| Catwoman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Argonaut Games[1][a] Magic Pockets(GBA) |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Director(s) | Andrew Curtis |
| Producer(s) | Simon Harris |
| Designer(s) | Jez Harris |
| Programmer(s) | Mario D'Onofrio Warrick Buchanan |
| Artist(s) | John Miles |
| Composer(s) | James Hannigan |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance,GameCube,PlayStation 2,Windows,Xbox |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Catwoman is anaction-adventure video game based on the 2004film of the same name based on thefictional character. It features the likeness of the film's lead actressHalle Berry, while the character's voice is provided by actressJennifer Hale.[2] This would end up being developerArgonaut Software's final game in 19 years (not countingStar Fox 2, which was completed in 1995, but was not released until 2017) until the company's relaunch in 2024.[3]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(May 2015) |
The game is third personactionplatformer where the player must use the heroine's cat-like strength and agility to travel through various environments and defeat various enemies.[4] There is also sense exploration in the game, similar to theTomb Raider series.[5] Catwoman can climb up walls and swing from metal poles to navigate through the environment. Catwoman must also solve puzzles at certain parts of the game to advance further. The game also features a combat system for when fighting enemies. The player is able to upgrade moves and perform simplecombo strings.
The game loosely follows the story of the movie. Patience Phillips, a shy office worker in the Hedare corporate empire, accidentally discovers her employers' dark secret and is subsequently murdered. She is then revived by a supernatural Egyptian cat granting her cat-like abilities. Now reborn as "Catwoman", she then embarks on a tale of revenge against the people who nearly murdered her.
UK websiteComputer and Video Games (CVG) first reported the potential of atie-in game for the then-upcomingCatwoman film in June 2003, withArgonaut Games significantly investing into its pitch for the license after the cancellation ofMalice andOrchid respectively byVivendi Universal Games andNamco.[6] CVG then reported on a rumor in January 2004 which claimed thatElectronic Arts (EA) had acquired the rights fromWarner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to produce the game with Argonaut developing it, marking the first time EA collaborated with Argonaut sinceHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001).[7][8] EA and Warner Bros. confirmed the rumor on February 12, 2004, in an official announcement proclaiming a multi-year deal between the two parties to develop games based on theCatwomanintellectual property; the game was planned for thePlayStation 2,Xbox,GameCube,Game Boy Advance, andPC.[9]Catwoman was showcased atE3 2004 alongside other EA titles, having been in development for eight months at that point.[10][11] The game was released in North America on July 23, 2004, the same day as the film.[12][13] It was released in Australia on 30 July[14] and in Europe on 6 August.[15]
In a 2022 interview, Argonaut founderJez San revealed thatCatwoman represented the largest effort the company ever handled due to its accelerated development time, with around 100 employees dedicated to the game; in comparison, the industry average was 30–40 during thesixth generation of video game consoles while Argonaut was accustomed to small teams of 15 or so during thefifth generation.[16][17]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (GBA) 61/100[18] (GC) 47/100[19] (PC) 46/100[20] (PS2) 46/100[21] (Xbox) 45/100[22] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1Up.com | C−[23] (PC) F[24] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 4/10[25] |
| Eurogamer | 3/10[26] |
| Game Informer | (GBA) 6.5/10[28] 4.75/10[29] |
| GamePro |   [27] |
| GameRevolution | F[30] |
| GameSpot | 6.3/10[31] (PC) 5.6/10[32] (GBA) 5.4/10[33] |
| GameSpy | [34] |
| GameZone | (GBA) 5.8/10[35] 5.5/10[36][37] (GC) 5/10[38] (PS2) 4.1/10[39] |
| IGN | (GBA) 6.5/10[40] 4/10[41] (PC) 3.8/10[42] |
| Nintendo Power | (GBA) 3.1/5[43] (GC) 2.7/5[44] |
| Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [45] |
| Official Xbox Magazine (US) | 4.3/10[46] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 49%[47] |
| This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(May 2015) |
Catwoman received negative reviews from critics due to problems including bad camera control, poor voice-work, and an over-simplistic combat system.[48][49] However, the Game Boy Advance version received mixed reviews with aggregating review websiteMetacritic giving the version 61/100.[18] TheGameCube version ranked in at 47/100,[19] thePC version with 46/100,[20] thePlayStation 2 version with 46/100[21] and theXbox version with 45/100.[22]
The critical and commercial failure of the film at the box office hindered sales of the game to the detriment of Argonaut;[16][50] with the company struggling from the transition between the fifth and sixth generations and facing dwindling cash reserves, it ultimately underwent liquidation only three months after the game's release.[51][52]
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Incarnations | |
|---|---|
| Supporting characters | |
| Antagonists | |
| Publications | |
| In other media | |
Batman (1989–97) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Films |
| ||||||||
| Other media |
| ||||||||
| Characters | |||||||||
| Music |
| ||||||||
| Video games |
| ||||||||
| Related | |||||||||
