Feature: Days Gone - Why Sony Bend's PS4 Open is essential a year later

    Feature: Days Gone - Why Sony Bend's PS4 Open is essential a year later

    Days Gone and Death Stranding are proof that 2019 was a divisive year for PlayStation 4 exclusives. , this led to more positive play than one might expect. Sony Bend's first project on home consoles since Siphon Filter: Logan's Shadow has always been considered a good experience here on PS4 Games Hack, even going so far as to win the 2019 Game of the Year reader vote. , in the months since, it seems the experience has resonated with so many more players that it's becoming hard to ignore. A year later, can Days Gone be considered a really great game? Thanks to impressive post-launch support and a large amount of free DLC, we think the answer is yes.



    What a video game does after it hits the market is now just as important as the version to be released, with redemption arcs for Destiny and No Man's Sky turning those experiences into something worthwhile down the road. Days Gone is no different. Sony Bend already had a good game on its hands, but it wasn't quite as easy to see when bugs and glitches clouded our vision. Indeed, numerous minor glitches plagued Days Gone early on, causing side quests to break as well as audio glitches and clipping. It was never anything truly groundbreaking, but it was enough to detract from the overall engagement.

    Feature: Days Gone - Why Sony Bend's PS4 Open is essential a year later

    And it's here that Sony Bend has excelled. The studio quickly sought to squash as many bugs as possible – something it continues to do a year later. Hell, the developer even reduced the overall file size of the game a few months ago to make the game faster to download for newcomers. The flaws that reviewers discussed at the time are now a thing of the past, making for an experience that performs just as well as Deacon St. John's trusty bike. Once you update it, of course.



    However, nowadays you need more than that. DLC is always the talk of the town when it comes to what's next, and Days Gone certainly delivers. 12 different challenges were added to the game to give players who have completed the story something else to do, while New Game Plus and additional difficulty modes convinced users of a second game. The aforementioned Death Stranding even became part of the universe, as a BB-themed bike was included in a certain update. Of course, none of this is a huge expansion that adds hours and hours of new content, but the deciding factor was that all of this DLC was completely free. Sony Bend never asked you to hand over a penny to gain access and start enjoying its plethora of bonus tasks.

    The studio could have easily hacked a cheap season pass in order to cash in on its post-launch support, but it never did. That's the way things should be done - giving back to players who have stuck with your game through thick and thin. As such, Days Gone has become known as a game that emulates Crazy Taxi. How cool is that? By choosing to give back to its community, the Oregon-based company has built a fan base eager to hear more.

    Feature: Days Gone - Why Sony Bend's PS4 Open is essential a year later

    A year later, we consider ourselves part of this positive community. Days Gone is a much better game now than it was 12 months ago, but its compelling in-game narrative has always remained the same. The biker-ruled world of Oregon tells an interesting post-apocalyptic story, filled with branches that could be explored in a sequel. And we sincerely hope that happens. With an even bigger budget, more time, and the best hardware the PlayStation 5 will bring, Days Gone 2 could be something really special. The franchise's Uncharted 2 moment: Among Thieves? We think so.



    What do you think of Days Gone a year after its release? Do you like it more than ever or has your opinion soured a bit? Place your vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments below.

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