Deadly Premonition

[jayseven]

 

I bought this game on impulse after Mundi mentioned it - it only came out last friday, and I've only just gotten round to playing it.

 

Heavy, heavy Twin peaks undertones (and over!), which may draw some comparisons to Alan Wake - but having only just completed the Prologue, it's hard to say just yet.

 

Things I've noticed;

- Controls are... iffy, but I'm getting used to them. It's because they have strafe buttons mapped onto the shoulders of your pad - something that seems quite out of place, but the game seems to be based upon old-school Resi-style controls but with a camera that follows you.

 

- The graphics look like the game is an early PS2 game - good character models but textures and general map design so far appears a little lazy.

 

- But the game has utterly won me over with its weirdness and its humour.

 

I don't care to talk anymore. I wanted to make this thread so I could really just ask Mundi where he's at in the game. I'm gonna try and do the next section tonight.

[flameboy]

I'm sooooo jealous! This got a ton of coverage when it came out in the US and I watched loads of vids etc...about it....Looks amaaaaaayzing!However its only available on PS3 as a rather pricey import

[Mundi]

This game is pretty much Twin Peaks in nearly every sense, except with RE4 like gameplay and choking "monsters"

 

Just finished Part 1 chapter 6, have no idea how long this game is but I feel very short into the game.

 

the driving bits are just weirdly long in this game and strangely precise, as in I can (not sure if I have to) use turn signals and wipers.

 

Also, enemies begging you not to kill them in their strange voices.... just freaky.

[jayseven]

When I first entered a vehicle I drove around all cautious, using my signalling lights and everything! Now I boost everywhere and ram into cars on purpose. Used my wipers when it was raining, but it didn't make that much difference.

 

Just started 1.6 now. The timber mill had me bricking it a little! I was all out of health... stressful stuff. The tone of the game when the shadows are about really shifts - it doesn't seem like a cardboard-dreamcast walk in the park like the daytime bits are. It's dark and grimey and... man yeah while I've maybe jumped once, my heart's been racing loads of times.

 

And oh dear god that begging... horrible stuff. "Pleeeeease don't kill meeeeeeee..."

Edited November 6, 2010 by jayseven
Automerged Doublepost

[Domstercool]

Me and my mate are playing this together. Even though it's a budget feel game, the story and atmosphere kind of make it fun to play. There's some really good effects going on when the enemies do that teleport thing.

[jayseven]

... after the town meeting. About 8 hours into the game. Bought my own (overpowered, easily-dented) car, and bought a map to Corpse's tunnel (lol) before I got teh bronze card for teh milk store.

 

The game keeps expanding. I've gone bone/card hunting for a bit, but never massively. After teh town hall you really get a lot of time to go and explore the map and collect a few side-missions.

 

Earier I tried my first cigarette, and it sent me to the 'other' world and I had a seemingly endless supply of shadow dudes to kill, as well as this giant dog. I ended up just ramming my car into it until the car blew up, which caused me to game over... Bleh. Not smoked since

 

Still a game that I can't play for more than 60-90 mins at a time. Am very much loving Morgan's movie-themed driving monologues.

 

[Mundi]

Prior to the meeting I just drove around trying to find as many side missions as I could and meeting all the people

A bit frustrating that everything in town was closed and driving between places takes a bit of patience.

 

Started a side mission chain regarding Anna's friend, what happens feels kinda important, strange that it was a side mission.

 

I called it quits after doing the meeting, hopefully the town opens up a bit, it has a felt a bit empty so far.

 

Oh and fishing is just weird.....

Plays like a roulette wheel where I can catch things like: bullets, weapons and cards.

 

Edited November 8, 2010 by Mundi

[jayseven]

Certain bait that you can buy from teh lady at the milk shop will specifically pick up weapons or ammo, iirc.

 

I had a go at fishing practically at the start of the game on the way to the hospital, pad vibrated, it looked like I caught a fish, but I couldn't tell what button I was supposed to press so I just gave up and walked away...

[Mundi]

I used normal bait and caught a normal bait.

It was pretty meta.....

 

Spend about 30 minutes, did not catch one fish.

But got a good supply of bullets, shovels and a sickle.

[jayseven]

Dude - I dunno if you've already done it, but go to the milk bar and buy the ghost map thing offa the dude behind the counter. Go to the location and you do a sort of arena-type thing where you essentially stock up on a couple of small medkits and a large one, some iron bars, a shovel and a pick-axe and-- dude, I won't spoil the surprise, but when you get to the final room... DAMN I was surprised by what I got.

 

A good idea is to perhaps do a few of the rooms (once you clear the room you enter the door behind you - it will respawn new enemies) then leave. You can restart the challenge and reap a few more goodies. Sorta sad that I didn't farm it a bit... but once you get to the end you'll probably agree with me that it's well worth finishing.

 

EDIT: Just actually left/completed the side-mission and the portal's still there. Will Be Back For More.

 

I bought a car - quinn's one. I've reached 97mph~ downhill, top speed is normally 80. It burns through fuel like a mofo and is dented real easily, plus the turning is a bitch... but it gets me places quick. May buy a different car in a bit to see if it'll let me keep both.

 

Honestly, each session I've had with this game has thrown up a totally different experience so far. Like you, I don't feel like I'm very far into the game - but I'd hazard a guess at maybe 3 'episodes'. I've plugged about 8-9 hours into this so far (quite fun to see how drastically my leaderboard ranking has altered day-by-day, from nearly all S rank a couple of days ago to all C's again!) and while I feel like there's a lot left to go, I get the impression the storyline will finish sooner than I reckon, leaving the side-quests to complete.

 

Once I've done the story and as much of the side-quest/card-collecting as I can from the map I'll check the achievements. 1000 spread over 12 achievements is a bit mental. No doubt one of them is for completing the game on hard. Cripes.

[ThePigMarcher]

My copy got delivered yesterday.

 

I'm only on Episode 1, Chapter 5 or 6 (Sawmill) and this thing is really beginning to grab me. I wasn't sure initially, due to some of the numerous flaws but I'm certainly glad I stuck with it because it really is shaping up to be an experience and I'm getting used to some of the gameplay quirks.

 

I've already spent a little too much time just exploring Greenvale so I dread to think how much of a timesink this'll become once things open up more.

[jayseven]

Yeah, it's quite addicting. I've poured roughly 17 hours into it. Trying to do the side missions but clearly I've fucked a couple up, but I don't mind as I'm going to do a run through on hard again for sure and I reckon I can get those right next time. Currently just started chapter 3.

 

So, who do you think is the killer!

Got three cars - Quint's is fast but very hard to steer. Ushuh's is slightly slower (like, by 5mph) but steers a lot better around corners. Just been given Emily's car by Sygourney, which goes, again, slightly slower - but handling is great, it's got better resistance to damage and there's barely any slowdown over grass/non-road.

 

Got 7 suits now - the latest one I got off the Panda gun dude - gives me approx. 20% extra health. Win.

 

Also got a flamethrower with infinite ammo and a SMG thing with infinite ammo. WIN! Basically don't ever need to use melee weapons - although they're a lot quicker.

 

As for who the killer is? I half thought it has to be a properly surprising killer - like Thomas... but it's very hard to say!

 

 

I've still not bothered fishing at all.

 

If this game had a slightly larger budget, it'd be GOTY contender. The world is very rich and intense, weirdly fun yet not too punishing or unforgiving.

[Mundi]

Played it a bit more, really need to give this game more time, I feel like I'm moving too slowly due to my short sessions.

 

Went to that treasure map thing with my pimping new car (can't remember which, the convertible and I love it)

Was really not expecting the last part.

The last part with the shotgun enemies was intense, awful lot of them and they kill in two shots.

I had to move around all stealthily, holding my breath to pick them out.

 

Endless SMG was well worth it.

 

 

So, who do you think is the killer!

Got three cars - Quint's is fast but very hard to steer. Ushuh's is slightly slower (like, by 5mph) but steers a lot better around corners. Just been given Emily's car by Sygourney, which goes, again, slightly slower - but handling is great, it's got better resistance to damage and there's barely any slowdown over grass/non-road.

 

Got the convertible like I said, it's medium in everything I think and spends little gas.

 

The suit from the Milk Bar that makes me sexy, however that works.

 

Regarding the killer, I'm expecting them to pull some Twin Peaks stuff, someone close and unexpected but it might pull a fast one on me.

So far I'm guessing this is all a part of some ritual for a cult and everyone is in on it, except the prominent nice guys.

Blood rituals and all.

 

 

 

Also have you tried going to Anna's house and done the side mission chain there?

Very relevant to the plot and all and lets you meet more persons that make you think: "They are like these people from Twin Peaks"

 

One question in the end, has peaking into people's windows ever benefited you? (except for the money you get)

I keep expecting something weird but end up seeing nothing and feeling like a creep.

 

Got 7 suits now - the latest one I got off the Panda gun dude - gives me approx. 20% extra health. Win.

 

Also got a flamethrower with infinite ammo and a SMG thing with infinite ammo. WIN! Basically don't ever need to use melee weapons - although they're a lot quicker.

 

As for who the killer is? I half thought it has to be a properly surprising killer - like Thomas... but it's very hard to say!

 

 

[jayseven]

Peeking hasn't done anything whatsoever! I watched Quint 'make' his dad a sandwich, but that's about it. Don't think I've been to Anna's house - I presume it's to talk to her mother? I've just been concentrating on doing the notebook things whenever I see them. Will make a point to go there, though.

 

Is the convertable silver? That's Ushuhs car - pretty darn good all round. Have you been doing the General's side missions?

 

I didn't have as much trouble with those shotgun dudes as you - as soon as I got in the room I ran to the left and hid behind the truck, picking them off as they neared me. Where you up to in the game?

 

Also when I load my game and check my leaderboard stats it says I've spent 31 hours in the town... Which is crazy!

 

I'm going to try to remember to download the music at some point. Love it to bits.

[Mundi]

Yeah the play time thing is pretty random, it always shows either 41 minutes or 30 something hours.

 

Not sure on my car color, I think its red and its the one before Quinn's, cost about 1250.

 

Right now, I'm in the diner and just talked to Nick.

 

Oh and I just read that you really should not read the collectible cards until you beat the game.

Some of them are supposed to have major spoilers.

[S.C.G]

Wow, sleeper hit of the year? I don't remember hearing much about this game and then... it just... appeared in the stores with very little fanfare and quite a cheap price in some places which I was kinda wary of, but now I'll add it to my long list of games to play lol, I can't justify purchase atm though, too much to play as it is.

[Shorty]

No screenshots... no videos... no explanation of what this game is like for people who haven't watched Twin Peaks.

 

*walks back out again*

[Mundi]

http://letmegooglethat4u.com/?q=Deadly+Premonition

[Cube]

And some reviews:

 

IGN

1up

[S.C.G]

And some reviews:

 

IGN

1up

 

Wtf... 2.0 and IGN, did they just photoshop that '10/10 Destructoid' onto the box then or... were they high when they reviewed it... I R confused, how can a game score so low in one place yet so high in another.

 

Hmm after checking the reviews it seems it's just wildly varying opinions depedning on each site.

Edited November 11, 2010 by S.C.G

[Cube]

It seems that good reviews are based on entertainment, bad reviews go off technicalities.

 

From the Destructoid review:

 

This game is so bad, it's not just become good. It's pretty close to perfect.

[martinist]

Doesn't giantbomb.com have a playthrough of this?

 

As a matter of fact they have two separate play throughs of this game.

 

Go and give it a watch if you can't be bothered buying it.

[Cube]

Doesn't giantbomb.com have a playthrough of this?

 

As a matter of fact they have two separate play throughs of this game.

 

Go and give it a watch if you can't be bothered buying it.

 

It sounds like it's a game that has to be played to be believed. I've just added it to my rental list.

[jayseven]

Shorty - sorry, I honestly just made this thread to talk to mundi as he was the one that accidentally convinced me to get the game. Literally he posted the box-art in teh purchases thread and I went "WHAT IS THAT GAME" as I'd not seen it anywhere and it looked like your typical b-game that I'd've bought - similarly to your reaction, I'd not seen any screenshots or movies of it. I looked it up and found that it was a brand new game out the next day for £16 and just went with it.

 

I think it's enjoyable because I had absolutely no expectations whatsoever. I don't know if I can recommend it to you/anyone because it's a marmite game. If you like I can send it up to you after I'm done with it and you can decide for yourself

 

Also! I don't even want to search for screenshots in case I get something spoiled. The other day I'd forgotten how to bring up a certain menu, so I googled it using carefully chosen words and I accidentally read something that hadn't happened yet.

 

There's been a murder in smalltown Greenvale - a twisted one. A young girl is found tied to a tree with her chest cut open from neck to naval. Her tongue had been bitten off while she was still alive. The body is discovered by twin kids Isaiah and Isaach.

 

Cue FBI agent Detective Francis 'York' Morgan. he rides into town yappering on the phone about the sadomasochistic relationship between... ton and jerry, while smoking, using his laptop and again driving. This multitasking proves its own maker of mischief as he hits something and careens off the road. He gets up, brushes himself down, absent-mindedly touches his odd scar on the side of his head. He begins his trademark bluntness, seemingly talking to some character called 'Zack' who we've yet to meet...

 

The townsfolk are the reason for the comparison to Twin Peaks, as well as the dark humour. The place is full of people, your Agent York included, who have such remarkably odd idiosyncracies that to describe them in further detail may put harm to their effect. In Twin Peaks there is a 'Log Lady', who believes her log talks to her. She carries it around like a baby. In Deadly Premonitions there is the 'Pot Lady'. In Twin Peaks, Agent Cooper comes to the small town thinking it'll be backwards but soon learns that not only are they civilised and warm-hearted people, but they also make damn fine coffee - as does Agent York. The music in both is somewhat off-kilter, dark yet damningly rememberable.

 

The game has taken the setting and the style of the show and stretched it out into a game. Serious, serious, horrible subject matter acts as the relief to the comedy of what much of the game can be about when you're not in a mission. There's 20-30 people in the town that you interact with, and as in the story, the more you endure it the more the intricate web of relationships is unveilved. Both the show and the game is one long mystery, twisting and turning as you run through it.

 

 

The game mechanics are kinda GTA-meets-Zelda. You have a world map, and on it you can see the locations of people, side-missions, certain objects and collectable cards. You soon get a car to drive around in - but, like your own character needs food to prevent hunger and caffeine to stay alert, your car needs fuel to keep going and gets progressively damaged the more you use it.

 

Side missions can be fetch quests, show-person-A-this-item quests, take person from point A to point B, quizes, riddle solving, stuff like that. By doing them you learn more about the town and its characters. The main storyline is more like a series of simple dungeons set in 'the other world', and can come with minor puzzles in. As you work your way through the house/building you usually collect certain clues for your 'profiling' - your method of finding out answers to whatever gruesome event led you to this part of town.

 

 

... But essentially it comes down to whether you want to have a fairly unique experience of a game that knows precisely what it is - it doesn't dress itself up as what it isn't. You can tell it wasn't made by a bigger development team because of the poor pop-up rates and dated visuals, the controls are clunky, the game doesn't necessarily explain itself to you quickly and I've encountered a couple of very frustrating bugs, but the storyline is a gem, the characters are well shaped and the scripting is spotless. You play on because you want to know what happens next.

 

 

And WOOOOO infinite SHOTGUN, baby!

 

Cheers for the warning, Mundi. I've got 34 of them currently.

[jayseven]

On chapter 26, officially the Epilogue of the game. Before I pack it in I'm going to do a few more side-missions...

 

Just popped over to read the Destructiod 10/10 review... And honestly, I agree with it completely. It truly is one of the best gaming experiences I've had.

 

I've also just looked up what the achievements are. Not sure whether to try and burn through teh game on hard straight away or, more likely, put it on my shelf and go back to it in a year's time when I've forgotten some of teh joys of the game.