Catherine and El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

To follow up stright from my list, here is a closer look at the two items set to be released this month (that is State-side and/or Japan, not sure when/if they will be released here in Europe, but anyone with a PS3 does not care about such trivial things as region codes).

Catherine
Platform: PS3 and XB360
Developer: Atlus Persona Team
Publisher: Atlus
Producer: Katsura Hashino (Shin Megami Tensei: Persona)
Release: July 26th

The amazing CE that I will be getting. Shipped in a pizza carton.

This game is quite unique both in design and gameplay. The adult/horror-content-angle does attract me quite a bit, not only because I'm a pervert (as Yahtzee over at Zero Punctuation said; "To the gamer the promise of boobs is like the promise of a bacon-sandwich to a starved wolf"), but because it's an unexplored aspect of gaming that I would like to see more Incorporated in order to make for more interesting story telling. That the game is partly a dating simulator and partly a puzzle/adventure game is intriguing, but in the end hard for me to evaluate until I have tried it out myself. The game does promise for some interesting moments, and if I can get hold of a copy with Japanese voices I will most surly pick it up on the release day (or rather order it over amazon.co.uk).



 

Hype Level: 7.5

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El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Platform: PS3 and XB360
Developer: Ignition Entertainment
Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Producer: Takeyasu Sawaki (Devil May Cry & Okami)
Release: July 26th

Now this game look amazing, promises to deliver amazing combat and an engaging, albeit Japanese, story based on the Book of Enoch (Biblical stuff). The gaming is platforming crossed with third person hack ´n slash combat, the highlight here being that it's closer to the Devil May Cry school of over-the-top combat rather than the bald, underwear goatee rip-off. For me this game represents a step in the right direction story and settings-wise; I do love me some biblical story-telling. If we could recognize the elephant in the room and deal with it, having games based on religious scriptures might even make for good marketing for these churches and teachings. In any case, Jason Issacs is lending his voice to the narrator/mentor of the main character, so a Japanese version of this game is not necessary.

Hype Level: 8.0