Hands on: Days Gone review

An open-world survival game, Days Gone sees you take on the role of Deacon St. John (Sam Witwer, who gamers may recognise from his role as Starkiller in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed). Sony knows a thing or two about stellar game presentation (you only have to look at past PS4-exclusives like Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and God of War to see that the publisher is untouchable in this regard), and Days Gone is no exception.Image credit: SIE Bend StudioThe story picks up again 731 days later, and Deacon has yet to be reunited with his love. Thankfully, Deacon's decision to stay on the ground wasn't a total waste – his buddy Boozer managed to survive that hellish night, and now the pair spend their days roaming around the Oregon countryside on their motorcycles scavenging for scrap metal (which you'll need to repair your bike), doing jobs to earn cents (not dollars) and looking for animals to hunt and eat. You'll want to keep a good supply of Molotov cocktails on hand to burn them down – just be ready to kill all the flaming ghouls that spew out.As bad as these freakers are, they aren't the only menace to contend with – human enemies are also prevalent across the heartland, with a murderous cult known as the Rippers being the worst we had the misfortune of meeting, During a mission which saw Deacon searching an abandoned garage for a much needed motorcycle part, the Rippers manage to get the drop on poor ol' Boozer, once again leaving him horribly injured and forcing you to abandon your bike in a mad rush back to the safety of your compound.Image credit: SIE Bend StudioWith Boozer out of commission, you're now free to take off on your own across the beautiful Oregon wilderness. That said, stealth isn't quite as much of a focus as it is in something like The Last of Us – enemies in Days Gone will generally leave you alone once you've broken line of sight, and it's hard to travel quietly when you're riding on a roaring hog.Image credit: SIE Bend StudioAfter some mild investigating and a visit to a populated nearby camp, Deacon regains access to a motorcycle, allowing him to hit the road once again.