Why is Days Gone a tired zombie premise in the minds of many when Resident Evil 2 is not?

[Robin]

I suppose this could be considered a false equivalency of sorts, but it's one I'm interested in tugging at nevertheless. You don't have to look too hard to hear people pipping up about their lack of interest in Days Gone, how zombie games are played out and that it's a tired trope at this point. People have been harping on this since the games earliest trailers, and yet, Resident Evil 2 came and went without any of the same sentiment. I'm curious as to what it is exactly that causes this.

I myself am currently working through Resident Evil 2 and am absolutely in love with it, but when I hear of Days Gone I get the feeling that it might end up a solid game, but I just can't find the urgency to play it. Is it because Resident Evil 2 is just objectively better? Is it because Days Gone is open world? Is Days Gone too close to The Walking Dead and The Last of Us? I harbor these feelings myself but I don't know if I have a solid reason.

For the record, this thread's intention isn't to shit on Days Gone, so let's not get too vitriolic towards one game or the other please and thank you!

 

[Hey Please]

Nostalgia

 

[Deleted member 198]

There's a difference between a remake of a beloved classic and new IP

Also even with zombies both games are completely different.

 

[DoradoWinston]

Resident Evil 2 Remake is a very very good game.

We will see how Days Gone turns out.

 

[TheInfinityGauntlet]

Nostalgia

Click to shrink...

One and Done

 

[Datajoy]

Hard to be sure. Maybe because its open world.

 

[sir_crocodile]

Probably because RE2 is a remake of a charming, cheesy game of days past with a lot weird stuff in it

I haven't really played the remake much, so I dunno how much of that stuff survived though (tofu mode?).

 

[Gamer17]

Indint get it in general.not just with re2. there aren't that many zombie games to begin with this gen.

Dying light
State of decay 2
Resident evil 2/7
Dead rising 4
Evil within 1 and 2

I can't think of anything else

 

[_zoipi]

Days Gone looks like a middle budget PS3 games from when the zombie trend led by Left 4 Dead and zombies mode in CoD. It reeks that the zombie thing is a trend chasing the buzz from The Walking Dead... Several years after the show's popularity peak.

REmake 2 is more of a remake of a game that used zombies due to limitations and to enchance the genre themes on the original .

 

[SaberVS7]

Because Days Gone zombies are Runner Hordes that seem to be All Style No Substance, while Resident Evil 2R has a much more modest distribution of zombies that are each a puzzle in and of themselves and have to often be solved in ways other than just shooting them a few times.

Also, as for the protagonist... 1% Bikers just aren't cool anymore in the age of Trump-Pence.

 

[TheBaldwin]

For me its the gameplay itself. The cheesy story and game design of resident evil 2 and focus on horror

Days gone just seems like a usual open world 'scavenger hunt' and crafting mission design, hid in bushes, and usual story themes of 'Why do we keep on living'

Im willing to eat crow however

 

[Z-Beat]

Even though "Zombie outbreak in a major city" is not a new premise, we've seen far less of that this decade, whereas with the "zombie outbreak out in the country" premise we have this, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, that other zombie show whose name I completely forgot, etc. Think of it like what WW2 and modern day used to be with FPS games. Plus Resident Evil tends to be more creative with its non-zombie enemies. They're not always just "Strong Zombie" or "Zombie who explodes."

On top of that, RE2make was something that people were asking for for a long time.

 

[Rodjer]

Indint get it in general.not just with re2. there aren't that many zombie games to begin with this gen.

Dying light
State of decay 2
Resident evil 2/7
Dead rising 4

I can't think of anything else

Click to shrink...

WWZ
KF2
TEW 1 & 2

 

[Comic Obsessed]

Eh, I'm cautiously optimistic about Days Gone mostly because of my love for zombies but I guess this is because RE2 came out like 20 years ago, the recent one is just a remake.

 

[Gartooth]

Personally, I'm just tired of the "post apocalypse zombies" trope in media like with The Walking Dead, so the storytelling of Days Gone doesn't appeal to me. RE2 is more interesting to me since it's right during the outbreak and has a bigger horror focus.

 

[Dringus]

For me it's not so much zombies, it's the fact it's another open world game.

 

[.exe]

Open world + lotsa zombies is one tired premise on top of another. RE2 does its own thing entirely in terms of design.

 

[Robin]

Even though "Zombie outbreak in a major city" is not a new premise, we've seen far less of that this decade, whereas with the "zombie outbreak out in the country" premise we have this, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, that other zombie show whose name I completely forgot, etc. Think of it like what WW2 and modern day used to be with FPS games. Plus Resident Evil tends to be more creative with its non-zombie enemies. They're not always just "Strong Zombie" or "Zombie who explodes."

On top of that, RE2make was something that people were asking for for a long time.

Click to shrink...

I think the major city / country angle might be part of it for sure. I find it interesting you cite RE's non-zombie enemies. I usually hate those in most games and always get a little "bleh" on RE when the monsters start to just become organic matter with giant eyes poking out everywhere, although RE2 bucks my opinion on this with some really strong enemy design.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

For me, it's the Walking Dead-esque character drama with the setting being the zombie apocalypse that I'm fatigued of. I'll take kind of a more action-oriented focus of RE or Left4Dead any day. There's just enough character to give it some charisma but the main thrust of action gameplay is kind of what I want. The ebbs and flows of RE2 are slowed down compared to typical action games, but at the end of the day the scenarios are really built for tension and making your actions during that tension feel satisfying to pull off.

Zombie apocalypse character drama feels a bit fatigued to my tastes. It always feels like the same exact dilemmas and strains, shades of gray moralism, etc...

 

[Deleted member 5596]

The premise is old, but REmake 2 style of game (less actiony and more focused in exploration and puzzle resolving) feels more fresh than "yet another" open world game. The first one is not that common in today's gaming landscape, while there are plenty of open world games out there now.

 

[Deleted member 11832]

Big hordes in open world is snore.

Exploring and mastering intricate level design with a few dangerous enemies is more interesting.

 

[Gamer17]

WWZ
KF2
TEW 1 & 2

Click to shrink...

Thanks I forgot evil within .Whats KF2? King of fighter 2 ? But even then it's not as bad as people say.its not like we have a zombie game every month

 

[Z-Beat]

I think the major city / country angle might be part of it for sure. I find it interesting you cite RE's non-zombie enemies. I usually hate those in most games and always get a little "bleh" on RE when the monsters start to just because organic matter with giant eyes poking out everywhere, although RE2 bucks my opinion on this with some really strong enemy design.

Click to shrink...

I hate it too when non-zombies are the primary enemy type (like the molded). I'm completely fine with it when they're secondary enemies.

 

[bombshell]

Indint get it in general.not just with re2. there aren't that many zombie games to begin with this gen.

Dying light
State of decay 2
Resident evil 2/7
Dead rising 4
Evil within 1 and 2

I can't think of anything else

Click to shrink...

WWZ
KF2
TEW 1 & 2

Click to shrink...

Ok, then remove those that are not story driven open world games and you're left with just Dying Light this gen.

 

[Kyra]

Resident Evil would be Resident Evil without the zombies.

 

[Hucast]

Resident evil 2 is a survival horror game. Different genre imo. You can put days gone next to the other dozens of zombie games like dead island, state of decay, dying light, dead rising and all those other games that are popular and that i'm not too familiar with like dayZ.

It is to seei f it'll be more fun than those games

 

[Deleted member 21411]

Age of the brand helps. People werent sick of zombies until resident evil was already established... plus its a remake of arguably the best game in the series

 

[BassForever]

Because for a lot of people Days Gone looks like another dime a dozen open world games in a market flooded with them. On top of that it's a zombie open world game which is a pretty flooded market between Dead Island, Dying Light, the Dead Rising series, and the state of decay series just to name a few.

Most people have only been exposed to the game at the e3 showings and it hasn't really shown off well why this game is unique/special and worth your time over the other dozen games in it's series.

REmake 2 by contrast isn't an open world game, it's a survival horror game which is a genre that has been neglected in recent years. The fact it's a remake of a popular title and following up the excellent re7 further helped to excite people for it.

 

[KiLAM]

For me it's not so much zombies, it's the fact it's another open world game.

Click to shrink...

Yeah this is my main issue as well. Going through a huge open world fatigue right now so Days Gone just feels 'another one of them'.

 

[Saint-14]

Thanks I forgot evil within .Whats KF2? King of fighter 2 ? But even then it's not as bad as people say.its not like we have a zombie game every month

Click to shrink...

Killing floor.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

I don't understand the whole "zombies are overdone" narrative either. There is way too few zombie games in this generation for zombies to be over done. Atleast Days Gone seems to be doing something new and interesting.

 

[Eumi]

New IP's and remakes aren't judged by the same standards, as they shouldn't be.

Plus the games are very, very different. There's no reasonable expectation that someone needs to have any connection between their feelings for one and the other.

 

[TheInfinityGauntlet]

It reeks that the zombie thing is a trend chasing the buzz from The Walking Dead... Several years after the show's popularity peak.

Click to shrink...

so how can it be trend chasing?

 

[Psychonaut]

1. Nostalgia. Full-stop.
2. Setting. You hit on it in the OP. Some of the most prominent works of modern zombie fiction have situated themselves in rural/forested environments, so more of that is a drag.
3. General open-world fatigue. We've got a lot of these and it doesn't look like Days Gone will add much to the conversation.
4. Puzzle elements. RE2 has a variety of interactions that aren't found in usual zombie fare.

These are mostly just me:
5. Aesthetic. The whole biker thing + zombies makes it seem like the makers just wanted to mush together some hot cable properties.
6. Characterization. This partly plays into the biker thing, but the MC just seems like the most milquetoast "gruff white guy" archetype meant to play to a VERY specific, yet large audience. The biker layer seems like a hollow veneer placed over him to make it seem like he's got a personality.
7. Marketing. It just doesn't seem like Sony has put as much of a push behind this one. It doesn't feel like one of the "big guns."

 

[Deleted member 31923]

You can't compare a remake to a new IP. Resident Evil came out long before the Zombie fatigue we have.

 

[Gamer17]

Killing floor.

Click to shrink...

Oh thanks .yeah I have it from ps plus . Was so bad haha

Only good zombie games tilo now this gen :
1.Dying light
2.resident evil 2 and 7

That's all (some say evil within 2 is good but I didn't play it )

The genre is dire need of more good games ;)

 

[AllThingsPurple]

There is zombie fatigue and open world fatigue. The games are barely comparable too.

 

[Robsolete]

Well for me at least, RE despite it's setting and dark themes has a sense of fun baked into it. There's a subtle layer of cheesy goodness and bad ass spectacle that offsets the horror of what is going on. Western devs seem hell bent on squeezing the fun out in place of gritty drama and "realism" which is fine if you're into that sort of thing. But if like myself you're not into that, or you're just kind of done with it then games like RE 2 are a nice alternative.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Because it's Resident Evil, people know what they're getting into and they know what they want from it.

Days Gone is a new IP that could have chosen to be anything it wants.

For the record I personally don't think just because there's zombies it's a boring concept.

 

[Sgt. Demblant]

They're both zombie games but one is a giant open world -and we are submerged in those right now- while the other is a "traditional" survival horror game, which are quite rare these days.
Plus there's the remake and nostalgia factor obviously. Also, the RE brand gets a pass for the zombie overdose stuff because... Well, they've been doing it since 1996 so it's not like they're just following a trend.

And finally, RE protagonists -Claire and Leon in this case- have a likability factor and charisma that many don't see in the Days Gone guy I think. At least based on what we've seen so far.

 

[DanteMenethil]

Days Gone is a new game and will be taken at face value; which is the zombies and whatnot. Resident Evil 2 is a long awaited remake of a much loved game and franchise that goes way past the current Zombie fatigue. The police station, Ada, lickers, Tyrant all evoke strong nostalgia feelings that Days Gone doesn't have.

 

[Deleted member 8561]

Because Resident Evil 2 is a survival horror game that has world/level design ripped straight out of 1998.

Days Gone is a zombie game with

Open World​

Light RPG​

Crafting​

Fast Travel​

Seemingly endless plethora of weapons (little restriction in how you face encounters, which leads to the issue of doing the thing that work over and over again)
Uninspired combat / AI (although the human/zombie/animal interaction is interesting​

The first three are where people kinda sigh at. Open world games have been dominating the market, and it really feels like people are getting a bit burnt out by games that are an inch deep and just through mindless junk at you to keep playing, when the quality content is a fraction of what is offered.

 

[Nightengale]

Legacy.

Also, for me personally - I don't necessarily view RE from the lense of "this is a zombie franchise". It's closer to "this is a zombie franchise that (largely) starts one of my favourite ensembles ( Leon, Chris, Jill, Claire, etc ) and I'm interested to see the continuation of their stories."

It's why I never liked the idea of RE rebooting itself and wiping a clean slate with new characters. It's got a legacy of very beloved characters that imo, hasn't all earned their proper dues. GIVE ME A GOOD SHERRY GAME.

 

[Stone Ocean]

Resident Evil is a game from a classic IP in a very underrepresented genre that has a very unique tone.

Days Gone is yet another fucking AAA open world game with zombies added in.

 

[BassForever]

so how can it be trend chasing?

Click to shrink...

Because massive triple a open world games take several years to make. The fact the trend lost steam and burned out before Days Gone released is more of an inditement on how long it took to release. They had a gameplay trailer back in 2016, so it has to have been in some kind of development for over a year and likely pre production before that. So we're looking at 2013-2014 when this game was green lit. What IPs were stupidly popular around 2013-2014 that may have influenced this game thinkingemoji.

 

[Deleted member 2791]

Resident Evil 2 was an already proven game but more importantly, has a completely unique way to tackle its zombie trope and offers one of the best level design ever seen in a game of this kind.

Days Gone looks just like a generic zombie shooter with crafting in an open world. Nothing strikes as much as RE2.

 

[Kemono]

Finally another thread to shit on Days Gone. Wouldn't be Era without a new one every day.

 

[Kinthey]

Is it because Days Gone is open world? Is Days Gone too close to The Walking Dead and The Last of Us?

Click to shrink...

Believe those are the biggest reasons. Honestly when I look at Days Gone I'm more worried about the open world and post apocalyptic setting fatigue than the zombies themselves.

 

[Lego Killer Moth]

To be fair, RE2 is 20 years old. People already knew they'd probably like the remake. It's also actually scary, whereas Days Gone looks more action heavy. That's a fine approach, I think a lot of people just prefer the horror vibe of RE2.

Also, Days Gone doesn't seem to have characters nearly as likable as those in RE2. I could be completely wrong though, because obviously I haven't played Days Gone yet.

 

[Slipknot666]

Resident Evil 2 Remake is a remake of one of the best games of all times for starters