Yeah yeah I know. I’m not doing a very good job at updating frequently. Whatever.

Well Hell. If I’m going to go this long without writing to you wonderful people, the least I can do is give you something interesting to gawk at. So first off, I want to share a voice over project I’m doing for my friend Jamie Chambers, president of Signal Fire Studios. His friend Ben Mund created this delightful kids’ book parody: The Very Hungry Cthulhupillar. Jamie thought it would be funny if I read it as a kids’ audio book…with a demented twist. So without further ado, here is what I came-up with.

The Very Hungry Cthulhupillar Sample

I was going for the kindergarten teacher from Billy Madison with a touch of Satan.  Do I sound like I like slathering paste of my face? If so, I’ve done my job and done it well.

We all know I didn’t spend weeks working on that clip, so what else have I been doing to keep me away from blogging (other than job hunting, freelance weirdness and just getting frownie towns and not wanting to write)? I definitely was not making any significant progress with NaNoWriMo. No. I was playing a video game with Mr. Prentice, and I will now turn this into a gamer blog post as I discuss my experience with the game Catherine.

Heeeeey, Sexy Ladies!

Dude, this game was awesome! Since Nick and I love all the Atlus games we’ve played so far (all the Persona games, Digital Devil Saga, Shin Megami Tensei, Rhapsody, Disgaea, etc) I was quite positive that Catherine would exceed my expectations, and it did.

Catherine is not a traditional RPG. It does have a main character, Vincent, and a narrative, but that’s really about it. For one thing, there is no battle system. Instead, it has a nifty

Yes…that’s a vagina monster…how could I not post that?

logic/puzzle game. Basically, the plot revolves around a myth that if you fall in your dream and don’t wake up before you hit the ground, you die in real life. Vincent starts having these dreams where he is in his underwear and has sheep horns. He is forced, along with other man sheep, to climb these puzzle walls and face his inner demons.

By day, Vincent deals with his over attached girlfriend, Katherine, hangs out at a bar with his friends and is trying to unravel drama about Catherine, a free spirited and super hot woman he suddenly starts sleeping with but can’t recall ever taking her home. Rufies? Succubus? Who knows? By climbing the wall, responding to text messages and talking to patrons at the bar, you’ll find out!

Cthulhupillars? Succubi? Overly attached gf? Just run, Vincent. Run.

What I Like About This Game

• This is not a long game, so if you’re pressed for time and can’t commit to a traditional RPG, this is a block solid choice. (Yay puns!)
• The dream levels are challenging and fun. It’s awesome to experiment with pushing and pulling blocks. Replay value is high.
• Hot babes and possibly a tranny?!
• I love games in which I can participate in the dialogue and experience the consequences. There are eight endings to this game, and the one you get is based on your responses during conversations and texts.
• The bar setting and game play is cool. I liked being able to drink and chat with people, especially people who we realized were other sheep.  The way you spend your time at the bar can save or kill your fellow wall climbing, block shoving sheep buddies.

Things I Don’t Like About The Game

• There’s nothing I particularly dislike. I chased a couple red herrings too hard and was thus a bit disappointed with the endings. It’s really more a compliment than a complaint I guess.
• Despite the American-style character designs and architecture, this is a very Japanese game. There is this devil/angel meter that goes up or down each time you make a dialogue choice. That meter determines your ending, and sometimes I would answer a question with what I thought was a good answer, when in fact it was not. Some of the core values play with the traditionalism vs modern thinking and individuality vs following the herd for the greater good. It’s better to think that way and not consider the scale good vs bad. Better yet, just get a walk through if you want a specific ending.
• My second point being said, I do have one complaint. I didn’t like choosing between dog and cat and being penalized for liking cats. Cats are better. Period.