In Third Person

One of the reasons I pre-ordered Catherine once I decided to buy it (besides the ability to avoid the embarrassment of purchasing it in person) was to get the CD soundtrack and the art book for free with what Atlus positioned as the pre-order edition. However, due to Amazon failing to ship my order in a timely manner, I just went out to my local retailer and bought a copy. To my surprise, every launch copy of the game is the pre-order edition, which means if you buy a launch copy of the game, you’ll get the bonus art book and CD soundtrack regardless of whether you pre-ordered it.

As of writing, I haven’t played the game yet. However, I thought I’d at least post my impressions on the launch package in case you were interested in what the art book and soundtrack are like.

Pictured above is my PS3 copy of Catherine. As you can see on the plastic, there’s a sticker that indicates that the game comes with the soundtrack and the art book. As stated above, you do not need a pre-order at this point in time to get this version of the game. Simply pick up a launch copy of Catherine and you’ll get the bonuses. I’m not sure how easy or difficult it is to get this version of the game in your area, so your results may vary.

I can’t speak for the art book that comes with the XBOX 360 version of the game, but the book that comes with the PlayStation 3 version of the game shares the same outer dimensions as a PlayStation 3 case. The book is 32 pages long and is printed on glossy paper. If you’re looking for a lot of great art work, you’re in for a disappointment. The book features mostly text describing some behind the scenes stuff, with only a handful of images; most of which have appeared in promotional materials. As an extra, it’s fine. But I don’t think this art book would hold up as a good coffee table book on even the nerdiest of coffee tables.

The CD soundtrack is housed on the inside back cover of the art book. It features 11 tracks from the game and clocks in at about 30 minutes long. Each track is of reasonable length. I can’t really speak much beyond that, as I haven’t played the game long enough to draw any connections to it and the soundtrack.

Overall, the Catherine pre-order edition is a nice treat to those who were already committed to purchasing the game during its launch window. I’m sure that every printing of the game after this will not come with the art book or the CD soundtrack. However, I wouldn’t go out of my way to get this version of the game, whether that means waiting a few more days for your online pre-order to ship in the mail or paying more than the regular cost of the game to get the pre-order edition. Also, if you haven’t made up your mind just yet on Catherine, don’t let the soundtrack and the art book themselves sway your final decision one way or the other. On their own, they’re not strong enough to justify buying or not buying this package.

As for my thoughts on the game, stay tuned for those in the near future!