Review
Played on: Xbox One X & Xbox Series XReleased: 2020
Last week saw the arrival of a current gen patch for Cyberpunk 2077, finally seeing the end of critical updates needed for the infamously bumpy release of 2020. Having difficulties holding back on playing it, I ended up finishing it a month or two back. But I did jump back in post patch, with lots of side missions to do, so I’ll be revisiting this beloved title for many more hours.
I could go back and talk about the bugs and bad optimisation at launch, and the subsequent failure to fix them for the base Xbox One and PS4. But let's skip past, as it’s not relevant if you plan to jump in here and now. Though, I must stress, that you really should play this game on the new generation of consoles, for a far superior experience.
My playthrough was mostly done on the Xbox One X version, running on an Xbox Series X. as such, I benefited from a fairly stable 60fps mode, which probably hovered somewhere between 1080p and 1440p, mostly 1080p to my eyes. It was fine, apart from some ugly pop-in here and there.
My playthrough was mostly done on the Xbox One X version, running on an Xbox Series X. as such, I benefited from a fairly stable 60fps mode, which probably hovered somewhere between 1080p and 1440p, mostly 1080p to my eyes. It was fine, apart from some ugly pop-in here and there.
This new patch brings my Series X version up to a healthy dynamic resolution between 1440p and 2160p, at 60fps. Although mostly residing near 1440p. Should I want ray tracing shadows and reflections, I can lock it to a 30fps mode. I highly prefer high framerate over small visual details and sluggish 30fps responsiveness. There's still a few framerate hiccups, but far less prominent than previously, especially if you use a VRR TV.
With the technicalities out of the way, lets focus on the actual game and why I absolutely love it so much. Yet, I can see some of its shortcomings and why it will fail to reach a top score from me.
This is one of those exceedingly rare gaming experiences, that has pulled me so deep into its alternate reality, I let myself become completely submerged in it. Playing as many titles as I do, it's been years since I’ve had this sensation. A game that completely sucks you into the feeling of being there, both in it's lore and world. The last time I felt this was probably with the Mass Effect series. It's about designing such a believable world you can submerge into it and live in it.
Your heavily augmented body can be upgraded at so called rip doctors across the city. Which allow you to upgrade scanning devices for your eyes, longer endurance, better carrying ability etc. There are a vast amount of upgrades to choose from, spanning across your weapons and clothing too. The leveling tree lets you tailor the style of play you prefer, be it hacking, stealth, melee, gunfights or charisma. There's even a deep crafting system to get into, if that's your thing. In other words, the RPG part of Cyberpunk is not just a sideline, it's a proper massive feature that is right up there with Witcher 3, from the same developer.
Yet, this complexity and vast player choice drowns in fast paced firefights. Sure, you can take clever use of stealth, often a preferred entry point to areas you’re not supposed to trespass. Stealth is enhanced by your ability to hack into devices or fuck up an enemy's sight, burn their bodies by overheating their circuits or making devices like TVs etc., distract them. Very much in the same style as the modern Deus Ex games.
But when you're discovered, the inevitable gun fights pick up. Resulting in an aggressive pace that doesn’t quite combine itself well with the slower gunplay controls. It’s not that I can’t take the pressure, but it should have had less enemies rushing at you when detected, perhaps resulting in a trench styled fight, like Gears of War or Mass Effect. Allowing the player a slower attack style and fully utilising the various unlocked skills.
I like the shooting mechanics in Cyberpunk, sure it isn’t quite as fast or refined as a proper shooter, but its much closer than I expected it would be. Taking cover can be essential, but the amount of gun types allow different approaches. Be it close combat with shotguns, or more distanced shooting with rifles and machine pistols. The letdown, is the messy interface showing what each gun does and how it handles, resulting in a lot of trail and error in the midst of gunfights.
With the technicalities out of the way, lets focus on the actual game and why I absolutely love it so much. Yet, I can see some of its shortcomings and why it will fail to reach a top score from me.
This is one of those exceedingly rare gaming experiences, that has pulled me so deep into its alternate reality, I let myself become completely submerged in it. Playing as many titles as I do, it's been years since I’ve had this sensation. A game that completely sucks you into the feeling of being there, both in it's lore and world. The last time I felt this was probably with the Mass Effect series. It's about designing such a believable world you can submerge into it and live in it.
Cyberpunk does an astonishing job when it comes to building a believable futuristic city. From the visual detail on the surface, with neon lit, futuristic, cityscapes, complete with cleverly designed cars, tech, people, guns and clothing. All down to the tiny details on roadsides, buildings and interiors.
There are a ton of nooks and crannies everywhere in the city, with small claustrophobic staircases to faster traverse on foot, versus the raised motorways. There's stuff to find or observe underneath bridges, behind containers etc. There's apparel to buy, guns to modify and find, literally the litter in a back alley can look immersive and build atmosphere.
Everything is viewed from a first-person view, giving the player a great sense of immersion.Sure, you can point out a million influences from 80s and 90s movies, set in dark, dystopian futures, and Cyberpunk happily lends ideas from all of them. But have you dreamt of feeling how it’s like actually living in a city like the one in Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell? Cyberpunk lets you do this in it's aptly titled Night City. To see a high-tech future, contrasted with poverty and fall of a civilised society. With modern objects blended with old, worn tech in a violent and Asian inspired city style of the future.
Cyberpunk has won me tremendously over by this incredibly designed world and, luckily, woven together with an equally amazing story. A story that seldom felt like a cliché and often took unexpected turns. What I thought was just a small cameo role by Keanu Reeves and his character, Silverhand, is actually a huge part of cast. He does a fantastic job as a cool and wild rock star. Retelling the past of what happened earlier in the city, reminicing of his glory days. Further giving depth to the world lore.
Everything is viewed from a first-person view, giving the player a great sense of immersion.Sure, you can point out a million influences from 80s and 90s movies, set in dark, dystopian futures, and Cyberpunk happily lends ideas from all of them. But have you dreamt of feeling how it’s like actually living in a city like the one in Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell? Cyberpunk lets you do this in it's aptly titled Night City. To see a high-tech future, contrasted with poverty and fall of a civilised society. With modern objects blended with old, worn tech in a violent and Asian inspired city style of the future.
Cyberpunk has won me tremendously over by this incredibly designed world and, luckily, woven together with an equally amazing story. A story that seldom felt like a cliché and often took unexpected turns. What I thought was just a small cameo role by Keanu Reeves and his character, Silverhand, is actually a huge part of cast. He does a fantastic job as a cool and wild rock star. Retelling the past of what happened earlier in the city, reminicing of his glory days. Further giving depth to the world lore.
Even the side missions have a great deal of story and depth to them, learning more about the main and side characters. What really sold me, but maybe not everyone agrees, is that combination of the story and visual atmosphere is what brings the experience to a new level. Not only is it about what's being told in the script, but also about how a scene feels and conveys atmosphere visually. Cyberpunk is as much a visual storyteller, as it's a literal one.
From making you feel like a tough ass city kid of the future, taking part in crimes or fights against gang members, all the way to bringing out pure fear and uneasiness in situations you witness. Cyberpunk's world is a cold and violent one, relentless to it's inhabitants. Conveyed through instances with truly horrifying scenes and places you visit along way. Further building a world of a society gone so criminal where only corruption and violence succeeds. The people of the streets live in poverty and are governed by mega corporations that own everything around them. It’s a world that gives a shocking depiction of the future, yet it’s so intriguing and interesting.
From making you feel like a tough ass city kid of the future, taking part in crimes or fights against gang members, all the way to bringing out pure fear and uneasiness in situations you witness. Cyberpunk's world is a cold and violent one, relentless to it's inhabitants. Conveyed through instances with truly horrifying scenes and places you visit along way. Further building a world of a society gone so criminal where only corruption and violence succeeds. The people of the streets live in poverty and are governed by mega corporations that own everything around them. It’s a world that gives a shocking depiction of the future, yet it’s so intriguing and interesting.
Such a vast contrast are the deserts surrounding Night City, a place I got to visit later in the story, when I ran into the wonderful main character Pan Am. However, this is an RPG, so you can choose to start the game as a country hillbilly, if you wish, where the city is the unfamiliar place. There are tons of ways to express your Cyberpunk look and clothing style too. With a heavy and complex levelling tree to expand your abilities with. I chose to opt for shooting as my strengths, but you can also go for hacking, melee blades or simply your brute strength, in a satisfying manner too. Swapping high-tech smart rifles, that turn bullets towards enemies, for razor-sharp Katana swords.
Your heavily augmented body can be upgraded at so called rip doctors across the city. Which allow you to upgrade scanning devices for your eyes, longer endurance, better carrying ability etc. There are a vast amount of upgrades to choose from, spanning across your weapons and clothing too. The leveling tree lets you tailor the style of play you prefer, be it hacking, stealth, melee, gunfights or charisma. There's even a deep crafting system to get into, if that's your thing. In other words, the RPG part of Cyberpunk is not just a sideline, it's a proper massive feature that is right up there with Witcher 3, from the same developer.
Yet, this complexity and vast player choice drowns in fast paced firefights. Sure, you can take clever use of stealth, often a preferred entry point to areas you’re not supposed to trespass. Stealth is enhanced by your ability to hack into devices or fuck up an enemy's sight, burn their bodies by overheating their circuits or making devices like TVs etc., distract them. Very much in the same style as the modern Deus Ex games.
But when you're discovered, the inevitable gun fights pick up. Resulting in an aggressive pace that doesn’t quite combine itself well with the slower gunplay controls. It’s not that I can’t take the pressure, but it should have had less enemies rushing at you when detected, perhaps resulting in a trench styled fight, like Gears of War or Mass Effect. Allowing the player a slower attack style and fully utilising the various unlocked skills.
I like the shooting mechanics in Cyberpunk, sure it isn’t quite as fast or refined as a proper shooter, but its much closer than I expected it would be. Taking cover can be essential, but the amount of gun types allow different approaches. Be it close combat with shotguns, or more distanced shooting with rifles and machine pistols. The letdown, is the messy interface showing what each gun does and how it handles, resulting in a lot of trail and error in the midst of gunfights.
Some firearms really didn't go well with my play style either. Again, this is a personal preference, but the menus depicting firearm data should have been clearer in it's categories and firing style. It brings back memories of the overly complicated stat system in The Division games.
Driving mechanics feel fine, if a little on the twitchy side for lighter vehicles. Luckily, this last patch seems to have added more weight to the vehicles handling, this is of course all depending on the car model you drive. What entices so much with the driving though, is the coolness of cruising through Night City in their charming 80s futuristic interiors. The cockpit view is clearly the most immersive driving view, never breaking from the first person on-foot angle, pulling you further into atmosphere of being there.
However, for some fast driving and waving small streets, I found the exterior camera the best. Even more so on motorbikes, borrowing designs from Keanu Reeves own brand of bikes, which I found to be the best kind of transportation. Easily waving between other cars and in general a more stable drive when it comes to the weight sensation of handling. It's one of the few open world games where I preferred driving to places rather than fast travelling, purely because it's so cool to cruise past it's futuristic world!
Driving mechanics feel fine, if a little on the twitchy side for lighter vehicles. Luckily, this last patch seems to have added more weight to the vehicles handling, this is of course all depending on the car model you drive. What entices so much with the driving though, is the coolness of cruising through Night City in their charming 80s futuristic interiors. The cockpit view is clearly the most immersive driving view, never breaking from the first person on-foot angle, pulling you further into atmosphere of being there.
However, for some fast driving and waving small streets, I found the exterior camera the best. Even more so on motorbikes, borrowing designs from Keanu Reeves own brand of bikes, which I found to be the best kind of transportation. Easily waving between other cars and in general a more stable drive when it comes to the weight sensation of handling. It's one of the few open world games where I preferred driving to places rather than fast travelling, purely because it's so cool to cruise past it's futuristic world!
The insane amount of marketing and awards Cyberpunk 2077 was given, prior to even reaching the shops, was in hindsight, perhaps a mistake. It built the game up to be something it maybe couldn’t fully deliver. PC players with high-end hardware glided past the initial criticism of bad optimisation, lower end console owners not so much.
Even with how much I love the style and atmosphere of Cyberpunk there are a few points of criticism. Although the design of the city is fantastic, it needs way more cars and pedestrians to crowd its urban landscape. It looks too empty a lot of the time and doesn’t have the vibe of a metropolitan hustle and bustle where the streets are full of people, so often is depicted in futuristic movies. I get that this is taxing on the hardware, but somehow make it more populated outside of certain areas and indoor locations!
I would also have appreciated the gameplay tightened in it's response and fluidity, swapping weapons and using them can feel cumbersome. A better overview of guns, clothing and items would have been nice, the interface is a little messy and confusing.
Cyberpunk lets me play a game I've often dreamt of, a playable dystopian future movie, accompanied with an equally awesome soundtrack, blending 80s styled synth wave music and intense, pressing melodies to further highlight what a dark future this is. If only they'd crowd up the streets more to make it that more believable.
It's hard to point out other titles allowing me escape reality as much into a believable, alternate, world like Cyberpunk has. Perhaps it's my soft spot for this setting and its 80s/90s designed future that does it. While it may be an open world shooter RPG with Grand Theft Auto roots to its transportation and hacking from Deus Ex, it doesn’t remind me of much else out there.
Cyberpunk 2077 has been a brilliant game to play, with a ending that really touched me and an experience I'll remember for many years to come. If you haven't played until now, it's a fantastic time to jump in, post-release patches and all.
Even with how much I love the style and atmosphere of Cyberpunk there are a few points of criticism. Although the design of the city is fantastic, it needs way more cars and pedestrians to crowd its urban landscape. It looks too empty a lot of the time and doesn’t have the vibe of a metropolitan hustle and bustle where the streets are full of people, so often is depicted in futuristic movies. I get that this is taxing on the hardware, but somehow make it more populated outside of certain areas and indoor locations!
I would also have appreciated the gameplay tightened in it's response and fluidity, swapping weapons and using them can feel cumbersome. A better overview of guns, clothing and items would have been nice, the interface is a little messy and confusing.
Cyberpunk lets me play a game I've often dreamt of, a playable dystopian future movie, accompanied with an equally awesome soundtrack, blending 80s styled synth wave music and intense, pressing melodies to further highlight what a dark future this is. If only they'd crowd up the streets more to make it that more believable.
It's hard to point out other titles allowing me escape reality as much into a believable, alternate, world like Cyberpunk has. Perhaps it's my soft spot for this setting and its 80s/90s designed future that does it. While it may be an open world shooter RPG with Grand Theft Auto roots to its transportation and hacking from Deus Ex, it doesn’t remind me of much else out there.
Cyberpunk 2077 has been a brilliant game to play, with a ending that really touched me and an experience I'll remember for many years to come. If you haven't played until now, it's a fantastic time to jump in, post-release patches and all.
A must-buy for any dystopian future fan, it only needed more polishprior to release, to really hit home straight away. Don't let the early negativity colour your interest now though, it's finally the game it should have been back in 2020.
