Deadly Premonition

[Big Jack McBastard]

You may well not have heard of this yet but, if you've given it a pop do chime in, it's been getting some wildly different scores from reviewers from 2/10 to 11/10. It's a quirky as hell murder mystery, laden with Twin Peaks influences and hideous graphics.

I just got it delivered yesterday and right off the bat it's apparent that this game is ugly as sin and the controls/camera sensitivity leave a fair bit to be desired, but it's also apparent quite early on that it's no 'normal' Silent Hill-type horror thing.

That said, fuck me does it draw you in.

I also got Fable III yesterday but spent more time on this than on my Albion upstart. It effortlessly captures the jarring otherworldliness of (some warped realm of) Twin Peaks that Alan Wake only managed a stylised hint of. Eg: Out of place skat jazz and jolly melodies played at intrusive levels over the autopsy of a sacrificed girl, the split personality of the protagonist Agent York waxing lyrical about 80s movies to himself while you desperately try to control your over-steering car, from the perspective of the drivers seat, window wipers, headlights, turn signals and all, to your next destination. Keeping an eye on your fuel tank and making sure you don't have to fall asleep, get some dinner, or that your suit has gotten too dirty in the last couple of days.

It's peppered with limited features like the in-game map which turns as your character or car does, so when you check it for your route you're momentarily left a bit lost when you're trying to get to your next objective. The over-sensitivity of the aiming and menu navigation will leave you laughing at the audacity of it, not to mention the purple blooded zombie/Silent Hill-style enemies who plaintively cry 'Kill me' followed by 'I don't want to die!' every time you drop one.

There are loose time limits to your actions as you advance meaning it's perfectly possible to bugger off and go fishing or randomly grill the suspects in the town for a few hours before you go to scope out the next crime scene.

Really it's criminally ugly, think shoddy PS2 graphics but with some insane force of will behind them that somehow contrives to make something compelling out of tat, it's strange but after a while you just don't care about it's lack of polish, in fact it becomes something wonderful.

The world seems huge and open though a little sparse (at the minute, for me anyway, I've no idea what's coming next) but the sideways story and loopy characters are wonderfully done, especially Agent York. It kept me glued for 7 hours straight yesterday, in spite of it's awful mechanics and looks.

It's shaping up to be a fairly long romp too which is just great, I thnk Fallout NV is going to go on the back-burner as well while this is around.

[Mister Six]

I've been waiting for a UK release for fucking ages and it comes out just when I have no money! Bastards! I've only heard good things about it though. It'll definitely get picked up at some point.

[Marty McFly]

Twin Peaks influences

I've not played it myself, but from what I can gather it was originally Twin Peaks: The Game in all but name, and was later re-tooled to make it less of a total rip-off. Here's the original trailer from when the game was known as Rainy Woods. Is the finished product much different?

Rainy Woods TGS 2007 trailer

[Big Jack McBastard]

Is the finished product much different?

No, It's pretty much what you see in that vid, except the FBI guy is more surreal and odd looking now, the midgets have changed into two (angel?) children who inhabit both the real(?) world and an even more abstract environment than the red room, which you find yourself plonked into from time to time.

The music is awesome, so jarring and yet so apt for the whole thing.

[bitesize]

just started this after picking it up for cheap this weekend. wow what a bizarre game...

technically probably the worst game i've played this generation - graphics, animation, sound design, controls, movement all absolutely terrible. but it's just so compelling! somehow really enjoying it despite of all that... looking forward to getting the chance to explore on my own, the game keeps pushing me on to the next bit (every time i try to go somewhere else, the sheriff keeps telling me off).

[Big Jack McBastard]

Yay! Do share any tales of weirdness you run into.

I just went outside at midnight and the sky had gone all weird and a giant (and I mean bus sized) dog attacked my car, I emptied all of my assault rifle ammo into it and it still ruined me.

This game is weird as fuck.

[bitesize]

forgot to come back to this thread... finished it on christmas eve, what an incredible game! just unbelievable.

felt a bit let down by the last bosses (

Spoiler alert

George the sheriff going all Street Fighter, then Forrest kayson going all massive and bizarre - didn't really work for me

[close]

) but the end of the York/Zach storyline was amazing, so beautifully done. haven't felt this sad over a game since the end of Red Dead Redemption (sniff). will someday go back and hoover up all the sidequests (i think i'd done like half of them by the end but missed out on a load early on).

on a technical level, probably one of the worst games i played last year, but on an emotional level, definitely up there with the best.