[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Deadly Premonition: Director’s Cut” developers=”Access Games” publishers=”Rising Star Games” platforms=”PS3″ genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”PS3″]
Deadly Premonition follows Francis York Moran, an FBI special agent who is sent to investigate a murder in the town of Greenvale. Francis sets off into the night to question the locals and find out what is going on. The story has you playing as Zach, who appears to be Morgan’s split personality. This creates an interesting narrative but can also create some confusion.
The story is over the top and just about as crazy as you’d expect from a game with this background. It provides a lot of laughs and a lot of what the hell moments.
When I started Deadly Premonition I felt like I was playing a game from 10 years ago. The textures are extremely grainy and block, the animations are extremely stiff and the voice acting is a blast from the past. The Director’s cut version boasts improved graphic but I couldn’t really tell much of a difference. The difference is mainly there in the form of refined lighting and improved textures. I still felt like it was a HD version of a PS2 game.
The more time I put into this game, the more I realised that all of these presentation elements added to the overall charm of this game. Everything about the game is so over the top that it all works well together. Once you get over the initial shock of the games presentation, you will learn to focus on the absolutely over the top storyline and gameplay elements and enjoy the ride.
There have been quite a number of changes to the gameplay of Deadly Premonition: Director’s Cut. Some which are welcomed and some, which I wasn’t sure about. The controls sees York controlling a lot more fluidly. The combat has been changed to mimic other third person shooters. Overall I found navigating Greenvale to be a much smoother experience.
Fighting enemies is noticeably easier. For instance enemies seem to take a lot less damage to take down. I find this to be a better experience in the Director’s cut. Enemies are everywhere in this game so making them easier to take down makes for a lot less repetitive experience whilst still retaining the humour that the game is loved for.
There isn’t as much extra content as initially lead on. There are some extra cut scenes at the start of chapters with the addition of Playstation Move support and stereoscopic 3D support. Neither are really things that you should put much time into however are features that you will want to try out.
To those who never played the original, Deadly Premonition is loved for it’s simplicity in its open-world nature. Greenvale’s small population lets you manage the individual suspects. Time passes exactly as it does in the real world and suspects have to work, sleep and eat exactly like they would in a real world. This makes the game relatable in a really bizarre way.
It’s hard to say whether you’re going to enjoy Deadly Premonition or not. If you’re a huge fan of the series then this reboot may be picking up for the slight differences. If you haven’t played the original and think you won’t have a problem in getting past the graphics barrier then there is a great story to be played through.
