Deadly Premonition

[lord of flies]

A brief introduction; the first 10 minutes of gameplay can be found here.

 

This is the game that you never knew you wanted. Did you think that adding in the option to turn on (and leave on) your turn signals was a good idea? Well, it turns out it's amazing. Driving around like an idiot while your right turn signal goes off forever is just so much subtly better than driving around like an idiot without signals. It adds that element of realism, like you're really driving around like an idiot, not just sucking at a video game.

 

Did you think that a game about a dickish FBI Agent who puts out a cigarette on his plate, is very particular about his food, gets his fortune from his morning coffee and spends a good half of the game talking to his imaginary friend was a good idea? Well, it turns out it's amazing. Your protagonist (Francis York Morgan, henceforth referred to as "York") is an FBI agent who spends the early game calling the small country town he's currently in "uncivilized" and the people "cavemen" (he later corrects that to "the medieval era"). He blabs on about 80s movies, and (if you watched the above video) is first introduced to the player by telling someone over the phone that Tom and Jerry are sadomasochistic partners.

 

Did you think that "free roaming world" and "third person survival horror" went together? Turns out they do. Drive five minutes to the next mission while York talks about what movies he and Zach should go see after this whole thing is over, or you can go fishing. As one player put it:

the sheriff and his hot deputy were going to come with me to check out an autopsy at the hospital so they got in the car and i was like nah lets get lunch instead so i did and then went fishing for 3 hours. just like real life cop work.

Buy this game. For $20 and a 10/10 score on Destructoid, you can't go wrong.

[Bos_hybrid]

This is a joke? Right? I only ask because it's LoF.

[Cycloneman]

No, the game owns.

[Nightshape]

*yawn*

[Bos_hybrid]

No, the game owns.

 

Sure it does. My question was to whether LoF believes it's good.

[lord of flies]

No, the game owns.

 

Sure it does. My question was to whether LoF believes it's good.

Christ Almighty, why would I post that I like a game when I don't? Have I ever done that? Have I ever done anything of the sort?

[Rostere]

"Twin Peaks: The Game"

[Maria Caliban]

Meh.

[lord of flies]

$20. 10/10 rating on Destructoid.

 

The game is fantastic, honestly. It's funny, it's got decent combat, and the plot is genuinely interesting. What's more, unlike a lot of games nowadays, it has character.

 

Some more fantastic video footage.

 

I don't see why you wouldn't buy this game. In the droves of people who've I read the opinions of, I've seen like, two or three express distaste.

[Killian Kalthorne]

 

Tom and Jerry inter-dependency?

 

[Rostere]

Okay, so latest news: http://www.destructoid.com/deadly-premonit...in-165288.phtml

 

I've been discussing this game with some friends and I am seriously thinking of buying a 360. That would be the only console I've bought in my life, except for a Sega Megadrive.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Looks weird.

[Tel Aviv]

It looks pretty fruity. Any word on a European release?

[Tale]

I wonder why more bad games can't get this much trolling.

[Maria Caliban]

I don't see why you wouldn't buy this game.

 

Video you linked in your original post had seven minutes of someone walking around a small room with the occasional text popping up that I couldn't read. That was the *only* gameplay shown. Then you have a cut scene that's comedy with about five seconds of scary. It might be an excellent game, but I don't think the preview you linked to shows off that excellence.

[lord of flies]

I don't see why you wouldn't buy this game.

 

Video you linked in your original post had seven minutes of someone walking around a small room with the occasional text popping up that I couldn't read. That was the *only* gameplay shown. Then you have a cut scene that's comedy with about five seconds of scary. It might be an excellent game, but I don't think the preview you linked to shows off that excellence.

That "Red Room" pops up a few more times throughout the game, but you don't have to look at everything after the first time (from what I've seen so far). That bit makes the gameplay look much worse than it is. This is more representative of what you would be doing in terms of game play for most of the game (during the story missions and certain times of day/kinds of weather)

[GreasyDogMeat]

Deadly Premonition is even better than Heavy Rain. http://www.destructoid.com/deadly-premonit...in-165288.phtml

 

For once, Lord of Flies is 100% correct and not trolling!

[Nightshape]

Deadly Premonition is even better than Heavy Rain. http://www.destructoid.com/deadly-premonit...in-165288.phtml

 

For once, Lord of Flies is 100% correct and not trolling!

 

/facepalm.

[lord of flies]

Deadly Premonition is even better than Heavy Rain. http://www.destructoid.com/deadly-premonit...in-165288.phtml

 

For once, Lord of Flies is 100% correct and not trolling!

 

/facepalm.

Everything that Sterling says in there about Deadly Premonition, other than obviously fake stuff (like "I hate the PS3, Blu-Ray is for gays" and "Heavy Rain and Twin Peaks ripped off Deadly Premonition."), is 100% true. I can't vouch for what he says about Heavy Rain, but it sounds pretty plausible. Shaving (and not shaving) owns. Running around town, stealing 10mm bullets from people's mailboxes owns. Driving like a maniac owns.

 

What's really great, is that when you do some dumb bull**** and it turns out to have been for pretty much nothing, you still get money. Did you spend 5 minutes real time driving around for miles? Here's some money to compensate you. Did you shave your beard and wash your clothes? Here's some money to compensate you. Killed enemies? Money. Broke some boxes? Money.

[Diogo Ribeiro]

It's kinda like videogame meta-commentary, a comedy reworking of Twin Peaks and all around bad game design, innit?

 

That probably sounds more interesting than what it actually is. Also, it actually does sound more interesting than Heavy Rain.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Diogo Ribeiro

[lord of flies]

It's kinda like videogame meta-commentary, a comedy reworking of Twin Peaks and all around bad game design, innit?

 

That probably sounds more interesting than what it actually is. Also, it actually does sound more interesting than Heavy Rain.

I dunno, I've heard this game is "enjoyably bad," but I can't say that (besides the driving) I've found it to be so.

 

Combat's so-so, but it's not awful or terribly awkward. You can get hurt pretty bad, but when I get hit, I always feel like it's my fault (except for one time when I discovered the "Observe" command does not pause time!). One little trick you'll want to know; when there's a fixed camera angle (while rare, they make controlling York a bitch), you can pull out a melee weapon and use aim mode to switch back to ordinary "tank" controls.

 

Driving is pretty difficult, but the blinkers and windshield wipers really make up for it; instead of feeling like I'm bad at video games, I feel like I'm "role-playing" an FBI Agent who can't drive.

 

The plot is, thus far, 100% good. Some of the characters are weird or w/e, but that's not really a downside. Some serious laugh-out-loud moments; the way the relationship between York and the local police (especially Emily) is done is simply fantastic. And, though I haven't beaten the game yet, I haven't heard that the grand finale is random nonsense bull****.

[Cycloneman]

Bumping because holy **** I just realized I've stacked up 9 hours on this game and am only on Chapter 3 (of 15). I haven't even done the fishing ****.

[Jaesun]

OK watched that vid.. and this is so completely freakish... and looks bad... in a way I am strangely compelled to go run out and get it...

Edited March 2, 2010 by Jaesun

[lord of flies]

Just beat the game. Greatest game ever status: CONFIRMED.

 

An amazing plot, full of some hilarious moments and some sad ones.

 

Just one note: play on Easy. The higher difficulties aren't so much "harder" as they are "slower," with normal enemies taking upwards of eight headshots to kill on Normal difficulty.

[Hell Kitty]

I hoping for a PAL version.