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[Vick]

I am NEVER going to care about reviews ever again in my life, it's a promise.

There's not really much to say, i can't recall the last time i was this hooked to a game.. i thought it was a matter of age at this point but fuck me i'm still a child apparently because this is making me feel the urge to play more like it only happened years and years ago. The last time i felt truly addicted to a game was probably with Oblivion, previously San Andreas and even previously Pokémon Yellow. I wake up wanting to play more, think about the game when i'm not home, hell, even writing this right now feels like i'm wasting time.
What a game.. you can so easily tell the team put their hearts and souls into this. Six fucking regions of extremely carefully designed areas down to most intimate details, sublime controls for both Deacon and bike (the Metacritic score difference between RDR2 and Witcher 3 and Days Gone is so laughable it should be a meme), every single moment of traversal can be super tense, meaningful skill three, meaningful upgrades, meaningful weapons unlocks, meaningful map and camp clearing, and unlike those games there's something completely unique here, such as hordes.. There's no game like this.

I ain't got much time so here a summary.

The Good:
• Game controls amazing and look as good as a ND game in terms of animations. Feels much better than TLOU2.
• The bike feels super good to handle, heavy and realistic but incredibly fun especially fully upgraded, almost like a Motorstorm successor. So good even going downhill in neutral to spare gas feels amazing.
• Gameplay is constantly engaging for a reason or another. Can turn from 0 to 100 in matter of seconds, anytime.
• Hordes are pure adrenaline rush. Always.
• There's a shit ton of traps and bombs or special ammo that you can craft so the planning potential is literally infinite, a true sandbox of opportunities.
• Locations, locations, locations. Oregon is a such a stunning place and every inch of this world is crafted with love and care.
• The story is actually interesting and features some really well written characters (and i could't give a single shit about bikers and such).
• You can actually “mark your territory” in this world, the game remember which car you opened and things you looted so you always know which area you've explored already (the game is designed well enough that each location feels unique, but it's still super welcome and something i'd want in every open world).
• The campaign is so long it feels like two games packed into one, like a multi season TV series. The game is immense.
• The game itself, in terms of characters, story and influences feels like something out of the 90's, completely detached from what the industry and media in general is now and i can't express how much i loved that.
• The secret ending got me good and i really liked the unique take on "zombies".
• Missions are varied enough and fit well into the lore.
• You can grab or craft a melee weapon and still chose to use your pocket knife whenever you want (you heard that ND?!)
• Best open world graphics i’ve ever seen. Dynamic PCSS on consoles.. why on Earth there’s no mention of this on the Internet is blowing my mind. Naughty Dogs struggling with simple static shadows in daytime and this game is flexing with flawless dynamic PCSS in an open world and still features the little touches seen in ND games like the character proximity occlusion and even a simplified version of the dynamic GI from the torch, game is a pleasure to the eyes, UE fully redeemed.
• A real and proper weather system which also affect gameplay in various forms, and only game i've ever seen with dynamic snowfalls which transform the environment in real time.
• Challenges are hard as hell but super, super fun. And rewards are applied to the main game (and even seen on Deacon jacket) and that's simply awesome.

The Bad:
• Gunplay is only serviceable. Spraying hordes with machine guns feels amazing but forget about precision without using focus. Well not really as i have a Gold patch for the headshot challenge without focus, but it’s not a strenght and takes too much time to be reliable.
• Golf buggy in that one challenge doesn't control nearly as good as the bike.
• I predicted a story beat.
• Fuck wolves. Seriously, fuck them. When they silently follow your bike just to suddenly attack from behind as soon as you get off.. i love my heart going crazy during hordes but fuck those heart attacks out of nowhere.

The Ugly:
• Transitions from cutscene to gameplay look dated.
• Lack of AI options. Don't get me wrong, encounters are fun and all enemies try flanking maneuvers (even hordes), and probably i wouldn't want to play agaist smarter enemies, but customized options like TLOU2 would be more than welcome at least for human enemies.
• I hate the lack of HUD options. I've only learned about dynamic HUD in Survival mode during the middle of my Hard playthrough and that bothered the shit out of me.
• The directional audio is completely unrealiable.
• The awful bugs present in game when it shipped and the terribad performances on base PS4. These are things I've only heard about though.

Been playing nonstop since i got my PS5, i am now in the middle of my second playthrough on Survival II and i feel like i'm not going to stop anytime soon. My favourite Sony exclusive possibly ever, by far the most underrated game i've ever played (the two Golden Joystick Awards for Best Storytelling e PlayStation Game of the Year were super deserved at least).
I am sure the entire Copeland character with his love for the Second Amendment (and the 2nd Amendment skin for your bike) and all the truth pills (more like atom bombs) spoken on Radio Free Oregon, or the fact the only lesbian character in this game is actually bisex and lust for our male alpha character and even tries to cheat her girlfriend with him are just some of the things which definitely didn’t triggered lots of reviewers.

I know most of what i posted sounds crazy hyperbole, but never in a million years would i have imagined the game being this good.
Granted i love zombies, love Mad Max, love The Walking Dead, love Alan Wake environments and love TLOU/Uncharted combat (this is mostly TLOU but while shooting is worse than Uncharted 4, but much better than RDR2, it's also part Uncharted because of the fluidity of the flow roll-melee-shooting) and this is a perfect mix of them all.
The fact i haven't given Bend Studio money for this game is giving me pain however so i will buy it full price as soon as i can and i'll even try to find a Collector's Edition separately. Surpassed GoT, W3 and Mad Max as favourite game from the previous gen.
Don't know how much the Dualsense and PS5 performances affected my opinion, but that's it.

And i swear, the game looking like this is just a little bonus.

Was going to post way more captures but i just realized Imgur is compressing the living shit out of 4K pictures making them look like crap, so fuck that for now.

P.S. Bend Studio wrote "From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for playing" at the end of the credits, but if someone from the studio is reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this unforgettable journey possible and for every effort in making this dream game a reality.

 

[ColonialRaptor]

I had the exact same experience with demons souls. I had that like a child obsessed sense again.

nice post by the way I’ve been thinking about playing days gone. It’s sitting there staring at me.

I think ghost of Tsushima is ready to play now though and at 60fps on ps5 I’m all in. I hope days gone will get a 60fps patch because I’m definitively going to give it a try does days gone run at 4k60 on Ps5 btw?

 

[Hinedorf]

I got Days Gone on the cheap for ps4 but just couldn't get into it on initial start, might have to give this another try when my ps5 comes around

 

[IntentionalPun]

My game of the generation.

But yes, fuck wolves.

 

[Arthimura]

Demon's Souls is the GOAT but Days Gone is truly amazing, i can't blame you.

One of the best open world games of the last generation. For me it's better than Breath of the Wild and RDR2.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

Man, you got me hyped!

Can't wait to play it in 2024

 

[Esppiral]

But who in their right mind cares about reviews? I don't care how reviews pray Demon Souls, to me is the biggest piece of shit ever, and you are right Days Gone is really underrated.

 

[AgentP]

Great game, no judgement here.

 

[Magenta Mage]

I didn't give this game a chance but I heard they made a lot of improvements since launch. Playing Ghost of Tsushima on my PS5 now but I'll probably check this out next on the PS Plus Collection.

 

[ANIMAL1975]

Wonderful post mate! Haven't played it yet, but now I'm even more excited to do it thank you.

 

[LectureMaster]

You did the correct thing, riding Sarah is definitely more fun than playing a clunky dude hiding behind a shield from everything.

 

[hemo memo]

I have it downloaded on PS5 but not played yet. I will finish Sackboy first then probably jump in.

 

[Darkskill]

I was looking forward to Days Gone since the very first trailer. I had it pre-ordered and everything. Once the reviews dropped (I only looked at the numeric scores), I felt unsure and decided to cancel my order. Fortunately, it was too late. The game was already preparing to ship.

Turned out to be my favorite game of the generation, and top 10 all time. Even bought the CE. To think I almost missed out because of some lame reviews. I pretty much stopped looking at reviews after that.

After finishing the game, I decided to actually read through the reviews just to see what their problems were. Once I saw complaints like “all the zombies are white” I was done. Haven’t read a Gamespot review since.

 

[SlimySnake]

Yep. I have been absolutely baffled by the critics for several games. This game was by no means the first game sent to an early death by the critics.

I would suggest you go back and replay several other games that were poisoned by the critics.

- Anthem - Great Fucking gameplay. if you liked Mass Effect, you will love the combat here. Especially in the end game when you start making builds. it is NOT a 54 game like metacritic says. I would say its better than Destiny was when it first launched though lack of raid really hurts. Still a good 50-60 hours of great combat to be had.
- Mass Effect Andromeda - Mocked by both critics and bandwagon haters for bad animations, but it's one of the better WRPGs of this gen. Again, fantastic combat and unlike Anthem it actually has a great cast of characters, fantastic loyalty missions and a great fucking ending that rivals Mass Effect 2's suicide mission.
- Metal Gear Survive - Fuck Dunkey and Angry Cunt Joe. People who hate play games and dont really play them for great combat. it's got the great MGS combat but with some really satisfying melee, and an incredible base building system that makes it feel like a completely different game than MGS5. It's survival horror but because of MGSV mechanics, its far better than any survival horror game you would play.
- Detroit - 78 metacritic is laughable for this incredible experience. Easily the best in the genre and some of the best graphics ever.
- the Last Guardian - 82 lol. This is a masterpiece despite some camera issues. It's a GOTY contender not a run of the middle low 80s game. Halo 5 and Gears 4 have a higher metacritic. give me a fucking break.
- Death Stranding - 82 again. What nonsense. Another masterpiece in game design.

These critics are nuts and gamers keep falling for this nonsense.

 

[Umbral]

Vick turn on motion aiming to help with the guns. Give it about 10 mins of use and you’ll start to hit your shots more consistently. Crank the sensitivity to 10 if you need to.

Days Gone was one of my favorite games of the generation and I didn’t expect it to be.

Look at the fuss made over the “promise to ride me” line that happened. There’s a scene where Deacon checks out Sarah’s ass. Bend Studio seems to be more blue collar than most studios and if there’s one thing lefties can’t stand, it’s blue collar people who they view as their inferiors. You may think that’s an exaggeration, but it goes all the way into their soul.

Edit: How could you not like Sam Witwer?

 

[GribbleGrunger]

I got Days Gone on the cheap for ps4 but just couldn't get into it on initial start, might have to give this another try when my ps5 comes around

The tutorial is quite long so yeah, stick with it.

 

[Represent.]

Downloaded it for free on my PS5, but started GoT first - That game just isnt clicking for me. I will try this out instead. I need to shoot some shit.

TLOU 2 is my fav game of all time, so i'm not expecting much here, but this does look and sound fun.

hope its a good surprise

 

[Deen]

Bought my PS5 for Demon's Souls, Spiderman etc., can't stop playing Stormy Run in Astro's Playroom.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

git gud n00b

 

[Umbral]

Yep. I have been absolutely baffled by the critics for several games. This game was by no means the first game sent to an early death by the critics.

I would suggest you go back and replay several other games that were poisoned by the critics.

- Anthem - Great Fucking gameplay. if you liked Mass Effect, you will love the combat here. Especially in the end game when you start making builds. it is NOT a 54 game like metacritic says. I would say its better than Destiny was when it first launched though lack of raid really hurts. Still a good 50-60 hours of great combat to be had.
- Mass Effect Andromeda - Mocked by both critics and bandwagon haters for bad animations, but it's one of the better WRPGs of this gen. Again, fantastic combat and unlike Anthem it actually has a great cast of characters, fantastic loyalty missions and a great fucking ending that rivals Mass Effect 2's suicide mission.
- Metal Gear Survive - Fuck Dunkey and Angry Cunt Joe. People who hate play games and dont really play them for great combat. it's got the great MGS combat but with some really satisfying melee, and an incredible base building system that makes it feel like a completely different game than MGS5. It's survival horror but because of MGSV mechanics, its far better than any survival horror game you would play.
- Detroit - 78 metacritic is laughable for this incredible experience. Easily the best in the genre and some of the best graphics ever.
- the Last Guardian - 82 lol. This is a masterpiece despite some camera issues. It's a GOTY contender not a run of the middle low 80s game. Halo 5 and Gears 4 have a higher metacritic. give me a fucking break.
- Death Stranding - 82 again. What nonsense. Another masterpiece in game design.

These critics are nuts and gamers keep falling for this nonsense.

I think you are right about The Last Guardian and Death Stranding. Metal Gear Survive was never gonna get my attention after what they did to Kojima, even though I had a friend who really liked it. The rest of the list aren’t my cup of tea, so I can’t speak with any certainty on those despite the joy I get from shitting on Anthem and ME: Andromeda for laughs.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

damn, those are some impressive images!

got to admit i still have yet to play this. but might have to. this looks amazing.

 

[Entroyp]

I bought this game around launch but haven’t had a chance to play it. It will be my next game to play.

 

[Sorc3r3r]

Best open world in years as in this world you feel you are hunted and in danger, it's the experience of a survival horror expanded to the open world mechanic with coherence.

I loved it.

 

[belteshazzar]

It's honestly a super underrated game. I don't know why it was so downplayed by the media, but gamers liked it, the game sold well and had good word of mouth. I thought it was a diamond on the rough, the game really shines where it shines, but it did have some problems, especially on launch day. However, just like you, I was completely drawn into it from beginning to end. Maybe I'll do a second playthrough in a harder difficulty now that PS5 patch is out. I think anyone that gave it a pass based on reviews should give it a chance, especially all PS5 owners that got it for free with the PS Plus Collection.

 

[Omeyocan]

I’m playing Days Gone for the first time on my PS5 ( don’t have a PS4 ). This game is definitely one of my favorite in my life. This game is insane ! It deserves a 10 for me. Looking forward to the sequel.

 

[Paulxo87]

the 4k 60 patch for days gone is incredible.

 

[TonyK]

I don't love the game at that level but I agree it's underrated. I started playing it only to test it and ended finishing the game. I remember playing thinking "when will I arrive to that point that the game becomes repetitive and boring?"... but I ended the game and it was, for me, fun and engaging until the end.

 

[Sebastian Suola]

Ok, you sold it to me. I’ve actually already downloaded it, but now I’m really gonna give it a chance.

 

[THE DUCK]

I'm with you, I've been playing this a lot too. Even though the patch is only for frame rate, and is not a true PS5 "enhancement", the game still looks amazing at 4k/60.

 

[Aidah]

It looks really good on PS5 and runs super smooth, not quite as impressive as Ghost of Tsushima but still. I've only sampled both, but definitely giving both a full chance later on.

 

[bitbydeath]

I think a lot of people were expecting to be full guns a-blazing from the very start. But instead you have to rely on stealth mechanics because your guns and bike are utter trash at the beginning.

People were surprised about having to fill up the bike which you have to do a lot in the beginning until you gradually upgrade your bike with bigger tanks.

It’s my GOTG personally and I can’t wait for the sequel, especially after how it ended.

 

[Jaxcellent]

I enjoyed days gone too, it ran ok on the pro, it's a pretty hard game, I really had to plan my journey from town to town, made it more important to keep fuel in your bike and have enough bullets.

if you haven't played this one, and you diden't like the LOU2 way of storytelling, or character's this could be a good game to try, the horde's are pretty awesome too, and the bike is very upgradeable, Heck i might reinstall it so i can play and finish my playthrough before Cyberpunk hits next week.

 

[Redlancet]

this game it why you dont take reviews and gaming press seriously,fuck them

 

[WalterSobchak]

It starts a little slow to anyone just giving it a chance , but give it an hour or so as to when you can save anytime by your bike. Then its awesome.

Nice write up OP , I echo most everything you said. Top 5 of last gen for me , maybe top 3. You are making me want to do a Survival ll run , I beat on hard ll already . Feels like it would take even longer losing fast travel ability on Survival though . Is it much tougher than Hard ll other then that ?

Only mission I really struggled on was that one where you go into a cave and all then infected Wolves rape you . Seriously that one was brutal , theres like 8 or 9 you have to take out before you get a save. Other then that I mostly cruised thru.

Give this game a chance people , its amazing.

 

[SilentUser]

It is a fantastic game, though it could be a bit shorter (yeah, that's right... shorter). I always recomend this game to others. Awesome graphics, gameplay, story and sound.

And I can relate with your feeling of joy and being reconnected to a game, though the cause responsible for that is another: God of War (and Detroit).

 

[johntown]

I am NEVER going to care about reviews ever again in my life, it's a promise.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

Ride her like you ride your motorcycle!

 

[kingwingin]

Not falling for it, enjoy your cup-and-ball

 

[Agnostic2020]

Its an amazing game and looks next gen on ps5. Enjoy it

 

[mekes]

It wasn’t for me. Got to the second map section and wished the game was wrapping up. I didn’t have the patience or desire to continue.

 

[Rival]

Installing on my PS5 right now!

 

[Clear]

It wasn’t for me. Got to the second map section and wished the game was wrapping up. I didn’t have the patience or desire to continue.

You are so badly missing out. Barely scratched the surface of what the game has to offer by that point because its a game that subtly evolves as you work through it.

 

[Camreezie]

This game was criminally glossed over. I also can't believe they put a fucking lewis capaldi song in it , that's legit my only complaint lmao

 

[mckmas8808]

I HATED the transitions from cutscene to gameplay. The game was okay to me, but I just can't get into open world games like that anymore. It's almost TOO wide open. I need more direction.

 

[mekes]

You are so badly missing out. Barely scratched the surface of what the game has to offer by that point because its a game that subtly evolves as you work through it.

That’s interesting to hear. I still own the game and have my save intact. I remember at the time, the game just felt like a bit of a comedown as I’d played through and REALLY enjoyed Sekiro beforehand. I can be harsh on open world games and its a genre where I really have my preferences with things like the setting etc.

I see people saying “Game of the gen” and “Criminally underrated” and think to myself, not to me. So seeing your post saying I had much more to come and the game will evolve, that actually does pique my interest. I thought at the point I had reach that I had the game sussed, but perhaps not.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Sleepwalker]

It is an awesome game honestly, probably my GOTY of 2019.

 

[R6Rider]

I haven't played this game yet, but I'll give it a try sometime since it's on the PS+ Collection.

 

[rofif]

I played it this year on ps4 slim.. not only it ran terrible but I found it too long, quests too bullshitty and story plain sucked ass.
The world and graphics are nice though.
The game is not underrated... by now it is overrated

 

[Hendrick's]

Good game for sure. Too masculine for reviewers obviously.

 

[Clear]

That’s interesting to hear. I still own the game and have my save intact. I remember at the time, the game just felt like a bit of a comedown as I’d played through and REALLY enjoyed Sekiro beforehand. I can be harsh on open world games and its a genre where I really have my preferences with things like the setting etc.

I see people saying “Game of the gen” and “Criminally underrated” and think to myself, not to me. So seeing your post saying I had much more to come and the game will evolve, that actually does pique my interest. I thought at the point I had reach that I had the game sussed, but perhaps not.

Thanks for sharing

As you progress new enemies get layered in, and as each sort of encounter is its own random event in the world the likelihood for things to get chaotic grows exponentially. This combined with the way your character's powers and abilities grow while enemy strength remains static keeps it engaging. Deke is complete bad-ass murder machine by the time you get to endgame, but the world itself gets bigger and more unpredictable... I just found it incredibly rewarding and fun.

Taking on a 500 strong horde is no joke, and it takes a fair amount of foraging and crafting to prepare adequately to take it on. Which is why the game generally saves its biggest encounters til late on. Its not like the E3 demo where they were clearly running with infinite ammo!