A dreadful journey (in a good way) + info for non-Japanese speakers
You play as an FBI sleuth named Francis York Morgan, as he travels to the town of Greenvale in search for a murderer known as the raincoat killer.
Game-play:
Red Seeds Profile/ Deadly Premonition (JP) is most admired under it's story telling and awkwardness by any means of judgment. If you are a type of person who cares mostly about production values in game-play I suggest that you leave this review and give it a straight dislike. However if you are a proactive gamer who is willing to try new games this review might suite you to some degree.
This game is a hybrid of resident evil 4 type shooting and GTA like exploration. mechanically speaking, it does an atrocious job in delivering it's intension. Controls feel very awkward when shooting and driving can become extraneous having the game force you into traveling for very long distances. Camera can also be an issue in the game, at times the controls become a nuisance during unexpected shifts in angles (climbing down stairs). But the way the game allows you to fully explore the Town of Greenvale, does deserve some credit. You can track and do quirky side missions for characters in the game and learn more about them.
Graphics
very outdated yet nostalgic (maybe it's just me..), as it reminds me of playing on the PS2. blurry textures, fuzzy scenery and poor physics makes this game horribly old. But since it brought me some nostalgia, I think I'll be nice with respect to personal opinion..
Story 99/10
Red Seeds Profile has one of the best stories in gaming history. What makes it a hallmark is how un-germane the story becomes. Although the beginning feels like an ordinary cliche, the game will take you through more twists and unsound moments that will keep your seats warm while speeding through the horrid game-play. What keeps me going the most is the weirdness of the game, ranging from creepy little kids dressed as angels in a red room to funny moments that feels downright detached from the game's horror genre. But just because some scenes feel detached ,it is there for a reason hence to the plot and this is what makes the game unique from the rest. Telling you the story here would mean risking away the highlight of this demented experience.
Very important information for non-Japanese speakers
Knowing that the PS3 version is in Japanese, it does not completely ruin the experience for anyone to finish the main quest of the game. Since I do know a little Japanese (from friends) I was still able to enjoy some portions of the side quests: but to non-japanese speakers who don't own an Xbox and is desperate to get this game, might find it a little hard to get through. Some puzzles may derive from common sense or hinted by the spoken dialog in English, but either way, not all of us can recognize what is deemed obvious. I guess it's not fair for me to mark this game down over a language issue,so I'm not going to let this portion affect the review score.
Alternatives
With the gift of youtube, there are plenty of uploaded guides from the xbox version that you can resort to if you're stuck. remember there is absolutely NO difference between the PS3 version of the game and the Xbox.
*From personal experience I have played through Japanese games in the 1990s when online game guides and youtube didn't exist (oh yes I didn't know how to speak Japanese at the time).