We all know about the disastrous 2020 holiday launch of Cyberpunk 2077, arguably the most anticipated (and pre-release-awarded title) in video game history. The list of fumbles, stumbles, and missteps are too numerous to list here.
But today, after many a patch and public relations repair effort, is Cyberpunk 2077 worth playing NOW? This is the question that Beth Elderkin sets out to answer on Gizmodo.
I decided to finally dip my toe into Cyberpunk 2077, after waiting several months for the game mechanics to catch up with its own vision. I’m still in the middle of my first playthrough but overall I’m more satisfied than I thought I would be. Players tale on the role of “V,” a mercenary in the corporate-fueled world of Night City. It’s a filthy, no-holds-barred dystopia where American and Japanese esthetics have intertwined, becoming a dark and grim San Fransokyo. The character of V is customizable in appearance, cybernetics, and origin—I chose the corporate backstory, because “Opulence!”—although the look doesn’t matter much because the video game is in first-person. (I played as a feminine-presenting character, so I’ll be using she/her pronouns from here on).
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Where Cyberpunk 2077 shines is in the little details. Night City is gorgeous, at least when it’s not buggy. The eye line is filled with towering skyscrapers, creepy alleyways with side quests, digital display overlays, and passersby wearing all sorts of cybernetic enhancements. I often found myself avoiding Fast Travel (a service I usually employ liberally) because I didn’t want to miss anything. I also appreciate a video game with combat-free missions—especially sci-fi games, given how much they rely on gunplay. It’s why I enjoy playing Detroit: Become Human way, way, way more than the game deserves.
One of the things I didn’t like about Watch Dogs: Legion was how all of the missions were the same: talk to a person, shoot some people, “hack all the things.” Cyberpunk 2077 gives players ample opportunity to interact with characters and the world in ways that don’t involve shootouts. Most missions have plenty of stealth options; several of them can be accomplished with no fighting at all. Plus, there are a lot of main and side quests where it’s just you and people. No fighting. No fleeing. Just being. Meeting a contact at the docks, and talking. Helping a former cop with his PTSD. Investigating a crime scene using someone’s virtual memory.