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Catherine - New game from the Persona team

Dogberry

By Dogberry,
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Dogberry

Dogberry

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So apparently the team that made the Persona games has been working on a game called Catherine. While not quite a Persona or SMT game, the main character appeared in the latest version of Persona 3. The game appears to be about a man who keeps having a series of weird dreams and an obsession for a woman named Catherine. Not a lot of details have been released about it. I'm crazy excited! Are there any other Persona/SMT fans?

 

One thing that strikes me, though. Many of the elements in Persona were similar to Twin Peaks, a TV show by David Lynch. The Velvet Room in particular was more or less taken right from the show, but Persona 4 especially had a lot in common with the James/Donna/Maddie arc of Twin Peaks. Being about a man's obsession with a young woman leading him into a psycho bus ride to hell, Catherine seems like it's very evocative of Blue Velvet, a movie by David Lynch.

 

Think we'll ever see an Eraserhead game?

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Dogberry

Dogberry

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Persona is a spin-off of a series called Shin Megami Tensei. It came out during the PS1 era and was basically this JRPG dungeon crawler about high school students who could summon their "Persona" to fight for them. A persona is basically the mask that we wear in our day-to-day interactions with others. It wasn't a very big commercial success in America, but there was a sequel spread across two games. We only got one of those games brought over. The original Persona games were cool because you could bargain with a lot of the monsters you fought so that you could get their "card" (there's a lot of tarot symbolism in the game) and use it to make more personas that you can summon.

 

Persona 3 came out for the PS2 and became a pretty solid hit. It had more of a life-simulator element than the other games, so it became this weird social-interaction game with a dungeon crawl part. That seems to be the formula for the Persona games now, because 4 didn't deviate a whole lot from the formula of 3.

 

The plots of the game are really trippy, usually combining Jungian psychology and a dash of hermetic mysticism. Like, in Persona 4, a serial killer is throwing your friends into another plane of existence inside televisions and forcing them to work through mental hangups until monsters inside work themselves into a frenzy and kill them. You have to go in after them and pull them out.

 

Also, the Persona games have some of the best music ever. I actually got into the series because my wife let me borrow the Persona 3 soundtrack. I had to play the games after listening to it.

 

Persona 1 was re-released for the PSP, and I recommend at least picking up Persona 3.

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Kashemia

Kashemia

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That sounds interesting! I never played Persona games, but I might check them out, especially if they feel like Twin Peaks :D

 

I also got totally distracted by the fact that Catherine is the English version of my name <.< It sounds better than the Danish version too, maybe I should change :roll:

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Vareal

Vareal

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I've got Persona 2: Innocent Sin AND Eternal Punishment. However, I haven't been able to play either of them because they're both *cough*backups*cough* and my modchip in my PSX is on the fritz. Also, one of them is in japanese because it wasn't released in US, I think it's Eternal Punishment.

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Satisiun

Satisiun

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I'm a big Persona fan' date=' though I only played 3 and 4.[/quote']

 

That seems to be the case for most people in to Persona nowadays. Though it's more Atlus's fault than a matter of fans latching on to something when it gets popular. Their localization of the first Persona was atrocious (removal of the Ice Queen story arc, anyone? How about changing characters races to make it more "American"?), and Persona 2 was never given a proper release NA-side because of a certain issue in the first half of Persona 2 (I'll give you a hint: sieg heil).

 

In any event, back on the topic of Catherine. At the moment I would likely take any expected North American release possibilities with a grain of salt, largely because of the point made by Atlus that this game will be very adult-oriented. So much as a nipple slip and a game is slammed with an AO rating (Heavy Rain withstanding due to the overlying theme having very little to do with sexuality), which is a retail death sentence due to the voluntary but highly followed decision of brick and mortar game stores not carrying them. Not that this game would have such a thing, but again, with Atlus driving home the adult nature of the game, I am wary.

 

Much as I've enjoyed the Persona series, I got to admit, I am feeling a little burned out from it. I'm not really sure you need so many releases of the same game (Persona 3) in such a short period of time (3 versions in about 3 years?), with just some tweaks here and there. Yes, I know, "The Answer" and a female Protagonist are more than tweaks, but the latter just seems to be fanservice pandering, while the former was painfully grind-oriented.

 

That's just me, though. :?

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Dogberry

Dogberry

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Much as I've enjoyed the Persona series' date=' I got to admit, I am feeling a little burned out from it. I'm not really sure you need so many releases of the same game (Persona 3) in such a short period of time (3 versions in about 3 years?), with just some tweaks here and there. Yes, I know, "The Answer" and a female Protagonist are more than tweaks, but the latter just seems to be fanservice pandering, while the former was painfully grind-oriented.[/quote']

 

I agree. The retooling of P3 is ridiculous. I honestly only bought it because of the hat, and I know I'm not the only one. Oddly enough, Persona is the one game I don't mind grinding very much in. I don't really know why. Maybe it's the cheery music. The Persona 1 PSP port is really good, though. I never got the chance to play it on the PS1. I'm just waiting for them to finally release the two P2 games for PSP. It doesn't seem like they're going to, though.

 

As for Catherine, I'm not sure that a nipple slip is really all that big a deal anymore. Dante's Inferno had about as many bare chests as it did impalements. Nobody really mentioned it. Catherine is a little different in that the sexuality is played up, but I honestly don't think anything short of full frontal nudity is going to shock ratings boards. At any rate, I really hope this comes to the US, because I want to play this game. It really looks like it's the Blue Velvet to Persona's Twin Peaks.

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Boots

Boots

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I've got Persona 2: Innocent Sin AND Eternal Punishment. However' date=' I haven't been able to play either of them because they're both *cough*backups*cough* and my modchip in my PSX is on the fritz. Also, one of them is in japanese because it wasn't released in US, I think it's Eternal Punishment.[/quote']

 

No, Innocent Sin was not released in the US, and it was for two reasons. The first has been alluded to previously (sieg hail). But the second reason was that the male character can be in a romantic relationship with one of three other characters, one of which was his male best friend. The first reason was primary to why the game was not published in the US, and the second icing on the cake.

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Dogberry

Dogberry

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See, the whole Hitler thing doesn't make any sense to me. Hitler's been in tons of games before. He was the final boss of Bionic Commando! I have vivid childhood memories of gunning down Hitler in Wolfenstein 3D! I must have done it a hundred times. I really doubt there was any pearlclutching about it. Atlus had to be self-censoring and I guess to them it seemed like a prudent move, but if nobody had a problem with Hitler going gatling-guns akimbo in a John Woo wet dream, nobody's going to care about Persona 2's portrayal of him. I mean, it's not like they're defending the guy or anything.

 

The second reason only makes sense if you're using moon-logic. If you're worried about pissing off the Christian Right, you've probably already succeeded when you've made a game almost entirely about summoning demons described in The Lesser Key of Solomon to do your bidding. At that point, why not cram as much boy-on-boy action as you can fit? Hey, go all out. Throw in some people loaning out money with interest and a couple of Japanese girls eating lobsters. Get everyone.

 

Pun totally intended on the "cram that boy-on-boy lovin' in there."

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Mycroft

Mycroft

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For those of you who haven't seen the first Catherine Trailer.

 

 

Here's something to help you understand the video a bit better, written by the good folks of Andriasang.com:

 

The footage begins with main character Vincent asking someone if they've seen a dream where you die -- that is, a dream where you are killed. The person he's talking to responds, "No. But I have seen a dream where I kill someone." This seems to creep Vincent out.

 

After our first lamb goes splat, we hear a news report about a gruesome death of a young man. Famitsu had screens of this. The magazine said that there could be a relation with Vincent's dreams, as there's apparently a rumor that if you fall in your dream and don't wake up, you'll end up dying in real life.

 

Catherine, described in the trailer as a "Mysterious Woman," makes her appearance midway through the trailer and asks Vincent if he likes what he sees. During a bed scene, we hear her telling Vincent to do with her as he pleases.

 

And then the Japanese hip hop starts...

 

The chick at the end, incidentally, is the girl who, in Famitsu's screenshots, appears to walk in on Catherine and Vincent while the two are in bed together. She seems to be a bit upset...

 

I am looking forward to this a lot.. I am a huge Megami Tensei and Persona fan, despite the relatively low popularity both have in Europe.

However the I actually hadn't given the Twin Peaks relation any thought until you mentioned it Dogberry.. At least Igor isn't a dwarf who talks backwards.. Or it would be a total rip-off.

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Dogberry

Dogberry

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I'm told there's a detective who constantly speaks into a tape recorder a la Special Agent Dale Cooper in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. I wouldn't know as I've only played 1, 3, and 4. It's a homage, and as a big Twin Peaks fan, I like it.

 

But wow, that video... I'm now further convinced that someone on the Persona team is a HUGE fan of David Lynch. This game has Blue Velvet written all over it. It begins with the protagonist being thrown off guard by something unsettling, he meets the female romantic lead and initiates, uh... happy time... All it's missing at this point is Dennis Hopper.

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blueblacksky

blueblacksky

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The remake of 1 is an alright game. It shines more for western players who were only able to play the derp release from back then. Overall the first Persona game is fairly mediocre.

 

The game that qualifies as Persona 2 in the west was much better - sadly my copy was stolen many years ago and I missed the reprint Atlus did last year. For me though the series really didn't shine until Persona 3. To me it's the perfect marriage of western and eastern RPG design philosophy.

 

As for Catherine. I'd be surprised if it didn't come over to the US. Atlus hit it big economically after P3 took off here in the states. Given westerners preference for the Persona series over the main Megaten franchise it might be a good move for Atlus to localize the game as 'Persona: Catherine' or something. It's pandering, but hey, that's business.

 

Australia and Europe might not see it because the gaming culture is not as prevalent or as protected in those parts of the world. I'd expect some EU countries to ban it if it did, or to come over censored. Or it could fly under the radar altogether and make it unaltered. The EU can be pretty bi-polar in it's responses to video game content. It's either demonized by the media or missed entirely.

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UnbeknownstGhost

UnbeknownstGhost

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As for Catherine' date=' I'm not sure that a nipple slip is really all that big a deal anymore. Dante's Inferno had about as many bare chests as it did impalements. Nobody really mentioned it. Catherine is a little different in that the sexuality is played up, but I honestly don't think anything short of full frontal nudity is going to shock ratings boards. At any rate, I really hope this comes to the US, because I want to play this game. It really looks like it's the Blue Velvet to Persona's Twin Peaks.[/quote']

 

 

Well, Dante's Inferno wasn't: NUDITY!!! SEX!!! BOOOOOOOBS!!!. It's more: story, story, nudity, story, story.

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Mycroft

Mycroft

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Australia and Europe might not see it because the gaming culture is not as prevalent or as protected in those parts of the world. I'd expect some EU countries to ban it if it did, or to come over censored. Or it could fly under the radar altogether and make it unaltered. The EU can be pretty bi-polar in it's responses to video game content. It's either demonized by the media or missed entirely.

 

Well it won't make it to Germany that's for sure, not without having half of it's content ripped out, but I'm fairly sure that we'll see it uncensored, if only in England, France and Spain.. I can always pick it up in England if it doesn't hit the stands in Scandinavia.

 

Honestly Germany is the only European country that demonizes video games, the others are pretty uncaring.

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Dogberry

Dogberry

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Well' date=' Dante's Inferno wasn't: NUDITY!!! SEX!!! BOOOOOOOBS!!!. It's more: story, story, nudity, story, story.[/quote']

 

 

Iiiii don't know about that. The only people I've ever heard talking about Dante's Inferno's story were the ones that had actually read Inferno. Mostly, people were talking about scything blade-armed babies in half while bouncing on Cleopatra's ladyparts.

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