Argh, I had this entire blog post and it was erased by my evil computer *smacks computer*  Or maybe that was just another realistic nightmare.  Well at least I'm not being chased by giants with claw hands and knives (like you do in the nightmare sequences in "Catherine").  So let's try this again.

There has been a lot of talk about the game "Catherine".  Some people are saying it's just another anime glurge port that is somewhat pornographic (after all look at the images that are  being selected in the art book and cd above!), but in reality, it's not as sexploitative as, say, Bayonetta (which, arguably, is basically just Devil May Cry with lots more boobies). 

I know that this does not appear to be the sort of game that a female gamer might be interested in (especially since it seems to be marketing itself entirely on fanservice), but I find the story and premise very intriguing from a psychological horror standpoint.  I'm not all too hot on the slacker main character who also happens (surprise surprise) to be completely commitment-phobic, but then again, at least he's not some starry eyed 15 year old with polygon hair and an airship (no offense, FF fans).  But then again, I'm not playing the game because of the stunning originality of the characters.  I'm playing the game because I like the idea of being forced to haul sheep-butt up a puzzle block of nightmare towers all the while hoping that the nasty monster stabbing away in the dark with huge claw hands isn't going to come and get you.  And just like the Matrix, if you die in your dream, you die in real life too.

DUN DUN DUN!!!!!!! *horror music*

After watching a demo video at this blog on GIO: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/05/02/catherine-deluxe-edition-is-something-i-will-buy-with-minor-embarrassment.aspx, I realized that this game is much more on par with Hitchcock with maybe a pinch of Stephen King (well, except that the main character isn't a writer from Maine-you know what I'm talking about if you've read his stuff) and a nod towards Lovecraft (even if you don't see the horrors in the darkness below you, the terror that keeps the characters climbing is enough incentive to keep going to avoid the Thing below).  To some extent, I'm also reminded of Satoshi Kon's work (RIP 2010 Satoshi Kon, you were amazing), particularly Paranoia Agent, Perfect Blue and Paprika, all of which involved surrealism, dark dreams/altered realities. And if you don't know what I am talking about, your homework is to rent (or Netflix or Hulu or whatever) these works of art and WATCH THEM COMPLETELY (preferably on subtitled version because I think they're best that way).  While these are animated works, they are not nearly as much of an "anime" as they are a truly twisted and dark masterpiece that would make any live action drama pale in comparison.

Ah, but I'm going off topic again (as I often do).

Anyway, I wanted to list off a couple of pros and cons for this game (at least with the knowledge I have so far), because I know that for me, this is one of the first games that seems good enough for me to actually ask my husband to step aside for a bit so I can take up some console time (yeah, I know, he keeps telling me that he doesn't have a monopoly on the console but it's hard to stop myself from thinking that way, especially since it's his XBOX 360).

PROS:

-Pre orders come with both a free CD and a full color art book (SCORE).

-NO GRIND-YAY!

-The animation and 3D portions appear to be very well done- and appear to smoothly work together.

-The story looks interesting and probably will make for an incredibly engaging experience.

CONS:

-I have to wait until JULY (WTF ATLUS?!) to play this game.  I hope they're not just holding onto it just so they can make people more excited about it.  I hate when localizing companies do that crap.

-The game sounds like it could be short and I am not altogether sure about the replay value of the game.  However, if the story is as cool as it appears to be in that demo video, I will probably be more likely to place this game in my anime collection case instead of the game cabinet.  It might have to be the sort of thing that I replay but only after a period of time has passed so that I get that old desire to play through again.

-I'm not really all that sure about the "morality meter" in the game.  Will I be expected to play from the point of view of the slacker commitment phobe guy or should I play as myself with my own personal morals?

-Multiplayer.  I am still kind of leery about this feature.  Plus you're only allowed to use it once you've beaten the game, so that seems kind of weird.

-I'm not sure how "freaky" actually playing the game will be.  I've mentioned it before, but I have trouble playing creepy games.  I love WATCHING creepy stuff (say, zombie movies), but I'm really terrible when it comes to interacting via a video game.  I know it's stupid, but I freaked out when I tried to play Bioshock, yet watching my husband play through it was totally fine.  I am fairly sure that the creepy level in this game is going to be more on par with, say, Silent Hill than Resident Evil, but I am hopeful that I can get through it without being too freaked out.  Hey, I suppose if I can survive fighting those horrible Cthulu creatures in Twilight Princess, then I can deal with monster claw hands coming out of the darkness....right?

So what about you?  Will you be preordering "Catherine"? 

Personally, I feel like we need more games like this coming from Japan-games that showcase a great sense of art while also being rich in gameplay.  There is a place for games that do more than simply allow you to blow stuff up (though that is fun) or jump over spinning drills via platforms to save the princess so you can have some....cake...

So yeah-anime-visual-novel-puzzle-psychological horror-and boobies.  Are you as excited as I am?