Yes, actually they were but I won't get into that here. Days Gone deserves to at the very least be played. I became mesmerized by my immersion into the game, but is it truly a good game? Let's be clear, DG is not perfect or even the most original game in some aspects but the strengths are so good, the minor flubs are left in the (motorcycle) dust!
Days Gone is an open world, free roam game that falls into the categories of Adventure, drama, and survival horror. It is also a heavily story based narrative excursion normally reserved for linear titles (Uncharted, Last of Us). This alone is a mean feat as both arch-types do not usually mesh well. Open world games usually have a skimpy quest-line based on a huge detailed back story. So what is the story? Read on!
THE STORY:
Mistakenly but understandably misunderstood as yet another zombie apocalypse game, DG's "zombies" are not dead but rather infected by a mutating virus. The prologue finds our hero Deacon on a rooftop with his injured wife Sarah and his best biker bud, Boozer who is nursing an injury of his own. Trying to board a helicopter to escape the infected madness they are turned away until Deacon points a gun at O'Brien, the Nero agent with the heli unit and demands they are rescued. O'Brien calmly explains that he only has room for two as the aircraft is already near max weight capacity. Knowing he can't leave Boozer, Deacon puts Sarah on the chopper promising to meet her at the campsite where she will be taken. Flash forward two years later. Deacon and Boozer are bounty hunters in the ruins of southern Oregon with no sign of Sarah. We find out slowly that she is believed deceased as the camp where she was supposed to be at was overrun, no survivors. As Deacon we collect bounties and interact with various camps until an impromptu run in with O'Brien gives us hope that Sarah may in fact still be alive, though it's a long shot. From there the story takes many dramatic and deadly twists and turns and is one of the best narratives in a video game I have ever encountered.
GAMEPLAY/COMBAT:
Gameplay is pretty good if not perfect. Controls are fairly smooth although creature AI is sometimes truly off. Example: A freaker will spot you from a hundred yards away, while a marauder will not notice you mere feet away at times while you slit his buddy's throat. Thankfully this provides a balance to some extent. Melee combat is especially satisfying and smooth consisting mostly of evading by rolling and striking with a variety of craftable weapons. Gunplay is usually good but occasionally wonky with aiming being a trick that takes some time getting used to.
SIDE MISSIONS/CAMPS:
Side missions as in every open world game can feel repetitious and range from mundane fetch quests to bounties to actual story tie-ins. These however are satisfying as stealth comes into play often and every quest no matter how small result in rewards such as camp credits and camp trust. Camp Credits are also awarded for bringing various enemy ears for bounty as well as various plants and animal meat brought to the camp kitchens. Camp credits can only be used in the camp in which they were earned which makes for interesting decisions on where you will turn in extras based on who you want to buy from. Trust increases the quality and level of items you may purchase in each camp. Camps consist of a Leader who will commission you for certain jobs, A kitchen to sell goods, Bounty counter to turn in freaker ears, a mechanic who will gas up and fix your motorcycle and sometimes provide bike upgrades. Camps also have various philosophies which you may or may not agree with but will still parlay among.
FREAKERS/MARAUDERS/RIPPERS:
Enemies are well rounded in Days Gone with the obvious main threat of the freakers, the infected who wander the countryside feeding, attacking, hanging out in nests and sometimes part of massive hordes of 200-500 that yes you WILL have to take down. The freakers come in varieties too. Newts are small child freakers who keep their distance unless attacked or sensing weakness, they are creepy as fuck. Screamers will stun you with their shriek and alert nearby freakers to your presence. Marauders are raiders, basically pricks that like to kill innocents. They have various camps and will need to be flushed out. Rippers are whacked out cultists who worship the freakers, mutilate their own bodies and torture and recruit those they happen upon. Theys dicks need to be eliminated!
HORDES!!!:
Ah the meat of the game! Well still not as compelling as the story but let me tell you, when you are being chased by a horde of hundreds of freakers...you are going to shit eggrolls! Seriously it is scary and initially it will feel impossible to defeat them. Eventually you realize with a lot of bombs, a little planning, utilizing the nearby landscape (Fire barrels, explosive trucks, etc) and a good machine gun...it can be done, son! Nothing more satisfying then taking these massive hordes down for good and being that some are involved in the storyline, you will have to do it!
YOUR BIKE...WHATS NOT TO LIKE?:
Instead of making your character do what they could and should on their own like eating food and drinking water, you MUST take care of your sole modus operandi, Deacon's bike! At times it is frustrating running out of gas in the middle of nowhere and the controls are a little squirrely at first but you will come to love this extension of Deacon. The bike is fully customizable with items such as bigger gas tanks, tires, brakes, fenders, paint jobs and so much more and will be a driving force in you doing more side missions to gain more trust and credits. Keep an eye on your gas tank and be ready with scrap for repairs. This forces you to NOT drive like an asshole and to coast down steep hills. I have heard complaints about running out of fuel but honestly you can find gas cans in tow trucks and other locations and all of the gas stations along the highways will fill your tank for free. The first time I ran out of gas I was in the middle of nowhere, freakers everywhere, and it was nighttime. I had to slink around quietly walking down the road on a quest for fuel. I didn't mind as this felt totally real, something that could and would happen in a world as this.
DEACON/SUPPORTING CAST:
I love Deacon. I do. He is a biker, a drifter and I found him such a perfect balance between not caring and caring too much. On one hand he takes on bounties for cash but his drive and love to find out his wife's fate makes for some compelling twists and turns. Example: Early in the game Deacon discovers a girl hiding in an attic. His first thought is to help her but when she rushes to him to give him a hug he puts his hands up uncomfortable with the closeness and emotional turmoil within. Deacon St. John may not be a Saint but he IS one of the most compelling characters I have seen in a video game. The rest of the cast is very well rendered and each of them are well drawn and three dimensional. They have concerns and fears and histories and the six hours plus of cut scenes are outstanding showing emotional depth and facial expressions that tell as much as the well worded voice acting.
SOUND/MUSIC:
The soundtrack is phenomenal, with guitar strummed at key moments and a few songs so good I had to look them up and add to my YouTube playlists. Creepy music foreshadowing certain moments such as hordes or key story moments are crucial and very effective. The sounds made by the freakers is creepy, the stuff of nightmares. Random vocalizations from marauders are hilarious at times especially when they try to "befriend" you. The bike's engine sounds realistic as does the gun fire. Various wildlife such as cougars, bears, wolves and crows make their presence known as well.
ISSUES/COMPLAINTS:
There are some frame rate drops occasionally and few graphic gaffs here and there. Dialogue meanders every so often and the enemy AI is wildly random. I didn't encounter much of these issues, certainly not enough to bring the game down but still disheartening for a game so long in the making.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Days Gone may not be the most original or the best but I had an absolute blast playing it and when I wasn't playing I was thinking about it. Minor frame rate and clipping issues along with various other minor snafus are eclipsed by one of the BEST storylines and well defined characters. Hell I almost shed a tear during a particular emotional scene later in the game. Almost ahem. The bike mechanics are good and the game play is solid. Music is immersive and Sony Bend created a very cool looking world set in the Pacific Northwest. SB also has included NO microtransactions and has promised free upcoming DLC. If you get a chance, even if you are not a gamer you should play this game.
*NOTE: The story is so compelling, my wife would NOT allow me to play without her. She is NOT a gamer yet absolutely loved it.
8.5/10
88jrd
