240°

Days Gone tech analysis: Bend Studios' Unreal world under the microscope

After more than seven years in development, Days Gone has finally arrived, delivering Bend Studio's take on the zombie apocalypse. It's a large-scale open world experience with a heavy focus on narrative and characters. To boil things down to their essentials, it's basically The Last of Us meets Far Cry and it works.

Read Full Story >>
eurogamer.net
Christopher1864d ago

"Days Gone may have taken years to develop but it feels as if the studio has grown immensely - and it's a solid foundation on which to build its next (next-gen?) console game."

We can only hope. Better management and better experience with the engine and tools can result in a better future. We need more studios with potential, not just the few that matter to review scores.

Jin_Sakai1864d ago

Agreed. I think Bend should go with a new IP on PS5. While Days Gone looks amazing it’s an average game and there’s really no room for a sequel.

SamPao1864d ago

Uncharted 1 was an average game :P

Araragifeels 1864d ago

Well Sony Bend are working on another game for PS5 while they were doing Days Gone.

Jin_Sakai1864d ago (Edited 1864d ago )

What’s with the disagrees? You guys really want a sequel to this game? I’d rather them go with a new IP or a new Syphon Filter on PS5.

darthv721864d ago (Edited 1864d ago )

"What’s with the disagrees?"... Maybe they are from rational people who know that the first outing of a new series isnt always the best. It generally sets things up to be outdone by the follow-up while the third generally closes things out (if it's a trilogy of course). So the idea that this game being average does not make it bad or that there shouldnt be a sequel.

If every game closed up after the first iteration because of being labeled as average then we would have such big hits like Uncharted 2, Gears 2, Halo 2, God of War 2, Resistance 2, Killzone 2, Infamous 2

PygmelionHunter1864d ago

@SamPao

No, it wasn’t. It was damn good, and the mo-cap used in it was beyond amazing for the time, specially for a console game.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss was an average, although brilliantly written (hilarious characters), game. Take a guess at who the developers were for that one...

thatguyhayat1864d ago

I think they aren't they? They have multiple titles in development according to them

The 10th Rider1863d ago

@PygmelionHunter,

Yeah, it wasn't as good as Uncharted 2, but it was still a well received and good game.

@darthv72,

All the game series you mentioned started with interesting premises. Days Gone is okay, but there's nothing about the premise that really stands out. I don't think it would be bad to follow up with a sequel, because as you said many game series have a rocky start, but there's also nothing about the game that makes a follow up a particularly interesting idea. That's unlike, for instance, the Order 1886, which wasn't the best game, but it had an interesting and unique premise that could have been followed with an even better and more interesting sequel.

darthv721863d ago

@10th, agreed, the order is one I would really like to see continued. I liked the premise and it would have made for a good sequel.

The 10th Rider1863d ago

@darth,

For sure. I'm pretty critical of the game as it is, but it's a real shame there hasn't been a sequel. The groundwork was there and the idea was fantastic. When it comes to Days Gone I just don't feel particularly inclined either way as to whether or not they should continue it.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 1863d ago
DerekFlint0071864d ago

Got my copy a day early and have played the game for just a little over two hours. Here are some spoiler free initial impressions. I'm playing on a Ps4 Pro 4k HDR set up.

The graphics are absolutely tremendous and are crystal clear. For comparison's sake, Red Dead 2's open world was a blurry mess on my pro and the HDR implementation was very sub standard. Whereas the HDR on Days Gone is tremendous.

Atmosphere. This is absolutely top notch and is my favourite thing about the game so far. The day to night cycle and the stormy wind & rain effects are superbly crafted.

Controls on foot. Buttery and silky smooth, very intuitive and easy to get to grips with. So yet again, another area, along with graphics where it trounces the awkwardly cumbersome controls of RDR2.

Controls on bike. Initially this felt a smidgeon on the light and flighty, but with upgrades and a few subtle changes, my ride is weighty and a joy to slide around on. I would have liked the bike to be a little quicker.

Gun combat. Another area where it is far better than RDR2.

Hand to hand melee combat. Surprisingly weighty and visceral after the earlier videos from last year. Another area where it betters RDR2.

Story. I'm too early into the game to give a valid opinion, but I have enjoyed what I've played so far. This is where RDR2, In my opinion may win this round.

Sound effects and music are absolutely fantastic.

Have not yet encountered the huge hordes. So far, I have loved what I have played up to this point and I'd score it a very solid 9.

The-Matrix-has-you1864d ago

Thank you for posting something positive about the game. All of those points sound great to me and I can’t wait to get my copy tomorrow. Enjoy the game man!

DerekFlint0071864d ago

Cheers and many thanks. Have a fantastic time playing the game tomorrow. I have played pretty much all the Ps4 heavy hitters, ie Uncharted 4, God Of War, Horizon Zero Dawn and Spidey & and from what I have played so far, this title ranks right alongside the aforementioned games in quality and sheer production value.

DerekFlint0071863d ago

A couple of quick updates. Initially, I was finding the gun combat quite difficult and it was harder than I was expecting, especially landing a headshot. Not to worry though, as I have realized and found out, that there is a skill tree of leveling up your ability. I don't want to spoil anything other than to say It was imperative that I "focused" on the task ahead. Now I'm blasting enemies like John Wick.

The-Matrix-has-you1862d ago

@Derek

Been playing the game for a few hours now and I gotta say it’s awesome. It’s gritty, atmospherical and challenging. I feel like a lot of people are hating on the game because it challenges the player.

Traecy1864d ago (Edited 1864d ago )

I believe you that's why I'm definitely picking up my copy tomorrow morning. Enjoy yourself playing the game!!

dekke1864d ago

@DerekFlint007
played it earlier few hrs aswell and gotta agree with everything what u said =)

Hardiman1864d ago

Yessir I got mine early too and it's installing as we speak. Love these types of games and everything you said is what I was expecting. Have fun playing!

DerekFlint0071863d ago

Cheers and many thanks Hardiman and also to dekke and Traecy above. You too, have a great time enjoying the game. Another quick mention is that limbs are destructable for both human and freaker enemies. Arms, heads and legs can be either blasted off with a weapon or sliced off with a melee tool.

kingcorey1862d ago

Iv played about 10 hours now and i agree with everything you have said. I do feel the enemy's are too spongy and a few of the cutsceans audio is out of sync. Its kind of jaring going from god of war to this i must admit with the loading and black screens.. Its an amazing game so far tho and i want more

DerekFlint0071861d ago

Yeah Corey, the game isn't perfect by any means, but the main reason I posted my original comment, was because, in my opinion the game did not warrant some of harsh reviews. There seems to be, in my opinion, a smear campaign going on against this title as it's a Sony exclusive. Your right though about the audio clipping & spongy enemies. Bend studios should hopefully address this & other minor bug issues in future patch 1.05.

A few negatives that I have encountered thus far are that it makes my Ps4 Pro sound like a jet engine. Some of the transitions from gameplay to cutscene are rather abrupt and could have been edited better, but my main gripe is that you cant go further than a few km and you have to search for a bloody petrol canister.

However, most of, if not all of the above could be addressed in a patch. I'm roughly at the halfway point and still loving it and would still score it between 8.5 to 9.3. Plus there is also the fantastic added bonus of the free upcoming single player DLC content from Sony Bend studios.

Enjoy the game & the rest of the weekend Corey.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1861d ago
Hardiman1863d ago (Edited 1863d ago )

Knew this game would polarize but it shouldn't. If you are tired of open world games, you probably shouldn't play it. I saw a 1.5 and I don't put much stock in reviews(if they line up with my impression, cool, that's how most things work with people) especially numbered reviews. If I did a 1.5 would mean a broken mess! I know it's easy for people to look at and go oh it's a 9 or ouch it's a 3 but games that are so big like Days Gone, HZD, AC Odyssey, Wild Hunt for me I couldn't imagine just blowing through it for a dead line. I've spent years playing some of the games I mentioned, years and the enjoyment I've gotten from those adventures is amazing.

The point is emergent games are hard to nail down because so many variables are in play. I'm not always looking for a reinvention of the wheel, I like fun and as long as it controls well, looks and runs good and the world is immersive I'm good.

Again knew it would polarize because it's a Sony exclusive and that is a high class to be in but Eurogamer's stealth in depth breakdown really reiterated my feelings towards Days Gone. I can't wait to get it installed!

80°

Every PlayStation Studios game available now on Windows PC

Windows Central writes: "Many PlayStation Studios games that are ported to PC get dedicated PS5 DualSense support, which allows users to experience haptic feedback and adaptive trigger support without actually having to own a PS5.

According to Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, it's still the company's intent to launch the bigger single-player games on PS5 first, before later bringing the games to PC. This might not be the case for multiplayer games however, which are considered okay to launch simultaneously on console and PC."

Read Full Story >>
windowscentral.com
ocelot0713h ago

My guess is after god of war. Probably last of us 2 that's a almost 4 year old game now and by the time it's released on pc it will be more than 4 years old or close to 5.

Elda7h ago

Every old Playstation game that is now on PC.

XiNatsuDragnel6h ago

Good at least they can sell hardware

400°

Days Gone Director Says Bend's Project Costs Over $250M; Says PS Co-CEO Doesn't Want 2 Zombies Games

Days Gone director claims Sony has already poured in at least a $250M in Bend's project; says Days Gone sold more than Death Stranding.

shinoff21831d 1h ago

Well that sucks. Seems they want more online trash. I'd rather of had the sequel if it was single player

MrNinosan11h ago

What online trash games did PS Studios release last 10 years?

Notellin9h ago

The past has nothing to do with the future. This is such a terrible argument. Everyone knows about their current live service push.

_SilverHawk_7h ago

It's so tragic what happened to days gone. It is such an amazing game but bandwagoners trashed it and it underperformed in it's launch year. Days gone is the best open world zombie game released in the past five years. I was recently playing it on pc and I'm still amazed by it.

Games are very expensive to make and it seems like it's normal for a AAA game to cost over a quarter billion to make so if a quality game like days gone greatly underperforms then people shouldn't be upset when they see a lot of GAAS. I still remember a lot of bandwagoners calling days gone trash but years later it's now amazing when it's considered a failure by sony.

If a game isn't the best thing seen since hats with pockets then a lot of gamers who haven't played it automatically calls it rubbish and whoever made it should be incarcerated

Cacabunga6h ago(Edited 6h ago)

Co CEO prefers gamers to boycott.. so be it. I’ll never buy a gaas.
Just imagine buying a game you cannot replay in some years.. this shit must stop.

Days Gone did zombies in a very original way. The story was also so engaging. You actually only meet Zombie hordes later in the game. There are many more enemy groups to deal with.

MrNinosan5h ago

@Notelin
I am one of the few who bought Days Gone on release day and loved it completely.
However, "more online trash" is phrased like Sony has put out alot of trash online games.
We got what, 2 games? Helldivers 2 and GT7, 2 of the most sold Playstation games where both is loved by millions.

You, me and especially shinoff has no idea if Fairgames, Marathon and Concord will be trash.

Just because we (as in you and me) don't love or support online games, doesn't mean millions of other do.

And we don't know what Bend Studio is working with? We don't know if they're forced to make a online game or another amazing single player experience.

The only thing we do know is that it's not Days Gone, sadly due to poor sales the first 6 months.

shinoff21833h ago(Edited 3h ago)

More online trash wasmt meant how insee it comes across. I should've worded it different I was meaning the focus they currently have on it.

Anything online is online trash to me. How long did naughty dog spend on that dumba last of us multiplayer, how about Concord, or even the other couple we hear about. I fk with Sony because rpgs and their 1st party single player games. Been like that for years. I hate seeing them waste time, money, and talent on trash. I understand bot every game is gonna be for me but this focus they've seem to had on multiplayer is extremely disheartening. Even at the state of play the only things I was really feeling were Astrobot and silent hill 2 and I'm content with that, not everything is for me. It's just the online focus I hate. Ms bought up 3 to 4 wrpgs developers, Sony just ignores rpgs 1st party wise.

And a days gone 2 would've been much better then whatever online sht bend is working on. I do know sometimes I get very idk emotional. I do need to work on toning that down a bit lol

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3h ago
-Foxtrot1d 1h ago

It would be a shame if it was true that Hermen never gave the franchise a chance simply because he didn't like it and they already had a "Zombie" game with TLOU.

NaughtyDog are most likely moving onto a new IP next so it would have been the perfect time to do it.

ThinkThink17h ago

Here's where xbox steps in and releases state of decay 3 day and date on ps5.

shinoff21833h ago

I mean it's not out of the realm of possibility at this point.

Grilla10h ago

Days gone 2 was canceled before Herman was in charge. That happened like 4 years ago.

vfl52310h ago

4 years ago he was head of Playstation Studios. He would've probably had a hand in the cancelation.

Notellin9h ago

Man two seconds of research could have saved you from this comment. Amazing work Grilla you fit in with the uniformed N4G community who speaks before verifying anything that they say.

Redemption-647h ago

Maybe encourage people to buy the game at full price and not when it's heavily discounted or go on plus. If this game had sold well when it was full priced a sequel would have been in the works. They made a single-player game that most people didn't support until they dropped the price.

Cacabunga6h ago

The guy’s just a moron.. he should have stayed within game development. His choices will have a terrible impact on the brand in the long run.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3h ago
excaliburps11h ago

Yep. Kind of weird since it wasn't a sales flop, no?

I know we have to take what Ross says with a grain of salt since we're hearing just one side of the story, but even so, the game wasn't bad at all. Heck, it's my brother's favorite last-gen game from what I recall.

The amount of zombies on screen, imagine that with the PS5 and SSD? That would be insanely fun!

Grilla10h ago

Most copies were sold on sale. Not enough ppl bought it at full price. I paid 20$ for it 6 -7 months after release.

Notellin9h ago(Edited 9h ago)

Yeah we should never believe the creators side until we hear the corporate/big business side as history has shown we should always believe billion dollar corporations.

What a bootlicker statement.

derek4h ago

@Notellin, of course you'll believe an embittered ex-employee with an axe to grind because it's evil Sony he's complaining about. You guys act like days gone was this huge success and somehow Sony hates easy money a sequel would have generated. The game was mid and so was the response to it. They're still supporting the developer who is making a new ip that could be great.

shinoff21833h ago

Days gone was fantastic. I bought day one but didn't get around to it for months. When I finally did I was pissed at myself for waiting so long lol

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3h ago
P_Bomb11h ago

Well I don’t want 10 live service games, but they have no problem doing that lol. Ugh.

CrimsonWing6910h ago(Edited 10h ago)

Oh great so we only get what the big wigs want… y’know, the people that really have their fingers on the pulse of what their consumers want. Faaaaantastic!

rippermcrip7h ago

Well consider they know the sales... they do know what the consumer wants.

It sold shit.

-Foxtrot2h ago(Edited 2h ago)

But if it’s true what this guy says it sold better than Death Stranding

Yet that got a sequel and Kojima aside out of them both DS didn’t really NEED a sequel compared to Days Gone which ended on such a cliff hanger twist.

Show all comments (55)
210°

Former Activision studio Toys for Bob partners with Xbox to publish its first game as an indie

Former Activision studio Toys for Bob partners with Xbox to publish its first game as an indie. This is something of a homecoming, as Microsoft owns Activision.

Read Full Story >>
engadget.com
Obscure_Observer23h ago

Very very early in development. Still, fantastic news!

Let´s GO!!!

Lightning7721h ago

I guess.

How come they didnt either let them go or sell Tango and others to another publisher? Not saying Ubisoft, EA would be any better. (Capcome would of treated them right )

At least it wouldn't be MS of all ppl destroying them.

MS really should let go Tango go like they did TFB here.

darthv7221h ago(Edited 21h ago)

one was under Bethesda (Tango) the other under Activision (TFB). Clearly each one handled the separations of their subordinates differently.

Obscure_Observer21h ago(Edited 20h ago)

"How come they didnt either let them go or sell Tango and others to another publisher? Not saying Ubisoft, EA would be any better. (Capcome would of treated them right )"

Perhaps because Zenimax and ABK handles such matters differently based on their own internal policies as "independent" publishers.

Whoever, chances are it´s simply because MS didn´t wanted Tango or Austin to be acquired by competitors and develop new bangers for them, giving MS a bad rep in a possible future. Which could also be the reason why they ensured an exclusive partnership with TFB and its new game, before anyone else.

Sad and disgusting. But it is what it is.

Lightning7717h ago(Edited 17h ago)

"Whoever, chances are it´s simply because MS didn´t wanted Tango or Austin to be acquired by competitors and develop new bangers for them, giving MS a bad rep in a possible future."

MS has a bad rep now because those studios are no more. I rather them sell the studio continue to make multiplatform releases, while MS continues to focus on whatever they're doing. If they didn't want Tango around they should separated from them or sell them to, like they did TFB.

It's inexcusable, they have options on how to handle studios they don't want anymore with killing jobs. Not just MS but the rest of the industry also.

Sad and disgusting sure how many will get shut down next year or this year even?

I don't trust MS decisions and motivations at this point. You have to admit they make one dumb move after another.

Obscure_Observer10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

"MS has a bad rep now because those studios are no more. I rather them sell the studio continue to make multiplatform releases, while MS continues to focus on whatever they're doing. If they didn't want Tango around they should separated from them or sell them to, like they did TFB."

Imo, MS separated from TFB because they didn´t had a game associated with Xbox yet, unlike Tango.

"I don't trust MS decisions and motivations at this point. You have to admit they make one dumb move after another."

Fair enough. It was indeed an epic dumb move from them to close Tango.

Still, all to be forgotten, like always have. This is not the first time a big publisher shuts down a beloved and/or successful studio out of nowhere and certainly won´t be the last. Do you remember Lionhead? Do you remember Evolution Studios? Yeah... both were beloved studios and yet, those companies kill those studios in q blink of an eye and got away with it.

anast7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

The studio boss made some money from this transaction. Once the game releases, the studio will get chopped up.

-Foxtrot23h ago

Manages to buy their freedom especially after all the shit Microsoft has been doing with its studios lately

...

Goes right back to them as partners.

Okaaaaaay...

darthv7221h ago

Id venture a guess that TFB working directly with MS was a better outcome than working through Activision to get to MS.

VersusDMC19h ago

From the article...

"Toys for Bob spun out as an indie back in February after Microsoft instituted sweeping layoffs that impacted 86 employees, which was more than half of the staff"

I doubt those 86 employees enjoyed the Microsoft experience over Activisions.

Inverno19h ago

MS shuts down studios because of lack of resources and then helps these guys by giving em resources. Also MS is what forced them to buy their freedom in the first place? What kind of logic 😂

Chevalier16h ago

The best thing is that the company that is worth $3 trillion and owns the company instead of Xbox lacks resources. How the hell does a company worth $3 trillion making a measly $70 billion purchase they 'can't' support. Lol

Sciurus_vulgaris21h ago(Edited 21h ago)

Xbox’s gaming division seems to still function as 3 semi-autonomous sub-divisions, Xbox Studios, Bethesda and ABK. The three main sub-divisions can seemingly shut down or build studios and set up partnerships independently. This would explain why Bethesda can recently shutdown studios, while ABK spins off one studio, while building a new one. Plus, Toys for Bob could be spun off by ABK, only to immediately re-partner with Microsoft.

Chevalier16h ago

That's absolutely 💯 BS. Any sane 'autonomous' company would NOT put their games on Gamepass day 1 like COD will lose probably billions.

Also they're all under Xbox game studios so any autonomy is an illusion.

PhillyDonJawn3h ago

No, I'm sure MS can and does step in when they want something done specifically but I'm also sure they let them also work independently

Elda16h ago

Either a kiddie game or something uninteresting.

Obscure_Observer9h ago

Don´t worry. You won´t be playing it anyway since their next game will possible be a next gen Xbox console game.

PhillyDonJawn3h ago

Right probably something like astrobot

romulus233h ago

Nah he said "uninteresting", lots of people are interested in Astro Bot.

Elda1h ago

Never Astro Bot. Astro Bot looks better than any exclusive released on XB this entire generation & believe there hasn't been much.

Asplundh50m ago

Crash 4 was good, so I'm hopeful.

Show all comments (28)