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CATWOMAN. THE GAME. YES, we have finally arrived at the pinnacle (or is that the bottom?) of all games involving characters taken from comic books. DC Comics and Electronic Arts won't be smiling about the release of this game for long. From the moment Patience Phillips becomes Catwoman, it's obvious very early on that the idea of developing the Catwoman movie into a game was not one of the brightest ideas ever to come to light. Be that as it may, Patience Phillips may now be a distant memory but Catwoman has nine lives to live, scary as that thought may be.
If you know anything at all about the story behind the movie you will probably know that Halle Berry plays the character Catwoman. Funnily enough she doesn't do the voice-overs for the game. That is probably a blessing in disguise because the lines are beyond annoying; it wouldn't have made much difference if it were Halle's voice. And that's just scratching the surface of the cat-food tin, there are a whole heap of worms ready to come out of this can! Read on if you're not cat-napping already...
The storyline for Catwoman is taken directly from the movie. Patience Phillips (Catwoman) uncovers a secret she wasn't meant to, her employer finds out and has her killed to stop her from talking. Through the help of one special kitty she is reborn as Catwoman, complete with sexy new leather outfit, claws, whip and 'cat-senses'. Catwoman's 'cat-sense' is a part of the game that actually helps you to progress. Since the game navigation is so difficult to use, having the option to use your 'cat-sense' when things get hairy adds a little flexibility to the otherwise restrictive game-play.
The game itself could probably hold its own if it weren't for the boring and annoying dialogue and lack of any real storyline. Following around a cat named 'Midnight' for 5 minutes might be someone's idea of fun, but the novelty wears off soon enough. The game becomes too restrictive and you soon find yourself following along the storyline whether you want to or not. No real room to move outside of the game dialogue.
Catwoman does look pretty. But that's about where it all ends. The animation isn't ground-breaking but it does the trick and the level detail is pretty good too. As for the action packed sequences the game promises to deliver - nada on that front. Sure, you get to kick a little butt every now and then, but it's not enough. And if you're looking for the odd puzzle or quiz to nut out, there are a few of those thrown in, but nothing your 5 year old nephew or niece couldn't figure out in their sleep. This game always looks like it's about to get better, but the problem is it just doesn't.
The movement and controls in the game are a real disappointment. Apart from being able to claw your way to the top of a building or land on your feet after dropping 60 metres, the controls are far too difficult to use. Spending all your time in a game just trying to learn how to jump and scale a building without falling is not a fun thing to do by any stretch of the imagination. And to add to this frustration, the one thing that could have made all the difference between Catwoman being passable or just very bad didn't deliver either. Don't be fooled by the whip. It turns out that it's not the little things that make a game what it is. Take some time to look at the comic area. It really is more exciting than the game itself.
What about that outfit? Or would it be more appropriate to say 'lack' of an outfit. It has to be said that the animation should really appeal to the male gamers out there. Well, that is supposed to be the theory until a female reviewer gets hold of it. Then what are you left with? Apart from the pretty graphics, nothing much else comes to mind. The use of Capo era moves should have been another highlight of the game but there isn't enough of it to talk about. All in all this game really did go to the dogs... not to mention the pet cemetery. |
