Catherine first week US sales top 200,000

From Software's Demon's Souls proved to be a major hit for Atlus, after the localization-oriented publisher sold more than 250,000 units of the game in the US after some five months of availability. It would appear as if Atlus has another hit on its hands, as the publisher confirmed today that its sexually charged horror puzzle game Catherine has sold 200,000 units during its first week of availability in the US.

Atlus' first game internally developed for current-generation consoles, Catherine received a strong critical reception upon its release for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the US on July 26. That release followed on from its February 17 bow in Japan, where it sold more than 160,000 units during its first week. The game is expected to arrive in Europe and elsewhere later this year.

Catherine has players navigating tricky relationship waters as Vincent. When the commitment-phobic protagonist's girlfriend Katherine starts talking about taking their relationship to the next level, Vincent finds himself straying. While out drinking with friends, he meets a flirty bombshell named Catherine, whom--after a series of events he can't quite recall--he wakes up next to the following morning.

In addition to helping Vincent make decisions to extricate himself from the situation, players are called on to fight off the physical manifestations of his fears and guilt as he sleeps. The game also includes local competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes, complete with leaderboard support.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Catherine.