Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut

I love this game, but the steam version is so broken, the list of fixes no longer work. If you want to play the game, get the Switch version. That version is still not perfect, but at least you'll actually be able to play the game without the save file becoming corrupted and constantly crashing.

Game would be fun if it works. But it doesn't! So.

Let's not skirt around the issue - this game runs quite poorly on modern hardware, hard stop. You will deal with : - Crashes : Some similar to Elder Scrolls modded where it's a time + region at a random point will crash and you need to pass time even - FPS tapering and drops : If you leave your PC on all the time, you will randomly boot this and within 5 minutes go from "is something wrong?" to "5 FPS" as, some memory leak causes the frames to literally drop during cut-scenes and menus (but weirdly not gameplay itself outside of QTEs, IDK) - Random aiming complications : Similar to the FPS issues, you will randomly just be playing this like some boomer shooter with only left/right aiming capabilities Now - you might be asking "you are insane - why is this a [b]positive[/b] review?!"; and the answer is that there are fixes for just about all of it if your patient and willing to mess with some settings a bit. For me it was : - DPFix - 4GB exe patcher - Compatibility settings for "run for win xp service pack 3", "disable fullscreen optimizations", and "run as administrator" on both the "dp.exe" and "dplauncher.exe" And for both the FPS issues as well as the aiming ones : - Reboot your PC Yes, it just works. ---------------- All that out of the way; this game is honestly pretty cool. Have not checked out Twin Peaks previously so I cannot speak to that, but it gives me a sort-of "Comedic version of X-Files" vibe, like as one of the multi-part episodes but about a cult. Your an FBI agent that we'll just refer to as "York" (it's what everyone else calls him), that while gives off some "Moulder" vibes in how good he is at his job and his approach during investigations/interesting tangents/intuition, there is... an extra trait that adds an interesting complexity to him (But you already knew this Zack - I am just trying to add some exposition for the others. Though, feel free to let me know if you don't agree with my approach). One thing that stands out as a neat mechanic throughout being that you also want to actually "act the part"; that means, changing clothes and getting them cleaned, saving the game (as it's checking in with HQ also), finding some collectibles, headshots, etc. and you just get a bunch of extra money each chapter for being efficient, but also for exploring. The other characters and plot are... maybe at times predictable, but quite campy and enjoyable with the right level of "zanny" side characters to keep you invested in the interactions. Side-quests are generally worth doing for either reward [b]or[/b] the interaction; drive an old woman a 1/4 way across the town before her pot cools [b]like a boss[/b]. Main story missions themselves are generally a bit fast-paced - travel to place, talk with some people, maybe investigate, wait for time, go to next place, etc., however the game avoids tedium in that you don't generally [i]need[/i] to rush. Time passes at a fair pace, and doesn't pass inside so you will likely run into having too much before a mission vs the opposite unless you pass time too often. Driving and shooting are both fine. Driving is a bit icey, but you can use the wipers and turn-signals to get "safe driving" bonuses randomly lol, but otherwise flooring it with NPCs in the car won't get you any tickets. There is gas as well as durability, but they are not the worst thing (albeit one gas station in town to handle both). Crashing also hasn't put me on a wanted list or anything, but it is pretty fun to try drifting around. Aiming on the other hand is old FPS style "stand and shoot"; headshots are best, but you start with a inf. ammo handgun so you do you boss. There are also a lot of inf. weapons you can get via quick side-quests early on, so again - they are worth doing. Lastly, audio/visual aspects are fine. A bit dated, but it adds to the charm when York gives one of his jaw busting smiles. The "DPFix" thing also has an "ini" you can use to make it look perty and UW seems to work fine for me (playing at 3440x1440 fine). Audio is great - visual queues that make so much sense (like item drops from enemies), interesting enemy noises, dialogue that while at times cheesy is still engaging, and other times can be comical. Overall ambiance totally matches the gameplay and vibe. End of the day - it's like a 3/10 on sale if you can't fix the crashing mostly (I paid $1... still better than mobile games), or a 8/10 when you get it humming.

an unholy amalgamation of gta, the sims and resident evil. its absolutely atrocious and i hate it with every fiber of my being 10/10

Game was playable back on release, but nowadays is borderline impossible to play on PC. Get the Switch version or emulate the PS3 version instead.

Amazing game. HORRENDOUS port. I've owned this on PC for a decade and I've not once been able to go more than 10 minutes without crashing. Across several computers, several versions of Windows, several mod setups(or without any mods), this has always been worse than Arkham Knight on PC on release day. This will be most playable on X360. PS3 has worse performance, but it's at least stable, and gets you the Director's Cut content. Even the Switch version, as bad as it is, at least is still technically playable. This version is not. Even running those console versions on your PC will be a better experience.

Buy the Nintendo Switch Version "Deadly Premonition Origins". The Steam Port is straight up broken. Even after doing A LOT of fixing via fan-patches, trying diffrent windows compatibility modes and fixing the deafault wrong controller inputs (right stick axis is roted by 90° for some reason). It was barely playable with a lot of game crashes for the most part but it completely fell apart. After starting the second chapter i had to stop my playthrough and buy the switch version. Deadly Premonition is an amazing game. Give it a try. But not here.

They shouldn't be selling a game that's barely functional on the store front. Play the Switch or PS3 versions.