Well, as if watching through two teams playing through Deadly Premonition wasn't enough, I decided I had to try this for myself. It was the same sort of thing that happened with Persona 4 last year: I wanted the game played differently, so I had to get to it. Well, a couple days later, and I'm about 60% through the game (a couple chapters past Brad and Ryan, as of this writing). For all the technical problems this game, it is strangely compelling. While the execution is poor, the overall concept - a semi-real-time, open-world, horror themed mystery - is surprisingly unique. The game is far more ambitious than its budget would suggest, and I can safely say that I've played nothing like it. These days, that's saying a lot, as we can classify almost all releases by what they're either "ripping off" or "paying homage" to. 
 
All that said, there are some things I learned very quickly, which helped me understand some of the difficulties that the guys are having with this game. There's also some tasks that would make both the endurance run (and their own experiences) much better, and more efficient. I'm sure others on the boards would echo this, but here are some of the major points. 
 
 1) This game controls poorly, that is, worse than you even think coming in. The controls are most reminiscent of Resident Evil 2, or thereabouts. While yes, the relative helplessness you feel does add to the tension, the reality is that combat is tough by virtue of terrible controls. Like many Japanese games, Deadly Premonition ignores the control conventions that have been established for action games on the 360 (for example, left trigger to raise gun, right stick to aim) and goes with something else altogether. So while it may look like an over-the-shoulder RE4 knockoff, it doesn't play nearly as well. 
 
2) The driving is even worse. Even the best cars in the game still control like a terrible port of crazy taxi, or maybe something from the PS1 era. In fact, the standard issue police cars veer in different directions on their own, so that you're literally fighting to keep the cars straight. 
 
3) The vocal/audio mix in the game is as scattershot and random as it seems to be on the videos. 
 
4) There are 50 side quests in the game, and almost all are monotonous. However, the rewards they bring make the game far more playable. But trying to get a specific task done is challenging, as it depends on whether it's raining, who's involved, and what time of day it is. Some other elements are random. The end result is that you may need to sleep for consecutive days to get the weather/situation you want to occur. 
 
5) There is a fast travel, it's unlocked through a very easy sidequest (this more than anything would help the playthroughs) 
 
6) You can skip almost every single scene in the game by pressing start...as well as every basic animation.  
 
7) Despite the poor visuals, the game does have some freaky/scary moments, though the guys have not gotten there yet.  On that note, do not be out and about at midnight in Greenvale, as some messed up stuff tends to happen...particularly in the graveyard.
 
8) The "time limits" are not binding, at least not most of them. If you miss the time, you can just try again the next day without penalty.  
 
I'm sure the GB community has made these comments many times over. But personally, I'm just learning more about what the guys are up against here. I'm not one to tell them that they're playing it "right" or "wrong," but there are certain ways they could improve their own experience. But for all the commenters talking about how much the guys "suck" at playing: this game controls like a can of busted ass... you're never going to feel like a pro at it. 

Well, as if watching through two teams playing through Deadly Premonition wasn't enough, I decided I had to try this for myself. It was the same sort of thing that happened with Persona 4 last year: I wanted the game played differently, so I had to get to it. Well, a couple days later, and I'm about 60% through the game (a couple chapters past Brad and Ryan, as of this writing). For all the technical problems this game, it is strangely compelling. While the execution is poor, the overall concept - a semi-real-time, open-world, horror themed mystery - is surprisingly unique. The game is far more ambitious than its budget would suggest, and I can safely say that I've played nothing like it. These days, that's saying a lot, as we can classify almost all releases by what they're either "ripping off" or "paying homage" to. 
 
All that said, there are some things I learned very quickly, which helped me understand some of the difficulties that the guys are having with this game. There's also some tasks that would make both the endurance run (and their own experiences) much better, and more efficient. I'm sure others on the boards would echo this, but here are some of the major points. 
 
 1) This game controls poorly, that is, worse than you even think coming in. The controls are most reminiscent of Resident Evil 2, or thereabouts. While yes, the relative helplessness you feel does add to the tension, the reality is that combat is tough by virtue of terrible controls. Like many Japanese games, Deadly Premonition ignores the control conventions that have been established for action games on the 360 (for example, left trigger to raise gun, right stick to aim) and goes with something else altogether. So while it may look like an over-the-shoulder RE4 knockoff, it doesn't play nearly as well. 
 
2) The driving is even worse. Even the best cars in the game still control like a terrible port of crazy taxi, or maybe something from the PS1 era. In fact, the standard issue police cars veer in different directions on their own, so that you're literally fighting to keep the cars straight. 
 
3) The vocal/audio mix in the game is as scattershot and random as it seems to be on the videos. 
 
4) There are 50 side quests in the game, and almost all are monotonous. However, the rewards they bring make the game far more playable. But trying to get a specific task done is challenging, as it depends on whether it's raining, who's involved, and what time of day it is. Some other elements are random. The end result is that you may need to sleep for consecutive days to get the weather/situation you want to occur. 
 
5) There is a fast travel, it's unlocked through a very easy sidequest (this more than anything would help the playthroughs) 
 
6) You can skip almost every single scene in the game by pressing start...as well as every basic animation.  
 
7) Despite the poor visuals, the game does have some freaky/scary moments, though the guys have not gotten there yet.  On that note, do not be out and about at midnight in Greenvale, as some messed up stuff tends to happen...particularly in the graveyard.
 
8) The "time limits" are not binding, at least not most of them. If you miss the time, you can just try again the next day without penalty.  
 
I'm sure the GB community has made these comments many times over. But personally, I'm just learning more about what the guys are up against here. I'm not one to tell them that they're playing it "right" or "wrong," but there are certain ways they could improve their own experience. But for all the commenters talking about how much the guys "suck" at playing: this game controls like a can of busted ass... you're never going to feel like a pro at it. 

Good to know.

" On that note, do not be out and about at midnight in Greenvale, as some messed up stuff tends to happen...particularly in the graveyard.  "

" On that note, do not be out and about at midnight in Greenvale, as some messed up stuff tends to happen...particularly in the graveyard."