Catwoman – PS2 – Review

Before we get into
Catwoman, let me share with you a laundry list of witty possible catch
lines for the game:

“…Purrrrrfection…”

“…Meow that’s what
I call gameplay…”

“…The scratching
post of good storyline….”

“…Kicking the
kitty litter to the curb…”

Coincidentally,
none of the above mentioned catch lines will be in this review.  On the
contrary, you’ll run into other puns scattered throughout this piece though no
where near as paw-licking (Hah, it begins).

You take on the
role of Patience Phillips (Catwoman).  After mistakenly discovering that the
company she works for is engaged in illegal research, she is killed by goons for
knowing too much.  A kiss from a mystical cat brings her back to life with some
major alterations and a new taste for revenge.  If you saw the movie, then all 3
of you know what you’re in for when playing the game.

I’m not gonna
sugarcoat it; this 3^rd-person action-adventure title makes me want to
claw my eyes out.  Catwoman is capable of doing things such as climbing up
walls, running around with agility, and jumping from place to place.  This would
work if the control scheme and camera system wasn’t a complete disaster.  To put
it simply, my dog could paw the game controller and still yield the same
unsuccessful results.  Special “Cat Senses” make it easier to navigate, which
can be almost impossible at times.  Falling down a 20-story tall building is
painful enough without having to restart the level, but that’s just another way
the developers added playtime to the game.

There is more
puzzle solving (and not the brain teasing kind of puzzle solving) than
hand-to-hand combat.  What’s the point of Halle Berry in black leather if you
can’t put her to good use?  Catwoman also carries a whip, but using it is too
burdensome to be effective.  Not that it matters anyway, the enemy AI is
laughably bad.

Graphically, the
game comes out strong.  Though there is nothing overly exciting about the design
or detail of the levels, character models, or animation, the graphics are the
best part of the game hands down.  The soundtrack is okay but where the sound
really suffers is the voice-overs.  Not surprisingly, Halle Berry didn’t stick
around to lend her voice to the project.

Unfortunately,
we have a game here that just doesn’t cut it.  HISSSSSSSSSSS!!! (loose
interpretation: save your money)

Reviewer’s Scoring Details

Gameplay: 3.5

Aren’t cats supposed to be…graceful?  Pulling off moves with “feline agility”
just doesn’t look or feel right.

Graphics: 7.2

Definitely the highpoint in the many, many low points of the game.  Future
developers shouldn’t benchmark their titles based on Catwoman’s graphics
but the look of the characters and environments are pleasing to the eyes.

Sound: 4
Bad
voice-overs really ruin the sound rating.  The soundtrack was composed nicely
and the sound effects were forgettable.

Difficulty: Easy

Concept: 5.3
You
knew it was coming, didn’t you?  Admit it!

Overall: 4.1

Really, its not worth the CD its written on.  Its not the pick of the litter by
any means, so I had to put it down.