Deadly Premonition Review (360)

Destined to become a cult classic

Now then, I have been trying to write this review for some time now. The reason it has remained unwritten until now, is not out of laziness by myself, oh no.
The truth is, I’ve not been sure what I wanted to write. You see Deadly Premonition is not your average modern video game. It seems out of place, just like Marty McFly in Back to the Future (the one where he is in the wild west, but looks more gay than the whole cast of Brokeback Mountain..). The whole look and feel just screams Playstation 2. It also leaves you with the same emotions you have after watching a Korean movie, say Old Boy- in that you know it was cool, and you kinda got what was going on….but if your life depended on it, you couldn’t explain exactly what the hell was going on.(Like most anime shows if I’m honest- and at one point I reviewed some of them for a magazine!). See what I mean, I’m just waffling and not telling you about the game.

it’s one of them “so crap its awesome” games,

Right, let me try again: Deadly Premonition is a Survival Horror/ Sandbox hybrid game on the xbox 360. If you need actual references, then its like an unholy mix of Res Evil 4 and GTA III, or maybe Silent Hill and Yakuza is more apt. I think if this game had come out a few years ago, it may have been hailed as a classic, but the poor graphics and outmoded gameplay mechanics start to grate after a while. The problem with this game is it does feel like something you had on the PS2, and had never played- in fact it did remind me a a very odd game called Parasite Eve- which was great- but very Japanese and odd.

Plotwise, apart from being surreal and like something outta Twin Peaks, Deadly Premonition is based in a rural town called Greenvale. You control an FBI agent named York, who seems to have an alter ego called Zach- whom he chats to during the driving sequences . You are in Greenvale to investigate a murder, but encounter something much more sinister. As well as the weirdly deformed/ zombified townsfolk, your main villain is someone called The Raincoat Killer, who usually triggers off a Quick Time Event involving random button presses or you will find yourself dead. Combat using your laser sighted pistol is very RE4- over the shoulder view, and being unable to run and gun at the same time.

Being part open world sandbox game, you are pretty free to explore the town as you feel, but the plot will only move on once certain tasks have been completed. There are also a few mini games including the obligatory fishing, car racing and Darts (but the darts are played using a dart gun- I did say this game was odd!). Also you have to take care of your self and car, in that you grow a beard if you do not shave, and your car will run out of petrol and breakdown if not refuelled and serviced. We are also presented with some odd and disturbing cut scenes, that make no sense at all, but I’m sure are in to help move the plot on, to help you solve the case, and also give an insight into your own past.

To tell you the truth, the more you delve into this game, the more you get sucked into its odd charm. It is certainly not one for the faint hearted though, and the 18 certificate is certainly on it for a reason.. There are a few townsfolk who have not been turned into maniacs out to kill you in a very horrific way. Like most of these type of game, you need to speak to the non killer types, and try an gleam as much information out of them as you can. Collect clues and try and piece together what has happened in this small town- if you dare.

If you can get past the PS2 visuals, the poor use of music and sound effects, and old school gameplay, then you will find a game that is like an awesome B-Movie- it’s one of them “so crap its awesome” games, that has so much depth and so much to offer- if only you can get past all it’s shortcomings. After the game finishes, you will no doubt go “what the hell was that all about?”, but you will want to ring/txt your mates to try and explain to them why they need to play it themselves. It’s that kind of game.