Liked:
-Possibly the most immersive experience you can get outside of VR. This game is like no other. 90% of player interactions end in a short fight. You either get the jump on someone, or they get the jump on you (it's mostly the latter). A couple of seconds later and the game informs you that you are dead. The previous 5-10 hours of your character's life spent surviving by the grit of your teeth is gone in an instant and you have to start again from scratch.

Sounds frustrating, doesn't it? So why do I keep coming back to this game? A multiplayer game where you play most of the game by yourself, and when you do encounter someone, 90% of the time it ends in your death?

It's the other 10% that makes it worth it. For a mostly single-player guy like me, having the rare non-violent and cooperative experience with a fellow survivor in DayZ is like finally capturing the dragon or felling the main boss. It's the high that you keep coming back to.

There are many moments like this in DayZ. Like finding your first sniper rifle, hunting your first deer, surviving your first encounter with a pack of wolves, finding your first car, building your first shelter. These are the peaks.

Of course, there are valleys. Your first death from starvation or dehydration, your first betrayal, your first fall that breaks your leg, your first death from an unseen sniper. There are plenty of those, but those are a part of the experience that makes the highs even better, like finding that can of food just when you need it, or bonding with a fellow survivor.

Open world, survival, crafting game has become a meme at this point, but DayZ is one of the OGs that never ceases to amaze me.

-The continued support of the developers. The game regularly receives updates going on 10 years now. The game always feels fresh.

-Ample mods mean that the game will never get dull. In addition to the official main maps, there are a handful of others created by a robust modding community, including my overall favorite map, Namalsk.

Disliked:

-The learning curve is very steep. I've tried multiple times to get friends into this game, but both of them have more or less walked away from the game after a few hours. Beginner tips and tutorials are basically required viewing, as the game offers no tutorial of its own.
-Basebuilding and vehicles are not impossible, but extremely difficult and an enormous time sink solo. I've played the game for over 1000 hours, and have yet to get a car to working order on my own. If you harbor any hope of setting up a base and mode of transportation, you are either going to have try modded servers or become friends with a large group and pool your resources and time.
-Vehicles have been buggy. They have gotten better, but still, the few times I had access to a working car, I would always have someone else drive. I honestly don't know what state they are in now, but I’ve seen one too many videos of the vehicles being wonky and launched into space. Seeing a clip of it always seems funny at first until you realize how much time and effort it took to get it in the first place only to die and have it get destroyed.
Conclusion
There is no story, main quest, or goal to the game, it's just survive as long as you can. You make your own story. It’s the most immersive game I’ve ever played.

Liked: -Possibly the most immersive experience you can get outside of VR. This game is like no other. 90% of player interactions end in a short fight. You either get the jump on someone, or they get the jump on you (it's mostly the latter). A couple of seconds later and the game informs you that you are dead. The previous 5-10 hours of your character's life spent surviving by the grit of your teeth is gone in an instant and you have to start again from scratch. Sounds frustrating, doesn't it? So why do I keep coming back to this game? A multiplayer game where you play most of the game by yourself, and when you do encounter someone, 90% of the time it ends in your death? It's the other 10% that makes it worth it. For a mostly single-player guy like me, having the rare non-violent and cooperative experience with a fellow survivor in DayZ is like finally capturing the dragon or felling the main boss. It's the high that you keep coming back to. There are many moments like this in DayZ. Like finding your first sniper rifle, hunting your first deer, surviving your first encounter with a pack of wolves, finding your first car, building your first shelter. These are the peaks. Of course, there are valleys. Your first death from starvation or dehydration, your first betrayal, your first fall that breaks your leg, your first death from an unseen sniper. There are plenty of those, but those are a part of the experience that makes the highs even better, like finding that can of food just when you need it, or bonding with a fellow survivor. Open world, survival, crafting game has become a meme at this point, but DayZ is one of the OGs that never ceases to amaze me. -The continued support of the developers. The game regularly receives updates going on 10 years now. The game always feels fresh. -Ample mods mean that the game will never get dull. In addition to the official main maps, there are a handful of others created by a robust modding community, including my overall favorite map, Namalsk. Disliked: -The learning curve is very steep. I've tried multiple times to get friends into this game, but both of them have more or less walked away from the game after a few hours. Beginner tips and tutorials are basically required viewing, as the game offers no tutorial of its own. -Basebuilding and vehicles are not impossible, but extremely difficult and an enormous time sink solo. I've played the game for over 1000 hours, and have yet to get a car to working order on my own. If you harbor any hope of setting up a base and mode of transportation, you are either going to have try modded servers or become friends with a large group and pool your resources and time. -Vehicles have been buggy. They have gotten better, but still, the few times I had access to a working car, I would always have someone else drive. I honestly don't know what state they are in now, but I’ve seen one too many videos of the vehicles being wonky and launched into space. Seeing a clip of it always seems funny at first until you realize how much time and effort it took to get it in the first place only to die and have it get destroyed. Conclusion There is no story, main quest, or goal to the game, it's just survive as long as you can. You make your own story. It’s the most immersive game I’ve ever played.