Catherine Preview: Much More Than Q*Bert – NGLB

Earlier this evening I attended a live stream event where Atlus demonstrated their quirky upcoming puzzle game, Catherine, due July 26 for both Xbox 360 and PS3. The presentation started with a quick explanation of the story, which stars a man named Vincent who must choose whether or not to commit to marriage to his girlfriend of five years, the titular Catherine. The very idea of commitment gives Vincent nightmares, which lead us straight into the gameplay. The first level looked so much like the old arcade title Q*Bert that I actually made comment of it to Atlus' PR, which they took understandably took offense to. After a few more minutes of seeing the game in action it was clear that I had made a hasty judgement. Vincent's nightmares involve climbing towers of blocks arranged in various patterns to impede his progress. He can push blocks, pull them, and hang from ledges to help reach his goal. He has to think quickly, the blocks quickly disappear in his wake. In between levels…