Catherine’s creepy anime graphics and extreme difficulty are apparently not too much for American gamers after all – the game has received a series of ringing endorsements from US gaming rags, some as high as 100%.
The game’s Metacritic scores so far:
Even masochistic Japanese players complained of extreme difficulty in the initial version, but Atlus obligingly patched it to playable levels and it is this foreigner-friendly easy version which Americans get – a decision which seems to have paid off
For those wondering, the actual game easily escaped censorship (Japanese game censorship is rather more draconian than western standards, save where it comes to crazed child pornography laws), and the Bowdlerised cover is only in restricted circulation.
In other news, Catherine has also secured a European publisher and will at some point be reaching the barbarous wastes of Europe – happily Catherine is, as 2ch would have it, “an old hag” so further interference seems unlikely.
The English version ships in a few days, with a saucy artbook for pre-orderers.
I played it without the patch, as I have bought the original japanese version for Xbox360.
First of all – it wasn’t that hard. Yeah, I did kick my bookshelf when I couldn’t solve a level, but I have still been able to make it to the one of the Catherine endings after about 2 weeks.
Well, I played it on hard, and never complained. The game is good, when it’s hard as hell. Especially if it’s a puzzle game.
I do advise to buy japanese version, cause Atlus makes nearly the worst dubs in the world.
The worst are russian anime fandubs, by the way.
Is marriage the beginning of your life or the end of your life?
I just played the demo, don’t understand what the hype is about because the demo was complete shit…..what did I really expect…you weaboo faggots on here love anything the japanese shit out.
U mad, Game Informer?
Anime art or not, if it’s a good game, it’ll get good reviews!
Oh right, the demo is out on PSN.
every game from japan is porn related that’s how desperate for sex they are
for sure dude! just like how in america theres so many killing related games, thats how desperate americans are in killing – you fail at logic, slippery slope/hasty generalization fallacy.
Most Americans just enjoy fps or sports …
Rpg games (USA) supposed to include more fps and less puzzle..
In favor of casual gamers..
Too bad that Catherine has not been released for pc..
Pc versions usually do not have the same problem of censorship and the target is a more adult audience
Too bad…
You know a game is good when IGN actually says good thing about it instead of giving it shit review and score like most of the games they fucking review.
Wrong.
You know a games good when IGN gives it unreasonably low ratings.
I found this game highly enjoyable. The game wasn’t too hard in the original Japanese version, though. I felt the patch was very stupid, since you basically got unlimited continues.
The difficulty level was just right until the last few stages, where I felt I was getting killed by pure randomness quite a few times (like the moving blocks moving away the second you try to jump to them).
Great game, but it’s not going to be released in europe.
Good news, PS3 doesn’t seem to be region locked.
So I’ll get this game and play until I fall. or fall in love.
get you facts straight! http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/catherine-heading-to-europe-with-deep-silver/ it IS going to EU.
all these porn banners on the sides is kinda nice, whiles i read about video games…
well i went to gamestop in the bronx and they were selling it. so im confused, is it out or was that a fake
I hate the lengthy delays for games to get European releases. At least the PS3 is region-free.
Good news, now if all goes well Atlus will have more money for Persona 5.
WIN! i must have this!
i was really expecting this to be like hyperdimension neptunia or ar tonelico 3 where i get really hyped and it turns out to be a bit crap.
“Barbarous wastes”? Well…That fits America much more.
Not after the Tsunami and the reactor it doesn’t… give or take Detroit.
I want it in europe too >_<
W00t can’t wait for it to get to Europe 😀
and atlus doesn’t do paid reviews so i’d believe the hype.
hm cool ill wait for the european version.
there could be a japanese dub 🙂
I give it a 5/10 just because the demo didn’t have a Japanese language option and I assume there won’t be one in the full game. The English on most of the characters is pretty good until you get to Catherine and then you want to murder yourself.
It’s not like this was a surprise, but gosh. If I don’t get my Miyuki Sawashiro, they won’t get my money.
you can always settle for Wendee Lee and Laura Bailey……..yeah, I’ll have to agree with you on this one
No, there won’t be language options at all.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/605302-catherine/59735595
And agreed it was actually decent until Catherine
fuck you, weeaboo. Laura Bailey’s superior.
it has been well known that americans love an affair lol!!!!
I played the demo and I can tell that It’s a good game. Should of pre-ordered it though, oh well.
Lack of dual audio is a deal-breaker for me unfortunately. A shame, because I played a friend’s import copy and really enjoyed it.
What is this game about ? Is it really that hard ? Didn’t they have to tone down the difficulty in another game too ? ( Devil May Cry right ? )
Fuckin’ Fork!
Fun and very kooky story.
I liked it!
Played the demo it makes you play on easy and I still got my ass kicked by that damn fork. Can’t wait for the Hardest!!! Time for epic Game-Raging
Also Catherine is my fave…just putting that out
By the way, does anyone knows whether or not the “original”-Modus is still playable in the US version?
Getting this one yeah. Have to order from Asia though!
didnt relly think about buying this game at first but after playing the demo im bought
I agree. I was on the fence about buying this game, but after playing the demo, it’s a buy. Not to mention the Atlus name is on it (with a tiny “Index corp.” in the corner).
I played the demo and it was hard. There wasn’t much thinking it was just no thinking and just think as you go. The enemy hand just comes up way too fast for you to even think of how to place the blocks. If you see a bunch of blocks, start pulling and see how it goes. Also there are some that makes block impossible to move/climb that messed me up pretty badly also = =;;
isowanttoplaythisisowanttoplaythisisowantoplaythisisowanttoplaythis…
I’m not surprised that Game Informer gave the game a 70/100.
it *is* Game Informer after all, and Game Informer isn’t really so…..informed. Rather, their reviews are biased towards the “American in-crowd” games (CoD, Madden and such).
As if 7/10 is a terrible score>_>
I’ve never even heard of Game Informer!
it’s exactly as Nicholas describes.
easily fits the category of “Gaming Rag”.
Yeah, they only give high scores to first person shooters.
I’m seriously thinking about picking this up. I was kind of wary of the difficulty (Demons’ Souls was a game I liked the basics of, for instance, but I found myself too frustrated with how unforgiving it is to actually enjoy myself). If it’s more reasonable, though, it’s a definite buy.
Demon’s Souls is more about skillz while Catherine is more about brain. If you’re an idiot then of-course you’re going to find the game difficult… Catherine is a puzzle based game after all.
I can’t agree entirely because Catherine’s controls are a bit touchy and some of the harder areas just looks extremely unfair and gives you very little time and room to work it out (especially if a boss is coming down on you at the same time).
It’s definitely pretty intense for a ‘puzzle’ game. It might be too difficult if they put in too much puzzle and pressure you with time limit and enemies attacking.
it’s hard, but don’t worry. Definitely make you get addicted!
it’s just like drug. scary at first but want more after you know the taste!
A European version is forthcoming?
YES!
(I could buy the American one anyway…)
The question is whether or not “we” in the EU also get such a sexy Limited-Edition. At worst “we” get a US version without JP-Dub. Without anykind of extras and ’cause “we” are living in EU a game cost about 70€ ($100).
Buy it from Amazon uk 🙂
I have already pre-ordered titles such as Halo 4, Mass Effect 3 and space marine for under 40 £ and there are great discounts every day 🙂
You should try it out.
Eww a Spice and Wolf fan
Eww a FPS fan
Can’t wait to get this game in the mail and start playing it! I tried the demo and really liked it. Worthy of my money indeed!
Oh boy, such a fucking sexy puzzle game.
The Japanese complain too much. lol
I’m gonna enjoy kicking this game’s ass. 80 bucks well worth spent.
I wish they had the patch to make it harder.
Like an Hard Mode which you can download from Xbox Live/PSN.
It would be cool. I hope Atlus does it **Fingers Crossed **
Well, the US version is included easy patch as a disc content. Means more continue and support to solve the puzzle unlike the first release (Japanese version before patch update).
You just have no idea how hard it was…
Lucky you get the patch
So hard that i wanted to throw away the game so many time but insisted on finishing it.
And aint that just pathetic on America side? It used to be that the Japanese companies would Increase the difficulties on their games for import.. Now since the nerds of the US can’t get it on, it’s Game Over if they don’t have INFINITE lives like all them fps games out now.
Not enough touhou players in JP anymore!
Get your facts straight anon. The Japanese game was patched for being mind numbingly difficult. They didn’t patch it FOR a US release. They patched it because it was fucking hard. The US just so happens to get that patched version.
It wasn’t patched just for a US release.
I just hope those boxers are comfortable.
fuck you, europe isn’t barbarian we’re far more evoluted than you americans.
Americans evoluted? I heard they were inelegantly designed.
Evoluted indeed.
someone doesnt get irony it seems..
Americans are better at playing games than the Japanese.
I don’t think its a matter of skill.
The US gaming market as been so flooded with rehashes of “big burly guy in armor saves the universe/USA/hot chick” that anything different stands out.
The more unusual, the more odd, the more artistic, the more it acts like a refreshing change of pace (see braid, limbo, journey).
With that in mind, a US gamer would eat this kind of thing up alot more rabidly than a Japanese one.
Its difficulty just adds to the charm.
The Japanese are far superior at gaming than the average American.
Look at the recent fighting game tournaments. ReveLAtions and the upcoming EVO championship. Japanese come over and kick all our asses in Street Fighter, Blazblue, Guilty Gear, MvC3, etc.
Just watch gameplay videos for any game.
Japanese are only superior in fighting games cause of their arcade culture. Look at DotA or any RTS game, Japanese aren’t even on the map.
With that in mind, America isn’t the best in either as well so I don’t really see how the argument that the U.S is better is any more valid. Both still have their tops more or less in Asia even if it may not be held by Japan. Plus, to say that one group is better at Gaming on an overall by looking at specific Genres is extremely short-sighted considering different societies tend to have different genres having different. Otherwise you could very well say that Korea is only good at RTS because they’d go to the extent of declaring the release day of SC2 a holiday or that America is good at FPS games because that is all half their population plays.
Nice, they hold the strongest position in many different game genres and activities (like tetris and rubix cube solving), but because they may or may not be the RTS champions they’re “only good at fighting games” cool logic.
You sure? Try comparing the gameplay-vids.
Of course Game Trailers and Game Informer gave it lower scores. They are stuck sucking the cocks of every 1st person shooter out there.
Everyone has their own opinion, you should respect that anon.
Even if they are legit game rewievers they are still humans.
Whilei do agree that their reviews have been lacking, I do think they had some fair criticism this time around.
they’re just mad because their Catherines don’t look as good as these Catherines
i was kinda hoping Americas version was harder, i really want COD to stop playing COD and play something else better and take their rage out on something else
oh, noes. don’t say CoD, that’s an instant down vote, no matter what context it’s in.
Cock of Doody 4: modirn gayfuckstupid
does anyone know if this comes with the option to use the original japanese dub? cause miyuki is my entire reason for wanting it.
No, and thank fuck I bought it while I was in 福岡 in spring 😀
Laura fucking Bailey is such a pathetic retard – she’s killed so many great games with her bullshit attempts at voice acting.
why no option for jap audio, the original audio sounds most emotional
>does anyone know if this comes with the option to use the original japanese dub?
nope.avi
And that’s why they’re not getting my money. Fuck you ATLUS, fuck you.
From what I could gather from various posts on Atlus USA forums.
-They’d have to pay to license the Japanese voice track
-They would still need to do English acting because it’s rare that the average person would buy a video game only in Japanese
-The translations they do are not exact to the Japanese, but instead keep the feel and meaning of the lines; thus, the Japanese voices would not match up with what is being shown onscreen
-Space issues for same games (however, at the very least, PS3’s Catherine would not have this issue)
-Coding; unless they have a lot of manpower–and Atlus is a tiny company compared to others–it’s generally hard to code in a whole new dual-audio option when the original Japanese game doesn’t have it. One little change in the code could potentially change something completely unrelated.
Anyways, I don’t mind lack of dual audio, it’ll be nice, but not necessary.