TheHecatomb:
Alright, I need a t-shirt that says "All women are dykes" and I need it now. Go go Escapist/SpitReason designer teams!

And I need a t-shirt that says "I'm not misogynist, I only hate the bitchy ones."

CyricZ:

Undeadpool:
There is absolutely no excuse for that kind of laziness this console generation.

Well, how many games actually have the story wildly vary due to early/mid-game decisions besides The Stanley Parable? If a writer is going to set up a narrative they want to tell, allowing the player to derail that part of the way through due to, let's face it, their own wanting to dick around kinda shatters that. It's the classic "linearity" vs. "non-linearity" thing. Non-linear gives more freedom and protagonist relation. Linear gives more narrative and cohesiveness.

Cavouku:
Besides, choosing Catherine over Katherine doesn't make much sense to me, because as frumpy as Katherine is, she does win in the aspect of not being fucking insane! And as such, can be reasoned with, as I mentioned.

And besides, what's the future with Catherine, anyways? Keep in mind, I've only played the demo and watched the Susan Arendt review, and this one. Even if I did get the game, I'd either stop playing out of the unfulfilled desire to bitchslap Vincent, or just play through doing the sensible thing and stay steady with Katherine, because I don't favour crazies.

Minor spoiler: Catherine's actually not insane. The trailers will focus on the weird things she does in the game, but you can actually sit down and chat with her at some points in the game and she seems, while a bit free and loopy, relatively on the level.

As to the future with Catherine, well, explaining it in detail would give a lot away, but let's say it's probably something you weren't expecting. o_O Regardless, Vincent does seem quite satisfied with his decision.

Exactly, Catherine is not insane, a dom yes but insane no. She has the best ending in a video game..ever..

But yeah, great review, i laughed my ass off.

ares5566:
The main problem I had with this game was that they didn't establish Katherine as a character at all until you were fully decided on the chick with the big tits and that the "right" choice was dependent only on "morality" but it's a game so that's not very driving when I personally had no feelings for the girl who got no screen time at all

A point, but consider that C wasn't really all that characterized either. I mean, all we really learned about her up until the end was that she was a carefree pair of boobs.

I think the point is that the game is not supposed to be about choosing which girl you want. It's about choosing what you want out of life (stability or freedom), and then siding with the girl that represents that.

That's not necessarily a *good* thing because they certainly could have done the same thing with some more character-establishing moments, but I think that may have, in this case, taken away from the mystery of why Vincent's got all this supernatural stuff going on around him.

MurderousToaster:

Strife2GFAQs:
Good, now we don't have to hear "REVIEW IT!" every week. I get the sense Yahtzee watches enough anime to get the idea, but still hate the tropes. Vincent was ineffectual. I bet you this could have been solved in five seconds with a flat "I had feelings for someone else." The game skirted this issue in a supremely ****** up way, extending the drama. I'll give Atlus this though: they know their audience. Stupid, insecure teenage or middle aged men who like seeing implied nudity...and butt monsters.

It'd also be a pretty uninteresting game if you had a strong, secure male protagonist who ended the game within five minutes of it starting in the same way that Lost would have been an uninteresting TV show if a cruise liner had passed by and picked them all up in the first episode.

This :P
also, it may be a bit mysoginistic, but it's still a hundred times less so than DNF :P

MurderousToaster:

Strife2GFAQs:
Good, now we don't have to hear "REVIEW IT!" every week. I get the sense Yahtzee watches enough anime to get the idea, but still hate the tropes. Vincent was ineffectual. I bet you this could have been solved in five seconds with a flat "I had feelings for someone else." The game skirted this issue in a supremely ****** up way, extending the drama. I'll give Atlus this though: they know their audience. Stupid, insecure teenage or middle aged men who like seeing implied nudity...and butt monsters.

It'd also be a pretty uninteresting game if you had a strong, secure male protagonist who ended the game within five minutes of it starting in the same way that Lost would have been an uninteresting TV show if a cruise liner had passed by and picked them all up in the first episode.

Not to sound blatantly contrary, but some of us also find it uninteresting to watch a whiny, insecure guy string two women along because he doesn't have the spine to man the hell up and be direct with his intentions and actions.

Complicated doesn't always mean interesting. It's possible to make a flawed character without making him an unlikable twat.

I agree with Yahtzee. Anime is way too melodramatic and has way too much angst for its own good.

Mr.Tea:
"...your own substantial experience with relationships *AWESOME STIFLED LAUGHTER*"

Oh Yahtzee, you wonderful insult-machine.

Is that what it was? I could of sworn that was a sneezed judging on his voice changing suddenly as if trying to hold it in.

Ok I was already not sold on this game, now I'm even less sold on it.

Undeadpool:
I actually really, really wanted to play this until I heard that nothing you do has any impact on the story progression until the very end. So it's basically like Atlus' Persona games where you can start a relationship with one of the characters, but they still treat you as platonic during cut-scenes, which was annoying but acceptable. EXCEPT THAT WAS A LAST-GEN GAME! There is absolutely no excuse for that kind of laziness this console generation.

Though your choices do not (directly) have impact on the ending, the basic questions the game raises give the game more depth than the sum of the story. In my experience especially the first play through had a real impact. The meter in the game isn't all that interesting, more of a way to distinguish the three end paths.

That's a simile, Yahtzee, not a metaphor.

"All women are dykes": Oh how I want to quote this, and how offensive and unfunny it would become if taken out of context.

This is one of the few games I would rather watch than play. I played the demo with a bunch of my comrades and while the nightmare puzzle game wasn't so interesting I did think the relationship drama thing was appealing even though the main protagonist was a big a tool as Yahtze said he was.

Great review as always and the ending just cracked me up.

Siris:

You know who actually do seem to act like sheep though? A lot of ZP fans

And now I suddenly have an image of being in a block puzzle dream while being chased by a giant jar of Branston Pickle.

Fine review.

I actually played the game twice. The second time, I wanted to get the best neutral ending because

Oh, and the multiple endings are don't really matter on how "good" or "evil" you are. While that does matter, it also has to do with

As an anime fan, I agree with you that Neon Genesis Evangelion sucks.

Haha, I've been looking forward to this review. Although I love the game, I quite enjoyed the ZP review on it as well. Though I agree with Yatzee on one thing. I freaking hated/still hate the reverse controls when you go behind a block.

That ending joke was really good. I'd say that this review is the best one in a while.

Despite its various flaws, I liked Catherine. The only things that give it real replay value are the multiple endings, a couple of the puzzles can be difficult and it's a little bit short, but it's a fun little romp while it lasts. The art style is pretty good, and the concept is unique. Overall, not bad.

NinjaDeathSlap:
I think Vincent may even surpass Kratos and Duke Nukem in his quest to become the most unlikable protagonist ever.

Didnt he do that before the game even came out?

Macrobstar:

NinjaDeathSlap:
I think Vincent may even surpass Kratos and Duke Nukem in his quest to become the most unlikable protagonist ever.

I liked kratos, hes a badass

GoW 1 Kratos was a badass who actually had a decent motive and sympathetic traits. GoW 2/3 Kratos was just a prick.

TheHecatomb:
Alright, I need a t-shirt that says "All women are dykes" and I need it now. Go go Escapist/SpitReason designer teams!

That sounds like a really good way to get punched/kicked in the face/balls.

Not to be confused with getting punch-kicked in the faceballs.

Thunderhorse31:
And I need a t-shirt that says "I'm not misogynist, I only hate the bitchy ones."

This is a much better idea. Still kinda assy but in a funny way and not blatantly inflammatory.

Well, I predicted he would despise this game, based on his hatred of all things anime-related (and this game is VERY anime related). But he didn't fire the shit cannon at it, which I can probably thank years of Gears of War and Call of Duty for.

Pallindromemordnillap:
If the game treats the male characters so badly isn't it misandristic (?) rather than misogynistic? Or is the game just overall misanthropic?

I agree that Catherine is more misandronystic, giving us Vincent as a straw-man representative of an ineffectual man in that situation. It all comes off as a 70's sit-com portrayal of an affair, and makes me wonder if the game designers have ever had one.

Not that 70's sit-coms weren't a great moment in TV history...

I admit the block puzzle solving of Catherine looks pretty fun but I think it is overpriced. Will buy when it gets down to around $20. Watching a LP in the meantime.

Siris:
Well, I loved the game, but I accept that someone might not like it. Well off you for importing the game, though

You know who actually do seem to act like sheep though? A lot of ZP fans

This is true. Everyone alive knows it. Talk about any game on here, and the rampant opinion will be "BEST GAME EVAR!" if Yahtzee liked it and "WORST GAME EVAR!" if Yahtzee despised it. Tragic really.

AxelxGabriel:
Thank you Yahtzee! Once again you make my day by not only giving theblind fanboys who claim this game is good with a good helping of truth, but go forth to describe why SOOOOOOOO many Anime's are such god-awful crap.

Seriously Japan. Stop it. It ain't funny anymore

Not sure if trolling...

To be safe, go back under your bridge...

It's a good thing the English versions had a way to distinguish Catherine and Katherine by spelling. There was zero difference in the way their names were spelled in the original. Make for one hell of a confusing script.

I think I actually enjoy Vincent's constant indecisive nature and basically pussy attitude. It has almost a schadenfreude aspect to it.

He's a complete wienie, incapable of manning up, and throughout the game the player makes decisions (not choices, there's a slight distinction that I think is important in that the player doesn't make any huge "choices", just minor "decisions" that morph out Vincent reacts to certain things) that eventually make him man up and accept his situation. Depending on the 8 different endings, it all comes together nicely regardless of which ending you get as they more or less follow what the player has been deciding through the game. The neutral endings are actually kind of sweet, I think.

NameIsRobertPaulson:

Siris:
Well, I loved the game, but I accept that someone might not like it. Well off you for importing the game, though

You know who actually do seem to act like sheep though? A lot of ZP fans

This is true. Everyone alive knows it. Talk about any game on here, and the rampant opinion will be "BEST GAME EVAR!" if Yahtzee liked it and "WORST GAME EVAR!" if Yahtzee despised it. Tragic really.

Still, his opinions can say a lot about games. Take his Too Human game for instance. He seems to consider it the worst game he's reviewed, but it doesn't mean it will be to you. However, I wouldn't think it would be anything particularly interesting, either. Pretty much anything better could be given some consideration, though there were at least two games he didn't like that I did (Bioshock 2 and Alone in the Dark 5).

*double post :/*

zombiejoe:
Fine review.

I actually played the game twice. The second time, I wanted to get the best neutral ending because

Spoiler: Click to ViewPHA+WW91IGdvIHRvIHNwYWFhYWFhYWFhYWFhYWFjY2NjY2NlZWVlZWU8L3A+

. I thought it was fun. But not too much replay value.

Oh, and the multiple endings are don't really matter on how "good" or "evil" you are. While that does matter, it also has to do with

Spoiler: Click to ViewPHA+VGhlIGZpbmFsIHF1ZXN0aW9ucyBhdCB0aGUgbGFzdCBsZXZlbDwvcD4=

You should try for the ending where you get to become King of the Underworld. I forgot I wasn't playing Disgaea for a moment.

samaugsch:

NameIsRobertPaulson:

Siris:
Well, I loved the game, but I accept that someone might not like it. Well off you for importing the game, though

You know who actually do seem to act like sheep though? A lot of ZP fans

This is true. Everyone alive knows it. Talk about any game on here, and the rampant opinion will be "BEST GAME EVAR!" if Yahtzee liked it and "WORST GAME EVAR!" if Yahtzee despised it. Tragic really.

Still, his opinions can say a lot about games. Take his Too Human game for instance. He seems to consider it the worst game he's reviewed, but it doesn't mean it will be to you. However, I wouldn't think it would be anything particularly interesting, either. Pretty much anything better could be given some consideration, though there were at least two games he didn't like that I did (Bioshock 2 and Alone in the Dark 5).

I love several games he hates. I expect that to be the case with every human alive. He's a humor critic, not a reviewer.

Explain to me WHY....WHYYYYY i always have to see these damn Venus razorblade adverts when i watch escapist videos? Yes... this is what we who are from norway and dont have publishers club membership get treated with. It cant be much more unrelated than razorblades for women... W T F

OT: funny one from Yahtzee... and im glad you liked it although you think its not worth more than a rental

Personally I think it's hard to really not like Vincent. I felt like everything in the game was written solid and acted out solid, with some nice metaphors for relationship drama. It's worth a play through for the experience alone, and it's one of the best handled localizations I've seen in a long time.

It's hard not to relate to some of the thoughts that goes through Vincent's mind based on the choices you've been picking. I found the experience just incredibly engrossing, and the ending I got the first time, while bad, felt like it was something I honestly deserved. Yahtzee was also spot on in terms of the game play, it's frustrating in the sense that you want to keep playing and overcome it. Without spoiling anything, the fact that Vincent's two love interests are both named Catherine, makes for an interesting final act.

That aside, much like the Persona games, the socializing aspect really feels just like an opportunity to learn more about the characters, which is probably what I wanted to play the game for the most due to how much I enjoyed the writing, and at least unlike Persona you're not compelled to actually go on with the side stuff since you don't miss out on anything different in the game play.

With all that said, it was an entertaining review. I didn't expect you to review it though since it hasn't gotten a PAL release yet.

EDIT: One thing I will say about your review that I didn't get personally was that Vincent not telling Catherine that he's in a relationship already is purely down to it being an anime inspired thing. It's clearly established in the game prior to him meeting Catherine that he really has no intention of jumping into a marriage what with him being comfortable where he is, and that Catherine symbolizes the thrills and freedom that Vincent is longing for, since he feels that he's not sure he can conform to this new, demanding and imposing side Katherine is showing off. The reason he's a tool is because of his indecision over finally taking responsibility with his current love, or continue living life through his own will and accord.

lol. All women are dykes, apparently.

Toeys:
Explain to me WHY....WHYYYYY i always have to see these damn Venus razorblade adverts when i watch escapist videos? Yes... this is what we who are from norway and dont have publishers club membership get treated with. It cant be much more unrelated than razorblades for women... W T F

OT: funny one from Yahtzee... and im glad you liked it although you think its not worth more than a rental

I'm from America and I got to see the "Male Spice Loss" Commercial for Slim Jim Dare sticks. It came together in a sort of funny way when the guy in the middle traded his cherry red mustang for a white/silver SUV... and Yahtzee's imp lost his motorcycle...

Pallindromemordnillap:
If the game treats the male characters so badly isn't it misandristic (?) rather than misogynistic? Or is the game just overall misanthropic?

I'm thinking when it comes to relationships, the game was misinformed. (Boosh!)

In all seriousness, I watched my friend play through the Assmonster boss of the game. Biggest mindfuck of the year!!