Thankfully in December 2020, I had a backlog of games like you wouldn’t believe, and therefore Cyberpunk 2077 was way down my list of priorities. The result of this meant I missed out on the utter shocker of a game CD Projekt Red released to the world.
Depending on what article you read, Cyberpunk was in development for anything up to nine years, full development for five, and yet the launch of this game couldn’t have been any worse. Released a year too soon, Cyberpunk launched into the market in a dreadful state: virtually unplayable on the PS4, sub 60 scores from reviewers, a public backlash like nothing the gaming world had seen, and the ultimate embarrassment; Cyberpunk 2077 being removed from the PS Store altogether.
And yet, this was CDPR, renowned for making great games. People wanted this game to succeed, many people still believed this game could come good, many people even persevered through the bugs and crashes and finished the game originally, and still loved the damn thing, so there was hope for it no doubt.
Over the course of 15 months, we saw various patches for existing versions of Cyberpunk and we saw failed targets of bringing out the next-gen patch we were all eagerly waiting for. A Q1 2022 date seemed to be a confident time scale, yet it still came as a surprise when out of the blue on the 15th of February, the next-gen announcement was made, and better still it was instantly available.
The big question for me, having previously picked up a used copy of the game for £5, is this game actually any good? And most importantly, is this game still an utter clusterfuck? Or have the team at CDPR actually fixed things after 15 months? Having finished Horizon Forbidden West, Cyberpunk 2077 was calling out to me…
Visually, the game is last-gen make no mistake, if you’re expecting to be blown away by the visuals, then I’m sorry to disappoint. I’m not suggesting for a second the game looks bad, or inferior, but when you’ve played Horizon Forbidden West for three weeks prior to Cyberpunk, the difference is night and day. That said, on the PS5 the game runs beautifully at 60fps and is smooth as hell. I have had some small and rare frame rate dips, but nothing to moan or complain about. For the most part, it runs great.
A common complaint I read from people who did play Cyberpunk pre-patch, was the world feels empty at times, and I must say this is probably my biggest complaint. Outside of town centres, hub areas, the world is lifeless and empty. At one point in the game, I messed up and had to run along a road for 800 metres, and I noticed in that time I passed only 3 cars and 2 people. This is an area I had really hoped CDPR had fixed and added in more dense life to the game, but alas not.
Thankfully, the positives of this game far, far, far outweigh any negatives. I said visually the game is nothing special, and that is correct, but to flip that into a positive: the world that CDPR has created is stunning. The attention to detail, the sheer variation in buildings and people is remarkable. Night City really does feel like a real city, in a not-so-distant future. Inside those busy areas, it feels like there is hustle and bustle, there is noise, chatter, a vibrancy you’d expect walking through a market in a busy city anywhere in the world.
The character design is incredible. Your NPC comrades like Judy & Jackie are wonderfully designed and the voice acting for them is top-notch. They feel like real people on screen. Other NPCs we meet all feel like real unique people too. At no point in the game do you meet and talk to someone and think they’re a re-skin of someone you met several hours ago. It’s a level of detail you rarely see in gaming.
I have to commend the game on the most important factor, and that is the gameplay. Make no mistake here, this is a very, very good video game. And people who managed to play Cyberpunk originally, be it on PC or they got very lucky on console, all said the same. I have rarely seen people say this game isn’t good to play, regardless of all the obviously original flaws.
Cyberpunk might be defined as an open-world RPG, but this is also a first-person shooter, and an FPS has to prioritise gunplay. Cyberpunk gets it so right. Whether you’re using a magnum or an assault rifle, it feels great. There is weight and feedback behind everything. Not on the same level as say Destiny, but a far greater experience than a Far Cry title.
In my current playthrough, I have gone for a hacker build, known as Netrunners. Here you specialise in hacking your way to victory. Think of it as a mage build. Your target here is stealth and range, hacking the enemy to destroy their internal systems, or even blind them or hack their weapons to jam them. You can use hacking to take out cameras/turrets in a particular area, and even use the same hack to lower the physical resistance of all enemies in the area too. It’s a fun build, especially for me who has a thing for mage builds at the moment, but proceed with caution: although this build is fun and very powerful when things go right, when things go wrong, and you have multiple enemies with guns on top of you because you’re not putting perk points into health or gun perks, it’s going to be a short battle and a trip to the morgue, very, very quickly.
Depending on your build you have an array of perks to choose from, there are nearly endless ways you can play this game depending on your style. It’s geared up to have multiple playthroughs if you wish, choosing from one of three starting backstories, and then going down a different build rabbit hole each time too. This then leans to different endings you can achieve throughout your playthrough too, meaning you could really play this game any way you want too.
The attention to detail in quests is typical of what we expect from CDPR, the Witcher 3’s quests were great, and Cyberpunk extends on that. Quest givers have great personalities, be it on the phone to you, or in person, and every time you are tasked with a quest, you feel there is a reason behind it, there is story and lore to go with it. This isn’t simply a case of being an errand boy/girl we see in so many other open-world games.
The sheer number of quests is quite something as well. Think back to when you played The Witcher 3, and you arrived on Skellige for the first time. You open the map up and you’re thinking: we’re in the end-game now… and then you see ALL those quest markers and ALL those question marks… Cyberpunk is very similar albeit they have toned down the question marks. There is, though, a great variety in quests, side quests and tasks/errands you can do. You don’t feel like it’s rinse and repeat and that seems to be growing in importance amongst the gaming community.
The burning question is then: Was Cyberpunk 2077 worth the wait?
Absolutely it was. This is a superb game, make no mistake about it. I can’t imagine many people who like RPG games not enjoying and appreciating the next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077. There is so much to like and enjoy about this game. Time just flies as you get distracted by all the different errands and tasks at your disposal. You get immersed in the conversations and dialogue choices, and of course, you’ll have an absolute blast whether you choose a hacker build, a samurai melee build, or all-in Rambo style.
That being said, I can’t help but wonder, should we even be playing it? Should we support CDPR and further line their pockets after the original release of Cyberpunk? Keep in mind, this game was released a year too early, on purpose. Knowing full well the game was in a largely unplayable state. CDPR purposely misled the gaming community. Should they be getting off this lightly?
However, we are but a fickle species, and pride comes before a fall. And hey, at least I only paid £5 second hand for it…
-Dony
