Rating: 20/20

Days Gone is an open-world game that - depending on the percentage of completion, collectibles, and side activities - has a playtime of 40-70 hours. In addition to the extensive story mode, the challenges game mode offers additional content to have fun with.

Rating: 17/20

Gameplay-wise, at first glance, Days Gone is yet another survival open-world game set in its vast and repetitive open world. However, its uniqueness lies in a few key areas. Besides the usual shenanigans of these games, including a crafting system and other mandatory elements, the motorbike rides are probably the most underrated piece of its gameplay. As for the traversal, I'm happy to say that it doesn't take days to get anywhere and riding that motorbike is delightful. Fast traveling is a thing, and it consumes about the same amount of gas as if you were riding it yourself. The user interface is also one of the best I've seen in a video game. The gameplay in the open world revolves around maintaining the bike and filling the gas tank, as it's the sole thing that helps you move around. Thankfully, it's possible to refuel in various locations, including camps and gas stations. So, gas and things like ammo aren't as scarce as you might think. However, all this changes with higher difficulty levels.

As for the rest of the gameplay, there are these infestation areas and nests you must burn, enemy camps you must clear, Nero upgrade stations to visit, hordes to take out, etc. There are also friendly camps where you can upgrade your bike and weapons, purchase ammo, etc. The random activities that regularly pop up are mostly repetitive side hustles that I ignored completely for the most part, as they tend to pop up at times when focused on something else. The whole gameplay loop is quite repetitive, as you'd expect, and there isn't anything special about any activities you do outside the main missions. The most enjoyable thing for me in Days Gone is shooting. Every single weapon in the game is satisfying to shoot. Hitting a headshot at a range with a rifle feels special, and shooting a few enemies in cowboy style using focus mode in close combat is as much fun. It's just pure sex if you ask me. The gameplay portion does require some getting used to. The main character also feels too heavy to control sometimes.

Rating: 14/20

Let me start by saying that the graphics are decent, but don't expect anything groundbreaking because it's a PlayStation-financed product. Days Gone isn't your The Last of Us with an unlimited budget - and something has to give out. Instead, it's a double-A quality game with visible drawbacks that make it shy of a triple-A production, but it does a good job at it. There are plenty of locations that you must stop by and appreciate. I like it when a game offers carefully designed environments, and Days Gone excels at it in some ways more than others. As for the sound quality, the soundtrack pieces are memorable, and the overall sound effect quality is also nicely done. The ambient sounds make you feel like you're there in person. The only thing that could've been better is the sound of zombies. At times, they sound like someone put a sock inside their mouths.

The animation work is another segment worth discussing, as it lacks quality. The overall movement feels satisfying, the cutscenes are of acceptable quality, and the bike you get to ride feels nice, but that's pretty much it. Character animations are static, and none have their "own" unique kind of movement, which is expected for this type of game and considering the publisher in question. The less significant nameless characters are almost identical to one another. Some games have specific animations for certain characters, making you believe they're real people. As I already mentioned, Days Gone feels like a double-A game aiming for triple-A greatness. The rest of the animation work is acceptable.

Rating: 15/20

Days Gone is a survival action-adventure game that centers on Deacon St. John, a former outlaw turned drifter in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombie-like creatures called freakers. The story unfolds in the Pacific Northwest, a beautiful yet dangerous landscape offering players a memorable journey through a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with danger, intrigue, and emotional depth. The narrative delves into Deacon's journey as he navigates the challenges of this harsh new world while searching for his missing wife, Sarah. Along the way, you encounter various factions - each of them with their agenda and conflicts. One of the game's strengths is its character development, particularly Deacon's evolution from a hardened survivor to someone grappling with moral dilemmas and emotional struggles. The game also incorporates themes of loyalty, loss, and redemption.

The gameplay seamlessly integrates with the story, with missions and side quests driving the plot forward and providing context to Deacon's motivations. The open-world setting allows for exploration and discovery, enhancing immersion in the game's richly detailed world. The constant radio chatter you hear fills even the dullest of traversal moments with something interesting. Random events during traversal are repetitive tasks that fill the void, and I ignored them most of the time later on in the game. The only issue I have with its story is the uneven story pace. It makes for certain sections to drag on while others feel rushed. I feel like it's playing it too safe at times, bringing the story to a standstill, while at points, several things happen all at once explosively. Certain characters and events (side quests mostly play a filler role) lack depth and a detailed backstory. However, it's hard to expect a thorough exploration of every detail.

Rating: 18/20

If an open-world game like Days Gone uses UE4 - performance issues are a given. However, this one ran flawlessly for me, except for a few minor issues. As for the rest of this so-called PC port, the game runs perfectly and scales nicely across various hardware. There is no stutter, only the slow down at points during bike riding. It's very noticeable and feels like the game slows down to 0.5 speed. Other than this, thankfully, there are zero low points to report.

Rating: 84/100

Days Gone is another one of these survival open-world video games worth playing. This game might feel like that one girl you have a crush on, and no matter how much attention you give her - she won't give in easily. But once she eventually starts giving back, it's that one love story for the history books. I'm glad we got it on the PC - as it's a far better experience with all the unique PC features. I consider Days Gone one of the most underrated PlayStation productions and one of the best games in the genre.

[h1][b]Content[/b][/h1] [b]Rating: 20/20[/b] Days Gone is an open-world game that - depending on the percentage of completion, collectibles, and side activities - has a playtime of 40-70 hours. In addition to the extensive story mode, the challenges game mode offers additional content to have fun with. [h1][b]Gameplay[/b][/h1] [b]Rating: 17/20[/b] Gameplay-wise, at first glance, Days Gone is yet another survival open-world game set in its vast and repetitive open world. However, its uniqueness lies in a few key areas. Besides the usual shenanigans of these games, including a crafting system and other mandatory elements, the motorbike rides are probably the most underrated piece of its gameplay. As for the traversal, I'm happy to say that it doesn't take days to get anywhere and riding that motorbike is delightful. Fast traveling is a thing, and it consumes about the same amount of gas as if you were riding it yourself. The user interface is also one of the best I've seen in a video game. The gameplay in the open world revolves around maintaining the bike and filling the gas tank, as it's the sole thing that helps you move around. Thankfully, it's possible to refuel in various locations, including camps and gas stations. So, gas and things like ammo aren't as scarce as you might think. However, all this changes with higher difficulty levels. As for the rest of the gameplay, there are these infestation areas and nests you must burn, enemy camps you must clear, Nero upgrade stations to visit, hordes to take out, etc. There are also friendly camps where you can upgrade your bike and weapons, purchase ammo, etc. The random activities that regularly pop up are mostly repetitive side hustles that I ignored completely for the most part, as they tend to pop up at times when focused on something else. The whole gameplay loop is quite repetitive, as you'd expect, and there isn't anything special about any activities you do outside the main missions. The most enjoyable thing for me in Days Gone is shooting. Every single weapon in the game is satisfying to shoot. Hitting a headshot at a range with a rifle feels special, and shooting a few enemies in cowboy style using focus mode in close combat is as much fun. It's just pure sex if you ask me. The gameplay portion does require some getting used to. The main character also feels too heavy to control sometimes. [h1][b]Presentation[/b][/h1] [b]Rating: 14/20[/b] Let me start by saying that the graphics are decent, but don't expect anything groundbreaking because it's a PlayStation-financed product. Days Gone isn't your The Last of Us with an unlimited budget - and something has to give out. Instead, it's a double-A quality game with visible drawbacks that make it shy of a triple-A production, but it does a good job at it. There are plenty of locations that you must stop by and appreciate. I like it when a game offers carefully designed environments, and Days Gone excels at it in some ways more than others. As for the sound quality, the soundtrack pieces are memorable, and the overall sound effect quality is also nicely done. The ambient sounds make you feel like you're there in person. The only thing that could've been better is the sound of zombies. At times, they sound like someone put a sock inside their mouths. The animation work is another segment worth discussing, as it lacks quality. The overall movement feels satisfying, the cutscenes are of acceptable quality, and the bike you get to ride feels nice, but that's pretty much it. Character animations are static, and none have their "own" unique kind of movement, which is expected for this type of game and considering the publisher in question. The less significant nameless characters are almost identical to one another. Some games have specific animations for certain characters, making you believe they're real people. As I already mentioned, Days Gone feels like a double-A game aiming for triple-A greatness. The rest of the animation work is acceptable. [h1][b]Story[/b][/h1] [b]Rating: 15/20[/b] Days Gone is a survival action-adventure game that centers on Deacon St. John, a former outlaw turned drifter in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombie-like creatures called freakers. The story unfolds in the Pacific Northwest, a beautiful yet dangerous landscape offering players a memorable journey through a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with danger, intrigue, and emotional depth. The narrative delves into Deacon's journey as he navigates the challenges of this harsh new world while searching for his missing wife, Sarah. Along the way, you encounter various factions - each of them with their agenda and conflicts. One of the game's strengths is its character development, particularly Deacon's evolution from a hardened survivor to someone grappling with moral dilemmas and emotional struggles. The game also incorporates themes of loyalty, loss, and redemption. The gameplay seamlessly integrates with the story, with missions and side quests driving the plot forward and providing context to Deacon's motivations. The open-world setting allows for exploration and discovery, enhancing immersion in the game's richly detailed world. The constant radio chatter you hear fills even the dullest of traversal moments with something interesting. Random events during traversal are repetitive tasks that fill the void, and I ignored them most of the time later on in the game. The only issue I have with its story is the uneven story pace. It makes for certain sections to drag on while others feel rushed. I feel like it's playing it too safe at times, bringing the story to a standstill, while at points, several things happen all at once explosively. Certain characters and events (side quests mostly play a filler role) lack depth and a detailed backstory. However, it's hard to expect a thorough exploration of every detail. [h1][b]Technicalities[/b][/h1] [b]Rating: 18/20[/b] If an open-world game like Days Gone uses UE4 - performance issues are a given. However, this one ran flawlessly for me, except for a few minor issues. As for the rest of this so-called PC port, the game runs perfectly and scales nicely across various hardware. There is no stutter, only the slow down at points during bike riding. It's very noticeable and feels like the game slows down to 0.5 speed. Other than this, thankfully, there are zero low points to report. [h1][b]Final Verdict[/b][/h1] [b]Rating: 84/100[/b] Days Gone is another one of these survival open-world video games worth playing. This game might feel like that one girl you have a crush on, and no matter how much attention you give her - she won't give in easily. But once she eventually starts giving back, it's that one love story for the history books. I'm glad we got it on the PC - as it's a far better experience with all the unique PC features. I consider Days Gone one of the most underrated PlayStation productions and one of the best games in the genre.