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Days Gone Hands-on Preview - The Highway to Hell Needs More Work [Wccftech]

Days Gone still needs work, but it could turn out to be an essential PlayStation 4 exclusive if the developers at Sony Bend can refine it before it launches.

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wccftech.com
ccgr2745d ago

Hopefully they listen to feedback

UCForce2745d ago

They are actually. TGS 2018 footgate did show improvement like visual upgrade, melee mechanics have been fixed. Now they have more times to polish the game as possible. From what I read, he was positive about the game, but he did said the game need more polish.

sampsonon2744d ago

visuals are always being touched up during the creation, especially the last few months of a games development.
all sony exclusive are polished in the last few months before release.

this $hit is the same story for all their games, yet we're always talking about like we need to hope for it to be polished.

Lore2744d ago

I’m not concerned with polish as they will get that sorted out. My issue is that with all this extra time, they should add more quality of life elements to the entire formula and experience. There is no reason why they don’t given the duration of newrly 6 years for development.

This could blow expectations and be a legitimate sleeper franchise for Sony if they add mechanics that isn’t straightforward and generic for the player. Level upgrades like lockpicking (fallout) and unreachable areas until later on (kingdom hearts) can be added to this game and turn this from an 83 metacritic to a 93 if executed properly. As much as I want this game to succeed, from what i’ve seen thus far critics are going to average this thing around the low 80’s.

UCForce2744d ago

@Lore Yes, I know that. I don’t expect Days Gone will be GOTY, but it will be solid game.

UltraNova2744d ago (Edited 2744d ago )

Lore,

Agreed with everything you said. I'm not feeling it from everything that I saw for DG so far. I guess I'm fed up with anything zombie related. Hopefully they took this extra time and added various engaging systems in the game. As for the visuals...it looks good, even better than most games out there so no need to worry about that. Just add more unique and engaging elements into the game and it will do fine.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2744d ago
RpgSama2744d ago

They have more than enough time to work on it, the game has been completed for a while and they have been working on improving upon it months and they still have months to go of polish, it may not reach game of the generation status or even game of the Year, but mid to high 80's it's definitely in its reach, I know I cannot wait to buy it.

Lore2744d ago

But see that’s the whole point. Why settle? They can take this sort of feedback and really transform the game to GOTY. Literally everything else is there (story, dynamic events, original horde ecosystem/behavioral patterns, crafting elements, sense of discovery, etc.) they just need to execute on the remaining aspects that add another layer of meaning and gameplay.

sampsonon2744d ago

everyone is saying this? or just this person that has an opinion of a demo?
just because a person says what "they" think, doesn't make their opinion truth.
so take the article with a grain of salt.

Weeblordbad2744d ago

A lot of people don't speak highly of what they've played of Days Gone, it doesn't make their opinion "truth" but it gives credence to the idea that aspects of Days Gone are rough. Could you please be a little less sensitive?

sampsonon2744d ago

@WeebLord sensitive? man, if i had a dollar for every time someone said a sony exclusive needed polish 3 months before release i would have a lot of money.
same story different game.

Weeblordbad2744d ago

99.9% of games need polish when they're months out from release, most games even in a polished state have bugs still (All games contain bugs ), saying a game needs polish isn't some backhanded, terrible comment to make. When I say you're being sensitive it's your very roundabout LALALALALALA logic to try and discredit what multiple people have been saying since the first time Days Gone was shown hands on. It needs some work.

Days Gone has had multiple outlets, not just one or two state that aspects of Days Gone from the framerate to the combat and moment to moment action feels kinda rough/bad. Thankfully Sony has allowed Bend to take a lot of extra time to hopefully get everything to a level where Days Gone won't look like the Black Sheep next to God of War and The last of Us 2.

I'm optimistic, but don't start trying to discredit articles because they have a negative slant. It's better they take their time than rush it out.

sampsonon2744d ago

@WeebLord: like i said, different game same $hit.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2744d ago
starchild2744d ago

Yeah, I have high hopes for this one. I love the setting and themes. I'm really rooting for Sony Bend to achieve their goals for this game.

Ceaser98573612744d ago

Such previews are needed for every game. So that all the cons and pros are out and devs can work more harder to minimize the cons . I am happy with the amount of previews Days Gone is getting and the devs working harder to reduce the cons. It wont be GOTY level but this game can do wonders ..

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 2744d ago
jobboy2745d ago

framerate being the main issue for this game...

Alexious2744d ago

They went for the big zombie crowd thing. I bet that's the main reason for their continued delays.

DarkZane2744d ago

The last delay is likely because they didn't want to compete with everything releasing in february.

Visceral892743d ago

Fanboys. downvoting. Yeah, I've been worried about the frame rate for a while now. It still is bad and you know what they've shown is on a pro console. I don't think the CPU can handle the hordes of zombies coming in so fast. They probably have to reduce the number of zombies on screen at one time. I could just imagine how bad the framerate would be on base ps4

Jackhass2744d ago

This one has promise -- I've enjoyed my hands-on time with it. Hopefully they can get it in proper shape for launch.

TiredandRetired2744d ago

I had a chance to play it at Lisboa (Lisbon) Games week on the 17th this month. I think it's shaping up nicely. Yea, the zombie designs aren't the best, but the gameplay was a lot smoother than I expected and most of all FUN.

Legatus2744d ago

Take all the time you need, the game have a great potential and it would be a great shame to see it not fulfill that potential because it needed a little more polish time.

Baza2744d ago

They are getting a ton of time to polish this game. I would “expect” it to run super smooth.. no excuses.

TheColbertinator2744d ago

Sounds awfully familiar to Order 1886. Caution is key.

Weeblordbad2744d ago (Edited 2744d ago )

If you bought it at launch, I call BS. $79.99CAD for what amounted to four hours shooting the same guy over and over again. I'll link or DM you my PSN ID, you can see I completed the game within a day of it coming out and after you complete the game there is nothing left to do with that package.

oasdada2744d ago

me too! cant wait for a sequel

S2Killinit2743d ago

Loved The Order. Im even more excited for Days Gone though. The gameplay is something special.

conanlifts2744d ago

The Order was a good game, I enjoyed it a lot and would love a sequel. The issue with is was it was ridiculously short. I think my completion time was just under 5 hours. But it had the makings of a great series and deserves a second chance.

starchild2744d ago

Yeah, the shortness really was its biggest issue. The combat could have had more variety too. But overall I enjoyed my time with it and still remember the experience quite vividly.

Yui_Suzumiya2743d ago

The Order was awesome though. Could have been longer and had better werewolf battles but still amazing.

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140°

Sony scrapping Days Gone studio's live service IP didn't come as a surprise to one dev

Responding to one user saying that they'll "never get over what they did" to Bend Studio, Morrison says: "To be fair we didn't make enough substantial progress over the three years I was there. I saw the eventual cancellation coming prior to it."

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gamesradar.com
Jin_Sakai211d ago

This live service push should’ve never happened in the first place! It put most of their major studios behind schedule big time.

211d ago
Redgrave211d ago

A big thank you to Jim for this shortsighted, greedy blunder. A half thank you to Herman, because he stupidly kept some of them going.

The PS5 gen has essentially been a bust, though a few gems such as Returnal, Astro Bot, and Steller Blade.

We might not have had unnecessary remasters (Last of Us, Horizon) or remakes (Last of Us, again) if not for this. Alas, with the die already having been cast, we hope for a return to form.

But, along with the current state of the industry, I don't think we will get it.

S2Killinit211d ago

I disagree. Somy needs to be able to compete in all genre. They have nothing less than studios that do have successful live service games, including MS which is solely focused on service games. Sony had a live service success with Helldivers that people like to not mention in these articles.

S2Killinit211d ago

I disagree. Sony needs to be able to compete in all genre. They have nothing less than studios that do have successful live service games, including MS which is solely focused on service games. Sony had a live service success with Helldivers that people like to not mention in these articles.

211d ago
TheColbertinator211d ago

Sony is stupid for thinking live service would work for them. Or anything else they do for that matter.

Inverno211d ago

To work on something for 3 years and say that no substantial progress has been on it seems to be the trend happening across the industry. It's one thing to work without stress or crunch but in 3 years they could've used everything made for Days Gone and had a sequel out by now. Or worked on something smaller that they actually wanted to work on and with actual direction.

Travesty211d ago (Edited 211d ago )

Sony was the one telling them to do something different. I don’t blame Bend Studios. It was a lot of pressure pushing live service titles out and it backfired.

DaysGone wasn’t a bad title. It sold pretty well too. It sold 8 million copies on PS4 as of 2021. Almost 2 million on PC as of 2022. I don’t know the remastered version but it sold decent for a game that was already on the PlayStation Catalog.
They should have let them make a sequel. The series was made to be a trilogy.
The canceled game was reportedly using the Decima engine. It would make sense if their next game would be using that. I know DaysGone was using UE4. But if they did make a sequel I would prefer Decima over UE5. But that’s wishful thinking.
I’m not against a Syphon Filter remake. But just give us something memorable.

isarai211d ago

This is where there's a huge misconception that everyone is still running with. The idea of a sequel wasnt taken off the table, ONE MANS PITCH for a sequel wasnt greenlit, there would definitely be more than one pitch for a sequel

Travesty211d ago

The one man was the former director of Bend Studios. It not being “greenlit” was what I was referring to when they asked if Bend Studios would be interested in making a Syphon Filter game, after they released Days Gone. Don’t understand what was misleading.

https://www.thegamer.com/so...

isarai211d ago

The misleading part is that studios get several pitches, their could've easily been like 3 separate days gone sequel pitches, just because he's director doesn't mean his pitch couldn't have been lame, i mean he was talking about it being a multiplayer game, that already sounds iffy. But everyone talks as if the idea of a sequel as a whole was dismissed and we just don't know that.

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380°

The Days Gone Remaster Is an Unsurprising Cash-Grab and Nothing More

Honestly, who is the Days Gone remaster for? Fans of the original won't find anything new here.

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fortressofsolitude.co.za
Christopher385d ago

I don't know why you're being downvoted. It is a new thing in the remaster. Perhaps it's not worth the $10 upgrade if you've played. But, I mean, if you never played the game, then just wait for it to go on sale, forget about it, and continue not playing it like you did for the last 6 years?

TheEroica384d ago

The downvotes are likely from the excuses... Horde mode doesn't obsolve Sony from cash grabbing its easily duped fanbase.

S2Killinit384d ago

I love how people call this a money grab while the real money grabbing is in other genres. But, I think people who are that dumb deserve to be fed with skins and micro-transactions, and don’t get to complain that single player games of this caliber are few and far in between.

IAMRealHooman384d ago

@TheEroica
they changed the header. it was originally the " Remaster has nothing new" or something similar.

Christopher383d ago

It's still in the description: "Fans of the original won't find anything new here."

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 383d ago
princejb134385d ago

Days gone is amazing regardless and for those that didn’t play the original I highly recommend.

SimpleSlave385d ago (Edited 385d ago )

Yes. All of Sony's Remasters - all the ones stemming from the PS4 library - are cash-grabs. When all they needed to do was patch them to run at 60fps, up the resolution, and be done with it. But then they had to actually care about Bloodborne, and that's a cardinal sin over at Sony.

On a side note. I just got The Sinking City Remastered for free, because I owned the game. Weird...

anast384d ago

The Bloodborne thing is a real issue.

SimpleSlave384d ago

I'm sure they banish people to the Nightmare Frontier if they as much as whisper the name in the office.

Bebedora384d ago

Cash-grab or not. As long the Bend Studio gets their share, I am for it. I don't know, but I still hope for making of a second title. However, in a way It's a cash-grab. They still put something extra to it (horde mode), that is.

anast384d ago

lol Yeah they seem to hate the idea of a new Bloodborne anything.

I've still got to play the shrinking city. I enjoy Lovecraftian stuff.

RaidenBlack385d ago

Hope the recent remasters like Sinking City and Oblivion, ups the ante and alters the industry's approach.
But what fans really want is just a straight up sequel ... oh and add sequel to 1886 as well.

GhostScholar384d ago

I would love a days gone sequel. Days gone to me is such a better game than the last of us. The world in days gone was so great.

384d ago
mkis007384d ago (Edited 384d ago )

To me they appeal to different players outside of just being zombie games. I like them both, but days gone is more fun to me. The last of us 2 is my murder game though along with red dead 2 and gta 5. Love the realistic violence.

jznrpg384d ago

I’m a big fan of Days Gone but TLOU is a better made game. How much you enjoyed each game is of course up to you.

neutralgamer1992384d ago

With the recent cancellation of Bend Studio’s live-service project, there’s now a real and exciting opportunity for the studio to revisit Days Gone 2. This might be the perfect time for Sony to greenlight the sequel—especially with the PS6 likely on the horizon—because Days Gone already has a strong foundation, a passionate fanbase, and significant untapped potential.

It’s worth remembering that Days Gone was Bend Studio’s first major AAA title developed for a home console. Before that, the studio had primarily worked on portable systems like the PSP and PS Vita, or acted as a support studio. That leap to a full-scale open-world console game was ambitious, and although the game launched in a somewhat rough state, that context is crucial to understanding its initial reception.

Gaming critics were often harsh in their reviews, frequently comparing Days Gone to other PlayStation exclusives that came from more seasoned console studios like Naughty Dog or Santa Monica Studio. Despite these comparisons and the early technical issues, Days Gone still went on to sell over 7.6 million copies—a remarkable achievement for a new IP. Even more importantly, Bend Studio listened to fan feedback and steadily improved the game through patches, updates, and optimizations. Today, Days Gone stands as a much more polished and enjoyable experience than it was at launch.

That kind of growth shows Bend Studio’s resilience and potential. A sequel would not only benefit from their hard-earned experience, but also avoid many of the pitfalls that affected the original’s development. Much of the foundational tech, gameplay systems, and world-building has already been done, meaning the studio can focus more on innovation and storytelling rather than reinventing the wheel.

Compared to the high-risk, long-development timeline of a new IP—which could take 5+ years just to get through pre-production—returning to Days Gone is both a smarter and more efficient route. If Sony and Bend Studio commit to Days Gone 2 now, there’s a strong possibility it could be a key PS6 launch title—offering a fan-driven, proven IP with greater polish, depth, and scope.

Let’s not forget Bend Studio’s deep legacy either. This is the same team that brought us Syphon Filter, a series that helped define early PlayStation experiences. With the right support and direction, they can absolutely deliver a worthy sequel that lives up to the franchise’s potential and the studio’s legacy

Harkins1721384d ago

Loved it on PS5. Cant wait to play again at somepoint on PC when on sale

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210°

Days Gone PS5 Is a 'Really Good Piece of Work', Say Tech Experts

Sammy writes: "Back when Days Gone Remastered was announced, many fans were squinting to see the differences between the excellent original PS4 version and its PS5 re-release.

But now with the game readily available – and our 8/10 review declaring it the “definitive version of a fan favourite” – we’re beginning to get some meaningful tech analysis.

And according to Digital Foundry, this is not just the bare-bones resolution upscale some had anticipated – “a lot of effort has gone into it”, according to the tech experts. "

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pushsquare.com
IAMRealHooman399d ago

First game sell well enough to warrant a sequel? Our received well enough?

Alos88398d ago

It sold well but reviewed only okay, which apparently wasn't enough for Sony.

Cacabunga398d ago

Sold well and received even better.. had a bad first month due to technical issues but ended up being one of the best games from last gen

Knightofelemia398d ago (Edited 398d ago )

That's the nature of the beast. If a game like a movie does not meet certain numbers then they write off the franchise. EA scrapped DS2 because the DS1 remake did not meet certain numbers. I was hoping the remaster of DG and the fact it also came to PC would convince Sony to green light a DG sequel.

PanicMechanic398d ago

Critic reviews were appalling. The worst reviewed game I’ve ever seen. By that I mean, poor quality journalism, dishonest writing and review scores which are out of touch with fan reception.

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anast398d ago

Fans are having fun with this one.