This guide is for the poor souls that, like me, suddenly couldn't use analog and d-pad input anymore or never got them to work, even after the game was officially patched. I fixed my Xbox 360 wired controller input on Windows 8.1 x64 with this method.

If Windows compatibility settings don't work for you, or you just don't want to play at single digit framerates caused by them, this may be your solution.

The first thing to do is to download XBCD 0.2.7 (you can easily google it) which is a customizable driver for your gamepad.

Installing XBCD alone fixed my left analog stick controls and d-pad, but the right one, L/R triggers and back/start button were all messed up.

If you encounter the same issue you can launch the XBCD setup application (admin privileges could be needed) and create a profile for Deadly Premonition:



I highlighted in red the inputs that I had to edit. Follow this picture, click "Apply" and you should be good to go.

Voila!

If your controls are still messed up after following my instructions, try setting them up differently, based on your experience.

Remember that this workaround overrides your controller mapping for every other game, so you have to switch back to the default profile (XBCD 360 Emu) if you're not playing another bugged mess like this awesome game's port.

Also, this is a custom driver and I can't guarantee it won't cause other problems, I suggest reverting to the official one after uninstalling the game.

I hope this guide helps fellow Deadly Premonition players to enjoy the game and forget about these frustrating matters.