“Cyberpunk 2077″ is a game from “CD Projekt Red”(Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt) that was released on Dec. 10, 2020. Upon launch, the title was greeted with negative reactions due to visual bugs, game-breaking glitches, and poor execution of the experience. A majority of reviews focused on the cons and did not address the pros enough. I felt this was a major disservice to the game and its developers.
To note, I played the game on a base PS4 and surprisingly it ran really well. During my playthrough I only encountered two to three crashes, and a few visual bugs here and there. However, I did not encounter any glitches that were game breaking and the graphics did not look as bad as the reviews said. I have felt since I played on a PS4. I did notice there were a few FPS- (frames per seconds) drops from time to time, but they weren’t drastic and I felt this was due to the sheer size of the game.
Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that has many things going for it, but it is also plagued by certain pitfalls. However only time will tell if it will sink or swim. Of course I do need to give praise to the world design for the attention to detail, and the sheer size of how big Night City truly is. The best way to describe the city; it’s a blend of ‘Blade Runner’, with a neon aesthetic. I mean it’s the year 2077 where you can do anything, and everything.
This is where the creativity from the studio starts to take center stage. ‘CD Projekt Red’ has crafted a world where humanity has evolved through the presence of body cybernetics. I remember being amazed by the sheer amount of customization on the main screen. It was clear to tell that my cruise in Night City wasn’t going to be the same as everyone else; each story and playthrough was going to be unique, to say the least. In addition to the beauty of Night City, I need to give praise to how each district is designed with a different flavor or style of gameplay.
One of the driving factors to which makes the game great are the different stories and characters you meet along the way. It’s a narrative that’s been reused to say the least but surprisingly it’s executed greatly by ‘CDPR’. The studio does a great job of illustrating the relations with other NPCs(non-playable characters) by way of great voice acting.
One of which stands out is Keanu Reeves as the legendary Johnny Silverhand. Reeves plays the character with such finesse and the perfect balance of charisma. The cast is also well rounded out by Cherami Leigh and Gavin Drea as the female and male versions of V(the Main Character)Respectively.
The side missions are also a lot of fun, and don’t come off as repetitive. Something which is a major flaw that other games suffer from. To add, each is unique and offers a great story at the end. The side missions also leave room for introduction of new characters with whom your relations differ; according to your gameplay. Which leads me to the balance of the experience;
‘Cyberpunk’ has three different life paths at the beginning of when you start up the title. The choices are Nomad; Corpo, and Badlands. I found that each choice offers different interactions with the characters; which in turn increases the replayability of the game.
‘CDPR’ has been working on this game for almost a decade and we can see where the work went, but at the same time, the disappointment is also understandable. Of course, you just have to check the game out for yourself and then truly decide and judge your opinion.
I personally love the game and would give it four out of five stars.
‘CDPR’ has also been working hard and released three patches last month. As of today I can confirm these patches have indeed increased the quality of the game since launch.
