Electronic Arts has been quite successful at delivering players with exciting games for the past few years. They’re trumping everyone with dozens of great games, million-plus selling franchises, and innovation that is tough to compete with. However, there was a title that was a clear mistake on their side. EA might have considered not buying the Catwoman. Rather than specifying what was wrong with the game, it would be safe to state that nothing was right with the game. There were more than enough reasons for players to put this game in the dungeons of their library and never touch it again.
Why was Catwoman 2004 a failure of a video game?
Catwoman was based on the movie of the same name and was released in the same year as the movie 2004. The film was a massive flop. The fact that the game was completely based on the movie cleared any room for originality. The pre-rendered cutscenes managed to be even worse than their live-action counterparts.
Even the gameplay was terrible, as it was primarily stupid combat sequences mixed with weird platforming. The camera angles in the game made the lives of players a living hell. It’ll always put the player in such a terrible angle that they won’t be able to proceed with the level. On top of that, the AI and enemies in the game were outright brain-dead. The game controls are also just as horrible if not worse than all of the above-mentioned aspects.
Catwoman 2004 Gameplay and Combat Mechanics
Catwoman was an adventure-based action game played from a third-person perspective. The title presented players with a vast amount of exploration and a moderate amount of combat. The protagonist of the game, Catwoman, can parkour by running off walls and jumping from ledges with extreme agility. She could also acrobatically swing from flag poles to metal beams. The title was fluent at using her feline-like abilities extensively, which resulted in the game becoming an extreme physical puzzle.
The combat mechanics in the game were upgradable and straightforward, but the AI was quite stupid. Catwoman seemed to be using Capoeira-style moves, which made her action sequences feel like she was doing something extravagant. Despite the visual appeal, the fights were rather hollow and empty. There needed to be more depth to the action scenes or combat mechanisms in the game, which couldn’t immerse players into the gameplay that well.
The idle animation of Catwoman was great. It was prominent where the developers put the most effort. Leaving the protagonist idle momentarily resulted in a looping peep show beginning its run. Berry grinds her hips, feels the slick leather on her legs, and licks her hands like a cat, finishing off with a wink at the camera. It’s pure fluff. The game knew its priorities.
