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What Went Wrong With Days Gone?

Sony’s first party output sees a noticeable dip- but just how noticeable is it, really?

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gamingbolt.com
ArchangelMike2573d ago (Edited 2573d ago )

Nothing.

Nothing "went wrong" with Days Gone.

Like most games, lessons will be learned, mechanics will be improved upon and the game will be iterated upon in the sequel.

The game hasn't "gone wrong" just because it isn't God of War, or Horizon Zero Dawn. Can we all just agree that not every new Sony exclusive will be at the standard of The Last of Us.

Fluttershy772572d ago

I agree. And the critics are being quite fair with the game, mentioning all its flaws. It's not a 10, or a 9, or even an 8...
It's a 6-7ish, it's Ok, blend and quite generic, forgettable... not broken, there's a quality standard which is great... Is not like that Crackdown 3 mess.
We'll soon forget all about it.

bluefox7552572d ago

It's definitely better than most of the 8's that get released these days.

Hroach6162572d ago

You haven’t even played it so you’re still judging it by it’s critic reviews. When you buy it down the line once the price drops you’re going to be really surprised.
Take note. Maybe that’s the day you’ll realize critic reviews shouldn’t be listened to so much.

sampsonon2572d ago

solid 8 for me. at that's all that matters.

carcarias2572d ago (Edited 2572d ago )

I see where you're coming from but, with respect, the 72 metacritic comes from the divisive nature of the game, rather than a consensus that it's a 6-7 across the board. It's an average that doesn't give a true picture to how much, or how little, some reviewers liked it, imho.

Last I checked, there were 89 reviews with 53 over 75% and 41 at 80%+. Nearly half reviews gave it 8/10 or more. So saying it's 'not even an 8' is a tad unfair with regards to how many reviewers did, indeed, find it an 8/10 game.

For what it's worth, I'm nearly half way through and it's sitting comfortably at an 8 so far. Maybe it'll get repetitive and drop to a 7 or maybe I'll love the build up to the ending and it'll be closer to a 9.

Lastly, I think it's important to note that a lot of reveiwers didn't have the day one patch for most, if not all, their review. I haven't met any bugs so far. Also, there were reviewers who got political about Deke and the general, rural, survivalist themes.....but that's a different subject :)

nucky642572d ago

it's an 8.5 - only technical issues hold it from being higher. how far are you into the game?

TKCMuzzer2572d ago

Wow, you went right round the mountain with that comment and said absolutely nothing. Plus, I doubt you have played it so your comment is even more irrelevant.
It is not perfect but it lies between the 7.5 and 8.5 for me, not the 6-7 you assume it to be.

2571d ago
SpinalRemains1382571d ago

It's a solid 8 minimum. It's impossible to play and not laugh out loud and or have fun 90% of the time.

RDRII was the opposite and felt more like labor and received much better scores.

sushimama2571d ago

The game is awesome. I can play for 4 hours straight and the time just flies by. It's AT LEAST an 8 after the patches. I rate it 8.5 at the moment

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 2571d ago
RpgSama2572d ago (Edited 2572d ago )

They want to push the agenda that Days Gone it's a flaming mess, when it's not, I find It incredible how detached media it's from the actual gaming community, you go to any article trying to downplay the game and a grand majority it's saying that the game it's good, that it is worth your time and your money.

Is it a perfect 10 or a 9, no, but it's definitely not the 5 that the Gamespot reviewer gave to the game, a score she gave to the game in part because she didn't think some of the decisions Deacon made in the game were moral (in a post apocalyptic world she complained about things being in shades of Gray) and then she complained on Twitter how every freaker was white (when there is a story reason and an actual explanation of why every freaker it's the same color IN THE GAME and It Is not white, they actually say that IN THE GAME, the same game she supposedly finished and played 55 hours)

carcarias2572d ago (Edited 2572d ago )

Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. For awhile now, journos bring politics and cultural sensitivities to games and make a big deal out of them in the review.

A game comes out that's about 30+ hours, full of stealth, shooting, melee combat and exploring etc...and then some critic spends 7 out of 10 paragraphs complaining about story-pacing, disliking the main character from an ethical point of view, and that the game had moral shades of grey. Why are moral shades of grey automatically a problem, anyway? Most people find it more thought provoking and interesting since it better reflects the differences in people and some of the tricky dilemmas life can bring.

Do they even want to play games or is it a job they do begrudgingly, all the while wishing they were reviewing movies instead?

nucky642572d ago

yea. i said a couple days ago that i didn't think reviewers played more than a few hours of the game.

MrBobSugar2572d ago

All media has been infected by leftwing identity politics. It's very unfortunate because it means we can't trust what we once could. And unfortunately, this problem isn't going anywhere soon.

RpgSama2571d ago (Edited 2571d ago )

Something happened because in the span of maybe 1 hour I went from having 40+ agree votes and 2 disagree to 40 agrees & 60 disagrees for a comment that's been up for 9 hours, they usually build up over time, same thing with archangelMike, he went from an overwhelmingly positive agree to disagree ratio to the disagree being almost twice as many as agrees, in little more than an hour.

esherwood2571d ago

Why is it alway white chicks so worried about color

2571d ago
+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 2571d ago
sampsonon2572d ago Show
NarutoFox2572d ago ShowReplies(1)
Kraytossmeoff2572d ago

Agreed mate problem is Sony has been on a roll with exclusives garnering good review scores god of war horizon etc,so people expect that all the time and to be fair in terms of exclusives they have not put a foot wrong.Developers are only human it happens it’s certainly not a bad game by any means.

IamTylerDurden12572d ago (Edited 2572d ago )

Exactly, nothing went wrong. Days Gone is a good game like any good game. Uncharted Drake's Fortune had some minor rough edges at launch, like any new IP, but ultimately it was an excellent game just like Days Gone. Even HZD had some slight dings, but that didn't stop it from being fantastic. Days Gone is no different and people should be supporting quality new IPs with free DLC rather than attempting to tear them down. Days Gone didn't fake footage or lie about features. It doesn't bombard people with MTs or offputting DLC. It's a quality sp game that will be supported with weekly challenges and free DLC.

SwampthingsSon2572d ago

Funny how this energy wasn’t around for Xbox games that achieved a 79 or less. Nearly every article making it to the top spots have been N4G community defending this game with vigor. Not sure why this site doesn’t just became Sony only. No one else is allowed to have fun and hear different opinions other than “Sony is superior the end...”

IamTylerDurden12570d ago

What games? Crackdown 3? Sea of Thieves? SoD2? Those are the recent non-Forza exclusives. Crackdown 3 is a joke. It was a massive downgrade and it literally doesn't improve the Crackdown formula at all. Sea of Thieves was an unfinished game and basically a 60 dollar free to play. SoD2 was actually a mess, it was ugly and ran poorly. It also was more of an expansion rather than a fresh sequel. Days Gone is a fresh new IP, finished game, good grfx.

bloodymeatballz2571d ago

Literally everyone needs to shut their mouths and buy the game. It is fantastic. Fin.

rainslacker2571d ago

What went wrong was it wasn't a completely crap game, so some fan boys doubled down on the negative reviews to try and force the narrative that it's a bad game. Sucks for them I guess. Maybe next time Sony will have a dud so they can revel in whatever they feel is important

RpgSama2571d ago (Edited 2571d ago )

Something happened because in the span of maybe 1 hour I went from having 40+ agree votes and 2 disagree to 40 agrees & 60 disagrees for a comment that's been up for 9 hours, it's strange because they usually build up over time, same thing with archangelMike, he went from an overwhelmingly positive agree to disagree ratio to the disagree being almost twice as many as agrees, in little more than an hour, definitely suspicious.

People can disagree with our opinion, but these numbers don't build that fast in such a short amount of time, archangelMike's comment was done 1 day and 7 hours ago and just in the last hour he got more than 100 disagrees

XisThatKid2571d ago

That's like saying "what went wrong with Uncharted 1" pfft, click bait.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 2570d ago
2572d ago Replies(1)
Fluttershy772572d ago ShowReplies(3)
sampsonon2572d ago

this is the problem with the game. media, and the https://gph.is/2g1EQ0x that follow them.

TekoIie2572d ago Show
IamTylerDurden12572d ago (Edited 2572d ago )

Watch me stream. The game runs exceptionally well on my Pro. Days Gone is a good game, i think people just want to see sony fail because so many PS4 exclusives are GotY contenders. They are waiting to jump on the next bad game, but Days Gone isn't that. It's great to see 95% of the people who actually played it coming out supporting it. People generally love the game. I love it.

Sweetbrandigirl2572d ago

Yeah this game is a dumpster fire and the AI is total garbage !

IamTylerDurden12570d ago

AI isn't as bad as people think but they do react slow when attacking them quickly and up close. If you attack erratically and very close they sometimes get disoriented. But they do impressive things as well. Verbally reacting to shots, lamenting a friend's death, recognizing footsteps or headlights. The game is heavy with impressive details yet people harp solely on the few flaws.

BrettAwesome2572d ago

@Fluttershy77
Bland. Bland. Bland. Bland. Taste that fucking word!! Feel it, and let it become part of you. That way, maybe you'll stop writing "blend" all the fucking time.

2571d ago Replies(3)
sushimama2571d ago

I've never seen any of that. The game is bloody awesome. I can play for hours at a time and the time just flies by. When I'm not playing it, i think about playing it. It's good. 8.5

NarutoFox2571d ago

Reminds me of Sea of thieves. Some parts at least

Obelisk922571d ago (Edited 2571d ago )

I played this game for fifiteen hours and I can absolutely guarantee you it is not like that.

I've encountered two, maybe three bugs, and not nearly as bad as that video shows.

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AnnaDea2572d ago

Game is good, don't expect it to be like something blindblowing like Horizon for example.

Too bad they are having problems with the updates. After going from 1.03 to 1.07 it seems there's some framepacing on the Pro version.

supes_242572d ago

I agree with you to a certain extent. Horizon was a huge success and a great game but I'm having much more fun with Days Gone. I prefer Days Gone of HZD, I like the rush I get when dawn sets and the music changes its tone and you can hear freakers lurking and looking for me. Love Days Gone, I just wish I had more time to devote to it during the day!

eamonn792572d ago

Me too cant wait to get home and play it later!

SpinalRemains1382571d ago (Edited 2571d ago )

Yes!!!! That's when I plug my cans into the Dualshock and listen to the night! Freakers right or left!!!??? Where are they!!!???

Days Gone is stellar.

smolinsk2571d ago

Absolutely agree, this game is gonna go down as a cult hit, a game for the gamers and not the reviewers. I think they are confused at what the game is, it's not the last of us, but it feels like it sometimes, it's not arcade zombie slacher game, it's more story driven in a open world. Feels like playing the walking dead but more down to earth..

IamTylerDurden12572d ago (Edited 2572d ago )

HZD was awesome, but Days Gone isn't that far off. HZD wasn't perfect, but it was a fantastic new IP. God of War is a masterpiece and imo a step above HZD and obviously Days Gone, but Days Gone imo is in the same class as HZD or even Spider-man in a sense.

People are missing the details. Days Gone is filled with impressive little elements that casuals don't appear to notice. The lighting and shadows are exceptional. The glow from your headlight even refracts off the splashes of water when riding in a body of water. Clothes have levels of saturation and when riding through water only from the knee down will become wet on your pants. Tires retain a slick look when exiting water. Enemies lament the fact you shot their friend. Deacon talks about events dynamically as they happen. Beautiful mud and water trails/splashes when riding through different terrain. Physical damage shows aesthetically on Deacon. Snow accumulates during storms.

Emme2571d ago

Wet pants happened in Uncharted 2 or 3 already.

Sunny_D2571d ago

@Emme

Has been in there since Uncharted 1 actually.

carcarias2572d ago

Thanks for the heads up, I was gonna update today but I'm on 1.03 and not having any issues so I think I'll stick with it.

Larrysweet2571d ago

See days gone beats horzion to me

Seraphim2571d ago

Here's the big difference when you take a game like HZD and compare it to Days Gone. Guerrilla Games has worked on Playstation for quite some time and released KZ Shadowfall (?) on PS4. Bend Studios has done a great job on Sony platforms, Vita, but this is their first big budget PS4 title. Look back at Killzone. It was a wonderful game that got crapped on but Guerrilla Games learned and improved KZ2 and KZ3. While KZ was a solid game KZ2 and KZ3 were phenomenal games.

Anyway I don't think anything went wrong with Days Gone. Aside from loosey goosey controls & bike riding the game has been pretty solid so far. Granted I'm not terribly deep into it but so far it's been solid. Considering this is Bends first big Playstation title they did a terrific job from what I've seen so far. The real question is what does Bend learn from this and improve upon assuming a sequel is in play.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 2571d ago
bluefox7552572d ago

Nothing, the game is really good. Lots of fun. Ignore the game journos.

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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_Sakai195d ago

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

195d ago
Redgrave194d 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.

S2Killinit194d 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.

S2Killinit194d 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.

195d ago
TheColbertinator195d ago

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

Inverno195d 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.

Travesty194d ago (Edited 194d 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.

isarai194d 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

Travesty194d 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...

isarai194d 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.

Show all comments (17)
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
Christopher368d 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?

TheEroica367d ago

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

S2Killinit367d 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.

IAMRealHooman367d ago

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

Christopher367d ago

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

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princejb134368d ago

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

SimpleSlave368d ago (Edited 368d 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...

anast368d ago

The Bloodborne thing is a real issue.

SimpleSlave368d ago

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

Bebedora368d 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.

anast367d 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.

RaidenBlack368d 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.

GhostScholar368d 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.

368d ago
mkis007367d ago (Edited 367d 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.

jznrpg367d 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.

neutralgamer1992367d 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

Harkins1721368d 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
IAMRealHooman382d ago

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

Alos88382d ago

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

Cacabunga382d 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

Knightofelemia381d ago (Edited 381d 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.

PanicMechanic381d 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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anast382d ago

Fans are having fun with this one.