Cyberpunk 2077 review

 

I feel as though if Cyberpunk hadn't had that disastrous 2020 launch, with the PS4 version being pulled from Sony's online store, it would've been remembered as a classic. It's not quite a great game, but it is very good, and it's chock full of memorable scenes and characters, more so than any game I've played recently besides God of War. Jackie Wells, Johnny Silverhand, Rouge, Panam, Judy, River--they are all well-written and believable, and I felt for them all during my 40 odd hours of play. Sure, Johnny's a douche, but he's also an idealist, and there aren't many of those left in Night City. Night City itself is rendered in such incredible detail that walking its streets is worth the price of admission. Towering skyscrapers, giant holograms, obscene advertisements--it's enough to almost support the illusion that you're in another world. Of course, the NPC AI will break that illusion fairly quickly, but I've always been the kind of person that buys into a gameworld instead of trying to break it. Are there bugs, even after many patches? Sure. I had an elevator button disappear on me, as well as a cop car levitate a couple feet above the ground. I encountered a handful, but they didn't ruin the experience. Regarding gameplay, Cyberpunk is best played when you're switching things up. It's basically a first-person-shooter, even if those shooting mechanics are governed by RPG number-crunching. I started off trying to specialize in pistols and rifles, and ended up adding a bunch of points to Cool for knife-throwing, and ended the game with an automatic sniper rifle that smart-locked onto enemies' heads. On Normal difficulty, it's pretty easy. Driving in this game is weird and erratic, and only motorcycles handle decently. Still, I preferred cruising around to fast travel, just for the chance to view Night City in all its dilapidated splendor. There are a few meaty sidequests, with some of the best involving Johnny and his former Samurai bandmates. As for the open-world elements, they're pretty forgettable, and mostly consist of repeatable hit jobs for the Night City police or purchasable cars. Because the story is so good, I didn't mind, but certainly the lack of variety and detail in these mini-missions is a disappointment. When you realize Cyberpunk is basically a Bethesda game with decent writing, then you appreciate it for what it accomplishes, rather than hating it for what it isn't. Certainly the marketing team is to blame, but the internet shoulders its fair share. I never thought this would be the game to end all games, which is why I probably ended up enjoying it. I'd recommended Cyberpunk 2077 to anyone who enjoys single-player RPGs. Let's pour one out for the RedEngine while we're at it, eh? It's disappointing to see CDprojekt moving to Unreal Engine 5. The RedEngine powered the Witcher 2 and 3 as well as Cyberpunk, and all these titles feature graphics ahead of their time. I'm worried about the performance of Unreal as well as the prospect of losing a cool custom engine. Anyways, time will tell if the move works out.

Screenshots