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"S B... in the coffee!" FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan investigates!

D

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"FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan. Please just call me York. That's what everyone calls me."
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First Apperance: Deadly Premonition (February 23, 2010)

Latest Apperance: Deadly Premoniton 2: A Blessing in Disguise (TBA, 2020)

Who is York?

Francis York Morgan is the main protagonist of the cult classic game Deadly Premonition created by Hidetaka Suehiro (also known as SWERY65). He is an FBI special agent investigating the murder of a young woman named Anna in a small town called Greenvale in connection to a various spring of murders relating to the mysterious red seeds. With his talent of profiling and his closest friend Zach by his side, York aims to catch the culprit of the murders while fighting through the various monsters in the Otherworld, including the Raincoat Killer.

Why York?

There is a reason why Deadly Premonition is considered to be a cult classic. It is a very bizarre game in that it looks poor, runs poorly, has rough audio, rough controls, plays the same 4 tracks over and over throughout the game, and yet has a very amazing story often compared to Twin Peaks and has a wild cast of characters. Though the game does have a serious premise, it also has a fun amount of goofiness to it. Just to add to the goofiness, when we see York for the first time, he's driving during a storm, talking on the phone about Tom and Jerry, on the laptop, and smoking all at once. Speaking of York, his personality would fit with the tone of Smash Bros as he's calm, level headed, full of confidence, and has odd mannerisms like talking to Zach about movies while driving and using coffee for his investigations. With a sequel announced for the Switch in 2020, Francis York Morgan could very well be the biggest curveball character added to Smash yet.
 
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AEMehr

Mii Fighter
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I greatly appreciate your desire to share this with the world.

I share your sentiment in wishing to see York fighting among gaming's greatest.
 

Plank08

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I know how you feel, my most wanted is Sackboy so I know how it feels to be the underdog
I also know how it feels to get support as an underdog so I will gladly support this.
 
D

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Ah yeah. It's nice to know there's a few FBI special agents supporting York. Even though Deadly Premonition 2 was announced on the latest Direct, it'll be a longshot to see him in Smash in some capacity, so I hope Nintendo and Sakurai have huge soft spots for this game.

and speaking of Deadly Premonition 2, here are a few live reactions to the reveal:

[timestamp: 19:04]
[timestamp: 18:33]
 
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RawkHawk2010

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Switch FC
SW-5576-5912-4888

Worth noting that the Japanese Deadly Premonition 2 trailer shows York at one point (0:29) using some kind of hand gun (as in...his hand is a gun, possibly a Red Tree-related mutation), when before now York's projectile options were limited to realistic firearms and a dart gun. I think that's pretty big.
 

Oddball

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Given how the game ended, I kinda wonder how they can do a sequel to it at all. That was one big twist at the end.

I think complaints about how it looks are a bit over exaggerated, but otherwise, I feel most of the complaints are fair.

The atmosphere in the game is great though and the characters perfect.

While York wouldn't make my top 100 list of character I'd want to see in Smash, I don't DISLIKE him either and would be fine if he got in. What he'd really need though is Snake's Code/Palutena's Guidance style conversations either with the characters themselves or with Zach. Possibly both.
 
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D

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Worth noting that the Japanese Deadly Premonition 2 trailer shows York at one point (0:29) using some kind of hand gun (as in...his hand is a gun, possibly a Red Tree-related mutation), when before now York's projectile options were limited to realistic firearms and a dart gun. I think that's pretty big.
Holy **** that's a literal hand gun? I was wondering what York was holding when I saw that, but I didn't expect that.

Though it isn't Smash related, I also saw something that a couple of people pointed out about the trailer: Deadly Premoniton 2 and D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (another game developed by SWERY65) might be in the same universe.

Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/czugak/deadly_premonition_2_spoiler_seriously/

Given that D4 ended with a cliffhanger, I'm super curious to seeing how SWERY addresses what happened to David if this is the case (which I think is very likely since the English trailer started off with the narrator saying "Boston 2019", David being a Boston Police Detective, and the female detective saying something about closing a case in the JP trailer). It's a shame that D4 didn't get more episodes after Episode 2.
 

Groose

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YOOOO I never thought of the idea of codecs with York before, but they'd fit so well!

"Zach, have you heard of the classic NES title Earthbound? Well, actually..."
 
D

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YOOOO I never thought of the idea of codecs with York before, but they'd fit so well!

"Zach, have you heard of the classic NES title Earthbound? Well, actually..."
Oh man, this would be the best ****ing thing in Ultimate. We may not be able to get Palutena's Guidances for DLC, but the idea of York having a stage where he talks to Zach about every character and the games they come from is so killer.
 
D

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Apologize for the double post, but I saw an article about York's VA talking about Deadly Premonition 2.

https://nintendoeverything.com/jeff...deadly-premonition-2-and-shares-some-tidbits/

Here’s the full roundup:

– Swery contacted him on Facebook a few years ago saying he’s working on a sequel
– Last year they contacted him to come to LA to record VA since the story was done
– Originally the game was supposed to be announced in April/May of last year in a game conference in San Francisco (possibly GDC)
– He was supposed to do the announcement with Swery, but it was delayed last minute
– He teases that there are multiple versions of York in the sequel
– He recorded his lines for the original game years before release, but then he had to re-record around half of his lines when the game was reworked from Rainy Woods to Deadly Premonition, because they ran into issues with the producers of Twin Peaks
– He doesn’t remember there being any major changes to the story from Rainy Woods to Deadly Premonition
– He thinks the sequel is on a whole another level and that Swery has really outdone himself
– For the first game, since there was a big language barrier he wasn’t really able to communicate well with Swery
– For the sequel they were able to communicate more easily since Swery’s English has improved a lot
– York still talks about different movies and directors in the sequel
– Didn’t record too many lines for side content this time
– Thinks the sequel is much more plot heavy and singularly focused on the main story
– For the sequel, he thought he knew what was happening when recording his lines but was dead wrong when he was told by Swery where it’s going
– Since you go back and forth between two different worlds and timelines, the game feels much more expansive than the original
– When recording for the first game, he remembers Swery always showing up in rented american muscle cars (since they couldn’t get them in Japan)
– He last heard there might be more news coming in January (the interview is from December 2019), but that didn’t happen
– Later in the interview says the wait is probably not gonna be that long
– The game is not just “let’s send York on a different mission”; Swery really went at it differently
– He’d be up for a remake/remaster of the original, since he thinks things can be done better now that he and Swery can communicate better
I don't think I'll get around to listening to the full interview, but the tidbits are really fascinating. It looks like DP2 has been in development for a few years and might be released sooner than I imagined. Could it be possible that a shadow drop will happen in the next Direct?
 
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YeppersPeppers

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I'm currently playing DP for the first time on Switch, and I'm absolutely in love with the world and characters of this game. Holy moly. I'm not too far in and already York is rising up on my list of favourite all-time protagonists.

While I don't expect York to make it as DLC for Ultimate, I do expect Deadly Premonition to get some sort of content in Smash. Third-party releases that Nintendo puts a lot of support behind seem to receive spirit events (Daemon X Machina, the Resident Evil ports, Trials of Mana), and Deadly Premonition 2 is definitely in a similar position. Even if spirits are all that ends up happening, just the idea of content from Deadly Premonition being featured in Smash at all is insane to think about.
 
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NOSTARSICK

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Finally decided to get this game since its 50% off on switch right now...and I'm really enjoying it! That talk about Tom and Jerry was hilarious with how out there it was
 
D

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Deadly Premonition 2 is out this Friday. I can't believe it's even coming this soon, and I haven't even gotten around to ordering a physical copy yet.

I figure I should post the 17 Minute gameplay of DP2 that was uploaded around the same time as the latest trailer. I didn't post on it earlier because I didn't want to double post too soon and decided to wait out until some time.



They kept it so faithful to the original the game even runs below 20 fps. SWERY you goddamn madman.
 

M00NFIRE94

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Like Bayonetta, Deadly Premonition got help from Nintendo to pull a sequel off so I believe the chance for York exists. I'd be down with it.
 
D

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I just finished Deadly Premonition 2. Despite its flaws and feeling shorter than the 1st, I couldn't have been any happier playing it, and of all the things to come from it, I actually think I could make a stupid Smash moveset out of York now. I probably won't make 1, but there are some things I could probably think of for a concept like the skateboard.


If you haven't played the 1st game but want to jump into the 2nd, please go and either play it or watch an LP of it. There's going to be a good amount of context chunks you won't understand if you just play the 2nd game straight away. This is a sequel after all.

Also Mafia City lvl 35 Boss is canon in Deadly Premonition lore ahaha

 
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Flyboy

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So, I finished Deadly Premonition Origins for the first time the other day and I really cannot stop thinking about it. Yes, the jank is funny, but the beauty, surrealism, and overall the incredible story and how all the pieces of it tie together make it something wholly unique and fascinating. York is such a great character, too, and I can't heap enough praise on that last string of fights...

I love the old school mentality of its gameplay too, very Dreamcast or PS1-era survival horror, equal parts terrifying and humorous. I've even started to watch Twin Peaks thanks to this game, and I'm definitely going to be getting the sequel.

What a great time! As a result, I've made a little Challenger Pack graphic for York. It's all stuff from the first game but feel free to toss in a few spirits and songs from 2 if you've played it.

yorksmash1.jpg

Click for full size! I know he's not really likely but I still think he'd be awesome with a huge arsenal of guns, melee items, and maybe the legendary guitar as well...
 

Flyboy

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yorkpacknew.jpg

Sorry for the double post, but! I beat Deadly Premonition 2 the other day and loved it! The new patch updates make it run great, and the rewrites were a smart move and actually improved the already really cool game. I had such a great time that I had to update my Challenger Pack idea...and I even came up with a moveset idea!

Concept: Paranormal Investigator.
As an FBI Special Agent, York uses mundane items to track down suspects and solve cases. However, due to various circumstances he also has access to a strange metaphysical "otherworld" which grants him special profiling powers and an...active imagination, to say the least. He focuses on smart strategy and utility with a dash of the surreal, reflecting his calm but very comical, unusual, and sometimes abrasive and obsessive personality.

Gimmick: Resource Management
York has limited use of ammo and his Otherworld Shift powers. Skilled players must learn how to use these in calculated ways in order to change the tides of battle.

Otherworld Shift: A three (or so?) segmented meter. Either goes once-per-stock or takes a very, very long time to recharge - not 100% sure yet. Otherworld Shift is a brief state of heightened consciousness for York, one that changes his attacks and dodge mechanics but only for a brief time. It can mean a major turnaround in a battle, but only if used right.

Specials (Normal):
Neutral Special: Mr. Alligator - A standard tranquilizer handgun with ten shots per clip. Packs a punch, but is very rudimentary when it comes to aim.

Side Special: Skateboard - York gets on his skateboard and you can control his movement. Pressing Side B again dismounts. The dismount animation has a hitbox. Using Neutral B on the skateboard does a 360 twirl.

Up Special: Wallie - York does a wicked jump off of his skateboard, leaving it to fall.

Down Special: Otherworld Shift

Specials (Shifted):
Neutral Special: Cronenberg Gun - Okay, that's not the name of it in-game, but York does compare it to a work by the famed director. Basically, in the Otherworld, York's hand and arm transforms into a twisted mess of branches and vines and that powers up his weaponry. By holding down the special button you can lock onto enemies - multiple targets in FFA, or do a multi-attack in 1v1. It will work like in game where closer enemies get locked onto faster and can take multihits even in FFA if you're able to charge it long enough.

Side Special: Sidestep - A quick step that allows York to evade attacks and is cancelable into the Cronenberg Gun. Good for crossups and getting out of danger.

Down Special: Ammo Switch - Changes the clip used in the Cronenberg Gun from the standard bullets to explosive rounds, venom bullets, or ones that come out faster but do less damage.

Jabs/Normals: York uses his fists to do close range melee attacks. When in Otherworld Shift mode, these fist attacks turn into attacks using melee weapons such as crowbars and pipes (and sometimes the Legendary Guitar). Weapon attacks do more damage and have increased knockback and range.

Other:
Taunts: Sipping a damn fine cup of coffee, tapping his tie and then his head to consult Zach, and smoking a cigarette (or eating a lollipop if that's not allowed).

Stage: The Red Room - a traveling stage that shifts between the Red Room in Deadly Premonition 1 & 2, showing visions of Greenvale and Le Carre in doorway rifts in the background. Various characters in the games cameo in this manner, either as themselves or as mysterious shadowy apparitions.

Costumes: Five featuring Greenvale-era York the fifth being Zach, three featuring Le Carre-era York, all in different suits (based on ones you can get in-game).

---

I admit I'm not amazing at balancing movesets so I apologize if this is a little janky but I think there's a lot of fun to be had here.
 

Oddball

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Francis Morgan.png
Limiting myself to just eight outfits, these are the ones I'd most like to see if he shows up.

Although I wouldn't be against the Older Zach from DP2 either. Nor would I dislike his red and white Hawaiin shirt looking suit.
 
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