Review of Catherine

I got this game because it was being put out by Atlus a company known for releasing some of the more interesting and unique games coming out of Japan, that and it looked like it might have an interesting story to it. It does have that, unfortunately the the main brunt of the game play is really annoying. It is fun during the day when you see the scenes and then at night before bed when you are at the bar. If more of the game play had been like that of the bar this one would have been much better as it was fun interacting with other patrons, drunk texting, sneaking a peek at some semi risqué pics on your cell phone and drinking various alcoholic beverages. To bad after you get to enjoy the highlight of the game you are then escorted to a nightmarish realm where the protagonist must climb various blocks to make his escape. It is not all bad, some levels were rather fun, but to many times I found myself cursing the screen as Vincent (the protagonist) plunged to his death multiple times or was killed in some other annoying way. I had the game set on easy too, which the narrator told me was for those of us more interested in the storyline which leads me to believe I made the right choice in picking easy because I would sure hate to witness anything more difficult. The story has a guy who is dating a woman named Katherine, a woman who is ready for a commitment while Vincent is kind of enjoying how things are currently going. Well he ends up waking up with another woman after a night at the bar and thus is caught between two women, Katherine a woman Vincent has known for a while and is serious about life and Catherine a younger girl who just wants to have a good time. His struggles seem to manifest themselves in the form of a strange dream where he is compelled to climb mountains of blocks. Strangely this strange realm is inhabited by a lot of sheep who give Vincent advice at times and at others try to impede his progress. However, Vincent soon learns these dreams are not simply being manufactured by his troubled mind as strange deaths seem to be occurring all over the city. Like I said the story had me hooked, just wish the game play was better as it seems like this portion of the game was rushed, while great detail was taken for the cut scenes and when you control Vincent in the bar. I would have preferred something more along the lines of Silent Hill 4 the Room, where he wakes up in some warped place and fights his way out rather than the climbing game we get. Also, the cover of this game and the M rating suggests this one is a lot more risqué than it actually is. You see nothing and it probably could have been rated T if not for all the cussing. They kind of oversold this angle as I have seen worse things in an R rated movie. So all in all a fun game to a point, if only they had worked on the dream stages a bit more, perhaps made them more varied and less frustrating as those boss levels really ramp up the annoyance factor. Still, the story balances it out a bit and overall I will say it is a fun game, just be prepared to pull your hair out if you are not like a gamer who plays games 24/7 and has no trouble playing any game.