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LTTP: Days Gone is an overlooked underappreciated gem of a game

Do you want a sequel to Days Gone

  • Yes, sign me up

    Votes: 204 65.8%
  • Need to play the original first

    Votes: 61 19.7%
  • I am still unable to secure a PS5 :(

    Votes: 18 5.8%
  • I want a new IP from Bend

    Votes: 34 11.0%
  • Can we have a Syphon Filter Remake from Bend Studio

    Votes: 34 11.0%

  • Total voters
    310

desertdroog

Member
I hope the team learns what works and fixes what doesn't in this game. It could use some polish, but i am looking forward to a sequel. It has an interesting enough storyline and world. It hits that miserable, bleak edge that I look for in media (when the mood arises) and gives you the tools to wreck the house when you want.

I am glad I gave Days Gone a chance and I hope they make the next one better.
 
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THEAP99

Banned
It's really pathetic that I go to load up the game on my ps5 and I try to get a nero intel site.. that's on like a mini island surrounded by water? I managed to get the Intel, but when I try leaving it, I die everytime because for whatever reason the developers at Bend Studio did NOT implement SWIMMING. Why even bother having water in the damn game? Jesus
 

begotten

Member
I feel like Days Gone is a pretty easy game to like and enjoy especially if you went into it with low expectations. Another Zombie Survival game, I know I did.

How it played as a game, it managed to strike a good mix between what made State Of Decay & The Last Of Us fun to play, so I found it enjoyable to get lost within it and it's atmosphere, and not care so much about one of it's flaws of repetitiveness.

The narrative and characters' weren't anything special, but that's why I actually enjoyed it. I didn't mind how this game wasn't trying to be too over the top with it's cinematic experience and had a more grounded approach with a simple over-arching plot and sub-plot with the humanised characters. It's a nice, and more relaxing change of pace and tone from what you would otherwise expect from Sony exclusives.

The game ended up being a little too long - you probably could have cut the entire camp with the old lady. There was also some weird game-design choices which I'm sure will be improved and fix upon come the next installment. Also with Days Gone 2, Bend Studio have a pretty solid foundation to launch themselves from now.

With improvements and new implementations to the games' game design, an improved narrative (which matters to people) based on the first games' secret ending, culling of issues that inhabited the first game AND a successful launch, I can easily see Days Gone 2 being one of the best games of this new generation.
 

begotten

Member
It's really pathetic that I go to load up the game on my ps5 and I try to get a nero intel site.. that's on like a mini island surrounded by water? I managed to get the Intel, but when I try leaving it, I die everytime because for whatever reason the developers at Bend Studio did NOT implement SWIMMING. Why even bother having water in the damn game? Jesus

I hope you're not talking about one of the sites where you clearly have to nitro-boost your bike to and from. Big fail on your part.
 
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desertdroog

Member
...

The game ended up being a little too long - you probably could have cut the entire camp with the old lady. There was also some weird game-design choices which I'm sure will be improved and fix upon come the next installment. Also with Days Gone 2, Bend Studio have a pretty solid foundation to launch themselves from now.
...

I don't know but it seems like there was something that was cut regarding the camp with the people digging. It takes up such a large space, nothing really happens there other than sending people to go be slaves and the opportunity for better weapons. I kept waiting for some weird reveal that they were digging up some mysterious civilization that would tie into the plague or some sort of mineral that would help fight off the zombies.

Thinking back on it makes me think that they had plans that just never panned out. It is an odd area outside of another camp to locate that part of the map for a base of operations.

The way each camp knew Deacon was odd, I was expecting more back story with each of the leaders and Deacon, not just throw away lines etc... Of course there is only so much they could do in the space they had.
 

Hugare

Member
Tried to play this game 4 times

Imo, mediocre in everything besides graphics.

Gameplay, story, characters, everything was just ok in the time that I spent with it. Nothing made me feel hooked. Having to refil the bike's tank was a bore.
 

Duchess

Member
I finished and platinumed the game. Enjoyed it a lot.

However, I felt it was too long and so some of the gameplay elements started to repeat too much. There was also the mandatory huge hoard battles, which I found extremely difficult and should always have been an extra / post-game thing.
 
days gone is a fantastic games now. It was garbage when it launched and deserved the scores it got. That being said they patched the hell out of it and it runs decent now. I love the story and world in that game. I hoep it gets a sequel..
 

begotten

Member
I don't know but it seems like there was something that was cut regarding the camp with the people digging. It takes up such a large space, nothing really happens there other than sending people to go be slaves and the opportunity for better weapons. I kept waiting for some weird reveal that they were digging up some mysterious civilization that would tie into the plague or some sort of mineral that would help fight off the zombies.

Thinking back on it makes me think that they had plans that just never panned out. It is an odd area outside of another camp to locate that part of the map for a base of operations.

The way each camp knew Deacon was odd, I was expecting more back story with each of the leaders and Deacon, not just throw away lines etc... Of course there is only so much they could do in the space they had.

I think that camp just existed to help tell Lisas' story, who ended up having a post-game moment and will probably be in Days Gone 2. I don't think it was particularly done well, they could have integrated Lisas' story into any other camp or non-camp area.
 
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TheHillman

Neo Member
I started playing this just before the PS5 came out and then carried on on my PS5. It's a really great first installment to the series. I know it look a lot of crap for the characters but I think that's because there's a lot of nuance to them. Deacon's a dick but as the story moves on you really do start to see his more human side and the interactions with Sarah are great. I think the game is definitely too long though. All in all I hope they do a Days Gone 2 and I'd also love to see a good Syphon Filter reboot.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
My GOTY 2019, beating out a very strong contender for me in Death Stranding. A big deal for me as I tend to prize stuff that takes creative risks like Kojima's game does, but... DG was simply too good at being itself. Yeah, so its built on a familiar template, and the seams frequently show where they merged the original branching narrative into a single fixed plot, but its just really, really enjoyable to play and the characters and voice acting are top-notch.

Sam Witwer was great, as were the principle supporting cast, and as a whole its a wonderfully written and performed take on the basic tropey formula. I think nothing encapsulates how the game handles its storytelling and character-work better than the big revelation regarding the identity of the "witch"; rather than tackling this development with big dramatics it underplays it nicely in order to really show how the survivor experience has changed them both. Great stuff imho.
 
My biggest complaint was Deacon never shutting the fuck up, even when wandering around. It was CONSTANT and got so annoying. A lot of the dialogue really was corny as hell and cringey. It was like a fever dream of what a 16 year old would think cool bikers are like.

The gameplay was much more fun in the second half once you had more skills and weapons unlocked, but they need a whole new writing team for me to be excited about a sequel.
 
The setting and graphics are great but the story makes no sense, the characters are terrible and the gameplay is open world filler trash... Aside from very late hordes.
Imo it is overrated...
I disliked the characters but will remember them because they were so stupid. Boozer sits around for whole game, Mike is unrealistically stupid for a boss character, Deacon is.... Omg... At least I remember them.
And the repetition of terrible stealth missions and random open world event traps... Ugh
At least it's better than linear corridors right?
 
Apparently one critic in the press said they cringed at the dialogue where the character tells he will ride her like the way he rides the bike. Apparently it's a biker cultural thing to say. Heck even Sara (Deek's wife) says she will say no such absurd things at their wedding ceremony. So games writing even addresses the cringe.

A lot of people complained that Deek always yelled while riding a bike. For some reason people don't understand how loud bike engines are.
 

Mabdia

Member
I just can't get tired of any praises given to Days Gone.

It's on my top 5 of this gen. better than a lot of hyped games. And it's trashed for the same things that others games are praised.

Amazing game that I have a blast while playing.
 
Turned me off that PlayStation ordered another "emotional zombie game" after the success of TLOU. Just felt cheap and unnecessary (not to mention overhyped) so I skipped it. I'm willing to give it a shot at this point.
 

Royal-Slime

Banned
Okay, I find the game to be pretty gross but I try to be neutral... and the image with "reviews" is pretty hilarious.

"The romance between Deakon and Sarah is also unconvincing. Why did this cultured scientist fall for a charmless, monosyllabic man-child..." I guess at The Guardian they've never read "Beauty and Beast"? Or haven't watched literally any romance movie? Haven't seen any couple in real life? Seriously, how delusional does someone need to be to imagine that "cultured" women don't fall for "charmless man-chilldren"?

"No woman would ever ask a straight man for help if she had a broken car in the mountains"... everything needs to be a role-model. There isn't a single woman in real life who would look for a dependable man in a bad situation.... not one..... oh boy. And even if we pretend the women of all the world behave like these journos... why there can't be a "dumb" character? There's those half-naked cultists in the game and Deacon is fully clothed, doesn't reach for his gun immediately and doesn't rape that woman immediately, so maaaybe he's ok?

"Not here for straight white male wish fullfillment". Not surprised. These journos are here for their gay fantasies and fantasies of kids crossdressing (hello, TLOU2).

The "ride me like your bike" quote isn't as bad as they make it out to be. The guy is a biker who probably spends more time with his Boozer and bike than around women. It's just a damned joke, good grief..

I'm definitely not someone who is going to stand on the side of "we need more games for real men" but I'm also not a SJW-supporter. It's insane how these crazy people are getting paid for writing that trash they call "reviews". It's literal personal blog for them and they're all absolutely delusional. Want to see those gay women spar with "straight white males" if they're so strong.
 
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Kerlurk

Banned
 
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zaanan

Banned
Bought the game a long time ago, but didn't play it until a couple of months ago. I really enjoyed my time with it, huge open world, lots of things to do and really enjoyable story. That said, the game is long, like really long. I hadn't feel that a game included both parts 1 and 2 in a single release since the original Okami.
They heard what happened to The Order and went in the opposite direction
 
Wow so nice to read up posts from so many who've enjoyed this gem. Hope the game sold enough to greenlight a sequel, because the second ending of the game really had me shook, OMG :messenger_face_screaming: :lollipop_thescream: :lollipop_anxious_sweat: :lollipop_fearful:
 

begotten

Member
Fuck Skizzo

His VA was phenomenal and the one stand-out performance for mine. There's a bit of dialogue near the end when you're clearing a cave and he's radioing in on you. I ended up having to reload my save multiple times just so I could re-listen to it. Underrated piece of dialogue that was delivered beautifully.

I don't know VA names, but I hope that dude gets another role in Days Gone 2.
 

Kamina

Golden Boy
His VA was phenomenal and the one stand-out performance for mine. There's a bit of dialogue near the end when you're clearing a cave and he's radioing in on you. I ended up having to reload my save multiple times just so I could re-listen to it. Underrated piece of dialogue that was delivered beautifully.

I don't know VA names, but I hope that dude gets another role in Days Gone 2.
Oh his voice acting was spot on.
 

VGEsoterica

Member
Been playing it recently because Amazon was selling it for like $8

Definitely a super legit game. Reviews didn't do it any favors but I've been enjoying my time with it. Awesome open world, solid visuals, good story if a bit predictable...but shooting zombie hordes will never not be fun!
 

ethomaz

Banned
It is a good game that suffered by serious performance issues at launch.
The review scores were deserved.

I believe it is a way better game today.
 

Mabdia

Member
His VA was phenomenal and the one stand-out performance for mine. There's a bit of dialogue near the end when you're clearing a cave and he's radioing in on you. I ended up having to reload my save multiple times just so I could re-listen to it. Underrated piece of dialogue that was delivered beautifully.

I don't know VA names, but I hope that dude gets another role in Days Gone 2.


I love to hate him.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
Apparently one critic in the press said they cringed at the dialogue where the character tells he will ride her like the way he rides the bike. Apparently it's a biker cultural thing to say. Heck even Sara (Deek's wife) says she will say no such absurd things at their wedding ceremony. So games writing even addresses the cringe.

It was his wife that said it at the wedding. Yes, it's a stereotypical thing bikers might say and that's why it's funny. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that line unless you're an anally retentive, up your own arse, political correct ass-hole reviewer.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
I think sometimes the press feels like they have to bitch about something these days.

It’s been really interesting to see the praise heaped on The Last of Us 2 whilst this game gets seemingly snubbed. I really liked the story and characters in Days Gone, cringe and all.

I was particularly interested to see if they'd revisit Lisa in the second game. There was some nice evolution going on there.
 

Komatsu

Member
Absolutely fantastic game and that Kelly (Kally? Kallie?) Plagge disgrace of a review was what finally weened me off GameSpot after two decades as a reader. I am OK with the young lady going all intersectional on the game - all power to her - but her review could be summarized in a sentence: I don't like white guy bikers.

Days Gone was not, is not and never will be a 6.5 game.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
The real story though has to be the way Bend supported the game post release.

Ok, the game didn't launch in the best shape, it was glitchy and performance wobbled quite badly on base PS4 even after the day#1 patch.
But...

They regularly patched the game to fix bugs and make performance improvements for over a year.
They added NG+ and new difficulties.
They added a truthfully pretty extensive set of challenge modes, focusing on stealth, horde battling, racing and even a nice riff on crazy taxi.
They did a final consolidation patch to shrink the installed file size considerably.
They did a patch to smooth PS5 transition and improve load times.

All this for free on top of an already big game with zero mtx.

Who's done better than that?
 

DinoD

Member
I played it feverishly over the last couple of weeks.

I reached the storyline point where Deacon meets Sarah. Writing isn't strongest suit of this game, but the encounter didn't make any sense. After the nice build up it was a real anti climax. I did few more missions, but game is turning into a real chore. :(
 
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Cyborg

Member
I played it feverishly over the last couple of weeks.

I reached the storyline point where Deacon meets Sarah. Writing isn't strongest suit of this game, but the encounter didn't make any sense. After the nice build up it was a real anti climax. I did few more missions, but game is turning into a real chore. :(
I do agree that the moment you speak of was dissapointing but still the game is much much better then reviews made me believe.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
I am also playing it on PS5. I'm about to leave the third camp so quite a bit in. I find the story to be surprisingly engaging for an open world game. The info bits about the virus, about Sarah and the conspiracy stuff from Copeland is pretty good. Horizon engaged me less in the middle part, for example. That picked up rather late. Days Gone keeps drip feeding relevant story bits.

Somehow the mission structure doesn't bore me, I love riding around and most objectives are short. Kill 5 guys, save hostage. Find something. Camps are fun and have 20 enemies at most (less if you do it stealth I think), some have only 8. Hordes interfering is frightening and forces a change of plan, but can also work to your advantage. I would say the game is too easy though, should've started on a higher difficulty. There is always enough resources to the point you likely never run out of anything. With the skills I have right now, I notice I can take on bigger groups more easily. A silenced Sniper with points spent on Focus seems to be OP.

Right now I think this is the second best PS4 Sony exclusive after GoT. I am playing it more often than the likes of God of War and Last of Us. I love the sandbox, the atmosphere, the constant danger popping up, the music bits... I never played the vanilla release, but this game is reviewed way too harsh.
 
Came to say this OP! Im playing it on PS5 and enjoying it a lot!

Awesome, i will tell you this the game's story can take it's time for you to see real progress. Give it some time, get used to the structure of the game and do your quests with the camps, upgrade your bike(very very important), find those nero injections to upgrade health, stamina and focus and actively unlock the skills tree. I enjoyed every single second in the world all the way till the platinum on the PS5.
 
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