I want to start this review by saying that it's incredibly important that we support ports like this and Horizon: ZD so that Sony will give us all what we REALLY want which are titles like Ghosts of Tsushima, Bloodborne, God of War, etc. I am DYING to play those games on a proper PC port.

Days Gone for me was a game I followed in its development for PS4 but never bothered to get because I largely gave up console gaming. I followed its release and consumed the game via streams and lets plays, and in my opinion it's one of the underrated gems from last gen that people seem to either love or hate. Whether or not you like it depends on if you like the arch-typical open world, GTAish style action game, albeit with its own unique zombie (freakers in this game) offerings. I read somewhere else that Days Gone is best described as a hybrid between The Last of Us and RDR2, and that is an apt description, though it doesn't succeed in being as good of a zombie/survival game as TLOU, nor is it as good of a 3rd person shooter and open world as RDR2. Deacon St. John is a well acted character, albeit a walking biker cliche with the dry, sarcastic cool guy dialogue to back it up. Picture Ashton Kutcher's character in The Ranch with a killer's edge, and you have an idea.

The Pacific Northwest setting is of course gorgeous. You traverse the landscape on your bike which you can upgrade over time. Your bike has a health pool and will take damage, and you must collect scrap to repair it, as well as keep its gas tank full. Running out of gas on some lonely stretch of road in the woods can suck, as you'll have to hoof it to the nearest gas tank and back to your bike. Keeping an eye on your motorcycle's condition and gas tank became a game in itself, one that I found relaxing and a way to bring simple engagement to the world, although some people find it disrupting and annoying. Like I said, most aspects about this game are either loved or hated.

You progress throughout the map by taking over and securing strongholds, destroying freaker nests, and earning reputation with other factions by doing quests and errands for them. For me, securing a stronghold and unlocking a new area of the map provided a sense of relief and security, as strongholds provide a respite from the hostile world and allow you to refuel and resupply. You can also sleep in one and progress to the next morning, as the freakers are more numerous and intense at night.

Combat in Days Gone is standard 3rd person fare. I would say the controls are a bit flighty, even with mouth smoothing disabled and a lower sensitivity. This is where the game reveals its ugly console origins as the loose aiming and action wheel interface mechanics were clearly designed around a gamepad. Shooting in Days Gone also lacks the punch, precision, and weight that other titles like TLOU and RDR2 have mastered. Enemies don't respond to getting hit and they tend to just run through gunfire, especially a freaker horde. Going toe to toe is out of the question, and engagements typically end up with you hauling ass away from freakers trying to create space, or progressing from cover to cover methodically picking off armed human enemies a la TLOU. You can distract enemies with throwables like rocks and there is a stealth takedown mechanic, but doing so often leaves you exposed. You can find ways to use the environment, tools, or traps like large gas tanks to your advantage, which is almost a requirement when facing freaker hordes. The hordes are huge packs of fast moving zombies and are nothing to take lightly. They require a tactical approach to deal with or they will rip you apart in seconds. Combat certainly isn't bad, but it can get bland and is enough to dock a point or two from the game. There is a skill tree with 3 different categories that give you new abilities and improve your stats, but I haven't explored them enough to accurately determine their impact on gameplay.

All in all, Days Gone succeeds in doing what it sets out to do, and that's craft an immersive, believable, and engaging zombie romp in a beautiful depiction of Oregon.

8/10

I want to start this review by saying that it's incredibly important that we support ports like this and Horizon: ZD so that Sony will give us all what we REALLY want which are titles like Ghosts of Tsushima, Bloodborne, God of War, etc. I am DYING to play those games on a proper PC port. Days Gone for me was a game I followed in its development for PS4 but never bothered to get because I largely gave up console gaming. I followed its release and consumed the game via streams and lets plays, and in my opinion it's one of the underrated gems from last gen that people seem to either love or hate. Whether or not you like it depends on if you like the arch-typical open world, GTAish style action game, albeit with its own unique zombie (freakers in this game) offerings. I read somewhere else that Days Gone is best described as a hybrid between The Last of Us and RDR2, and that is an apt description, though it doesn't succeed in being as good of a zombie/survival game as TLOU, nor is it as good of a 3rd person shooter and open world as RDR2. Deacon St. John is a well acted character, albeit a walking biker cliche with the dry, sarcastic cool guy dialogue to back it up. Picture Ashton Kutcher's character in The Ranch with a killer's edge, and you have an idea. The Pacific Northwest setting is of course gorgeous. You traverse the landscape on your bike which you can upgrade over time. Your bike has a health pool and will take damage, and you must collect scrap to repair it, as well as keep its gas tank full. Running out of gas on some lonely stretch of road in the woods can suck, as you'll have to hoof it to the nearest gas tank and back to your bike. Keeping an eye on your motorcycle's condition and gas tank became a game in itself, one that I found relaxing and a way to bring simple engagement to the world, although some people find it disrupting and annoying. Like I said, most aspects about this game are either loved or hated. You progress throughout the map by taking over and securing strongholds, destroying freaker nests, and earning reputation with other factions by doing quests and errands for them. For me, securing a stronghold and unlocking a new area of the map provided a sense of relief and security, as strongholds provide a respite from the hostile world and allow you to refuel and resupply. You can also sleep in one and progress to the next morning, as the freakers are more numerous and intense at night. Combat in Days Gone is standard 3rd person fare. I would say the controls are a bit flighty, even with mouth smoothing disabled and a lower sensitivity. This is where the game reveals its ugly console origins as the loose aiming and action wheel interface mechanics were clearly designed around a gamepad. Shooting in Days Gone also lacks the punch, precision, and weight that other titles like TLOU and RDR2 have mastered. Enemies don't respond to getting hit and they tend to just run through gunfire, especially a freaker horde. Going toe to toe is out of the question, and engagements typically end up with you hauling ass away from freakers trying to create space, or progressing from cover to cover methodically picking off armed human enemies a la TLOU. You can distract enemies with throwables like rocks and there is a stealth takedown mechanic, but doing so often leaves you exposed. You can find ways to use the environment, tools, or traps like large gas tanks to your advantage, which is almost a requirement when facing freaker hordes. The hordes are huge packs of fast moving zombies and are nothing to take lightly. They require a tactical approach to deal with or they will rip you apart in seconds. Combat certainly isn't bad, but it can get bland and is enough to dock a point or two from the game. There is a skill tree with 3 different categories that give you new abilities and improve your stats, but I haven't explored them enough to accurately determine their impact on gameplay. All in all, Days Gone succeeds in doing what it sets out to do, and that's craft an immersive, believable, and engaging zombie romp in a beautiful depiction of Oregon. 8/10