The PlayStation 4 is home to some of the best exclusives around, with everything from Ghost of Tsushima to God of War being touted as some of the greatest games of this generation. However, one particular title that is widely ignored in this discussion is Days Gone. The game was unfortunately released in a bugged state and critically skewered by reviewers upon launch due to what was considered to be uninspired open-world design and the general shoddy nature of the product upon release.
However, with patches, most of these bugs have been taken out. Players who are willing to look past the shoddy open-world design will find themselves enjoying a game that genuinely has an excellent story and a protagonist who is very much unlike the cookie-cutter good boys generally seen spearheading most releases.
For people who want grittier and more nuanced stories like the one told in Days Gone, here are ten games that might strike their fancy.
10 Silent Hill 2
The Silent Hill series is no stranger to mind-boggling stories that perfectly accompany its horror aesthetic, but it's Silent Hill 2 that really showed people the potential of strong narratives in video games.
Silent Hill 2 is a masterpiece that still deserves all the hype, featuring the tale of James Sunderland as he tries to track down a letter written by his dead wife, only to find out that was only the tip of the sinister iceberg.
9 Dead Space
Another horror game that featured another brilliant story that will leave the player scratching their head all the way to the very end is Dead Space. This title is considered by many to be one of the greatest horror video games ever made.
While most people love Dead Space 2 and rightfully so, the first Dead Space chose to promote the horror aesthetic over pure action. This allowed for a more immersive experience that truly roped in the player in the best way imaginable.
8 System Shock 2
Immersive sims generally allow for some of the most addictive gameplay around, fuelled by narratives that truly make the player feel connected with the world at large. System Shock 2 is no exception to this golden rule.
The Von Braun is one of the scariest places to explore in any video game, with each area serving as a great example of amazing level design that feels claustrophobic without becoming too boring.
7 Prey
System Shock 2 was such a revolutionary game that remnants of its design can still be seen in some video gams to this day, with Prey being a great example.
There are a ton of fans who consider Prey to be an unofficial sequel of sorts to System Shock 2, and it's easy to see why this the case. The game also takes place on an isolated space station with recordings serving as a major part of the storytelling experience.
6 Deus Ex
It is impossible to talk about immersive sims and not mention one particular title that completely wowed gamers upon its release all the way back in 2000 — Deus Ex.
The fact of the matter is that Deus Ex is easily one of the greatest video games, with its brilliant emergent gameplay and level design being a key factor for the same. However, people also praised its story for being a surprisingly compelling combination of conspiracy theories and corporate corruption. Some of the other releases in the series, such as Human Revolution, are also fantastic.
5 Pathologic
For the longest time, Pathologic was nothing more than an obscure Russian title that most people hadn't even heard about... that is, until Pathologic 2 was announced. All of a sudden, fans couldn't wait to get their hands on a surreal and atmospheric title that offered up one of the most unique and compelling narratives ever featured in a video game.
Even after all the progress that video games have made in modern times, one will be hard-pressed to find a story that is as compelling and unique as the one featured in Pathologic.
4 Spec Ops: The Line
With the sheer number of generic war shooters out there, it can be easy to put Spec Ops: The Line under the same bracket. However, that's exactly what the game wants its players to think...before ripping off the blinds and showing people what it's all about.
Spec Ops: The Line is a brilliant commentary on the senseless violence that has plagued video games forever, serving as a wake-up call of sorts for players who have been completely desensitized to this type of bloodshed. Spec Ops: The Line aims to make people realize the brutality of their actions through a captivating story that deserves all the praise it has gotten over the years.
3 BioShock Infinite
Speaking of eye-opening stories in video games, it would be hard to not mention the masterpiece that is BioShock Infinite. Ken Levine's work on titles like System Shock 2 and the original BioShock let him gather all his knowledge of video game development and implement it in what is considered one of the greatest titles ever made.
Every aspect of BioShock Infinite oozes style and mystery, allowing for an excellent and thoroughly entertaining experience from start to end.
2 The Last Of Us Part II
Of course, a discussion revolving around Days Gone demands a mention of other zombie games in the same vein. In this regard, The Last Of Us Part II is definitely an excellent title that takes some bold risks with its storytelling and ends up being all the more unique for it.
While the game might not be to everyone's tastes, people who do manage to get into it will find themselves enjoying an excellent title with brilliant gameplay and a story that will certainly tug at their heartstrings at every step of the way.
1 The Walking Dead
Telltale was considered to be one of the greatest adventure game developers around, and the game that actually flung the studio into the mainstream was none other than The Walking Dead.
A property that was already popular enough, Telltale's The Walking Dead ended up capitalizing on this demand in the best way imaginable to create an emotional tale rife with some the best storytelling seen in a video game to date.