Cyberpunk 2077 is now totally worth playing. It may have taken over a year to say that, but as of V.131 I can confirm that on PS5 at least, the game runs fine and was genuinely a treat to play.
NOW it’s breathtaking
Originally I was going to wait it out until the game received a ‘next-gen update’, though following a scarcity of things to play and some upcoming titles I want to dedicate time to, I finally gave it a shot.
Initially I played a few hours with the game running on my PS5’s external HHD – I would not recommend this. I didn’t get any crashes or nasty bugs, but there is a noticeable difference when you swap it onto the SSD. For me this was clear to see as NPC pop in and cars not spawning when driving on roads were instantly fixed, making the game more immersive.
The game’s main strengths lie in it’s story and it’s character building (though more is still needed in this department). The fact that you can build your character in any way that you see fit, going for a brawler-type build and utilising deadly mantis blades, or going for a more tech-focused approach and making use of quick hacks, is super fun.
The only downside here is that more is needed. Not in terms of upgrades, as those are plentiful, but in some areas the game feels restrictive still, as there is no third-person view (possibly explaining the lack of body customisation changes, like hair cuts). Weapons and armour could also do with a look at, as more would be appreciated due to a handful of legendary items being the obvious choice, except if you are going for a certain look, but then again the only time you really see this is either if you are travelling on a motorbike or looking in a mirror.
Gameplay does take somewhat of a backseat in general though, as it does in other CDPR games, however on normal difficulty Cyberpunk 2077 is a competent shooter with some cool and unique mechanics. This includes quick hacking to gain fast tactical advantage over your foes, as well as various cyberware upgrades that allow V to do things like double jump.
Why you should care
The game’s story is what really drew me in. Like the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD PROJEKT hit it out of the park in this area, as the world is immersive and the side and main missions are memorable. This is what makes the sad state that the game launched in even more disappointing, as there truly is something special here. Cyberpunk 2077 focuses on the player – V, who makes their way to Night City after choosing one of three life paths. There they meet Jackie Welles and begin their notorious career, working hard and playing harder. Standout characters include the aforementioned Jackie, Takemura, Panam and Johnny Silverhand, who is played by everybody’s favourite Keanu Reeves. It’s in the interactions with Johnny, both during intense main-line quests and when just simply exploring random pars of the city, that you realise that CDPR have still got it.
Exploration of the world, again like in the Witcher 3, is what takes the game to the next level. Do the side quests, as these not only give the player access to powerful gear, but help to further enhance the great story with often lighthearted distractions that help to flesh out Night City and the Badlands. From interesting NPCs, each with their own connection to the city, to talking guns, you won’t want to give these a miss.
The music in the game is great also, with songs tailor made for Cyberpunk. Samurai are one of, if not the best virtual band I’ve ever heard – they even have 250,000 monthly listeners on Spotify… crazy.
The Steam user score is also a good indication of the current state of Cyberpunk 2077, as it is now ‘very positive’, and this reflects my personal experience with the game, playing on PS5. I can’t speak on the quality of the last-gen console versions (these should still be playable), but it looks as though console players are finally getting what PC players have had for a while.
The only issues I encountered which hindered my experience, was one instance of crashing after completing the game, the game popping distant cars in and out, and some late game content not being obtainable (which should be fixed in an upcoming patch). Other than that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with Cyberpunk 2077 and I feel as though the developers have done a decent job at repairing the game, even though it has been over a year.
The future
It is worth noting however, that if you are waiting for an online experience, similar to that of say GTA, then you may be waiting for some time as the devs are ‘reconsidering’ Cyberpunk online. CEO Adam Kiciński stated that they “hope to bring online to all their titles” someday, but want to focus on making Cyberpunk what they had envisaged first. This is an extremely ambitious goal as it implies that the Witcher may see online at some point, but it does cast doubt as to when we will see anything outside of single-player anytime soon.
The developers have also announced that Cyberpunk 2077 will be getting a major update before May, adding DLC as well as next-gen versions of the game.
I’m now actually excited for a CD PROJEKT game again now that I have played (or waited to play) Cyberpunk, and can’t wait to try the DLC and updates when they become available this year.
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