Cyberpunk 2077

I had literally zero expectations when I launched Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time. Thought I'll just have some laugh experiencing first hand how bad this game is (hey, the internet told me so!). But you know what? It isn't! After 200 hours and 2 finished playthroughs I'm craving for more of Cyberpunk, 'cause this game just rocks. Sure, bugs are there. Most of them are just some minor things though, nothing game breaking. Some say that NPCs AI is terrible - it could've been better, but it doesn't ruin immersion. And yes, it could definitely use some more time in the works, it isn't as polished as one could expect. The optimization is pretty meh, but despite all that I fell in love with it. What's best in Cyberpunk 2077? Story and characters. Some say that main plot feels chaotic or rushed. I gotta agree that some parts, like Act 3, feel a bit rushed, but not the rest. I can't remember last time when game's story got me so hooked. Part of its success are characters we meet during our adventures. Cyberpunk gotta have the most 'real' NPCs I've ever seen in any video game. Animations, writing and voice acting for all major characters are A+. It's just impossible not to like them, even if they're pissing you off sometimes (looking at you, Johnny!). As for some other stuff. Gunplay's really good - it's not Destiny, sure, but guns variety and their nice 'feel' make fights really satisfying. City design is top notch, even if it's not as 'alive' as many have hoped. It really shows how much work they put into it. Music! Soundtrack is fantastic, as you could expect from Witcher's composer. And radio songs are just the best. This game has a lot of potential and I honestly hope that CDPR will continue their work on it. Cyberpunk simply deserves to be polished and expanded with Witcher-3-quality expansions. 9/10 Grab it if you can, you won't regret it choom.

Maybe I was just lucky. I was in line getting my PC updated right before launch and preordered the game. Enjoyed the game day one at 4K, ultra, and with 60fps (with DLSS enabled). Never had a single glitch or bug...almost ever actually? One time I got the 'T Posing V' while driving a car and that was it. I like the theme and feel of Cyberpunk a lot. I'm just hoping it continues to get updates and some extra content. I went so far as to get the TTRPG Cyberpunk 2020, and there's so much unmentioned attention to detail when comparing the table top to the video product that it's just amazing. I'm biased because I like the genre and had the right system and zero game issues. After starting to read the TTRPG, now I just want more to come out, like introducing the Media or Cop lifepath, or giving more spotlike to legacy characters like Morgan Blackhand or Santiago, not just Silverhand. I'm very aware of what the launch was really like for the rest of the community, and again - maybe I was just lucky with the system I was running on.

I got this game on a whim when it came out, without any of the expectations so many people seemed to have for it, just looked fun. I didn't like The Witcher either, so this was my first proper exposure to a CDPR game. I absolutely adore this game. I got hooked and played through every single quest I could find, easily got my money's worth. Did the game have bugs? Sure, and on a few occasions I had to even load a save to get unstuck from somewhere. Still, those were minor inconveniences compared to all the game has going for it: fantastic story, interesting world, fun quests, stunning graphics, the RPG elements (though sure, I would have enjoyed even more like if your choice of background actually mattered), the character customization (though it has gotten some fair criticisms despite their best efforts to be inclusive), the fun guns and melee weapons, the interesting perk customization, the difficulty scaling never feeling off, etc etc etc. Maybe CDPR promised the world for this game, but look at what the game does have. I very strongly recommend this game, and I can't wait to see what they do with it as far as DLC and future releases in the universe.

Much has and is still being said about the problems of Cyberpunk 2077, but speaking as someone who has first played the game about a year after release, I feel a lot of it is completely overblown. Yes, the game is missing features that were promised and yes, even after a year of bug fixing, you still sometimes get the feeling that the game is being held together by duct tape. But here's the thing: It is a lot of exceptional work held together by duct tape. The story is captivating, the characters have a lot of depth to them, the gameplay a lot of flexibility for different builds and approaches (assault, hacking, sneaking), the level design is also somewhat unexpectedly great and quite often reminiscent of Deus Ex, the graphics speak for themselves and the city... oh the city. Its hard to express in words just what an achievement this game world is. The detail, art direction and feeling of scale had me often just stop in my tracks (on a balcony or something) to take it all in for a second. Honestly, having played quite a bit of it now, its painful to see the game being treated as it is. I can understand being frustrated with bugs, but the sheer amount of work that must have gone into this game by some many people doesn't seem to be fairly appreciated at all. I feel sorry for all the devs that weren't part of the major decision-making and obviously poured their heart and souls into the many remarkable details and cool features of this game. It is an astonishing piece of work. At least today with most of the major bugs fixed, its hard not to acknowledge Cyberpunk 2077 as a truly great game marred by a reputation it does not deserve (and probably never has fully deserved). If you can go in unburdened by expectations and with an open mind, you may end up finding one of your favorite games of the decade.

That's all!