Since Deadly Premonition was first announced during E3, I already have a premonition on how this game will turn out. I was intrigued by the trailers that were shown to me and quite honestly, it was one of the games I’ve been anticipating the most. From the looks of the trailer, the game seems to be very mysterious due to some scary scenes. With Deadly Premonition finally out in stores, how does a low budget game stand out with all the other survival-horror games out there?
I’m a huge fan of the Silent Hill and Resident Evil games. I had high expectations of Deadly Premonition but in the end, did it disappoint me? Let’s take a look on the HOTs and the NOTs:
HOT
Don’t judge the game by its cover
While I was shopping for some games at my local GameStop, I didn’t realize that Deadly Premonition was out. I saw an awesome looking box art of the game. Sure it looks scary and as soon as I found out that it was Deadly Premonition, I got psyched up since the survival-horror game that I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived without me even knowing. The box art looks very scary and I didn’t hesitate to buy it right away.
Cheap
In a time of economic crisis, we really need some cheap games. Another eye-catcher for this game is the price. For a newly released game, $19.99 is a cheap game especially for the 360. That is another reason why I bought it – it’s cheap!
Intriguing Story
You play as Agent York, a FBI Agent, who got sent in the city of Greenvale to investigate the murder of Anna, a young girl that got killed and hung in a tree. Greenvale is a small town and the citizens of the city are very helpful enough to assist Agent York in the investigations. Mysteries will start to unfold and monsters will start creeping up on Agent York. Oh, did I mention that Agent York has an imaginary friend named Zach?
Easy Achievement Points
There are a total of 12 Achievements that can be unlocked; 80% of it are story based. The other 20% will require you to finish the game in a specific level of difficulty. There are Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulty; finishing the game in Hard will unlock the achievements for Easy and Normal. The most likely achievement that you will be getting is the achievement that will require you to collect the trading cards in the game.
Scary Moments
When it comes to giving us a scare, Deadly Premonition has its moments. The death of Anna is indeed very mysterious but as you go along with the plot, you will feel something that will give you the feel of being scared. No, it’s not as scary as you get from Silent Hill, but it’s good enough to call this a horror game.
NOT
Uhhh… Graphics?
Deadly Premonition is probably one of the games that has one of the worst graphics I’ve seen. The environments are very bland and boring. If this game was released on the PS2 or the XBOX, it could be one of the best ones yet, but for the 360? You have got to be kidding me. Character models look very dated and everything you see around you looks exactly the same. God, why do the graphics have to suck like this?
Failed Attempt to be Open World
Driving around Greenvale is not of the things you would like to be doing. The attempt to make this game an open world title like Grand Theft Auto has failed miserably. Aside from investigating the death of Anna, there will be an option where you can drive around and look for quest or items. The city is sooo big that you will have to keep driving until you ask yourself “am I there yet”?
You trying to humor me?
For a low budget game, you wouldn’t expect this game to be quite humorous. Sure the game has some funny moments but there are scenes in the game that you might find corny. Seriously, who likes to talk about their Coffee and Milk during an investigation? There are so many attempts to make Deadly Premonition enjoyable through its funny conversations but unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.
Uhh.. Monsters?
Similar to Silent Hill, there will be times Agent York will be sent to some kind of dimension that you might consider to be as Hell. The monsters, or should I say Zombies… well I don’t really know, start to creep in and you will have to use the weapons that you find will in the game. I can’t really say for sure what you’re about to be killing but from the looks of it, its like zombies that have purple blood. As with every survival-horror game, the weakness is through the head. Thanks to the unlimited handgun you have, you can keep shooting the enemies as many times as you want until they drop dead. Oh, did I mention you will be collecting evidence to solve the mystery of Anna’s murder?
Soundtrack is a joke!
In the serious moments of the game, a monotonous tone will kill the mood of play. These are one of the things I hate so much about this game. Every time the good part of the game is about to come out, you will hear the same tune over and over again until you make yourself mute the volume. The voice overs are decent enough but what kills everything is the background music. Trust me, you will get annoyed.
VERDICT
Deadly Premonition is one of the worst games I have ever played, not counting Vampire Rain. The gameplay, soundtrack, and the graphics just doesn’t blend well to make this survival-horror experience a satisfying one. If this game was released back in the PS2 era, it might get a good score from me but really, this game will give you a headache. Its attempt to make you laugh will just make you scream for annoyance. Do me a favor and don’t ever look at the game in stores. The box art might catch your attention but trust me, don’t judge the game by its cover!
Deadlyelder
February 26, 2010 at 6:23 PMI have not even heard of this game before. But thanx for the heads up I will rather stick around for another good Horror Survival Game that has good replay value.
Warrka
February 27, 2010 at 4:41 AMthis game is to good for words sir…you have a crazy super sleuth and red neck setting and crab walking enemies its so hilarious….not to mention the soundtracks are ridiculous its 20 bucks new and i bought it cause it was gonna be terible but its so terrible i wanted to keep playing it out of the fact i couldn’t stop laughing at it….you reviewers should get a sense of humor and shut up about b\an already bad game if you wanna talk about bad games talk about god of war 3
This guy above me
March 4, 2010 at 7:53 PMYou sir, lack discipline. Enjoy your crappy game
Joey
March 15, 2010 at 6:54 PMMark did you even beat the game, sounds more like you played the first hour or two and gave up, I give you .5 out of 5 stars for a sh*t attempt at the game and the same for the review
Everyone
March 16, 2010 at 1:12 AMThis game rocks.
TheToeLicker
April 4, 2010 at 1:11 AMYes, this review basically sucks. Please, for the love of god, don’t listen to this horrid excuse of a review. Do yourself a favor and buy Deadly Premonition.
It’s an excellent game.
Now that, sir, is the truth.