Days Gone (PS4) - Bend Studio | out now | confirmed for PC this Spring

I’ve just reached “Copeland’s Camp” and it’s very good so far.

I've got myself trapped in a house at night with a horde just up the road from me. There's strawberry floating loads of them!

Gonna have to sit it out until dawn.

*edit* Dawn arrived but the horde didn't budge. Snuck out a back door and circled around the back of them to where I'd parked the bike which was on the other side of a huge boulder right where the horde had turned up. Managed to grab my bike and get the strawberry float out of there just as they were alerted to my presence.

That was one of the most intense experiences I've had in a video game. Bloody terrifying.

The comparisons are apt because this game pulls off the same trick as Mad Max - resources are functionally abundant but apparently scarce. Low inventory limits mean that you're always only one or two potential encounters away from running out of ammunition, so you feel like you're conserving limited supplies, but in actuality you can easily find more supplies without much issue at all. The same goes for fuel for your bike - it can be found almost everywhere, so you're likely never going to end up stranded, but the quick rate at which it depletes means that every sortie has you thinking about if you have enough fuel to get there and back, or puts on-site procurement at the front of your mind.

It's all the thematics of a survival game but without most of the repetitive padding of simply staying afloat. It's survival primarily for immersion rather than as a core gameplay mechanic. Yes it exists and you must do it, but it's not the challenge of the game. That comes from the refreshingly perilous combat encounters, either with people or zombies freakers. The dynamic behaviour of the freakers especially forces you to be reactive and adaptable (much to my chagrin when I kept reloading a save to clear a camp in a satisfyingly stealthy manner, and it kept panning out differently every time even when I repeated the same strategy).

So yes I am enjoying it. Shout out to the genuinely impressive weather system as well - these are some of the best rainstorms I've experienced in a game.

UK Charts: Days Gone defeats Mortal Kombat 11 to claim No.1

PS4 exclusive scores decent debut in UK Top 40

Sony's Days Gone comfortably beat Mortal Kombat 11 in the UK boxed games charts.

Its launch week physical sales are 27% lower than last year's PS4 exclusive action adventure God of War. It is actually a decent performance when you consider this is a new IP - and the review scores for this new game have not been as impressive as last year's multi-award winning effort.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/ ... claim-no-1

Being a more established franchise I did think MK11 might beat Days Gone to the top spot. Good news for Bend Studio.

Gemini73 wrote:Being a more established franchise I did think MK11 might beat Days Gone to the top spot. Good news for Bend Studio.

Damn, Mortal Kombat 11 reviewed quite well and was well marketed.

Apparently 11 was the best launch for a game in the series too, so this is really surprising.

NickSCFC wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:Being a more established franchise I did think MK11 might beat Days Gone to the top spot. Good news for Bend Studio.

Damn, Mortal Kombat 11 reviewed quite well and was well marketed.

Apparently 11 was the best launch for a game in the series too, so this is really surprising.

It would interesting to know how they both did digitally. With MK being multi-format you'd think it would trump Days Gone overall.

Or people are bored of the franchise(!) Unlikely, but I know I am.

But I bet MK will top the charts in the weeks to come anyway. Or that people are wary about buying Days Gone digitally.

Anyway I played a bit more yesterday, and I’m easing into it once I use every single piece of equipment I have at the moment rather than limiting myself.

Using rocks as a distraction is a godsend in forced stealth bits, and I using them towards camp/infestation areas.

I’m slowly liking the game. Fuel is aplenty from those Jerry cans, so I don’t know why I can’t store one on my bike. It’s like Solid Snake’s unlimited ammo bandana.

The Watching Artist wrote:

Got a feeling this is the new Mad Max for Jawa.

Possibly, Matt, although it's really gonna have to go some to match that kinda standard!

Regarding the sales, it seems like the game has done pretty well albeit I don't place a ton of value on the charts any more as they don't include digital sales. I recall reading - and posting! - info about the sales charts including digital console sales from 2019, but that doesn't seem to have come to fruition.

After taking a fair old while to download the update, I finally gave it a go this morning for a couple of hours.
Very impressive game, it looks lovely and the bike is ace. Game does have the odd jump scare which is nice the only real complaint I have so far is the loading screens as they're so many and so long.

Great news about it beating MK 11 to number 1.

Days Gone is made with love and is a joy to play. MK11 is made to get fans to pay micro transactions to get past the grind. Deserves to fail and fail hard.

Only thing the game is missing is base building. I'd love to build up a base and have to defend it against the horde, digging trenches, planting land mines and convincing survivors to move to my camp and man the flame thrower towers.

Gemini73 wrote:I've got myself trapped in a house at night with a horde just up the road from me. There's strawberry floating loads of them!

Gonna have to sit it out until dawn.

*edit* Dawn arrived but the horde didn't budge. Snuck out a back door and circled around the back of them to where I'd parked the bike which was on the other side of a huge boulder right where the horde had turned up. Managed to grab my bike and get the strawberry float out of there just as they were alerted to my presence.

That was one of the most intense experiences I've had in a video game. Bloody terrifying.

You are really making me want this game

Samuel_1 wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:I've got myself trapped in a house at night with a horde just up the road from me. There's strawberry floating loads of them!

Gonna have to sit it out until dawn.

*edit* Dawn arrived but the horde didn't budge. Snuck out a back door and circled around the back of them to where I'd parked the bike which was on the other side of a huge boulder right where the horde had turned up. Managed to grab my bike and get the strawberry float out of there just as they were alerted to my presence.

That was one of the most intense experiences I've had in a video game. Bloody terrifying.

You are really making me want this game

Do it!

Godzilla wrote:Great news about it beating MK 11 to number 1.

Days Gone is made with love and is a joy to play. MK11 is made to get fans to pay micro transactions to get past the grind. Deserves to fail and fail hard.
.

How these games have reviewed really highlights my general distrust of gaming reviews. Both good games in their own right and yet one is marked down, in the main, for taking ideas from other games of the same genre (regardless of the fact that these ideas have been well implemented) where the other is praised even though it's crammed with aggressive monitization designed to squeeze as much out of the customer as possible. As I said a page back, it's complete bollocks.

But no mind, it's sold well for the developer, which is good, and I cannot wait to get home tonight and continue with my game.

Gemini73 wrote:

Godzilla wrote:Great news about it beating MK 11 to number 1.

Days Gone is made with love and is a joy to play. MK11 is made to get fans to pay micro transactions to get past the grind. Deserves to fail and fail hard.
.

How these games have reviewed really highlights my general distrust of gaming reviews. Both good games in their own right and yet one is marked down, in the main, for taking ideas from other games of the same genre (regardless of the fact that these ideas have been well implemented) where the other is praised even though it's crammed with aggressive monitization designed to squeeze as much out of the customer as possible. As I said a page back, it's complete bollocks.

But no mind, it's sold well for the developer, which is good, and I cannot wait to get home tonight and continue with my game.

I can see why this game is a 7/10 game for me but the main thing is that I'm having fun. There are some flaws, but nothing too game breaking.

I have yet encounter a glitch or a gamebreaking bug. A mate said he saw a cutscene with missing frames but I haven't yet.

Wedgie wrote:

Gemini73 wrote:

Godzilla wrote:Great news about it beating MK 11 to number 1.

Days Gone is made with love and is a joy to play. MK11 is made to get fans to pay micro transactions to get past the grind. Deserves to fail and fail hard.
.

How these games have reviewed really highlights my general distrust of gaming reviews. Both good games in their own right and yet one is marked down, in the main, for taking ideas from other games of the same genre (regardless of the fact that these ideas have been well implemented) where the other is praised even though it's crammed with aggressive monitization designed to squeeze as much out of the customer as possible. As I said a page back, it's complete bollocks.

But no mind, it's sold well for the developer, which is good, and I cannot wait to get home tonight and continue with my game.

I can see why this game is a 7/10 game for me but the main thing is that I'm having fun. There are some flaws, but nothing too game breaking.

I have yet encounter a glitch or a gamebreaking bug. A mate said he saw a cutscene with missing frames but I haven't yet.

Sure it has flaws, but no more or worse than most games of this size and scope and patches are happening. I actually agree that many of the gameplay mechanics therein are using a tried and tested formula, (outside of The Horde there's little in the way of new here), but it's well implemented nonetheless and is a lot of fun. How any game scores/reviews isn't the issue I have, what I find problematic is the lack of consistency and fair judgement not being applied to all games. It's common knowledge that some developers/publishers get a far easier ride than others from many gaming sites etc.

But that's just the way it is I guess. I'm throughly enjoying Days Gone and to me that's what important. Pleased you're enjoying it too, at least on some level. Nothing worse than buying a game at launch and wished you hadn't.

Only 27% lower launch than GoW *and* it beat an established multi-platform title to #1? That's pretty good going. I'm still not getting it, mind.

Just put another few hours into this. Got near another horde... But didn't dare chance it. So close to upgrading a camp to level 3 and getting some shiny new guns.

Also found some new enemies which mix things up a bit.

The horde is so well done. The mechanics of it are incredible. Hopefully they release a mini arena of sorts where you can just battle hordes in small maps for time attack or points.

It's a shame there isn't multi player in this. Having co op battles against a horde would be epic.

I have a constant Horde near one of the Nero outposts close to a rail track with a train above, missed cutting down one of the speakers so that's constantly attracting them. Fun times when one of my routes takes me through it

Copelands camp is near level 3, bike is upgraded as much as I can till I hit 3 and the other camp (Tucker is it?) Is level 2 which unlocked a few extra weapons for me to purchase.

KjGarly wrote:I have a constant Horde near one of the Nero outposts close to a rail track with a train above, missed cutting down one of the speakers so that's constantly attracting them. Fun times when one of my routes takes me through it

The Horde is so well done, creating genuine moments of terror. The one you're talking about hibernate during the day and come out in force at night. Be wary though, no two hordes behave the same regarding hibernation and migration patterns. I discovered that last night.

According to the dev there are 40 hordes in total with the biggest at around 500 strong