As you've probably heard by now, there are some technical issues with the latest Nintendo Switch release, Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise. The game's director has already said he intends to get the awful frame rate sorted out, and publisher Rising Star has confirmed the development team is working on patches to improve the game.
Rich Leadbetter and John Linneman from Digital Foundry have also heard about the "shocking state" of the performance in this game and decided to take a look and see "just how bad" it is. An interrogation scene in the game (see the 8-minute mark in the video above) sums it up:
Leadbetter: "We're rendering a room here at 22 frames per second"
Linneman: "This is not good"
Performance goes further downhill in the open-world section of the game - dropping to 15fps on average, and falling all the way down to 4fps-2fps. The loading is also described as "atrocious" - with some load screens lasting more than a minute, with freezes in between. There's a lot of freezing and stuttering in-game as well when performing basic actions like firing a weapon or entering a vehicle.
Linneman says this kind of performance "is not acceptable, at all" and notes how a game in this kind of state should not have been shipped. It manages to outdo Ark:
"This is worse, I think, than Ark: Survival Evolved"
Although patches are on the way, Digital Foundry isn't confident they'll be enough to sort out these performance issues.
Linneman has a theory that the core problems could be tied to CPU limitations and thinks the game was likely optimised around the developer's PCs - resulting in problems during the Switch conversion process. On the plus side, the sequel runs at 810p, which is an improvement over the first game's 720p resolution.
How has your experience with Deadly Premonition 2 been so far? Tell us down below.
[source youtu.be]
Comments 56
It's pretty inexcusable to release a game in this state. Especially so for a system exclusive that should be well optimised for the system. There's no 'charm' to being basically unplayable.
@BenAV were you ever interested in playing it anyway, or just having an opinion because?
@Coach_A I was pretty on the fence about whether or not I was interested until we started seeing just how poorly it runs.
It is quite impressive just how bad the performance is for this game, especially considering how it isn't exactly the most technically demanding game on the Switch.
The game's frame rate isnt too far off from the number of Deadly Premonition games.
If i hadn't saw the videos of it I would have had preordered it days before the release or bought it on release day.
The first game is loved cause of the story and the jankiness of it made it charming to some people but that was not intended.
But there is no excuse to making it janky for the sake of it with horrendous framerate just cause it is a sequel.
Like I have said in other posts. Until the framerate gets to an acceptable level then I will buy the game.
@westman98 Not true. Digital Foundry confirm that the original ran at a locked 30fps on XBOX 360; the Switch port has an unlocked frame rate but stays above 30fps (on the whole - and certainly never dips anywhere near as low as Deadly Premonition 2's frame rate).
The original Deadly Premonition is a janky game, but a bad frame rate was never an issue.
Those framerame and performance issues keep being brought up everywhere. They are slowly being turned into a selling argument.
It kinda makes me want to buy it to experience it myself. I won't, but it's a shame because I really like the art direction.
But at least the resolution is higher than Xenoblade!
9.5/10
How is poor performance a selling argument? I was considering getting it because I like weird games and it seems cool but I don't want to play something that runs so horrible even if reviews keep saying it's a positive thing.
If it wasn't such a small developer I'd wonder if they weren't paying people off honestly.
I will admit that the frame rate is bad and so are the load times but I can't stop playing this game. I like the story and the dialogue is funny and interesting to me. I even like the mini games (bowling, skipping stones) and the skateboarding is fun plus you can even learn some new tricks. Hopefully some patches can improve the experience soon so other can give it a chance. Either way I'm still enjoying my time with this game believe it or not...
Remember, folks: THIS. COSTS. $49.99.
I don't remember the first game frame rate being so bad but I do remember it chugging sometimes.
Who wants to be the fix is simply a downgrade on resolution rather than an optimisation? Ugh, I'd be so disappointed. I don't believe for ONE second that the Switch isn't capable of running this game at 1080p docked if they spent some time optimising it properly.
I'm on chapter 2 at the moment and I've had a couple of glitches happen where you're unable to run, skateboard or shoot weapons.
Last time it happened to me was just after I killed a crocodile at a mansion that was far from town. Going into a building fixes it though.
I'm just glad they added fast travel to this one.
Maybe the deadly premonition is actually buying the game.
The framerate is really bad and, in addition to that, the game doesn't look great a lot of the time, particularly in handheld (particularly the character models). I don't personally think it makes the game "unplayable" though. That's just hyperbole in my opinion.
That said, the game does have problems beyond the aforementioned framerate and visual issue... I'm not too far in, but so far it is just not gripping me in the way the first game did. There is so much dialogue, yet none of it particularly interesting. York doesn't come across as the same character from the first game. It's weird, it's almost like he's playing a parody of himself. As for the setting and the characters, they just don't have the same compelling and interesting vibe the first game had. I'm giving it a chance, but so far, the game feels weird... like it's missing the spark the first game had and instead feels kind of hollow.
@xzacutor I don't know if you know this, but the first game did kinda have fast travel. It was a reward for a side quest you could complete (and it's possible to do it right at the beginning of the game).
Wowie. This is just pathetic. Absolutely no excuses for a system exclusive that should damn well be optimised for the hardware it is supposedly designed for.
And to make things even more laughable, the game isn't even aesthetically pleasing. I've seen Wii games that look (and perform) better than this.
Swery never learnt from his mistakes. He made D4 exclusive to Xbox and it flopped because no one plays that type of game on Xbox. Now he made DP2 exclusive to Switch but it runs like poop.
He should have made all his games for PS4 and PC, that's the ideal platform for his games.
Deffinite no to this POS release.
as posted in another topic how in the world did this manage to get a 7, it runs worse than the first just not on.
dont get me wrong loved the first but this day and age their is no excuse and the argument it supposed to be this way is a insult!
@NoTinderLife Yeah but Sony refuse to fund these games. Sony hate japanese videogames and prefer funding western videogames. You shouldn't support them if you disagree with this policy.
Ark has better performance than WWE2K18 on Switch.
And WWE has better performance than Deadly Premonition 2.
So yes Ark has better performance (however again, playing Ark makes only sense on PC because any of the console ports is a hot mess)
this needs to be reviewed again and not by someone who thinks the abysmal performance is part of its charm.
I’m replaying Banjo Tooie at the moment and the frame rate drops badly in some of the more open parts. But it’s excusable as it’s a 20 year old game and I find it part of the early 3D charm. Plus my mClassic and Super64 make it look sweet. Frame rate drops to 2-4 FPS is worse than SNES SuperFX 3D from even further back. What a joke. Did they not play test? What were they thinking?!
Nintendo Life - 7/10
...lol
I have a feeling that my smart TV's dejudder/motion interpolation isn't going to be able to bring this game up to the appearance of 60fps : )
Doing everything they can’t to not sell this!
@suikoden There's plenty of other reviews out there doing exactly that, so why should they? The reviewer is entitled to their opinion, read a review elsewhere if you disagree with their assessment.
@BlackenedHalo it's actually a 5. You have to remember Nitendolife gives an automatic +2 for being on Switch.
@Reprise I didn't know that, thanks for telling me.
Man, these comments are a factory of sadness. 'Unplayable' literally means the game cannot be played, so anyone using that term is being hyperbolic and disingenuous. I'll concede the framerate outside is pretty poor, and it's about as visually appealing as a traffic collision, but it has plenty more to offer, and I'm still having a blast with it, just like the first game.
@Dethmunk because the games have plenty more to offer and enjoy beyond its visual presentation, you should give the first one a try, you'll probably be surprised how entertaining it is. Not every game needs to be a AAA boundary pushing visual orgasm.
@beazlen1 I also recently replayed Banjo Tooie on N64 and while the frame rate does have a habit of dropping in the more open areas, it is far from unplayable. The footage of this game makes it look like more of a chore to play than anything. I just dont understand how you could mess it up that badly.
@DanTee I went from "haha this is so bad it's kinda fun" to "holy ***** this is good!" in the duration of my playthrough of the first game. The story, the characters and the world are all amazing. I loved how you could step outside of the main quest and do your own investigations, exploring the numerous side quests. Each one adds so much to the characters and really enriches the overall story.
@Reprise yea man I was the same, I picked up the first on offer and thought at least it would give me a good giggle at how awful it was, but then ended up playing it non stop and beating it within a week! Just shows you that games are more than a sum of their individual parts, and definitely opened me up to giving other games a shot that I wouldn't usually try.
Gameplay is what counts for me. I could really care less about the presentation of a game. The EDF series is one on my favorite and when ***** gets crazy, single digit frame rates become the norm. But no other game can really capture what’s its like to be a lonely solider fighting off an invasion of the earth by a combined force of aliens and insects.
Games like deadly premonition are the ones who define the games are art debate. Most artist create because they love it. Regardless of what others may feel. And games, like art, don’t have to appeal to everyone.
Stop your complaining and go play a AAA game, that’s probably a 12th remake, made with a profit focused formula, and support an industry that lacks imagination.
Came in the charts at #32. Most did not waste their cash on this train wreck anyway.
No idea why I would spend any money (or time) on this with F12020, Ghost of Tsushima and Paper Mario all out in the same month.
After watching this I decided to get deadly premonition 1 for half price. I am thoroughly enjoying it and it performs well... so far. It does look like trash in places due to low res cut-scenes, worse than prior releases, on older hardware, that had larger video files for the cut-scenes. I am enjoying the game though. Maybe I'll get the newer game on PS5 in a year or three, depending on how well it runs.
@ritouf a lot of us old guys who grew up with psx and n64 can live with frame rate problems. Hell, turok 2 chugged along at like 15 fps. That said, of course we prefer silky smooth but maybe just not a determining factor.
@DWWM
???
I never said that DP1 ran as bad as DP2.
I was really looking forward to this game and even had pre ordered it and it's awful. I would honestly like a refund on it because of how bad it is.
@FredsBodyDouble A lot of us old guys also grew up playing games at 256x244 (or less). Doesn't mean I want to now. Difference is, that was the best they could do back then. There's no excuse for it now, especially when expecting full price for it.
I also grew up with dial-up and all kinds of other now-outdated technology. I don't think I'd be fine with 36.6k internet now just because I was used to it as a teen.
@westman98 Ah, right. Your comment makes a lot more sense now 😆
I finally gave up and am currently playing the first DP and I love it. I'll pick up the second only if they fix the framerate and when its on sale. It gives me Blue Stinger vibes on the dreamcast and I loved that terrible game.
Why not just cap the frame rate at 15fps and then everyone will be happy.
@Alpha-2002
Exactly this. Why I wouldn’t buy this even in the hope for a later patch. I have the first one and this would have been an instant purchase if the developers gave a damn.
The whole world freezing for a sec and then hitching back into place every time you squeeze off a round is actually a feature known as 'Swery Time'.
@ritouf Ah looks like the reviewer for this God awful game got a nice paycheck to shill away for it. Why am I not surprised about that?
The game performance is bad but it's not unplayable. I love the game, and like the first one it's not for everyone. I can't put it down and I don't really see the performance issues anymore it's not that bad when your playing it but I'm glad they are working on a patches.
Game broken beyond repair - 7 out of 10 😂😂😂
Realising a game in this state today is completely unacceptable and we had all thise idiots defending it, saying it was a feature and these games always ran like that
Easy solution to any problems the game has - add Pokemon to the title. BAM, all criticism gone and reduced to 'you're just being toxic'.
Any game with Rising Star attached to it always ends up trash.
@Silly_G The Wii had many great looking games...I've spent time playing Sonic Colors Wii on Wii U (using mclassic) and all I can say is - wow! But really all it needs is to be boosted to 720/1080p native and it would easily pass for current gen - detail wise I would argue its the Wii's best looking game - its that good!
@liveswired : Absolutely. Resolution was the only thing holding a lot of those games back as the Wii had its fair share of visually stunning games. If Nintendo were to come out with barebones ports of Wii games at a budget price, where the only major enhancement is that the games are rendered in HD, I'd be content with that.
Many 3DS games and even some DS games look surprisingly impressive when rendered at high resolutions, which is why I was so disappointed with DS VC on Wii U, which merely rendered the games at their native resolution upscaled to HD.
@Silly_G that's true, even more annoying is if you were willing to go out of the way you could edit the configuration to have DS games run in at 2x their native resolution - I did this with Mario 64 DS and a DKR injection and they run full speed - shows a little optimisation would've worked wonders.
Also N64 VC - some games such as DK64 supported 16:9, Nintendo still forced 4:3 in their emulator making you use the TV's stretch function if you were lucky to have one for HDMI. Again editing the config allowed fullscreen, and removal of their darkening filter on all VC - and turning up the brightness on GBA VC... Crazy.
Nintendo were just so lazy, a simple edit could've made the world of difference. Pure contempt.
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