Deadly Premonition / Red Seeds Appreciation Thread !NOW WITH CIGARETTES!

[Natrak]

I wouldn't really say Deadly Premonition plays with game conventions, a lot of the gameplay elements appear to be the result of a lack of talent and budget rather than the result of any desire to experiment with conventions. While I get that feeling a little bit with Suda 51/Grasshopper's work with Killer 7 as well, that game's design seems much much more deliberate and in keeping with the rest of the game's stylistic vision.

Deadly Premonition is a bad game saved by likeable, oddball characters and an entertaining (but not particularly brilliant) story. It's a game that's worthy of its cult hit status, but I think some of its fans take their praise of the game a bit too far.

[Nic Xtreme]

Time to download Shenmue I & II + HDR lighting plugin, methinks.

[Australian Ninja]

Originally Posted by Almighty Beanchild

I disagree with this entirely (except for the part about DP which I haven't played), but Shenmue and K7 are not games which change based on what the player does, the player has no agency to change the form of the gameplay or the way the story pans out. I took those comparisons as examples of games where the story and visual aesthetic were compelling, but were tanked by unengaging and unintuitive gameplay, and would have been more enjoyable to watch being played than actually play.

I never said they did.

What you did with those examples is your business, but for me Red Seeds was one of most engaging games I've played in the last five years. More so than some of the Triple A titles held up by many as great games other games should aspire to emulate or better, but many of those Triple A titles I find to be cold and sterile in their story telling and character development.

Originally Posted by Natrak

I wouldn't really say Deadly Premonition plays with game conventions, a lot of the gameplay elements appear to be the result of a lack of talent and budget rather than the result of any desire to experiment with conventions. While I get that feeling a little bit with Suda 51/Grasshopper's work with Killer 7 as well, that game's design seems much much more deliberate and in keeping with the rest of the game's stylistic vision.

Deadly Premonition is a bad game saved by likeable, oddball characters and an entertaining (but not particularly brilliant) story. It's a game that's worthy of its cult hit status, but I think some of its fans take their praise of the game a bit too far.

[continued]
There is a fondness for the characters in Red Seeds developed by some who play it, and like an audio novel, the experience is not the same when listened to or watched as played first hand.

The character interaction(s) relies on the player to actually seek out the in game NPCs, all of which have backstories, most of which are interesting and add a lot to the main story.

None of what I said in is intended to convince anybody of anything, I like to play games, and I like to read about games and talk about games. It's really up to people to find things out for themselves, but if I feel something said is erroneous then I may say something.

People can have their opinions, but in my view Red Seeds is far far far away from being a "bad game". It's the very oppposite of a bad game.

A bad game can be rushed out, with no thought or attention to detail, probably not play-tested, likely has bugs, and is possibly a game that nobody cares about, maybe not even the people who made it because they know it was designed by committee, or rushed out for some cheap cash on a licencing deal. Certainly good games can turn bad in "development hell".

Red Seeds has care, attention and detail in spades, it has an intriguing (if cliched) story, that still manages a fresh spin on things, or at least combines enough elements in a way that is different enough from other existing media, it plays well, and blah blah blah, most importantly the core game was created by a man who had something to say, and incorporated various elements from his own life (eg Fishing) that to me make the game far more than the sum of its parts
(please don't read that as"fishing = a good game", that is NOT what I am saying).

Could it have been better? Sure, Is it a game for the ages, a classic? No friggin way. It's game that to me is the equivalent of low budget movie shot on a shoestring, with a good story. It does very well with the resources available, and even surprises you now and then by kicking the ass of the games with all the money and resources and slick production values by doing something interesting, unique and memorable.

Perhaps if I was not a fan of low-budget quality cinema, then I would not be a fan of Red Seeds, I really don't know. But I do know that calling it a bad game is a fairly inaccurate assessment, based on the norms of what people generally consider to be a "good" game.

[Tukenstein]

Australian Ninja, you sound like a crazy person.

[Xanafalgue]

Been playing it more, I adore this game

The graphics are bordering on offensive, however.

[Xanafalgue]

Finished the

VERY LONG Timber Mill section, the chase with the raincoat dude was very cool if not a bit buggy

Haven't done any sidequests yet, might start exploring a bit more soon.

[Australian Ninja]

Originally Posted by Tukenstein

Australian Ninja, you sound like a crazy person.

John Carpenter made some great films in the 80s, one of my all time favourites though would have to be 'The Thing', it's really nothing like the original film it takes it's name from, I feel it's some of his best work, but what do you think Zach? Can you imagine being taken over by an alien parasite and not knowing if you are really "you", and not being able to trust anyone around you would be really scary, the themes relate to fears of communism in America, but we'll talk some more about that later Zach, let's go see what George is up to, I sure could use some more coffee.

[Roman Salute]

Bumping this thread with something I found interesting about DP that I've been thinking about.

Although the graphics are rough I thought the character models were quite nice but every time I saw a female character that wasn't Emily I couldn't help but notice how ugly they all were. I was amazed when later on in the game Emily was referred to as the beautiful girl from out of town meaning the other women being ugly was a deliberate design choice.

The attention to detail on the little things really help make this game special. I wonder if anyone who's finished the game noticed this about the women?

[Australian Ninja]

Originally Posted by Roman Salute

Bumping this thread with something I found interesting about DP that I've been thinking about.

Although the graphics are rough I thought the character models were quite nice but every time I saw a female character that wasn't Emily I couldn't help but notice how ugly they all were. I was amazed when later on in the game Emily was referred to as the beautiful girl from out of town meaning the other women being ugly was a deliberate design choice.

The attention to detail on the little things really help make this game special. I wonder if anyone who's finished the game noticed this about the women?

Yes, and yes.

[Australian Ninja]

Originally Posted by Roman Salute

Bumping this thread with something I found interesting about DP that I've been thinking about.

Although the graphics are rough I thought the character models were quite nice but every time I saw a female character that wasn't Emily I couldn't help but notice how ugly they all were. I was amazed when later on in the game Emily was referred to as the beautiful girl from out of town meaning the other women being ugly was a deliberate design choice.

The attention to detail on the little things really help make this game special. I wonder if anyone who's finished the game noticed this about the women?

Don't know if it was intentional, I just assumed they put the most work into the character models you see the most of, being the core three characters.

Didn't find the other female characters "ugly" as such, just thought of them as "extras", so you know, they don't need to be hot, and given most small towns I've been in are not full of super-models, I'd say it's a little more realistic having some ugly characters, but whether it was by design or by budget I do not know. Perhaps both.