Catherine
A handful of reviews I’ve seen around the web have said that it’s a very novel game, like nothing they’ve before seen, that sort of thing but I get a very distinct vibe when I play…
I’m reminded of Mass Effect
There’s going to be some medium spoilers of all of the above, I guess, behind the cut.
At first glance, Catherine is just a puzzle game punctuated by little, vaguely interactive, movie segments… but there’s a fair amount that seems to be roiling under that surface (or so it seems to me as a guy stuck between chapters 2 and 3).
In Mass Effect (and Mass Effect 2), if you didn’t know, you can have a relationship with a crew-member, if you want it. And, by relationship, I mean “you have the opportunity to see a PG/PG-13 snogging scene”. Getting the relationship was the most interesting part of this, or so it seems to me as someone probably older than the average player. You had to ask questions and listen to the answers and then give somewhat sympathetic (or, at least, non-critical) responses to move the relationship bar along. Pretty shallow, right? But, as video games go, it was exactly as melodramatic as it needed to be.
The Mass Effects also have a Paragon/Renegade dynamic going on… and it seems that Catherine does as well.
You get text messages, for example… and you have the opportunity to respond to them. Are you going to be terse to your girlfriend or supportive? When your one-night-stand texts you asking if you want a picture, will you be enthusiastic, nonchalant, or dismissive?
Will you be a moench who fixes the fact that he had a one-night stand with his girlfriend or will you break up and run off with the new one?
Interestingly, there is a blue/red continuum bar in this game as well. When you do certain things and send certain texts, your “angel” points go up. When you do others, your “devil” points go up.
Sadly, the puzzle portion of the game isn’t *THAT* interesting… but, so far, the non-puzzle portions remind me very very much of Mass Effect (at least, the relationship chasing portions).
In that, the game is very interesting indeed. I’ll see if I can give a full review once I’ve beaten it.
Man, ever since you became an Amazon affiliate, you’ve totally sold out on your reviews.
The price was right.
ugh, relationship videogames. now more guys will be more lonely, disillusioned and awkward around females
We’re going to touch on this point in the eventual essay.
wait what? you can have a relationship with wrex?
… it’s like nobody’s played Tex Murphy.
Relationship games are nothing new, even in the US, folks.
Not games where the POINT was to cultivate a romantic relationship. Those were always sub-plots to elicit “ew”s from those inclined to say “ew” and “aw”s from those inclined to say “aw”.
… Did you play all the Tex Murphy games? At least one has multiple endings, where it’s all about Chelsea (the love interest). There’s another story, too… (which ALSO has multiple endings). But Chelsea’s more interesting.
Only “Under a Killing Moon”.
I remember the weird stuff a lot more than the dames stuff.
that was the one with the weird “seven endings” thingummy 😉 Still haven’t finished it (the mormons and their stupid conversational puzzles! grr…)