Deadly Premonition (Xbox 360)

I have to be honest first. This game is not for everyone. I will say again, it is NOT for everyone.

I want to say if your under a certain age you just wont "get" this game at all, but I know there are some kids with eccentric tastes and a love for actual gaming (meaning gaming is fun, not a chore or something that hinges on supreme graphics, or fast gameplay mechanics). I cant say games like MW2 arent fun, but if all you want is a quick thrill, or some misplaced affection for current gen graphics only STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME. This game is not for those who dont "get it".

I cant explain this well because this type of game is not common place anymore, and actually I'd go so far as to say this way of story telling is also largely gone as well. There was a time bad acting, FMVs, and not so great controls were prevalent in games. It wasnt about that though; it was about the experience, and in that Deadly Premonition delivers.

As I grow older I find myself wanting more from my games then the norm. Lately I've been getting game after game, only to not finish it because it doesnt keep me interested for whatever reason. This isnt to say the games are bad, but as an adult my time is limited so I cant waste any of my time if I'm bored.

That being said theres a certain charm to the way Deadly Premonition lays itself out. You've already heard it all about this game, the game has bland graphics (although they are bad its not so bad its game breaking if your not caring about it, but it is obvious). The sound is pretty bad, the music and the diaglogue are in constant competition and there isnt much variety in music either. For most this will be intolerable and I would suggest turning the music way down if so or off if you need to but seriously if you are already disinterested by that thought please do not buy this game.

The controls are old school. To me, though, in this game it fits. I dont know why, either, as its not a good control scheme and never has been. One of the things I always hated about RE was the planted shooting. I will say though, as no one mentions it, you can strafe while shooting in this. So there is that, and I really havent had a problem with it. It is old school, though, and the pacing is slow when it comes to movement, even cars dont go particularly fast. Not that you'd want them to, they drive like your on an oil slick. Again, if this disinterests you and you find that intolerable, DONT BUY THIS GAME. Me, I play my old games all the time, so this kind of stuff is not unknown to me and the game never gets so bad with the controls I want to chuck it through the TV, so I have no issue with that.

That being said though, the story is one of interest. I'm sure by now you've read what the premise is a million times, and all I can say is there's more to it. This game is deeply weird, and the further down the rabbit hole you go the weirder it gets. If you dont like not knowing whats going on, having to think about the purpose of finding keys for a nit wit deputy, or dont find it hilarious when the main character you play speaks to his second personality about cartoon shows from the old days, DONT BUY THIS GAME.

I will admit, I have a liking for bad movies. I find a charm to them that isnt really there, but I watch movies for entertainment so I dont take them as serious as some. This game has Z Grade acting at its finest. It's not as bad as the original Resident Evil or Night Trap (oooh OLD REFERENCES; Google it) but sometimes it gets pretty close. I think the best thing about this game is the main character though. He's so eccentric it kind of makes sense sometimes that he doesnt seem all that taken aback by the weird crap thats going on around him. If you dont like the thought of any of that, or the thought that some characters voices dont fit the character, DONT BUY THIS GAME.

Theres more to it, but I've said alot already and I doubt anyone will read this but I had to say something because theres to many people complaining they bought the game because of player reviews and didnt agree with the reviews. Im telling you straight up, yes I THINK THIS GAME IS 5 stars, but if the things I mentioned are not your cup of tea; dont buy this game. This game is my taste, and I enjoy every minute of it, but its not for everybody. I think the old school gamers are the easiest to target when I say they will enjoy this game. Younger audiences are more likely to not like it so I cant say if you'll like it unless your willing to deal with this game being, for all intents and purposes, old school graphically and mechanically.

This game is gonna tide me over until Alan Wake comes out, thats for certain.

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And very interesting. If you like to think aout your video games and not just be mindlessly entertained give this game a try=out. For $20 bucks you can't go wrong. You will be snickering to yourself in the first few minutes. The writing for this game is SUPERB. And the action and horror sequences had me squirming (but I scream like a cheerleader over spiders). Anyways, give this game a go and support innovative game designers!

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I'm only an hour into the game, but already feel like I've gotten my moneys worth.

This game is one of the quirkiest, funniest things I've seen. Seriously, this game's idiosyncrasies should be the birth child of a new Adult Swim series.

I've already gotten more laughs out of it than the last 5 comedies I've rented:

The Hangover, Yes Man, Inglourious Basterds, Heckler and Fanboys.

******possible comedy spoilers*******

Here are a few examples of the comedy stylings:

Talking out loud about really embarrassing stuff because of his split personality.

Super Intense lighting of his cigarettes.

Still talking while taking a drink or other silly things.

Intentionally overpowering the conversation with the whistling music. You can tell, because after a certain volume, intentional distortion is added to the whistling.

Crazy John Madden Type arrows all over the screen, explaining the car driving instructions (including a talk button?).

******end possible comedy spoilers*******

I have a feeling watching this stuff on a TV wouldn't strike me as half as funny. I don't know, I would have to see. I do believe that at the current time, the video game industry takes itself too seriously as a whole. I believe currently gamers are starved for comedic relief and this may contribute to my over appreciation to this low budget game. This also contributed to Destructoids perfect score for the game (A professional review site). I'm looking forward to games like this gaining momentum and bigger budgets.

I would be interested if any commenters could point me to previous installations of quirky comedic games. I'm loving this one.

PS: Comparing this to PS2 graphics is pretty ridiculous. The game takes advantage of 1080p graphics (individual hairs on the head). It obviously didn't have the budget for creating detailed textures on all world items. The comedy and individuality of the game is where it's all at though.

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