Techtite's PC Game Reviews!

"Imagine a Tomb Raider clone, with a sexy title character, who can climb fences like Spider-Man and swing from posts like Indy. That's where the game shines...far more than the film did, I must say."

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Catwoman

Click picture to order this game (PC/windows version)

A Techtite Review

Let's be candid, and admit this much: at the bare minimum, Catwoman (the game) knows its target audience. That's a compliment even the actual film cannot receive. It's also a pretty good game, when compared to many poorer movie tie-in games in the recent past, which were so much worse. Still; the only reason this game will sell on PCs is because it still can be called "the best game based on a summer 2004 movie," on a PC. If those oddball game designers responsible for Spider-Man 2 had offered PC gamers the same Spider-man 2 game everyone else played, this review would be totally different.

Does it matter that the film sucks? Partially. I say "partially," because in the world of video games, a premise which made a bad movie can still be a good game (and vice-versa). Ask not if this is anything like the "Catwoman" comic books. Ask not if this is a good storyline. Don't even ask if this game, as a movie, makes any sense at all. All you need to know is if the game is playable, if the game is fun, and if there is enough within the game to be worth playing it at all. Well, let's cover those questions in reverse, with the best news first: this is a third-person perspective action adventure, where you get to see "Halle Berry" jump around in a tight outfit. Does that sound like a "bad" game to you?

Oddly enough, what were failures in the film become some of the game's strength. In the comics Catwoman has no super-powers; in the film, she is a feline-human hybrid, of sorts. Ask not how much sense this makes, and just enjoy the result in game form: a character with all the skills of a giant cat. Her claws allow her to climb almost all walls. Her whip allows her to swing from any post or other outcropping. Sure, these are ripped off traits from Spider-man and Indiana Jones games, respectively. The point is that this game has all the fun of both such games, in that regard. Imagine a Tomb Raider clone, with a sexy title character, who can climb fences like Spider-Man and swing from posts like Indy. That's where the game shines...far more than the film did, I must say.

Not that the game is a flawless masterpiece. For one thing; while you can use your whip while standing, all other fight moves are done while crouched like a cat. I know what you're saying: "Wha...?" Yeah; that was my reaction, too, with all fights performed with Catwoman hunched on all fours. Now, I have nothing against female video game characters on all fours, really. What I do mind is when this mode isn't a "toggle," meaning you have to press the Ctrl (or the equivalent) key throughout a fight, which can be pretty tedious...not to mention thumb-numbing. It doesn't help when the only thing Catwoman can do (at first) is kick in the four basic compass directions while crouched. Sure, you can "buy' additional maneuvers in an end-of-level store --like "whip guns from enemies" or a sexy "taunt/tease" attack-- but when your 4 basic moves are simply "punch right, left, forward, or back," fights aren't as exciting as they could be.

This limited fight engine is a shame, because the level designs provide fantastic fighting ground. There are many elevator shafts, or the like, which can eject the worst enemies from a scene with darkly hilarious results (you even get a close-up shot of their demise, complete with an "Aaaaauuuugh!" sound effect). If you're in a bar, you can whip the bottles and throw them at enemies, even if they're clear across the room. Almost anything that looks fragile actually is, so you can kick enemies clear into (and often through) loose walls and the like, for very effective added damage. There is even the occasional fire hydrant, or a lighted electric sign, all with fully animated results when broken. So yeah; it's not like these fights are boring. After all; your character is a computer rendition of Halle Berry on all fours. That's hardly hard on the eyes.

It may be hard on the camera, though. The camera angles of this game are directly from old-school Tomb Raider physics, where the game designers want you to see certain details when stepping in certain areas...but what if you're fighting an enemy at the time? I don't really mind it that some levels involve jumping from floor one to floor two to floor three, with the chance of falling right back to level one. That's just game challenges talking. What I don't appreciate is when falling back down to level one is because I could barely make a successful jump, thanks to practically cockeyed camera angles. This is definitely the game to coax you to get a USB gamepad, if you haven't got one already.

Other errs are more forgivable. It's not the game designers' fault that they were forced to make a game based on the film, which totally sucked. However, as expected, it drags the game down, even if not exactly into "thumbs down" territory. For one thing, all "big bosses" in this game are the same dweebs who counted as "villains" in the film...and as video game adversaries, they're as weak as ever. There is absolutely no secret to solving these "boss" battles aside from doing exactly what you've been doing, only more of it, with earnest. If you barely try to dodge attacks by the weaker enemies, do so now. If you didn't have fun throwing stuff at enemies, or kicking them when dizzy into breakable props; do so now. That's it! Boss fight over. Thanks for playing.

Ask not if the movie sucked. Oddly enough, that's immaterial. All that matters here is if the game itself is playable, and fun. Well: you get to play Halle Berry in a skimpy outfit as she punches out bad guys and jumps around, usually while on all fours. Is any of that "bad news" to anyone...? I didn't think so. This is actually a very tolerable, and often quite enjoyable, action-adventure game. Its biggest failures are all because of a crummy film. Its biggest success is how much fun it is, regardless of its source material. Nobody is going to get this instead of the upcoming Half Life 2 or Doom 3. However; when you see this game in any bargain bin someday, you might consider giving it a try.

---Techtite