[DustyShinigami]

I was just wondering if Adventure Gamers are planning to cover the horror themed, anime styled, puzzle-platformer and adult adventure - Catherine? The game's coming out for PS3 and 360 in America on the 26 of this month and will be published by Deep Silver in the EU at a later date.

I understand it's not a 'true' adventure game, and that it mixes genres, but there is a focus on characters, story and puzzle solving. Also, a word of warning: apparently it's very hard and it certainly won't appeal to everyone!

If there are no plans, then feel free to move the thread elsewhere.

[Jackal]

We definitely know about Catherine, and we'll take a close look at it once it's released. At the moment we're leaning towards not doing anything with it, but that could change. What's most likely is that it gets covered (if at all) in one or our ungraded "Puzzling (mis)adventures" articles, like the ones we did for Braid, Limbo, etc.

[Monolith]

Yeah Catherine is a pretty good game, but I only played the demo. Is the adventure game elements more than just text message choices? Or do you explore the environment with other adventure game mechanics? My roommate said its a puzzle adventure game, but I didn't seem much adventure in the demo.

[fov]

I just played the demo tonight. The action/puzzle scenes seemed puzzle-oriented enough to keep the game in adventure (or semi-adventure) territory, although even on the easy setting (which is all the demo offers) I had to redo the second one several times before I made it to the top. I enjoyed the challenge, but that part of it definitely felt like a platformer.

The scenes in the bar seemed like they could be adventury... I was intrigued by how the text messages could be written in different ways and this apparently influences the direction of the story. It's not really clear from the demo if that's the extent of interaction in the story scenes or if you'll also be able to explore and talk to people. Some of the previews I've read have referred to being able to play a video game inside the bar, so that suggests that you do get to move around a bit. I hope there is some interaction in those scenes; if it's just a bunch of long cutscenes interspersed with the nightmare levels, that seems like it could get repetitive.

I'm really curious about this one and I have some Amazon credit, so I might pick up the game soon after launch. I really should finish LA Noire first though.

[aaroncarney]

I'm surprised I've not seen a review lately on the new console game Catherine. It's amazing, and definitely deserves a mention on this site, especially if LA Noire did.

It's not just your average game where the hero saves the world. It's about a guy named Vincent who drunkenly cheats on his girlfriend, Katherine, on another girl named Catherine, and then ends up stuck in a big mess. In the day he will have things to do such as meet his girlfriend, or hang out at the bar where you can interact with people. And in the night he goes to bed and has nightmares. In these nightmares you will need to climb a huge tower by solving box puzzles. sounds like those horrible, boring puzzles in broken sword 3... but its anything but boring, its INTENSE.

trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Fjq...eature=related

[Monolith]

Anything but boring, but just as amazingly hard. Really fun game.

[thejobloshow]

Seems more like an arcade puzzle game driven by moving blocks rather than story and characters.

I'd like for it to have a PAL release so I can find out if I actually have some control over the story considering the long cut scenes.

[usman]

Catherine seems great here is the review...........


http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/c...ne/review.html

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Finally played the demo the other evening.

It looks and feels so different from most other games out there now, kinda a mixture of old school arcade, puzzler, casual gaming, adventure game, and WTF. A good amount of WTF. With lots of sheep and pillows.

Seems kind of a coin toss as to whether to feature it in the main AG site page or as just a mentionable. It definitely has some bona fide adventure game elements - story, characterization, plot direction/redirection. I'm inclined to call the main gameplay a cocktail of puzzle, platforming, and time event.

One thing is clear, though. It is UNIQUE and ADDICTIVE. And....IT HAS SHEEP. LOTS OF SHEEP.

[Monolith]

Again you only played the demo.

[thejobloshow]

I imported the game (PS3 is region free!) and finished it yesterday.

It's a fantastic game that I wouldn't necessarily label as an "adventure game" but I do think represents the direction that AAA titles are going in regards to story and character.

The game moves forward based on the arcade elements of pushing around blocks to move upwards, which is sort of like a twist on Boulder Dash's gameplay. However, the game is driven by the interesting story and characters and you do have some control over the story and how it ends based on a morality system that'll be familiar to anyone who has played Mass Effect.

There's a lot more reply value to the story mode because of that. I definitely recommend it as a buy and it's one of the better titles this year.

[Christian IV]

I think i will pass.... tossing multiple genres together a game does not make. And I am not wild about bizarre imagery nor do i find it appealing...as I suspect many others will not either.

[Oscar]

Originally Posted by Christian IV

I think i will pass.... tossing multiple genres together a game does not make. And I am not wild about bizarre imagery nor do i find it appealing...as I suspect many others will not either.

Me too. Looks like an arty kind of game like The Path, without as cool of an art style. Too cartoony for me.

[OneFlesh]

Originally Posted by Oscar

Me too. Looks like an arty kind of game like The Path, without as cool of an art style. Too cartoony for me.

Having played both, I'd say they're almost at opposite ends of the spectrum, as far as 'clever' games go. The actual game parts of Catherine are conventional (puzzle game sections broken up by adventure/visual novel sections) but the narrative is different. Whereas The Path had a pretty conventional story (Red Riding Hood being 'dark', how original!!!) but the "gameplay" angle was completely experimental.

If you want a puzzle game with a story to it, you can't really do much better. Probably won't appeal to the Myst-loving crowd, but it's a great game and I'm glad I imported it.

[fov]

I bought this yesterday...

[Matan]

I finished the game a few days ago. Not much was written about it on the forum, so here are my impressions as an adventure game fan:

1) The game isn't really an adventure game. Not even in the avant-garde way in which Portal, LA Noire and Heavy Rain could be considered adventure games. The gameplay consists of two parts - the nights at which you're climbing the wall. This is a very addictive puzzle/arcade hybrid style game. During the day-time, you talk with people and communicate via text messages. Also, most of the plot is advanced in these day-time scenes.

2) The story is excellent. One of the best story games I've played on the PS3. It is gripping and makes you want to keep playing. I think the plot is definitely on-par with the best story adventure games out there, so if you (like me) like adventure games mainly because you like good stories, you should check out this game.

3) The puzzle/arcade parts of the game are not very easy, but I think their toughness have been exaggerated a bit in the reviews out there. You don't need to be a super genius to finish the game. However, there are some frustrating levels, and be prepared to start dreaming about pushing these blocks, and seeing them move around every time you close your eyes for a few days after playing this game

4) One nice element in the game is that the plot takes a different turn depending on your choices during the game. There are 3 main branches the story can take, and each branch has a few different variations (altogether I think there are something like 8 endings). I only saw one of these endings, but I want to try playing a game to see another branch.