“Spotted dogs have appeared throughout history in Europe, Asia, and Africa, credited with a dozen nationalities and as many native names. The dog we know today as the Dalmatian has been a dog of war, a draft dog, shepherd, ratter, fire-apparatus follower, firehouse mascot, bird dog, trail hound and retriever. Most importantly, he is the original and only coaching dog. His affinity for horses remains a basic instinct to this day and the breed is a natural follower and guardian of the horse-drawn vehicle.”

Source: American Kennel Club

So, now that you know you don’t need 101 (or 102) Dalmatians at all to keep a child safe, ladies and gents… just one really well-trained one. The again, I’d bet a forest full of those spotted dogs would be keeping that creepy Red Seeds Killer a bit more at bay (pun intended) and FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) a lot less busy…

Anyway, make sure you don’t go howling at the moon yourself because you missed out on picking up a copy of Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, headed exclusively to the PlayStation 3 on April 30, 2013 from Rising Star Games. Featuring over 100 improvements over the original game, refined HD graphics, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, all-new DLC and MORE. You’ll only find out what a dog and small child are doing mixed up in all this only if you play the game (no, the ghost of W.C. Fields isn’t in the game at all, but it would be funny to those who remember his work), so now that you’re curious, you can get on board the same train to Greenville a lot of us are already riding.

Off topic (woof!), Yesterday was Game Director Swery 65’s birthday! For real! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!  OK, because I didn;t know about this until after the fact, I didn’t get him a gift at all. Er, except that post I wrote for that day, so I feel a bit bad about that. The again, he really liked the post, so it’s all good in the end. I suppose it WOULD be bad form to let him know what MY birthday is (it’s coming up next month), but if he asks me, I’ll let him know right away…

“Ruh-Roh”. Welllll, this COULD go three ways for FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York… and call him a cab, as he’s going to need one if he makes a clean getaway from that Red Seeds Killer). He could try and engage the mad killer he’s been seeking for a while in a physical altercation (not a good thing if it’s suit-wearing fisticuffs against ratty robe wearing axe-swinging). He could try to put him down with a couple of well-placed shots from that gun he’s hopefully carrying (since he IS a FBI agent, he SHOULD be carrying his gun when exploring such a freaky location, right?)… OR he could remember that old comedy movie classic that was on TV late last night and attempt to confuse the killer completely before getting away in that cab you called.

“What old movie?” You ask, dear reader? Well, like I said… it’s a CLASSIC:

I think that Red Seeds Killer is in for quite a surprise. He’ll never see this coming, that’s for damn sure…

And just how will YOU get away from that axe-wielding maniac when you’re playing Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3 on April 30, 2013? While you’re trying to decide that, make sure to take note of the updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, over 100 improvements over the original version and much more. Well, don’t spend TOO much time ogling those tweaks and letting that axe swinger get too close. Losing your head while checking out the scenery is only supposed to happen when you’re on vacation. Well, this long trip to Greenvale I’m taking IS sort of a vacation… but it’s certainly not what I’d call ANYTHING resembling a paradise. PROTIP: try running away, actually. I don’t think that killer has much of a sense of humor (or knows who the hell The Marx Brothers are, for that matter)…

Meanwhile, back at the ranch… Game Director Swery 65 is certainly feeling quite cool these days, as fans of his work have been whipping up some very nice artwork about his game and there have even been cosplay sightings at some recent conventions of certain characters from Greenvale. If you get REALLY lucky, you may even see Swery doing a bit of his own unique impression of York at one of these events, but pretend you’re thinking he’s adjusting his glasses because he’s not wearing a nice suit and tie like York has…

For the record, it’s always been a hard job being in a video game, folks. Even In the old days, standing outside stamping your feet up and down as a flat sprite was a total pain in the ass (but your feet hurt more) and as you can imagine, BORING as hell. Better tech meant that in some games, you couldn’t just stand and/or stamp around in the same spot at all. “Routines” became the new thing and now, you HAD to walk around and look as if you were busy. Of course, in the virtual open world of Greenvale, even if you’re NOT in the game that day, you’ll need to be on call just in case there’s a random event or sudden call sent out for some sort of scary moment to rattle the player. Of course, if you end up missing that call thanks to your cab not arriving on time or some other stupid thing, you end up going home annoyed, disappointed and tired. Well, at least there’s always a fresh pot of boiling water on the stove for tea and the A&G Diner has a secret delivery service for town residents (and its creepier denizens) only. I hear the fried chicken is great today…

Anyway, keep this Shadow employed and scaring YOU half (or more) to death, I say! Pre-order a copy of Rising Star Games PlayStation 3 exclusive Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, headed to retail on April 30, 2013. Featuring updated HD visuals, over 100 improvements from the original release, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support and MORE, this game is guaranteed to make all those Shadows happy overtime collecting guys and gals. And it’s all about the overtime for these guys, as they LOVE doing what they do so well. FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) may not feel the same way, as the more of them that get work that day he’s on the set, the more running like hell he needs to do. Sometimes, you can’t “kill” them all fast enough… or at all. You’ll see.

Occasional slow work days and long nights aside, everyone I’ve spoken to in Greenvale during this extended project has nothing but high praise for Game Director Swery 65. They say he’s always willing to listen to input about a scene and even lets the actors do a bit of ad-libbing, which really pays off in certain portions of the game. Like I said above, you’ll see…