Are you looking for a game that challenges your hardware? Something that is visually so awesome that you don't even mind the hick-ups that it might cause? If so, sorry, move along. This game is not for you. If you want to solve an intriguing murder mystery in an open-world setting, then you just might like this game.

The game is about an FBI agent Francis York Morgan who arrives to a small town of Greenvale to solve a murder that has some links to previous cases. The Raincoat Killer is your main target. Twin Peaks TV series could be used to describe this game because of the setting and because it is scary, exciting and strange. But I don't remember Twin Peaks being as funny as this game can be. Deadly Premonition is a unique game, but there are some similarities to the games like Alone in the dark (from 2008), Alan Wake and Resident Evil. I also want to see some Shenmue'ish characteristics.

First, let's get the not so great things off my chest. They are worth mentioning, but as you can see from my scoring, in the grand scheme of things I feel that they are actually quite minute things.

* The map system is not the best possible. It is good when indoors, but when driving, the problems arrive. There is no way to set your own waypoints, which is not a good thing. You can zoom in real close, but not nearly far enough. It also twists and turns depending on what direction you character is facing. That means that you will lose your bearings when manipulating the map. So you better learn the rough layout of the world, if you don't want to look at the map all the time. The system does make the world feel a bit larger.

* Graphics. Some might think that they are at times a generation or two behind some modern games. Some low resolution textures and shallow depth of field causes some blurriness to the world. The situation is at its worst when it is dark, cloudy and raining a lot. You can overcome the cloudy days by sleeping past them.

* Some re-spawning enemies. It is exciting to fight against the enemies, but sometimes you don't know if you are in the area where they keep crawling from the ground continuously or if it stops after a while. So clearing your surroundings from all the enemies is sometimes not possible. The enemies are also tough (for example about one clip from 9mm weapon which has unlimited ammo and multiple shots from the shotgun), so sometimes running for your life past them seems as the wisest thing to do. It does add to the scariness.

* Vehicle problems. Vehicle physics could be better. The speedometer can show that your maximum speed is 130 mph, but you can't go faster than 80 mph. You can use only your own cars and police cars.

* So few people walking outside. It is a bit strange that there are no people walking outside except some occasional main character. There are many main characters, but they most of the time use cars to get from one place to another.

Can you get over those hurdles? Good. I can too and very easily. Now, let's get to the good parts.

* Story and atmosphere. Open-world can't have a roller coaster story? This game has that. Many cut scenes will shed light to the amazing, evolving main horror story and to many other stories that people have in this game. The cut scenes are in in-game graphics and won't distract from the experience. They are actually something that you want to see. The cast starting from the main character is excellent. Voice acting is great. Music has some repetitive elements, but it also includes intense action and emotional tunes. Playing during nighttime and with headphones is recommended to maximize the scariness. And it is scary when multiple enemies are approaching in the dark with eerie sounds around you.

* Game mechanics. An interesting mixture of free exploring of the world, crime solving and intense fighting with firearms and melee weapons. Fighting usually happens in much more confined areas, but for example, for some time after midnight the enemies may also appear outside the main mission areas. Most of the enemies are zombie-like creatures. The Raincoat Killer parts are refreshing and a bit different. The game has many small side missions and some mini-games. Side missions may sometimes give you some handy equipment. You can also buy many things, for example groceries (to help from getting tired and hungry), cars (cars are gas-guzzlers so you need to buy gas quite often if you don't want a small fine when the gas runs out) and different suits. York may talk, for example, about actual real world movies to make the long drives feel more interesting. He talks about things to the one called Zach. Zach is an excellent idea in the game because of him being invisible, it makes it feel like York is talking to the player. You can also peek inside some of the buildings, which is mostly useless, but fun. Tip: You can go through doorways faster if you run to them and then press A.

* Graphics. The situation about graphics is not all bad. The simplistic design somehow reminds me of the Sega Dreamcast era in a good way. There are also some visually stunning moments in the game. The world looks quite pretty when it gets clear after clouds set aside. Then setting sun and starlit night sky can look really beautiful. The game has many indoor locations and they have a lot of character and good details. Flashlight (doesn't have battery problems) will light up the dark places nicely. Overall those good-looking places look good because they are designed with a good taste, not because Xbox 360 would have to flex its muscles.

The lows and highs

- Some parts may leave you to wonder: What if it would be visually better...
- Outside map could be better
- Some areas have continuously re-spawning bullet spongy enemies
- Little problems with vehicles
- Few people walking outside

+ The town of Greenvale
+ Story and plenty of it
+ Manages to be genuinely funny, scary and emotional
+ Memorable cast with their daily routines and excellent voice acting
+ Francis York Morgan is a good guy
+ Plenty to do and freedom to do. Side missions are rewarding.
+ Pacing, more exploring than fighting. And not saying that fighting isn't good.
+ You can access again once completed fighting areas and previous episodes and chapters
+ Suitable for short periods of playtime and for long sessions
+ Looks great ...sometimes
+ Intense action music and some really emotional tunes
+ Manual has colour :)

I must admit that I have not yet finished the game at the moment of submitting this review. My gametime is getting close to 30 hours and I am getting more and more afraid that this unique experience is going to end sooner or later. It is going to hinder my progress. I also admit that I knew beforehand that I would like this game. Open-world exploring and horror story, can't go much wrong with that. I am glad that I wasn't put off by some of the negative reviews. Destructoid's review with 10/10 gave some hope. But even in that review the ending comments are that the game is so bad that it is about perfect. But in my opinion it is about perfect because it ...really is.

So five stars it is. In another review scale I could have given a perfect 10 if the game would not have those lows. Now it has to settle for 9.7 which I can happily round up to 10. :)