Days Gone: 10 Reasons It's One Of The PS4's Best Exclusives

10. Deacon St. John Is One Of The Generation's Best Characters

In the run up to release, Deacon St. John became a punching bag for industry commentators (including myself), seemingly emblematic of how misguided the game as a whole was. Even across the first few hours, it's difficult to see the anti-hero as anything more than a gruff archetype, defined by his arbitrarily deceased wife, his hardass approach to post-apocalyptic living and, of course, the real love of his life, his motorcycle.

All of those elements are still present in the final game, but Deacon St. John is actually a surprisingly complex and tragic character - one whose hotheadedness and flirtations with darkness serve to highlight the tenderness lurking within. His journey from drifter to someone with a purpose feels totally earned, as it's dogged at every step by his desire to treat every enemy with an eye-for-an-eye mentality, even when others are attempting to rebuild society.

His characterisation is of course bolstered by Sam Witwer's performance, who brings a huge amount of humanity to the role, and blends the conflict raging inside St. John effortlessly. This is a character worth following, and one of the very best new protagonists to come out of the console generation so far.