Catfight (video game)

Catfight

Developer(s) Phantom Card
Publisher(s) Atlantean Interactive Games
Platform(s) DOS, Windows
Release date(s) 1996
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution CD-ROM

Catfight (also known as Cat Fight and CatFight: The Ultimate Female Fighting Game[1]) is a PC fighting video game developed by Phantom Card and published in 1996 by Atlantean Interactive (front for pornographic film company Vivid Entertainment). It is regarded as one of the worst video games ever made. The game is not related to the Japan-only PlayStation 2 game The Catfight.[2]

Plot

The plot of Catfight revolves around a dark goddess Shinma and 10 female warriors competing to challenge her and obtain the ultimate power.[3] The game's advertisement on Atlantean Interactive's website states:

"Join eleven of the fiercest female warriors from across the Ethers [sic] as they battle it out for the ultimate power of the Universe! Watch the head-to-head fighting assault blaze its way to your screen -- with the hottest women in games engaging in the most violent fighting techniques imaginable! Some of the things you must endure are disembowelment, decapitation, and worse! It's the ultimate life versus death struggle, where you must pulverize your opponent in eight awesome arenas to survive! Here is your chance to claim your place next to the most awesome women in the galaxy!"[4]

Development

Like the early games in the Mortal Kombat series, Catfight uses digitized actors for creating the sprites representing the fighters. The martial actress Katalin Zamiar of MKII fame portrayed a female ninja character Chae Lee.

Reception

GameRankings rated the game at only 8.67%, their score based on three magazine reviews (Computer Games Magazine rated the game 0/5).[5] GameSpot's review at the time (the score of 1.6/10), called it "without a doubt, the worst computer game ever released," the reviewer Ron Dulin stating: "The worst thing about Catfight (and, believe me, that's a hefty accomplishment) is that the gameplay is just so damn bad. (...) I'll sleep easier knowing there will never be a Catfight 2."[6] The Daily Pennsylvanian called Catfight the "number one sexist game ever created".[7] According to Next Generation, "In fact, it's tempting to believe Catfight was designed as a sneaky feminist ploy, since it serves as perfect punishment for sexist males who might buy it. ... Our scoring system won't let us give zeroes, so Atlantean owes us one star."[8]

In 2010, PC Gamer ranked Catfight as the seventh worst game of all time, describing it as "so bad, being caught masturbating to it would actually be less embarrassing than being caught playing it."[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Popular Science (Jun 1996)
  2. ↑ IGN: The Catfight
  3. ↑ (Japanese) Catfight
  4. ↑ Cat Fight: The world's first all-girl fighting game is finally here! (Internet Archive)
  5. ↑ Catfight for PC (GameRankings)
  6. ↑ Catfight Review (GameSpot)
  7. ↑ Networking redefines the standards for PC gaming (The Daily Pennsylvanian)
  8. ↑ Next Generation 22 (October 1996), p. 183
  9. ↑ The 15 worst PC games of all time | PC Gamer

External links