game not being some raunchy crap but a nice and intriguing (mystical?) story about relationships - and the demo makes no mistake about this, it sells this intrigue very well. Even the block pushing puzzle gameplay which I thought would stick out like a sore thumb, actually felt perfectly right in place. It made it seem like you're playing though the nightmare, literally, what with some gravitational illogicals, earth under you crumbling as you struggle to go up, and typical banal nightmare symbolism that you can only shake your head at when you wake up (OMG, the girlfriend is chasing me to stab me down - commitment! - she's so huge and overpowering!). I like that the puzzles require you to think quick on your feet, and make you have an *aha* moment every once in a while.

Everything about the demo was great or at the very least endearing. I even liked the somewhat awkward dialogue pacing, and funny facial expressions. Liked how the animation mixes serious with goofy - it's like they got what's good about some of the anime, but eliminated what's horrible about it (or at least I hope so, from the demo it seems like that anyway). Humor works well, and characters are instantly likeable stereotypes just waiting to be used in some unexpected plot development. I think this is a game that people would love playing with their significant other, as it seems like a type of game where the second player can contribute a lot (figuring out puzzles, deciding together how to compose text messages), and enjoy the story along. I really like it, and I really wish the box art wasn't something that I'd feel I'll need to hide as far away from the view as possible when the guests are around. I'm literally worried that a lot of people who would otherwise be interested in the game would gloss it over because of this, even though their intention was mostly likely the opposite - to attract people on cover sex appeal alone.

You can always get the alternate boxarts (unless you want the special edition) - that's partially what they're for. I'm going to be doing that. I don't exactly need my younger cousins seeing the normal boxart on my shelf...

I'm really looking forward to this game, I can't wait until a week from now. I also loved the demo - especially the text messaging. I also liked how the puzzle mechanics are simple but allow for complexity. The main draw for me is the story, though. I love the premise, characters, etc. too. I'm looking forward to seeing whether Catherine can tempt me to go away from my natural law choices, haha.

The only thing that bothered me after I thought about it a bit was the alignment meter. I would have preferred something more subtle like Devil Summoner 2 so that I don't regret decisions immediately and feel like restarting. Also, I think the characters' reactions would be enough to let me know how appropriate my response was without the meter. Everything else seems perfect for me.

 

[Giolon]

I played the demo for this last night, and was surprised how much I liked it! I almost didn't give it a chance because of the, less face it, a bit embarrassing looking box art, that makes the game seem more like a bonus disc for the Maxim magazine.

<snip>

I'm literally worried that a lot of people who would otherwise be interested in the game would gloss it over because of this, even though their intention was mostly likely the opposite - to attract people on cover sex appeal alone.

So...sexy box art = bad? Does not compute. I love both versions of the cover art. I don't see what's so embarassing. It's not like there's naked chicks giving blowjobs all over it. I see those covers and think "I want to know more about what's going on here!".

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

I have them in the OP for a reason.


And yes, AVOID GAMETRAILERS.

They spoil this game with reckless disregard.

I learned this the hard way.

Never again GT.

 

[eshwaaz]

I have them in the OP for a reason.


And yes, AVOID GAMETRAILERS.

They spoil this game with reckless disregard.

This can't be stressed enough. I was just trying to shuttle through it quickly to see their final score, but I happened to catch a spoiler along the way. Even with no context, it was clearly a major plot reveal. I don't know what the hell they're thinking sometimes.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Just watched the GT trailer to confirm.

Yep, spoilers. Not as major as the import preview(which spoiled damn near everything), but it does show clips from one of the more major scenes in the game. Nothing dire, though.

 

[deim0s]

I just saw this interview about Catherine's localization work in twitter:

http://www.kotowari.org/catherine-localization-studio-interview/

*apologies if posted already

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Just watched the GT trailer to confirm.

Yep, spoilers. Not as major as the import preview(which spoiled damn near everything), but it does show clips from one of the more major scenes in the game. Nothing dire, though.

1 minor, 1 major spoilers within the first 60 seconds of GT's video review.

Dang.

By 'minor' spoilers I mean things one could pick up on by understanding Japanese and watching every PV Atlus released for the Japanese release.

 

[Bebpo]

I only read the first page or two, but you can change difficulty mid-game. Just hit start at the bar intermission and you can change. So feel free to start on a tougher difficulty and the drop back when it gets too tough. I'd recommend doing normal as far as you can and then dropping back to easy to finish it on your first run.

Sucks about the lack of J-voice. There's really little excuse for Atlus on this when companies like NIS are releasing everything dual audio and even Sega did the same with RoF. There's plenty of space on discs this gen and if the j-audio is not lip-sync'd who cares, it isn't even sync'd in 99% of anime/games in japan. The Japanese cast for Catherine was a really stellar collection of high profile actors and the whole point making Vincent look like Spike from Cowboy Bebop and then getting Spike's voice actor to play him is kind of lost otherwise and that's a shame. I'm sure the dub will be fine, but Atlus should've gone the extra mile and given the option.

 

[faridmon]

This can't be stressed enough. I was just trying to shuttle through it quickly to see their final score, but I happened to catch a spoiler along the way. Even with no context, it was clearly a major plot reveal. I don't know what the hell they're thinking sometimes.

Which plot twist? I think you will notice that if you have completed the game... I think...

 

[pelicansurf]

Graaah, I'm so excited for this game!

 

[cj_iwakura]

Has it occurred to you that a top-shelf cast like the Japanese edition had would cost a LOT of money to license?

As said in the OP, I'd wish people would stop bringing this up.


GameFAQs is already a putrid wasteland over this non-issue.



Personally, I'm more concerned with the game having been made even easier for the US market.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Which plot twist? I think you will notice that if you have completed the game... I think...

Spoiler

The knife fight between Catherine and Katherine.

 

[polyh3dron]

I have them in the OP for a reason.


And yes, AVOID GAMETRAILERS.

They spoil this game with reckless disregard.

lol they always do.

after uncharted 2, never again.

 

[Acquiescence]

Sucks about the lack of J-voice. There's really little excuse for Atlus on this when companies like NIS are releasing everything dual audio and even Sega did the same with RoF. There's plenty of space on discs this gen and if the j-audio is not lip-sync'd who cares, it isn't even sync'd in 99% of anime/games in japan. The Japanese cast for Catherine was a really stellar collection of high profile actors and the whole point making Vincent look like Spike from Cowboy Bebop and then getting Spike's voice actor to play him is kind of lost otherwise and that's a shame. I'm sure the dub will be fine, but Atlus should've gone the extra mile and given the option.

Hear hear. The upcoming El Shaddai has been confirmed to include dual tracks for its Western release, and that game isn't even close to the level of hype and exposure that Catherine has received overseas. Just a shame that it got delayed really; I knew which title I was importing from the US come the 26th.

 

[faridmon]

Spoiler

The knife fight between Catherine and Katherine.

Meh, that is not a plot twist. I mean, its just a plot devolopment and the players are actually expecting that to happen onw way or another.

But yeah, it is a spoiler and GT suck for showing, but it doesn't effect me at all. Now, I just want a EU release and I am happy.

 

[Sallokin]

Atlus tweeted that Catherine was getting her passport ready. So glad to hear that.

#Catherine is getting her passport in order... #whatcouldthismean

 

[faridmon]

Atlus tweeted that Catherine was getting her passport ready. So glad to hear that.

Yeah, But I am guessing It is gonna be a 2012 release. They always screw us like that

 

[Volcynika]

I only read the first page or two, but you can change difficulty mid-game. Just hit start at the bar intermission and you can change. So feel free to start on a tougher difficulty and the drop back when it gets too tough. I'd recommend doing normal as far as you can and then dropping back to easy to finish it on your first run.

Sucks about the lack of J-voice. There's really little excuse for Atlus on this when companies like NIS are releasing everything dual audio and even Sega did the same with RoF. There's plenty of space on discs this gen and if the j-audio is not lip-sync'd who cares, it isn't even sync'd in 99% of anime/games in japan. The Japanese cast for Catherine was a really stellar collection of high profile actors and the whole point making Vincent look like Spike from Cowboy Bebop and then getting Spike's voice actor to play him is kind of lost otherwise and that's a shame. I'm sure the dub will be fine, but Atlus should've gone the extra mile and given the option.

Just because other companies are able to do it, doesn't mean another would not have any issues. They obviously can't directly say why it wasn't included, but I don't really jive with the argument of "well other people are doing it, so they should too!" It's just a very poor argument to make. Every situation is different. But I've seen the majority be stubborn and just assume that it should be easy to include.

 

[BlazingDarkness]

I think I'm one of the few who don't care much for Atlus' english VA efforts, I turn them off in the Persona games and probably will do for Catherine too. Of course doesn't help that they reuse all of the same actors through titles, they need to hire more British talent, but of course, not having European offices poses a problem there.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

lol they always do.

after uncharted 2, never again.

What did they spoil?

 

[Professor Beef]

What did they spoil?

Check a few posts above yours, in the tags.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

Just pre-ordered the Love is Over Edition from Amazon. I could not say no to the amount of swag you get with this. This game has New Game+ right?

 

[cj_iwakura]

Yep.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Here's an avatar I'll contribute, whoever wants it.

That was from some promo art collectibles for the JP release.

Hopefully it's in the artbook we get.

 

[solarplexus]

Catherine is coming to Germany. According to the german ESRB (aka USK). The publisher is Koch Media.

source http://www.gamefront.de

 

[Hero]

Here's an avatar I'll contribute, whoever wants it.

That was from some promo art collectibles for the JP release.

Hopefully it's in the artbook we get.

Yoink! Thanks.

 

[slaughterking]

I'm a little disappointed VGplus hasn't been able to ship my order yet. They usually time their international orders pretty good so that we Europeans get the game close to the official release date. :I

 

[Azure Phoenix]

Confirmed that Catherine is coming to Europe:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-22-catherine-coming-to-europe-this-year#justposted

I'm a little concerned it might be 360 only however, since so far only the 360 version has been rated by USK and MrPointyHead has also tweeted about it. Supposedly a message on Twitter that was hastily deleted also said an October release.

Hopefully there will be a full blown statement in the coming days, that way I can keep my Love is Over version sealed and just wait on the EU release.

 

[AntiTout]

Confirmed that Catherine is coming to Europe:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-22-catherine-coming-to-europe-this-year#justposted

I'm a little concerned it might be 360 only however, since so far only the 360 version has been rated by USK and MrPointyHead has also tweeted about it. Supposedly a message on Twitter that was hastily deleted also said an October release.

Hopefully there will be a full blown statement in the coming days, that way I can keep my Love is Over version sealed and just wait on the EU release.

Seriously, only xbox?

 

[Drewfonse]

Avoid the 1up review: huge, huge, end-game spoiler is mentioned by a user in the comments section, right below the review text. UGH.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

Hopefully there will be a full blown statement in the coming days, that way I can keep my Love is Over version sealed and just wait on the EU release.

Hmm. The press-release said consoles (plural), but yeah, they didn't specify.

 

[Autofokus]

How easy is "easy" in this game? I totally suck at puzzle/puzzle platformer games and don't care about chievos, just want to enjoy the game. + another question: Is there any punishment for playing on easy (bad ending etc.)?

 

[MarshMellow96]

Back to PS3 I go then!

 

[Minamu]

Are there any complete achievement lists out there that show the hidden stuff? Wondering about difficulty achievements specifically, since they are not really mentioned in the non-hidden stuff.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Are there any complete achievement lists out there that show the hidden stuff? Wondering about difficulty achievements specifically, since they are not really mentioned in the non-hidden stuff.

My FAQ.

Since you don't want to risk viewing spoilers, here's the full achievement list.

Mild spoilers(names of endings).

Spoiler

Platinum Trophy / ?? Pts. - - : Acquire all Trophies/Achievements
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Nightmare Beginning- : Clear Stage 1
Bronze Trophy / 5 Pts. -Escaped the Prison of Sinners- : Clear Stage 2
Bronze Trophy / 5 Pts. -Escaped the Torture Chamber- : Clear Stage 3
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Passed your Court Hearing- : Clear Stage 4
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Crossed the Courtyard Room- : Clear Stage 5
Bronze Trophy / 15 Pts. -Walked through the Clock Tower- : Clear Stage 6
Bronze Trophy / 15 Pts. -Traveled the path to the Altar- : Clear Stage 7
Bronze Trophy / 20 Pts. -Legendary Achievement- : Clear Stage 8
Silver Trophy / 20 Pts. -True Freedom- : Clear Stage 9
Bronze Trophy / 30 Pts. -Good Night Baby- : Get the Lovers bad ending
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Invincible Man- : Get the Affair bad ending
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Like That Time- : Get the Lovers good ending
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Sleepless Night- : Get the Affair good ending
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Good Day For a Trip- : Get the Lovers True Ending
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Emperor of the Night- : Get the Affair True Ending
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Do as you Please- : Get the Freedom normal ending
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -End of your Travels- : Get the Freedom True Ending
Gold Trophy / 100 Pts. -Obtainer of Dreams- : View all endings
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Journalist Decision- : Solve Justin's problem
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Outgrowing Rules- : Solve Todd's problem
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Love Remedy- : Solve Archie's problem
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -All you need is love- : Solve Daniel's problem
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Final Drink!- : Solve Morgan's problem
Silver Trophy / 50 Pts. -Everyone's Hero- : Solve everyone's problem
Bronze Trophy / 5 Pts. -This Song Tonight- : Change the song in the jukebox
Bronze Trophy / 20 Pts. -Mailman- : Send 20 text messages
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Colosseum Mode unlocked- : Beat the game
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Pressure Man- : Move five blocks at once
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Slippery Man- : Push an ice block over five blocks
Bronze Trophy / 20 Pts. -Demolition Man- : Detonate five blocks at once
Silver Trophy / 30 Pts. -Superman- : Use a spring 3 consecutive times
Silver Trophy / 30 Pts. -Slow and Steady- :
Move a solid block 10 consecutive times
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Sake Connoisseur- : Hear all the trivia about Sake
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Beer Connoisseur- : Hear all the trivia about Beer
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Cocktail Connoisseur- :
Hear all the trivia about Cocktails
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Whiskey Connoisseur- :
Hear all the trivia about Whiskey
Bronze Trophy / 5 Pts. -Then There Were None- :
Continue to stay at the bar(Begin Stage 9).
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Babel Invitation- : Earn 1 gold prize on Normal
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. -Conquered Altar- : Clear the Altar Bonus Stage
Bronze Trophy / 15 Pts. -3 Star Man- : Earn 3 gold prizes on Normal
Bronze Trophy / 15 Pts. -Conquered Menhir- : Clear the Menhir bonus stage
Bronze Trophy / 20 Pts. -5 Star Man- : Earn 5 gold prizes on Normal
Bronze Trophy / 20 Pts. -Conquered Obelisk- : Clear the Obelisk bonus stage
Silver Trophy / 30 Pts. -Man Who Challenged God- : All gold prizes on Normal
Gold Trophy / 100 Pts. -Birth of a new God- :
Clear the Axis Mundi bonus stage
Gold Trophy / 100 Pts. -Brilliant Gold Man- : Earn all gold prizes on Hard
Bronze Trophy / 10 Pts. - Beyond the Riddle- : Clear 64 stages in Rapunzel
Bronze Trophy / 20 Pts. - Riddle within a riddle- :
Discover the hidden Rapunzel
Silver Trophy / 50 Pts. - Legendary Prince- :
Discover the truth about Rapunzel

 

[ULTROS!]

Hey guys, I'll be making more avatars tomorrow. What characters do you want to avatar-ize?

 

[Snuggles]

I just sent in my preorder. I haven't even played the demo, and I don't play many console games, but this looks awesome so fuck it.