Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

The expansion is okay, but the switch from Cyberpunk into the expansion is abrupt and uncomfortable. It feels like an entirely different game rather than an "expansion." Cyberpunk is a linear-story with optional side tasks that takes place in a dystopian big city. The theme is survival, V's developing story, with various optional quest chains with key NPCs. Phantom Liberty is similar but in an area that looks like an artillery shelled junk-yard in some places, and the story has more of a "political bodyguard" kind of feel. It reminds me of Fallout in some ways, but with less freedom and radiation. It's not bad, but I wish it was a little better integrated with the main game, and expanded on the game. Instead, it's a sideways departure from the main game into what feels like an entirely different game. I'm also disappointed they don't have all the same language support as the main game has, so dialogue switches between the target language and English. I use video games to maintain my language skills, and the change is so jarring I think I'm going to have to abandon alternate languages in Cyberpunk.

If you liked the base game you will thoroughly enjoy this add on. The new content integrates really well with the base game Night City. Lots of action-packed missions, choices, new cyberware, weapons, an new district of Night City, new ending. You get to meet Mr. Hands! What's not to like? The story is good, you have to make a choice of questionable morality with imperfect information. I only wish there was more of Johnny's presence. The weakest part is Idris Elba, just because I don't really like him, but that's personal and he does a decent job as Reed. It's not perfect, though. In typical fashion some of the novel mechanics are underutilized. Remember the Basilisk? Brain Dances? I was thirsting to do more, but you won't in Phantom Liberty. Even the new mechanic you only get to do twice and I wish I could bring it to other gigs. There is also a problem with some of the sounds. I hope it will be fixed, but some of the dialogue sounds like it was recorded in a tunnel, and there are other glitches too. Cyberpunk with New Liberty is a complete experience and well worth the money.

Very cinematic and full of content. Wish more DLC/expansion was like this.

While still not perfect and 5 stars is a bit much, I feel the effort developers put into fixing their mistakes (and even more mistakes of the CDPR management) is well worth rewarding with a good score and review :). So, the DLC, how is it? In short: very good. The story is written and presented in the good old CDPR fashion. It feels complete and very well paced. Doesn't hurt that it's also very interesting. It gives the player several important choices, which not only result in different DLC endings but a possibility of a new game ending too. And that ending is awesome, every CP2077 player should have a chance to experience it. New story choices are also much more in the grey than most choices in the base game. There is rarely anything that has no bad consequences. This DLC for sure injects more "cyberpunk" into CP 2077. There isn't really any side content as extensive as all the side character quest lines from the base game. It wouldn't make sense narratively, so I get it. But those few side jobs that we got are still engaging and fun to play. They did improve fixer contracts and expanded the role of Dogtown fixer, however. Mr Hands feels more like a proper character than most other fixers from the base game. New generated, repeatable activities are fun first few times, but get a bit stale later. Fortunately, they are optional and can be skipped entirely. Dogtown feels unique, very different than the rest of the city. About the 2.0 update. Again: this is how it should have launched. While I had fun playing the original game (and on launch no less), I always felt like many skills didn't add anything meaningful and were simply boring. They addressed this head on and it made the gameplay even more fun. Also specializations actually matter (somewhat). MaxTac engagements are brutal (as they should). Vehicle combat could use some work though. CP2077 came a long way from that botched launched. This DLC is a happy conclusion to that story, and a good lesson, I hope.

2.0 is amazing. It's what 1.0 should have been. And Project Liberty adds a lot of admirable things to the base game. But there a few "no go" decisions made by CDPR that force me to give a negative review. The most egregious is the inclusion of Alien Isolation horror elements in the final quest. The fact that Project Liberty can't find its footing with its genre and is forced to do a cyberpunk version of an alien stalking the vents. Just wut? But there's also tons of little moments, like after murdering hudreds of gangers to get myself to 54, my character exclaims in shock when two quest characters are shot dead in an unavoidable plot decision. My V can run around murdering gangers without comment, but when two dangerous and amoral netrunners need to be neutralized in order to take their identity, my V is suddenly going to develop a conscience? I think not. Overall though, the quality of the quests in Phantom Liberty are superior to those in the base game, and while I personally think the Phantom Liberty 'new ending' is the second worse (defeated for 'worst ending' only by the suicide ending.) I do think the ending fits in the genre... but it leaves so many unanswered questions. Like, why didn't the NUSA give status updates to V's friends? The handling of that ending feels very much "shoehorned" in to the story. (And given you are forced to give up the Act 3 assault of Aresaka tower to get it, it makes me feel incredibly short changed.) I think it would have been better to have some kind of side meeting where the doctors need something from Mikoshi in order for their cure to work-- tying the PL ending in with the original Act 3-- and then branching from there. The timing of some things also really needs better sensitivity. It seemed like I would always get text messages or new quest milestones just as I was beginning some other task... So that I wandered around aimlessly (or fast forwarded time) and then was bombarded with too many choices all at once. Pacing...