Jumbie Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I just posted about this in Facebook, but Hondo's is where I love to rant, so lemme vent: 10 minutes into Arkham City and I meet the worst portrayal of Catwoman I've seen in a long time. She's as sexually subtle as a worn-out prostitute trying to hook up with the bartender after the last drunk is gone, so that she can make enough money to pay the rent. PUNS? She makes puns every other line? And there are other stupid lines like, "What do you want, a kiss?" after Batman saves her from a bullet. Artificial and stilted voice acting to go with artificial and stilted posture and posing. Every cut scene it's like someone knocked her hips out of alignment with a sledgehammer. And why does her voice sound like Harley Quinn's so much? All I can think is that this game probably came out at the same time as the infamous Catwoman portrayal of the DC comics relaunch and they were going for some kind of synergy, which explains the boobs about to pop out in every frame we see them. I'm not saying she has to be Frank Miller tough or anything, but some kind of hard edge and sense that she's got an actual personality under there. There's no sense that anything's going on in her head in Arkham City. All she had is a bland surface theatricality that is inconguous, not only with the previous versions of the character, but with the mood of the game itself. There is nothing sexy, or even likable, here. If I could rescind the Game of the Year award for Arkham City, I'd do it just for this crime of a portrayal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I haven't played Arkham City, but I recently watched DC Showcase: Catwoman, and I thought it was a pretty good take on Catwoman. Maybe I'm not very good at seeing things coming, but I did not anticipate the reveal at the end. It's only like 14 minutes long, and I think it's worth watching. It might serve as a good counterpoint to her portrayal in Arkham City. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 i too was offended; after Dragon's Crown i have certain expectations about proportions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Let's save any mention of Dragon's Crown for another thread. Maybe one day Catwoman can seal enough shit to afford a catsuit that fits so she can zip it up all the way. Or maybe she's like a wendigo and the more she steals the larger her breasts grow. I wasn't offended by this portrayal of Catwoman because well... good Catwoman portrayals are the exceptions that prove the rule, not the rule themselves. She makes cat puns, she doesn't zip up her jammies, and she acts like a cat in heat. Also she steals shit and is occasionally a prostitute. David Willis made a comic for Shortpacked about how Catwoman is really just the embodiment of each creator's fetish when she's used and I'd agree. It's offensive, but I'm beyond used to it at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrizzle Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 She's as sexually subtle as a worn-out prostitute That's because she is a worn-out prostitute. Like 'Baytor said, it's a rare occasion that she's portrayed in even a remotely interesting way in anything ever, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted May 3, 2013 Author Share Posted May 3, 2013 (edited) That's because she is a worn-out prostitute. That's your death warrant u just signed, bitch. I'm gonna fuck you up with a screwdriver. I'm gonna clamp your tongue to a vice and gouge your eyes out with a shoehorn. Like 'Baytor said, it's a rare occasion that she's portrayed in even a remotely interesting way in anything ever, Almost every comics portrayal of her from the 80s to the 2000 was ok. Burton's was excellent. Dark Knight rises wasn't my favorite, but it wasn't offensive to my sensibilities. I haven't seen Halle Berry's so I can't comment on that. Dini's animated stuff has been ok. (Well except for that thing Jax posted. That was Dini too and it was more in the vein of the stuff I'm complaining about). I don't think it's much of a stretch to say Rocksteady games just doesn't understand, know or like women. Edited May 5, 2013 by Jumbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrizzle Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Probably. Or maybe an ex hooker who prances around in skin tight leather and steals things for a living doesn't represent the average woman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 I haven't played Arkham City, but I recently watched DC Showcase: Catwoman, and I thought it was a pretty good take on Catwoman. Maybe I'm not very good at seeing things coming, but I did not anticipate the reveal at the end. It's only like 14 minutes long, and I think it's worth watching. It might serve as a good counterpoint to her portrayal in Arkham City. That strip club scene just made me feel skeeved out. For a second there I thought she wasn't going to pick up that diamond with her hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Burton's was excellent. No. No. No. A million times no. Burton's is half the reason for Arkham City Catwoman, she was a fucking ridiculous character in corpse paint and ripped leather that licked herself and made cat puns. She more than any other version cemented the dominatrix fucktoy version of Catwoman that has dominated most media portrayals of the character since and Michelle Pfeiifer played her with a wild eyed shrillness that's a bit ridiculous even for the stupid fucking movie she was in (and that movie featured rocket penguins. ROCKET PENGUINS!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 I didn't see Burton's Catwoman as being ridiculous because that Selina was kinda nuts. She was a lot more parallel to Batman than most versions. For me the scene that makes her catwoman work best is the ballroom/mistletoe scene where she has the gun and wants to just shoot Max Schrek. No puns, no gymnastics. Just fucking cap his ass and get it over with. That scene lets you see just what is under the surface and you realize the leather and cat imagery is just a coping mechanism. Her meowing etc is the right balance of 'Batman hyper surrealism'. The Catwoman in Arkham City isn't surreal. In fact it's because they fail to achieve surreal that the outlandish traits fall flat. You say that Burton's Catwoman sucks because she inspired the subsequent stupid versions, but that's like saying Die Hard sucked because it ended up inspiring stuff like Under Seige 2 and Speed 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 (edited) Probably. Or maybe an ex hooker who prances around in skin tight leather and steals things for a living doesn't represent the average woman. A guy who also dresses in skin tight leather and ties up men in rope after beating them to pulp for a hobby isn't average either. He still gets portrayed within the bounds of conventional masculinity. Imagine a version where they played up the gay aspect of his leather life. Maybe had him put a zipper in the middle of the bat chest symbol that he kept pulled halfway down so that his forest of chest hair could pop over it? Some nipple rings on the bat suit? I mean,, people would understand because he's not an average guy, right? Edited May 5, 2013 by Jumbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 an ex hooker who prances around in skin tight leather and steals things for a living Maybe had him put a zipper in the middle of the bat chest symbol that he kept pulled halfway down so that his forest of chest hair could pop over it? Some nipple rings on the bat suit? gentlemen i think we have the basics down for Arkham Galaxy Revengenence here, submitting this thread to Kotaku Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 They'll call you a "close reliable source" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 You say that Burton's Catwoman sucks because she inspired the subsequent stupid versions, but that's like saying Die Hard sucked because it ended up inspiring stuff like Under Seige 2 and Speed 2. No, in this instance Eartha Kitt is Die Hard, Michelle Pfeiffer is Die Hard 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Kitty-ki-yai, Mutherfucker! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrizzle Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 I, for one, would welcome a Leather Daddy Batman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 You saw batman and robin, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrizzle Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 I skipped that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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