Info about Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise:

Official game description:
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise is an open-world survival horror video game serving as both a sequel and prequel to the original Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut.  
The story takes place in present-day Boston where it turns out FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan will have to revisit a case he thought was solved in 2005. Through unique storytelling, venture back in time to the American town Le Carré, Louisiana and uncover the mysteries buried within this once peaceful town.  
Follow Agents Davis and Jones as they begin a new investigation into the Le Carré serial murders. Through the memories of a former FBI agent, go back in time to Le Carré and step into the role of Special Agent York to begin unraveling the mystery.  
• Return as FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York - everyone does) and experience a brand-new murder mystery!  
• Both a prequel and a sequel: A historic investigation to uncover the murder mystery in Le Carré  
• An open-world adventure: Travel around the town of Le Carré by foot or skateboard  
• Mini-games: Bowling, Bayou Ride, Skateboard Challenge, and more  
• Customisation: Customise your character and upgrade your skateboard for improved speed and landing more difficult tricks

Release date: Jun 11, 2022

Categories: Survival Horror, Open-World Exploration, Third-Person Shooter, Narrative Adventure, Mini-game Collection, Character Customization, Skateboarding Gameplay

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience reveals several key issues. Controller support is a significant problem, with users reporting strange control mappings and overall poor controller functionality. Performance and battery life are generally positive, with the game running well at 60fps on high settings without significant battery drain, although there are potential issues when playing above 60Hz. The menu and options are also problematic, with users noting a strange layout and a lack of customizable options. These issues collectively impact the user experience, with controller support being the most severe problem.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $7.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that the community generally finds the game worth purchasing only at a significant discount. Multiple reviews mention that the game is worth getting on sale or at a deep discount, with specific mentions of prices around $7 to $10 being more acceptable. This indicates that the perceived value of the game is lower than its current base price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 25.5h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 3.6h
  - Endgame: 100.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides specific playtime metrics for the target game. The first quote indicates a game completion time of 25.5 hours. The second quote suggests that completing everything in the game, including endgame content like collecting 400 stamps, can take over 100 hours. The third quote shows a session length of 3.6 hours without completing much, indicating a typical session could be around this length. The fourth quote mentions 8 hours of playtime without significant progress, reinforcing the idea of longer sessions.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is initially tedious and slow-paced, with many players finding the early mechanics and quests boring. However, the story and atmosphere may become more engaging around the halfway point.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Story ramps up
  - Time to anchor: 3h 0m
  - Friction: Tedious fetch quests; Slow pacing; Unnecessary mechanics; Repetitive combat; Boring side quests
  - Unlock drivers: Story progression; Atmospheric tension
  - Conditions: Patience for slow pacing; Interest in story and atmosphere; Willingness to skip side quests
- Player Archetypes:
  - Lore-Driven Fan (sale)
    - Motivation: Continuation of the story and characters from the first game.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on the main story, overlooks gameplay flaws for narrative depth.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: die-hard fans; big fans of the original
    - Reference games: Deadly Premonition 1
  - Completionist Grinder (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Achieving 100% completion and collecting all items.
    - Playstyle: Engages in extensive side quests and grinding for achievements.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: masochistic collectors; 100% achievement hunters
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Critical Fan (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Preservation of the original game's legacy and cautious recommendation.
    - Playstyle: Selective engagement with the game, often looking up guides to navigate flaws.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: die-hard fan; critical player
    - Reference games: Deadly Premonition 1


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging and well-written story (weight 0.61): The game features a compelling narrative with interesting plot twists and emotional depth. Players appreciate the captivating storytelling and unique narrative style.
- Memorable and eccentric characters (weight 0.51): Characters are charismatic, eccentric, and well-developed, adding depth and humor to the game. Their dialogues and interactions are particularly enjoyable.
- Outstanding voice acting (weight 0.23): The voice acting, particularly for the character York, is highly praised for adding depth and appeal to the characters.
- Unique and captivating atmosphere (weight 0.19): The game offers a unique and surreal atmosphere with a charming setting. The mood and environment contribute significantly to the overall experience.
- Improved sequel experience (weight 0.16): As a sequel, the game improves upon its predecessor with better stability, gameplay, and overall quality. Players find it to be a satisfying continuation.
- Positive overall reception (weight 0.1): Players generally enjoyed the game, finding it to be a good and entertaining experience overall.

Common complaints:
- Excessive fetch quests (weight 0.3): The game is heavily criticized for its overuse of fetch quests, which players find tedious, repetitive, and boring. These quests are seen as bloated and pace-killing, leading to a negative gameplay experience.
- Repetitive and boring gameplay (weight 0.27): Players report that the gameplay, including combat and dungeon levels, becomes monotonous and tedious over time. The repetitive nature of the gameplay leads to a lack of engagement and enjoyment.
- Weaker story compared to predecessor (weight 0.26): The story, characters, and gameplay system are considered weaker and less polished compared to the first game. Players find the sequel disappointing in terms of narrative and overall quality.
- Poor boss battles (weight 0.18): Boss battles are criticized for being simple, easy, and poorly designed. Players find the combat, including melee combat, to be lacking and unchallenging.
- Worse gameplay than first game (weight 0.17): The gameplay is considered worse than the first game, with criticisms directed at minigames, shooting, side missions, graphics, and controls. Players find the overall gameplay experience to be poorly done.
- One-dimensional characters (weight 0.15): Characters are criticized for being flat, boring, and lacking personality. Players find them uninteresting and shallow, contributing to a less engaging story.
- Rushed and underdeveloped story (weight 0.14): The story is criticized for feeling rushed, underdeveloped, and disconnected. Players report an incoherent narrative with plot holes and a forced ending.
- Controller required (weight 0.13): The game requires a controller to play, which can be inconvenient for players who prefer other input methods. This limitation is seen as a drawback.
- Empty open world (weight 0.11): The open world is described as empty and underutilized, with few NPCs and cars. Players find the open world to be simple and lacking in content.
- Poorly executed ideas (weight 0.11): The game is described as very poorly made, with some ideas being poorly executed. Players do not recommend the game due to its overall poor quality.

Gameplay feedback:
- Variety of mini-games and side activities (weight 0.22): The game includes a collection of mini-games and side activities, such as skateboarding and bowling. These activities add variety but are sometimes seen as distracting from the main gameplay.
- Character interactions and dialogues (weight 0.19): The game features unique and interesting character interactions and dialogues. Players appreciate the narrative structure, which includes dual timelines and engaging storylines.
- Engaging investigation mechanics (weight 0.15): The investigation and exploration mechanics are coherent and exciting, providing a compelling experience for players who enjoy detective storylines and mechanics.
- Open-world and survival-horror elements (weight 0.12): The game features open-world exploration combined with survival-horror elements. Players appreciate the open-world aspects but find the survival-horror elements to be a mixed experience.
- Fast travel and time of day system (weight 0.11): The game features a fast travel system and a time of day system, which add convenience and depth to the open-world exploration.
- Story-driven gameplay with PS3-like mechanics (weight 0.07): The gameplay is story-driven and reminiscent of PS3-era games. This can be seen as both a positive and a negative, depending on the player's preferences.
- Third-person shooting segments (weight 0.07): The game includes third-person shooting segments, which are a core part of the gameplay but are criticized for being poorly implemented.
- Surreal and absurd elements (weight 0.06): The game includes surreal and absurd elements, particularly in dialogues, which add a unique flavor to the narrative but may not appeal to all players.

Performance notes:
- Performance and stability issues (weight 0.44): The game suffers from frequent crashes, unstable performance, and poor optimization. Players report various performance issues, including frame drops and FPS problems.
- Mixed performance reviews (weight 0.36): Performance reviews are mixed, with some players reporting stable 60 FPS and others experiencing poor performance. The game runs on various hardware configurations with differing results.
- Poor port quality (weight 0.24): The game is criticized for being a poor port, with issues such as lack of graphical settings and direct porting from the Switch version without improvements.
- Comparison with Switch version (weight 0.23): Opinions vary on how the game runs compared to the Switch version. Some players report improved framerate and smoother performance, while others experience worse framerate.
- Graphical issues (weight 0.16): The game has dated and terrible graphics, with visual downgrades compared to the original. Players also report graphical glitches and horrendous textures.
- Long load times (weight 0.12): Players experience long and unbearable loading times. There is a lack of optimization for SSD loading times.
- Control and input issues (weight 0.11): The game has control and input issues, including bad controls, button layout issues, and inputs taking multiple presses to register. The button schemes are copied from the Switch version.
- Compatibility and optimization issues (weight 0.11): The game has compatibility issues with external hard drives and lacks optimization for stronger hardware. There are also reports of stuttery player movement and menu selection bugs.
- Mods and patches for improvement (weight 0.09): Players report that mods and patches, such as Sui's hack and fan patches, improve the game's performance and graphics quality. These modifications are often required for a better gaming experience.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for fans of the first game (weight 0.4): The game is highly recommended for those who enjoyed the original Deadly Premonition. Many reviews suggest that fans of the first game will appreciate the continuation of the story and characters.
- Not recommended for general audience (weight 0.15): The game is not broadly recommended except for dedicated fans or those who can get it at a significant discount. Some reviews mention that the game has issues that need fixing.
- Buy on sale (weight 0.13): Many reviews suggest purchasing the game only when it is on sale. This indicates that the game might not be worth its full price for most players.
- Start with the first game (weight 0.1): If you are new to the series, it is strongly recommended to start with the first Deadly Premonition to understand the story and characters better.
- Use guides and be patient (weight 0.09): Players are advised to use guides for scavenger hunts and other challenging parts of the game. Patience is also recommended due to the game's complexity.
- Recommended for narrative lovers (weight 0.07): The game is recommended for those who appreciate unique narrative experiences and weird detective stories.
- Treat the game like a book (weight 0.04): Some reviews recommend treating the game more like a book, focusing on the story and narrative rather than gameplay mechanics.
- Improved PC port (weight 0.04): The PC port of the game is noted to be an improvement over the original Switch version, making it a better choice for players on that platform.
- Play slowly to enjoy (weight 0.03): It is recommended to play the game slowly to fully enjoy and appreciate its unique qualities and narrative.

Other player notes:
- Localization issues with Chinese website (weight 0.04): Players have noted a link to a Chinese website regarding the game's Steam version localization, which may indicate localization or accessibility issues.
- Cultural differences in humor and design (weight 0.04): Some players have mentioned that the game's humor and design elements do not translate well across different cultural contexts, potentially affecting enjoyment.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.29): Players are disappointed due to the game's inferior quality compared to its predecessor, citing weaker narrative, lack of horror, and repetitive gameplay. Technical issues, lack of charm, and a decline in atmosphere and story quality further contribute to this sentiment.
- Frustration (weight 0.16): Players are frustrated by the game's technical issues, bugs, and outdated mechanics. Repetitive quests, poor gameplay, and lack of graphics options also contribute to this frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.15): Players enjoy the game's unique atmosphere, interesting character interactions, and engaging story. Despite gameplay flaws, the story and characters are found to be enjoyable and charming.
- Frustrated (weight 0.05): Players are frustrated with the game due to its illogical tasks, grindy side quests, and lack of graphics options. Performance issues and lack of keyboard and mouse support also add to the frustration.
- Positive (weight 0.04): Players express positivity towards the game's unique charm, engaging story, and improved gameplay. The game is appreciated for its good job and enjoyable elements despite its flaws.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Players are satisfied with the game's good story, voice acting, and improved performance. The game's enjoyable environments and smooth running on certain platforms also contribute to this satisfaction.
- Amusement (weight 0.03): Players find amusement in the game's humor and eccentric characters. The game's entertaining moments and humorous dialogues contribute to this sentiment.
- Disappointed (weight 0.03): Players feel disappointed due to the game's lack of depth and failure to capture the charm of the first game. The sequel's boring and bland gameplay, along with story incoherences, contribute to this disappointment.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Players express enthusiasm for the game's unique charm, engaging story, and characters. The willingness to replay the game and strong positive sentiments towards its script and dialogue contribute to this enthusiasm.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the game's writing, characters, and intriguing narrative. The variety of activities, engaging story, and lovable characters, along with the unique narrative and atmospheric experience, contribute to this appreciation.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Players feel nostalgic due to the game's comparison to the first game and its unique charm. The reencountering of familiar characters and the surreal world contribute to this sentiment.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players express love for the game's unique and stylish series, interesting and charismatic characters, and enjoyable gameplay. The game's charm and engaging elements contribute to this sentiment.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Players are excited about the game's announcement, captivating storytelling, and plot twists. The unique and mystical feelings from the game contribute to this excitement.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Players express anger due to the game being a waste of time and nerves. Frustration with game mechanics and design, along with harsh language used to describe the game, contribute to this anger.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Players feel confused due to the game's narrative and surrealism. The game's atmosphere and story contribute to this confusion.
- Patience (weight 0.01): Players advise patience due to the game's tedious quests and the rewarding ending. The gameplay requires patience to fully enjoy and appreciate.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Players experience joy from the game's enjoyable dialogues and scenes. The story is found to be unparalleled, and the improved PC version contributes to this joy.
- Angry (weight 0.01): Players are angry due to the game's awful port. The poor quality of the port contributes to this anger.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.01): Players feel nostalgic due to their love for the first game and its story. The comparison to the first game and its unique charm contribute to this nostalgia.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Players are curious about the game's unique player and enemy designs. The game's intriguing elements spark this curiosity.}