I NEED SCISSORS
Banned
I finished the game last night. Overall I absolutely loved it and would even consider it one of the top ten games of this generation.
After I heard a lot of comments about it being 'so bad it's good', I thought that I was just going to be in it for a laugh. The reality is the complete opposite, as the game is in fact legitimately excellent despite the obvious, mostly budget-induced shortcomings. What you get with Deadly Premonition is a well told supernatural detective story that reels you in - it's a captivating experience that I had difficulty putting down, not because I enjoyed playing it, but because I wanted to find out what happens next. It's been a long time since I played something like this which wasn't on the Nintendo DS.
Most of my enjoyment stemmed from the superb characters. The residents of Greenvale are well fleshed out (even going as far as having a complete 24 hour routine and side quests), and every voice in the game was perfectly cast with brilliant delivery. York is one of the best new game characters of recent years because of his odd but relatable personality, strange investigative methods and unique judgement. There was also some stunningly good character development - you could actually see the main characters start to bond, how their pasts affected them, how the case affected them, and you ultimately cared deeply for how their story would end. It felt like watching a good movie and it was helped by a solid ending (the point at which similar games tend to fall to pieces - see Heavy Rain etc).
As far as gameplay went, it served its purpose - that is, it acted as appropriate interludes for advancing the plot and development of the setting. You gradually learned Greenvale's layout just by exploring, and there is never a shortage of shit to do (plus the rewards are often worth it). I thought the game was a lot more like an RPG than a horror game since it had a lot of role-playing elements like interacting with people, side quests, 'loot' and keeping an eye on stats such as hunger and tiredness. The game really goes out of its way to make you feel like you are living in Greenvale, which made it all the better a location. One example I loved was that the cars actually used petrol and needed refuelling at the gas station - just like real life. It was a really detailed and very well realised setting, even if the visuals can't quite live up to it.
The gunplay was janky, but it was serviceable enough - if you think of the game as an RPG, then it's probably a bit better than other games in the genre. It would have been a lot better with more enemy and dungeon variety, but it was okay for what it was. I think it is true that the game could have in fact gotten by without any action at all, becoming a Hotel Dusk-esque, purely investigative experience. But I did appreciated being able to shoot things with my unlimited ammo machine gun. Other mechanics such as driving also felt janky, with weird steering and a handbrake that was too powerful, but at the same time you felt sheltered inside your car and oddly relaxed (thanks to the awesome soundtrack).
I agree with Destructoid overall - warts and all, the game is really perfect as it is. You wouldn't want to change anything about it as it just comes together so well to create a thoroughly enjoyable experience. For a $20/£10 game easily lasting 25+ hours, it is also criminally good value and at times really shows the big boys how to do things.
9/10
After I heard a lot of comments about it being 'so bad it's good', I thought that I was just going to be in it for a laugh. The reality is the complete opposite, as the game is in fact legitimately excellent despite the obvious, mostly budget-induced shortcomings. What you get with Deadly Premonition is a well told supernatural detective story that reels you in - it's a captivating experience that I had difficulty putting down, not because I enjoyed playing it, but because I wanted to find out what happens next. It's been a long time since I played something like this which wasn't on the Nintendo DS.
Most of my enjoyment stemmed from the superb characters. The residents of Greenvale are well fleshed out (even going as far as having a complete 24 hour routine and side quests), and every voice in the game was perfectly cast with brilliant delivery. York is one of the best new game characters of recent years because of his odd but relatable personality, strange investigative methods and unique judgement. There was also some stunningly good character development - you could actually see the main characters start to bond, how their pasts affected them, how the case affected them, and you ultimately cared deeply for how their story would end. It felt like watching a good movie and it was helped by a solid ending (the point at which similar games tend to fall to pieces - see Heavy Rain etc).
As far as gameplay went, it served its purpose - that is, it acted as appropriate interludes for advancing the plot and development of the setting. You gradually learned Greenvale's layout just by exploring, and there is never a shortage of shit to do (plus the rewards are often worth it). I thought the game was a lot more like an RPG than a horror game since it had a lot of role-playing elements like interacting with people, side quests, 'loot' and keeping an eye on stats such as hunger and tiredness. The game really goes out of its way to make you feel like you are living in Greenvale, which made it all the better a location. One example I loved was that the cars actually used petrol and needed refuelling at the gas station - just like real life. It was a really detailed and very well realised setting, even if the visuals can't quite live up to it.
The gunplay was janky, but it was serviceable enough - if you think of the game as an RPG, then it's probably a bit better than other games in the genre. It would have been a lot better with more enemy and dungeon variety, but it was okay for what it was. I think it is true that the game could have in fact gotten by without any action at all, becoming a Hotel Dusk-esque, purely investigative experience. But I did appreciated being able to shoot things with my unlimited ammo machine gun. Other mechanics such as driving also felt janky, with weird steering and a handbrake that was too powerful, but at the same time you felt sheltered inside your car and oddly relaxed (thanks to the awesome soundtrack).
I agree with Destructoid overall - warts and all, the game is really perfect as it is. You wouldn't want to change anything about it as it just comes together so well to create a thoroughly enjoyable experience. For a $20/£10 game easily lasting 25+ hours, it is also criminally good value and at times really shows the big boys how to do things.
9/10
