I felt guilty.
The two people seeing Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut ahead of me kept pulling posters and games and handmade dolls out of their bags, hoping to get one more signature from game director Hidetaka Suehiro and producer Tomio Kanazawa. It wasn't until that moment that my curiosity transformed into disappointment. I was in way over my head. I had dared interest in Deadly Premonition because of behavior like this, but I'm not the type to mimic it.
"Have you ever played Deadly Premonition before?" I hadn't seen more than screenshots and had only heard about the game's ties to Twin Peaks in passing. Still, Suehiro seemed happier to speak to me than the gushing fans.
As the demo started, Kanazawa translated for Suehiro, saying that Deadly Premonition's upcoming leap to PS3 was actually designed with people like me in mind. Maybe you've heard good things about the title or you've tried it, but couldn't wrap your head around the controls. After the opening cutscene introduced me to the grisly murders players are responsible for solving, Suery explained that every input is customizable, meaning you can try your damnedest to turn the game into a generic third-person shooter.
Of course, that all comes grinding to a halt when players are introduced to Francis Morgan and the voice in his head, Zach. Guiding our hero through the game's plot is the focus in Deadly Premonition. It speaks to the writing's strength that so many could be so emotionally involved in the oddball experience. Maybe the textures and presentation turned you off on Xbox 360. Those aesthetics remain unchanged here, so it's best to let Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut lead the way.
Still, if the difficulty was a problem in the past, you'll be happy to know that the challenge and combat has been tweaked to rest comfortably between Easy and Normal. Even the map has been tweaked to make a significant difference for gamers who struggled with the game in the past.
Still, Suehiro and company weren't content playing to the naysayers. They've added a new framing narrative and a new epilogue for repeat players, as if those people needed much encouragement to revisit the cult classic.
I still felt a little out of the loop when I left, as everyone and their mother from Destructoid filed into the meeting room after me, sandwiching my novice status with heaps of diehard fans. Despite that, I'd never been more enticed by Deadly Premonition's goofy, awkward sense of plot and pacing.
Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut from Rising Star Games is set exclusively for the PlayStation 3 for release at the end of April 2013.
