And we back, chooms! What I miss? 😅
This will be part 02 of our dissertation of this amazing game. And yes, for all its flaws, it is amazing. We should not fault the developers that worked tirelessly to bring us one of the best open-worlds to date. 💯 The suits? Ye, the suits can all rot for all i care. 😁 // I in no way condom the rotting of fellow human beings.
But ye, if you're interested in all the hubub about the game's disastrous launch, we covered all the minutiae in the previous part. Now we shall embark on the, as they say, nitty-gritty. 😤
NIGHT CITY
I reckoned we start off light, with something everyone can agree upon. Mainly this game's aesthetic design. Which, if I'm being totally honest, for MY taste, is second to none❗️❗️❗️
In all Cyberpunk stories, regardless of medium, the main character is the city - Night City. The capital of the free state of North California. I won't go into the game's lore in this article (but I just realized that's a good idea for a future piece 😁) for now, all you have to know, that if there's one element this game excel at, it's the lore.
Q: Weren't we talking about aesthetics? A: How many times must I say this is my article ❗️❓
But ye, the visuals are stunning. Even to this day they are getting better as Nvidia keeps releasing new drivers, new tech, for this two year old game. Why? Simple, this was a next-gen game released on subpar hardware. It is now finally reaching the potential it was set out to be. 😁 Better late than never, eh?
Not only does it look phenomenal, but the design is also on-point. 🎯 Meaning, the way things are placed makes sense. The world building in just one screenshot does more than most game titles manage throughout their run. 😅 Not sure if that's a good endorsement for games nowadays, but it's the truth as I see it.
Ok, it looks great. But how does it sound?
Bro...
One of the best soundtracks in gaming, period. It recently got the respect it deserves due to the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime. Which uses most of the game's soundtrack for its own. CDPR decided to record their own licensed music, instead of using preexisting tracks. This, again, just adds to the world building and overall style of the game. 😎
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHENRaquRHo&list=PLDisKgcnAC4SqX0mi1J5_gd7-hrIS5yJp
So ye, it looks and sounds amazing. But how does it play? Well, I'm glad you asked. 😉
EDGERUNNER
In Cyberpunk 2077 you play as an Edgerunner, a hired-gun/mercenary, living on the fringes of futuristic life. // not sure if that sentence make sense, but eh.
You play as V. This V you get to custimize and make your own with one of the industry's best character creators. The start of the game, and your backstory, is dependant on which lifepath you choose. 🍀
- ☀️ Nomad: Beholden to no city or corporation, Nomad roam in the desolate deserts spanning the continent in freedom. They are proud and generally worse for wear because of it.
- 💥 Street Kid: Well versed in the city's underbelly, Street Kids know the city in-and-out. They are resourceful with a hustlers mentality, having to use all their know-how just to survive.
- 🌑 Corpo: The blue blooded nobility of the future. Corporations control the world, and Corpos are their slaves, for life. They are usually stressed and uncertain about their future.
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/grocko/2423uP5GJbGJkEdYRdGQugrZnx5QRCJezSrcq5m6G9gvfo4LLnGqJQoTKhQmeiTtUuE47.png
While the lifepaths have been criticized for not palying as big of a role as initially suspected, they still do more than the average player assumes. They do wonders for roleplaying, being more flavourful/colorful alternatives that bring life to your V. Would I like to have more of these tasteful convo options? Of course... And honestly, that's the one thing I'd want more of in this game - just more things in general. 😅
So you've chosen your lifepath, what next? You need to play the game, duh. How??? Well...
- 📕 Main Quests: These are usually bombastic and move you along the main storyline of the game. Finishing all main quests finishes the game and sets you back before the start of the last main quest;
- 📘 Side Quests: The real meat of the game. These intersect with the main quests and are, IMHO, where the best content of the game is. They are littered with amazing characters and storylines and are vital to get the entire Cyberpunk experience; 🙂
- 📗 GIGS: Smallest in scope out of all the quest types. Given by the game's fixers, these are scattered throughout the map and have little story significance. Still worth doing, as they breathe life into the city and its inhabitants;
- 📔 Miscellaneous: NCPD hustles, Cyberpsycho missions, along with anything else falls into this category. These are meant to serve as your filler when unsure what to actually do; 😅
You can finish the main story of the game relatively quick. This is an interesting design decision and i'm not sure if I like it. I think it works, but I also think they went a little overboard. There should have been a smidge more main quest content. But, meh. That's neither here nor there. As long as you are aware of this, and do most of the side missions, you'll be rewarded with a massive game.
PROBLEM SOLVING
There are several way to go about solving your, ahem, encounters. 🙃
One is of course to go in guns blazing. The game offers a plethora of options when it comes to weapons. From meele wielded katanas, to uzis and submachineguns, to heavy bolted sniper rifles. Every gun imaginable under the sun is in this game. Actually most of them aren't imaginable since they are futuristic weapons. 🔫
With the recent patches, the associated upgrades and combat flow has been greatly improved. The AI is smarter, the guns are punchier, the rewards are better.
The player can also be a little sneak. With precision headshots and crit builds that allow them to stay in the shadows and sneaking while systematically eliminating the opposition. 👌 This play-style in particular was very overpowered for a while. As I've said on many occasions however, the core systems have been overhauled to provide a much smoother experience. Nowadays, this style is satisfying while being challenging. Perfect.
We in the future right? So where's my hacking? Asked absolutely no one. Well, no one, yes, you can be what the game calls Netrunner - a badass futuristic hacker. 😎
There are a variety of hacks that you can use on your enemies, and on the enviroment to affect your enemies. There is also a simple mini-game for unlocking doors and such that looks a lot like the hacking they used to do back in the 90's hacker movies. 😂 The hacks are sold by special vendors, and some require you to have specific cyberware.
And yes, your character can modify his/her body by installing "augments" (this aint Deus Ex but that terminology is so apt IMO 😁). Basically bionic limbs and cyber implants that make you more machine than man (or woman we don't discriminate here 😛).
A mixture of all these play-style is ideal, but the game does allow you to heavily spec into only one if you wish. This is good game design and it wasn't possible in the earlier build as it is now.
Conclusion? Well, I think today the game is super solid. You will actually get a closed-loop experience. There should be little bugs, and the overal flow of the combat and gameplay loop should be set. 🙃 For now, this is the best time to jump into this game. Otherwise, next year is gonna be the shizznit!
Phantom Liberty is the game's only expansion, coming out in 2023, it promises to bring even more life to Night City. I, personally, am expecting big things from the expansion. Playing the game with it, plus all the DLCs, plus a select choice of well crafted mods, should be the best version of the game. And I believe a truly next-gen experience. 🙌
Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
If you've made it this far thanks for reading! You unequivocally rock! 🤙 Thanks for keeping me company while I blabber about this beautiful trainwreck of a game. 😂 If you haven't played it, I wholeheartedly recommend it. 😌
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Have a good one chooms! 👋
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