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Thursday, July 9, 2020

What's the deal with Deadly Premonition? 2 Is Out

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Explain it to me like I'm fiv-... like I'm 17+. ESRB, you know.

On July 10, Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise releases exclusively on Nintendo Switch, priced at $50. It's a sequel (and prequel) to the 2010 cult classic Deadly Premonition, which got a $30 re-release on the Nintendo Switch last year. Who is in the cult? Well, there's former KoopaTV staffer RawkHawk2010. That's sorta all I know.

My impression is that the Deadly Premonition games have poorly-executed gameplay, lopsided production values (there's voice-acting but not much effort put into...other aspects of the game, such as graphics and technical performance), and bizarre plots and cutscenes, featuring a dude named FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan. I wonder if that makes it like a combination of the Ace Attorney series (my favourite ever) and the No More Heroes series (which I also like). Though if I like them individually... that doesn't necessarily mean I'd like them together.

Deadly Premonition 2 Blessing in Disguise park dog Agent Francis York Morgan Mr. Alligator
I also read that it's an open-world survival horror game, which I believe, since this dog terrifies me.
(I don't like open worlds or surviving horror, so...)

I don't know if this whole thing is some kind of inside joke/meme and I'm just not in it, or people genuinely enjoy their Deadly Premonition experiences. Like, there is part of the former with No More Heroes since a lot of it exists to satire other games and media. They both share being the result of the eccentricities of their oddball Japanese developers—Swery65 for Deadly Premonition and Suda51 for No More Heroes.

(Though since I mentioned it, Ace Attorney is fantastic and you can like it in an entirely legitimate manner on its own merits.)

But even my liking of No More Heroes has limits, given my disgust with Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes.

Is Deadly Premonition worth looking into as a series? Convince me one way or the other.


Ludwig has never watched Twin Peaks, so comparing Deadly Premonition to it doesn't help Ludwig's understanding of it at all. He's looking for your comments.

12 comments :

  1. I'm playing the first Deadly Premonition on the Switch right now and enjoying it a lot! People tend to describe it online in a "so bad it's good" way, but (unlike the game I'll be reviewing on my blog today, which I do feel fits into that category), that's not how I feel about it so far. It's a good game with a weird sense of humor that occasionally has some technical issues.

    Now, I don't know if I'd compare it to Ace Attorney, and I haven't played No More Heroes yet to make a comparison there (still hoping for a port). I've been describing it as a bizarre blend of Silent Hill and Shenmue: a dark mystery with some horror elements and combat against disturbing enemies, interspersed with a slower-paced investigation where you'll explore a town and talk to people who all have their own schedules they follow each day.

    And mixed in with all of that is a bizarre sense of humor and surreal tone because some of the characters and aspects of gameplay are just weird. For example, there's a gas station attendant who will give out information in exchange for "Ben Franklins." This isn't an ordinary bribe scene, because once you pay him, he turns away and has a loud conversation with "Benjamin" (yes, he's talking to the money) that includes a hint of a side quest you can do. York himself comes across as very eccentric, bringing up movie references in the middle of murder investigations and frequently talking to some unseen person calle "Zach" (who appears to be the player, and I'm not sure if this means York is crazy or if Zach really is someone).

    I'm not sure if you'd enjoy it, mainly because I don't know how you'd like the horror aspects, but once I finish it, I'll write a full review on my blog!

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    1. Meanwhile what I hear from Rawk is that it's "eerily similar to the open world Ace Attorney concept" he has in his head, and that there's a similar dynamic between York and whomever he is with ala Phoenix and his travel companions.

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    2. Hmm... I can see that dynamic, although I'm inclined to say York isn't necessarily Phoenix in that comparison because of how eccentric he is.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW6uraflQhE
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4YFskAc86s

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    3. ...Yeah, York isn't playing the straight man.

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    4. For you, you'll have to take the horror aspect of the game into account too. I'm not sure which parts of horror games turn you away from the genre, but there are sections where you'll be going through creepy areas and shooting disturbing enemies (and sometimes hiding or running from an enemy you can't fight in scripted sections).

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    5. An example of the horror sections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxCht7sJfmg

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    6. While the voice-acting is kinda ironically funny, that's the sorta thing I don't like experiencing. >_>

      Rawk justifies it with:
      "But remember above all that you're playing for story and characters.
      The DP1 shooter stuff is basically Sticker Star/Color Splash battles, the only difference being you have to do them.
      In any case, I don't remember those sections being very long."

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    7. I'd agree to some extent. If you're interested in doing side quests and going around town to get new dialogue and learn more about the characters, those parts outweigh the action/horror segments. They aren't insignificant, though, either, so it depends on how much you dislike that sort of gameplay.

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    8. It's a great game and I enjoyed it a lot, but the action/horror parts might be a deal-breaker for you.

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