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Days Gone is the closest thing to a perfect open-world zombie game that I could hope for, but the pacing of the story is what drags it down

Drizzlehell

Banned
Playing this game is a bit of a surreal experience, because every time I fire it up, I'm transported to a world so vividly immersive that I can smell the rain-soaked forests in the game. It's like I'm right there, exploring the wilderness like I used to do on my pre-covid camping trips. The palpable sense of presence is so intense that everything else fades away, and I'm completely immersed in the desolate yet stunning world. Every time I scavenge empty houses, I'm on high alert, listening for any potential threats lurking in the shadows. I'm also filled with dread when I realize that a horde of zombies has wandered into the town outside while I was rummaging through drawers, and I suddenly have to sneak my way back to my bike without alerting them. The tension is nail-bitingly intense.

This is what really sets this game apart from many other open world games that I usually play - its meticulous attention to detail. Every aspect of it, from the sound of my bike's tires on different terrains to the weather effects, adds to the immersive experience. It almost manages to recreate that level of detail and polish that characterizes The Last of Us games, and translates it to an open-world sandbox experience. It's a shame that not many developers pay attention to these little details that make a significant difference in creating a sense of realism.

The story in Days Gone is also quite captivating, primarily due to its characters and their subplots. I find Deacon to be a compelling character, brought to life by Sam Witwer's outstanding performance. The natural dialogue and dynamic characters add to the game's overall appeal. But here's where the game's biggest problem lies - although the overarching plot involving the virus and military operation is intriguing, the pacing feels sluggish, and I wish it would progress a little faster.

This issue is further exacerbated by the fact that so many missions in the game feature very repetitive objectives and they very rarely push the plot forward to any significant degree, which makes the whole thing feel very scaled back and slow. There are so many missions that revolve around traveling to a location on a bike and shooting meaningless groups of bandits or zombies, all for a token amount of progress in a specific subplot, or a "story" as it is called in the game. The only time when a mission stood out as particularly well made or memorable, was when I was exploring some unique location with another character, such as when I explored the power plant and mine. But other than that the mission design feels largely unimaginative. I'm also yet to experience any real encounters with a zombie horde, which was supposed to be one of the game's exciting features, and I remember seeing gameplay footage where Deacon was desperately fighting off hundreds of zombies by the skin of his teeth while trapped in some sort of a quarry. You can see it in this interview with Witwer, for example:



Like, where is that stuff? I want to get caught off-guard with those kinds of situations.

And yeah, I know that there are zombie hordes randomly roaming around the map and I could go and get them to chase me any time I want, but the game itself hasn't made any attempts to actually create a situation like the one from that gameplay footage above, where I would have to to fight my way out without having an option to just hop on a bike and drive away. I still haven't finished the game but I find the lack of these types of missions a bit underwhelming.

I mean, I'm almost 50 hours into this game, you'd think that after progressing in it that far would be enough to start throwing some more exciting missions at me, specifically those featuring zombie hordes.

Anyway, despite these shortcomings, I'm still hooked on Days Gone. The stunning visuals, immersive experience, and captivating story make it a game worth playing. I'm excited to see what the rest of the game has in store for me and hope there's still enough of the story left ahead of me for the game to pick up the pace.
 

lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
agreed.
My problem with days gone:
1) Actual horde side quest actually appear near the end part of the game.
2) Repetitive side quest
3) Repetitive "encounters"
4) Awful pacing like what you said.
5) Questionable AI (horde is like 5 feet away from the human enemies and both sides does nothing.)


I just wish the world has more interesting encounter like GTA, it makes the world immersive.
 
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gothmog

Gold Member
It was a mess at launch and while it isn't necessarily a masterpiece now when it works it's really fun. I'm not sure if I would actually want a sequel as the first game overstayed it's welcome.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
I tried to give it a go. Something about the constant switching between the game and cut scenes with the fade to black transitions just stopped me from getting into it. Maybe this is smoother on PC.
 

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
Playing this game is a bit of a surreal experience, because every time I fire it up, I'm transported to a world so vividly immersive that I can smell the rain-soaked forests in the game. It's like I'm right there, exploring the wilderness like I used to do on my pre-covid camping trips. The palpable sense of presence is so intense that everything else fades away, and I'm completely immersed in the desolate yet stunning world. Every time I scavenge empty houses, I'm on high alert, listening for any potential threats lurking in the shadows. I'm also filled with dread when I realize that a horde of zombies has wandered into the town outside while I was rummaging through drawers, and I suddenly have to sneak my way back to my bike without alerting them. The tension is nail-bitingly intense.

This is what really sets this game apart from many other open world games that I usually play - its meticulous attention to detail. Every aspect of it, from the sound of my bike's tires on different terrains to the weather effects, adds to the immersive experience. It almost manages to recreate that level of detail and polish that characterizes The Last of Us games, and translates it to an open-world sandbox experience. It's a shame that not many developers pay attention to these little details that make a significant difference in creating a sense of realism.

The story in Days Gone is also quite captivating, primarily due to its characters and their subplots. I find Deacon to be a compelling character, brought to life by Sam Witwer's outstanding performance. The natural dialogue and dynamic characters add to the game's overall appeal. But here's where the game's biggest problem lies - although the overarching plot involving the virus and military operation is intriguing, the pacing feels sluggish, and I wish it would progress a little faster.

This issue is further exacerbated by the fact that so many missions in the game feature very repetitive objectives and they very rarely push the plot forward to any significant degree, which makes the whole thing feel very scaled back and slow. There are so many missions that revolve around traveling to a location on a bike and shooting meaningless groups of bandits or zombies, all for a token amount of progress in a specific subplot, or a "story" as it is called in the game. The only time when a mission stood out as particularly well made or memorable, was when I was exploring some unique location with another character, such as when I explored the power plant and mine. But other than that the mission design feels largely unimaginative. I'm also yet to experience any real encounters with a zombie horde, which was supposed to be one of the game's exciting features, and I remember seeing gameplay footage where Deacon was desperately fighting off hundreds of zombies by the skin of his teeth while trapped in some sort of a quarry. You can see it in this interview with Witwer, for example:



Like, where is that stuff? I want to get caught off-guard with those kinds of situations.

And yeah, I know that there are zombie hordes randomly roaming around the map and I could go and get them to chase me any time I want, but the game itself hasn't made any attempts to actually create a situation like the one from that gameplay footage above, where I would have to to fight my way out without having an option to just hop on a bike and drive away. I still haven't finished the game but I find the lack of these types of missions a bit underwhelming.

I mean, I'm almost 50 hours into this game, you'd think that after progressing in it that far would be enough to start throwing some more exciting missions at me, specifically those featuring zombie hordes.

Anyway, despite these shortcomings, I'm still hooked on Days Gone. The stunning visuals, immersive experience, and captivating story make it a game worth playing. I'm excited to see what the rest of the game has in store for me and hope there's still enough of the story left ahead of me for the game to pick up the pace.


If you want the perfect open-world zombie game, Project Zomboid is the game you're looking for.
 

HawarMiran

Banned
agreed.
My problem with days gone:
1) Actual horde side quest actually appear near the end part of the game.
2) Repetitive side quest
3) Repetitive "encounters"
4) Awful pacing like what you said.
5) Questionable AI (horde is like 5 feet away from the human enemies and both sides does nothing.)


I just wish the world has more interesting encounter like GTA, it makes the world immersive.
you expect a brain-dead horde to act like normal AI? every stupid thing the AI does is basically lore accurate because they are zombies :messenger_winking_tongue:
 

Eiknarf

Member
Does Days Gone have a PS5 upgrade to where the Dualsense utilizes haptic feedback and trigger effects? If so, I’m gonna replay it - If not, maybe I sell it
 

Wizz-Art

Member
When you state "perfect open world zombie game" I automatically think about State of Decay II, can't wait for the third entry!
 
I think state of decay 2 is the better open world zombie game, quite under rated I would say. Not sure why it got low reviews on release can't remember but the updates have made it awesome.
Days gone I thought looked really good with the massive zombie hordes but I didn't really like the human enemies, maybe it was buggy when I tried it but the humans seemed really dumb.
 

Yerd

Member
I'm trying to go through this game on survival on PC version and just get bored too quickly.
I already beat the game on ps4 a while back. Got it for $11 for PC so, why not.


When you state "perfect open world zombie game" I automatically think about State of Decay II, can't wait for the third entry!
Really taking their sweet ass time on this one.

I just looked at my steam library and saw an update to this game. Tried to play again and just can't be bothered. I tried to get into a lethal difficulty when they introduced the plague zones but it's too much for me. I completed a couple games in nightmare and that's about all I want of this game. I had already finished multiple games before the plague zones. I get tired of games after so much.

For me the original Dead Rising always will be perfect Zombie game.
I wouldn't say perfect but it is one of the best. Another I tried to replay and just can't get into doing it. I remember towing around a ton of survivors all at once on my first playthrough. The zombie walk and the disembowelment. Amazing. Hyping myself up for another try but then you get the daunting task of all the work it takes to get all those skills first.

I wish I could just wipe my memory of some games so I could play them again.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Its a 6 or 7 game. Everything in it is bad but somehow and I dont know how, it comes up well together.
Well enough, that I want to replay it some day.
The story was bad,
characters were stupid
Gameplays is super bloated
Hordes come like after 20 hours
Too much stealth bloat crap
Terrible pacing
Open world traps.. like the one where they throw you off your bike... every 10 minutes.

The best zombie game is Dead Rising 1
 
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Roberts

Member
It’s one of the rare times when I abandoned a game not because it bored me but because it annoyed me. Holy shit, Deacon is one annoying character. Gameplay is very hit and miss too. That said, one of my best friends just finished it and loved it way more than most Sony exclusives so what do I know.
 

TexMex

Member
While I don’t agree, I understand where people are coming from saying the opening hours are a bit slow.

But I’ll continue to defend this one forever. A truly great open world game that came at a time when it was never worse to be a tough while male (ew gross!!!) protagonist. I heard more bad PR around this game for dumb irrelevant stuff like that than I did actual criticism. I don’t even think many critics finished it, or came close (I even seem to remember something about Bend busting an outlet for saying they finished it when they hadn’t).

As someone who doesn’t love long or open world games in general, I loved nearly everything about it.
 

Thyuda

Member
I personally loved the story very very much, and I agree that the pacing feels off.

The part in the university lab where Sarah realizes something is probably some of the best video game acting to date. Fight me on this, but the way her voice cracks, I've rarely ever heard someone cry so convincing in any form of media.
 

bitbydeath

Member
Best game of last gen and best open world game ever made Imo.

You can go up against hordes at any time but you aren’t ready for them until much, much later in the game, all you can do is run/ride away. The first encounter you will likely face them is at a train on a bridge near the beginning. The second you’ll likely see sleeps in a cave opposite the second camp where everyone must work to live there.

As for pacing, there are essentially three arcs, the north, mid and south. It’s a massive game, and like GTA you can’t access these larger sections until you progress through the story, each journey is memorable in its own way.

Overall it’s a beautiful game, just wait until it snows for the first time!
 

Duchess

Member
The game does end up repeating itself, sadly. I took a break from it for 6 months, then went back to finish it off (and get the platinum).

Having said that, I'd love a sequel.
 

Zadom

Member
This is a game where the setting and play style appealed to me so much I am oblivious to anything negative about this game. I have played it over and over and is my all time favorite. I know anyone else’s opinions on it are valid but when I hear complaints about it always baffles me.

Maybe in time I can more clearly see the negatives like I did with The Order 1866. Loved that game when it came out. Then played it again a few years later and the gameplay was no where near as good as it seemed at the time.
 

SeraphJan

Member
Critics don't understand this game.

Just look at how much praise this game got from the real audience, a 92 out of a pool of 40472 review, this is not the first time where it proves that game critics are just a small group of elitist to gatekeep gaming from being diverse, thank to these biased journalists this game is not getting a sequel.
 
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mrmustard

Banned
It has several flaws and one of the biggest is the same that Horizon has: Flat, boring and forgetable characters without any charisma.
 

Topher

Gold Member
It has several flaws and one of the biggest is the same that Horizon has: Flat, boring and forgetable characters without any charisma.

Horizon isn't nearly as bad, imo, and Horizon has some excellent gameplay. Days Gone takes all the fun out of killing zombies.
 
Critics don't understand this game
It happens from time to time 🤷‍♂️

Shinji Mikami and Inaba made God Hand in 2006. Critics slammed it and casual players questioned why you'd give a brawler/beat-em-up a behind the back shooter-style 3rd person camera instead of making it like Devil May Cry, God of War, or their many clones at the time...and then 12 years later a God of War Reboot does the same thing and everyone praises it.
 

McGILLAZ

Member
Playing this game is a bit of a surreal experience, because every time I fire it up, I'm transported to a world so vividly immersive that I can smell the rain-soaked forests in the game. It's like I'm right there, exploring the wilderness like I used to do on my pre-covid camping trips. The palpable sense of presence is so intense that everything else fades away, and I'm completely immersed in the desolate yet stunning world. Every time I scavenge empty houses, I'm on high alert, listening for any potential threats lurking in the shadows. I'm also filled with dread when I realize that a horde of zombies has wandered into the town outside while I was rummaging through drawers, and I suddenly have to sneak my way back to my bike without alerting them. The tension is nail-bitingly intense.

This is what really sets this game apart from many other open world games that I usually play - its meticulous attention to detail. Every aspect of it, from the sound of my bike's tires on different terrains to the weather effects, adds to the immersive experience. It almost manages to recreate that level of detail and polish that characterizes The Last of Us games, and translates it to an open-world sandbox experience. It's a shame that not many developers pay attention to these little details that make a significant difference in creating a sense of realism.

The story in Days Gone is also quite captivating, primarily due to its characters and their subplots. I find Deacon to be a compelling character, brought to life by Sam Witwer's outstanding performance. The natural dialogue and dynamic characters add to the game's overall appeal. But here's where the game's biggest problem lies - although the overarching plot involving the virus and military operation is intriguing, the pacing feels sluggish, and I wish it would progress a little faster.

This issue is further exacerbated by the fact that so many missions in the game feature very repetitive objectives and they very rarely push the plot forward to any significant degree, which makes the whole thing feel very scaled back and slow. There are so many missions that revolve around traveling to a location on a bike and shooting meaningless groups of bandits or zombies, all for a token amount of progress in a specific subplot, or a "story" as it is called in the game. The only time when a mission stood out as particularly well made or memorable, was when I was exploring some unique location with another character, such as when I explored the power plant and mine. But other than that the mission design feels largely unimaginative. I'm also yet to experience any real encounters with a zombie horde, which was supposed to be one of the game's exciting features, and I remember seeing gameplay footage where Deacon was desperately fighting off hundreds of zombies by the skin of his teeth while trapped in some sort of a quarry. You can see it in this interview with Witwer, for example:



Like, where is that stuff? I want to get caught off-guard with those kinds of situations.

And yeah, I know that there are zombie hordes randomly roaming around the map and I could go and get them to chase me any time I want, but the game itself hasn't made any attempts to actually create a situation like the one from that gameplay footage above, where I would have to to fight my way out without having an option to just hop on a bike and drive away. I still haven't finished the game but I find the lack of these types of missions a bit underwhelming.

I mean, I'm almost 50 hours into this game, you'd think that after progressing in it that far would be enough to start throwing some more exciting missions at me, specifically those featuring zombie hordes.

Anyway, despite these shortcomings, I'm still hooked on Days Gone. The stunning visuals, immersive experience, and captivating story make it a game worth playing. I'm excited to see what the rest of the game has in store for me and hope there's still enough of the story left ahead of me for the game to pick up the pace.

The open world aspects are quite a bit of fun to explore, but the story is ass. I just remember the main characters friend was BOOZER because it got said aloud every 15 seconds. BOOOOOOOOOOZZZZZEEEEEEERRRRRR, then he lost his arm or some shit and became Dr Claw.
 
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