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Turned down SSFIV to finally buy this.

Should have it by the end of the week.

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Just got my copy. Played up to the hospital bit.

Oh man guys, this game.

This game.

But you know that already.

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Is this the first game that's not a dead-serious driving simulator to let you fiddle with the turn signals and wipers?

Always felt that was sorely missing from GTA IV.

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Am I like, the only person here who bought the localized 360 version?

I guess that's kind of a high bar to entry, being exclusive to both America and the 360.

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Finally near the end of this (as far as the main story is concerned.)

Damn, all that stuff with Thomas came so far out of left field I was reeling. This truly is the Killer7 of this console generation (though maybe it's closer to Flower, Sun, and Rain.)

[Sniper Honeyviper]

Okay Zach, it's the final showdown!

...aaand I don't know how to beat him :(

Yeah, you have to shoot the thing in his hand until you can climb up on his shoulder, but I can't find the object to shoot at while up there. He throws me off and regains all health, bringing on another round of stop-and-start damage. Firing magnum rounds at point blank into his eye does nothing!

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I feel I should bring to attention that Forrest Kaysen has a prominent role in Spy Fiction, the first game SWERY directed.

There might be other characters, I'm only on the second mission.

Interestingly enough, the game lets you assume the identity and appearance of almost any NPC (not Kaysen, he always blabs at you if you try to take his picture), but only the female spy is allowed to crossdress.

[Sniper Honeyviper]

If you had the patience to finish DP, then I would say Spy Fiction is absolutely worth checking out. It's not as overtly wacky, but it's got the same bizarre "Japan does America" atmosphere, and the dialogue is deliciously awkward.

It plays like a cheap knockoff of MGS2/3, but the structure is playfully open-ended in the same way, and there's enough uniqueness in the disguise system and gadgets to prevent it from feeling derivative. The only serious issue is the fussy camera, which becomes less of a problem after the tutorial mission. Better game design than DP, really, and the difficulty settings actually affect AI and puzzles!

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So I guess no one else was interested enough in SWERY's career and the previous roles of the DP cast to play Spy Fiction?

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Amazon/ebay is your friend.

Strangely, it's more expensive than DP now (though not by much)!

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I wasn't referring to you, TXTSWORD!

And booji, I find it hard to believe that someone who enjoyed DMC2 to some degree couldn't find any redeeming value in Spy Fiction.

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No more clunky and annoying than most of DP.

Like I said, it's only for those with enough patience. And personally, I find subpar, convoluted controls and unclear objectives much more fun and interesting than the modern Arkham Asylum/Castlevania LoS method of turning everything into a QTE.

I've noticed that a few animations from Spy Fiction were reused in DP, such as the dumpster diving one (which actually has a purpose in SF).

[Sniper Honeyviper]

Nah, because you always really have to think about and plan what you're doing, while DP's combat is just mindless headshotting and QTEs.

The cutscene when you bump into Kaysen while disguised as him is easily on par with the best of DP's.

Also getting NPCs stuck in an endless loop of "Huh?....Guess it was nothing."

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Have we posted this Gamescom SWERY interview already?