In the lead-up to E3, we’re counting down with our most anticipated titles. You can find out when all the press conferences are taking place in Australian/NZ times HERE.
Sony Bend Studios despite having fallen into the shadows are still renowned by PlayStation gamers for their iconic Syphon Filter series. Even their most recent big production title Uncharted Golden Abyss on the PS Vita, was a compelling game which did the Uncharted name proud. But until last year, no one had heard a peep out of them in years.
That all changed last year, when Sony debuted Days Gone at E3. Not only showing an announcement trailer at the start of their E3 conference, but later showing an extended gameplay trailer at the end. Something quite unheard of for press conferences.
Days Gone is a third person post apocalyptic, open world survival horror game, which follows the story of drifter and bounty hunter, Deacon St. John. A biker and now lone wanderer, Deacon lives in the Pacific Northwest (where Studio Bend is actually based) and in a world which was ravaged by a global virus just two years prior to the game’s setting.
Featuring a new type of zombie, ‘freaker’s, Days Gone is broaching a well worn genre with their own unique premise.
Bend is one of Sony’s own game development teams which means Days Gone is an exclusive to the PS4. So following its reveal last year, Days Gone will most definitely be on show at Sony’s E3 press conference and hopefully on the show floor too, for the public to try out for the first time.
Although Sony Bend are attempting to add their own spin to the zombie genre, it is hard to ignore the other major zombie franchise in Sony’s portfolio. The Last of Us, which is getting a sequel after being announced at PSX last year. With Part 2 set to come out sometime in the next 2-3 years, Sony will be keen to get Days Gone out sooner rather than later. In order to avoid any overlap in marketing and to not overload gamers with too much in the way of zombies.
That being said and based on how much Sony Bend showed off last year at E3, it is most likely going to be announced for release sometime next year. Why not this year? Well it is a possibility, but with Sony in marketing partnerships for several triple A third party games in the second half of this year, I’m sure Sony would be afraid Days Gone might get lost in the mix. But we’ll have to wait and see. Here’s hoping for a firm release date regardless!
During the announcement and gameplay trailers at E3 last year, we got a look at a lot of different mechanics and elements which make up the world and gameplay of Days Gone. Including crafting/looting, safe zones, basic combat, being able to interact with the environment to create obstacles and using vehicles. We also learnt a bit about Deacon and the type of character he is, having previously been part of a biker gang and now a lone wanderer.
But what we don’t really know still is much about the outbreak itself. The global virus which destroyed society and whether this will play a role in the story. Or whether the story will simple focus on Deacon, his past and living in a post apocalyptic North West America.
What really excited me in the gameplay trailer though, was the vast hordes of freakers (zombies!) in one area. To World War Z levels. Learning more about these freakers, the different types (which there are sure to be a few) and seeing them in different environments around the world is what excites me most. These details will likely determine not only how interesting the world of Days Gone will be but what will set it apart from other upcoming zombie games, such as State of Decay 2 and The Last of Us Part 2.
