Initially Cyberpunk was one of the biggest disappointments in gaming history. Many studios failed previously to deliver on promises (Mass Effect Andromeda, Fallout 4 etc.) and gamers were hoping that Cyberpunk would break that spell. Especially, since it was so aggressively advertised and it was told to have features that would never see the light of day. From the ad campaign it seemed to include a diverese universe that would react to your background which could possibly influence where you would be welcome in Night City and where not. The trailers presenting the gangs made it look as if they were joinable or had some bearing on the story. But in the end both those features (and many more) became nothing more than scenery and background noise. The only effect on gameplay the gangs had are simple varying enemy types and appart from some dialogue choices, your background determines as much about your V as the backgorund you have in Morrowind or Skyrim. They coulda just settled on one option like in Witcher 3 and decided on a ready-made main chara, instead they were reluctant to admit that the shortened development time and funding made the background story basically irreleveant, which resulted in the "background tutorials" we now have. But aside from all that criticism, I still love the game. Especially since the newest updates and the DLC it is an amazing RPG still. It was just promoted to be this second coming of Witcher 3 in a cyberpunk setting which it never was and never will be. But it still is an amazing game, with interesting side stories, characters and a well-crafted main storyline that never gets lost in the mountain of other content. The stories are told in a compelling way and give you an ever more complete picture of the city you traverse, all the while picking up cyberware (which benefitted greatly from the remade perk tree) and learning new skills that eventually make you into a one-man-army. One of the top 10 RPGs of all time, imo.
The original is better.
Even after several years I repeatedly come back to this game and it hasn't lost any of its appeal. The great base building and technology system only becomes more interesting the more you learn about the game and how to exploit good technology early in the game. With the addition of the second wave options and the DLCs the game also manages to keep the gameplay enticing, even after several playthroughs. The story clearly isn't the focus of this game, which fortunately doesn't matter at all considering the awesome gameplay and strategy/RPG elements that are throughout the game.
I have only recently started to play Pont-and-Clicks (the serious kind anyway). Through some of the comments here on GOG I was drawn towards the games deveolped by Wadjet Eye and what a revelation this was. I'm glad that this has been my first experience of playing a game from this company because it is simply a masterpiece. The riddles are quite hard (at least they have been for me) but solveable and immensiley rewarding. A prime example is the Council Code, which rewards players not only with the satisfaction of having cracked a code but also by adding background knowledge and enriching the overall story. Wadjet Eye has managed to weave together such rewarding gameplay with an amazing story throughout the game. Another big factor that contributes to the awesomeness of this game is its humor. Your floating and handy (pun intended) sidekick is a source of funny quips and snappy comment. Combined with the dry humor of Horatio, the dynamic between the two is just perfect. And it isn't only this dynamic that contributes to the humor but also the employment of "robo-vernacular" throughout the game that is able to lighten the mood whenever necessary without negelcting the more serious undertones. Speaking about the seriousness: Primordia's world is also dark and thought-provoking. What happened to the humans? Is the common good preferable to individual freedom? What is justice? Questions such as these are raised throughout the game and beautifully integrated into its dialogue. I can heartily recommend this title and, personally, I look forward to play more of Wadjet Eye's games.
