The greatest mess in gaming. Deadly Premonition is a mystery action adventure game with a town and characters inspired by media like Twin Peaks and a tone that can shift from brutal and bloody to light and absurdly humorous.

Poor graphics, poor controls, poor driving, poor UI, annoying timed event system, bugs, dull and slow combat (though with some ok enemy designs), all dated in every way (even for when the game first released in 2010). But it is the story, characters, the town itself, the often catchy and good music, and the awkward dialogue and acting that all come together in a way that just works perfectly that makes the game worth playing even with all the other problems, at times even making some of those downsides almost charming.

In many ways a terrible game, but even with the over 3,000 games I've played, Deadly Premonition is one of my favorites with one of the best settings and most memorable protagonists I've experienced.

Better played on one of the consoles for stability if you are able to.

The island bathes in the sun's bright rays
Distant hills wear a shroud of grey
A lonely breeze whispers in the trees
Sole witness to history

Though messy and experimental, FFVIII has synchronicity between its themes, characters, story and gameplay like few others. The evocative pre-rendered backgrounds and cutscenes are wonderful and often very ambitious, melding real-time game gameplay into cutscenes. For every odd quirk or weird moment that could be considered a flaw, when I look back on the experience as a whole I'm stunned by the incredible artistry and emotion of FFVIII. It is my favourite Final Fantasy, something I did not expect based on its polarising reception.