Catwoman (2004)

Catwoman attempts to deliver some "Prince of Persia"-like acrobatics, but it's dragged down by bad control, weak voice work, and shoddy gameplay.

Keyboard and mouse controls could have been easier to use and camera angles definitely need work. But if you want to get a game out in time for a movie release, some things will go unpolished.

Even though Catwoman offers a feisty and stylish superheroine, some neatly designed platform puzzles, coupled with fluid animation and fighting action, the game ultimately takes a nosedive by making the very thing it focuses on the most frustrating to the point of wanting to strangle small kittens. And it does so by basically not taking extra care of the camera, controls and other important design aspects that would've made the game play a lot more enjoyable.

While new enemies and missions are introduced over time, the game's story never really builds into anything, so it gives you -- the player -- little incentive to finish the adventure.

Only for hardcore fans of Halle Berry or aficionados of softcore porn. [Nov 2004, p.96]

Halle Berry does the voice acting for her character, but she over-delivers almost every cheesy line.

The restrictive control system and progression feels pathetic compared to the state of fluid titles such as "Prince of Persia" or "Galleon", whilst the overall experience is confounded by an awkward fixed camera system that makes it virtually impossible to see where you’re going.

The hell of the game is that the environmental puzzle setups look pretty good -- climb the wall, lash onto the nearest outcropping, swing to clamber chainlink fences, etc. It's just a shame the game actively fights your ability to navigate them.

It's quite faithful to the movie in that it also sucks. [Dec 2004, p.92]

Messy, clumsy, and deeply unsatisfying beat-'em-up combat. Surpised? Catwoman is a poorly made tie-in game for a rubbish movie. Someone find me a bag and a brick. [Oct 2004, p.96]

While the development team has done a better-than-average job of heaping sparkles and gloss over these broken bones of a game, the end result is that Catwoman is a overly simplistic combat game. It's a rather interesting adventure game marred by annoying, imprecise controls and an even more maddening and nonsensical camera.