Alright, as #DeadlyPremonition2 is coming out this month and I now have a PC that doesn't have major overheating issues I think I'll finally play the original (Director's Cut, PC). No idea if this or Origins on the Switch is the better version but as I already own this one...

Pluses so far: really positive first impression, really heavy Twin Peaks vibes which is no bad thing - definite Cooper/Diane dynamic with York/Zach so far and loving the atmosphere and dialogue. Even the dated graphics complement it somehow.

Down sides: Real nightmare to get running - spent so long getting it running and not crashing on saving that gameplay impressions need to wait until tomorrow. Literally not enough time to actually start with the gameplay proper so the real meat of my impressions start then.

Prologue unimpressive and not mad on combat mechanics. Slightly reminiscent of old-school Resident Evil, which I never got on with. Not as clunky though.

Gathered the prologue isn't representative of the whole game though, so let's plug on with a dream sequence and Chapter 1.

Okay, once it opens out again this game gets a lot better - funny and quirky, even exploring the initial setting and seeing some fairly functional cutscenes is fun.

Loving the atmosphere, gameplay is janky but fine enough, shame I'm only getting small windows to play it so far.

And even if I'm getting through this game at a glacial pace at least it's referencing the hottest IPs in cinema.

Decided to wait until I'd finished before continuing this thread (screenshots shouldn't spoil major plot points). The pace ends up picking up quite a lot in later chapters and the last several zip by.

The atmosphere of the game is great and hews less closely to Twin Peaks as it goes on. On the whole this is good as it stands on its own two feet but when the game needs to "feed the beast" to allow for things like boss fights it loses something.

There are some weirdnesses that are just odd rather than charming though - look at this typical teenage girl's bedroom.

Or read these very informative posters.

Gameplay-wise all the basics are covered. Memoir writing:

Admiring art with dogs:

Ghost-hunting:

And challenging dance sequences:

In all seriousness gameplay improves but is never really actively good. Combat is like an N64/PSX-era shooter (ie better than modern console shooters but still clunky), driving is fun but very glitchy and the mechanics of side-quests are a thoroughly mixed bag. Fishing exists.

The characterisation is good, characters are colourful and sometimes absurd (pictured) but still end up relatable. Though most people will miss a lot of this characters have their own routines and there's an absurd level of detail in their routines and what they do at odd times.

However the most important character and the emotional bedrock of the whole story is introduced unforgivably late.

(Actually some characters appear too briefly for my liking, Willie here gets some time in the sun but other characters I like, like the doctor Ushah, don't.)

Though I'm unsure of the treatment of an LGBT character in Ch 21 - they're handled confusingly enough that it's unclear if they're gay or trans (latter makes a bit more sense). The game's trying to be sympathetic but hard to tell if it's respectful or well-intentioned but iffy.

The plot's good, appropriately weird (with some bizarre dialogue to match), and really the game shines in drawing you into its world and keeping you involved in the story and characters.

It's special and worth it if you can put up with middling gameplay, a rocky start and poor performance.

Sadly there's no good way to play it, it's on X360, PS3, PC and Switch but all have glitches like Quint here forgetting about physics. At the minor end. Backup your saves.