I've been excited for Cyberpunk 2077 for a while. It's a setting I enjoy, in a genre I enjoy, from a developer I trusted. However, CDPR should've just yanked the release date, gone heads down, and worked on this game for at least another 6 months. It's a sprawling, wonderfully entertaining action RPG/shooter that has moments when it shines, and moments when I just need to take a break. Some features seem like they were just starting to be implemented when this was released. I think the most glaring example of this is the police/wanted system. It seems like if you do something illegal, the police psychically learn about it for the most part, and then teleport out of thin air all around you to try and kill you, and yet clearing your wanted level is probably the easiest thing in the universe. Just hop in a car, cruise until the cops get bored, and head back to where you needed to be. Movement is fluid, until it's not. Stealth is good, until it's not. Animations and sounds are brilliantly designed, until they stop for no reason. The pedestrian AI is... Lacking. Driving is sometimes wonderfully fun, sometimes atrociously uncontrollable. Cyberpunk is a game of duality. You will almost assuredly enjoy your time in Night City, but the issues plaguing Cyberpunk 2077 are glaring and numerous. I believe CDPR will make this a great game eventually, but for now, it's just a good game marred by issues.
Point and click games usually aren't my bag, but for whatever reason, I loved this one. To address some of the complaints I've seen, yes, the story is extremely linear, and your choices don't matter. Yes, there's not a whole lot of "interactivity" to the point of puzzles, or what have you, and no, I probably wouldn't classify this as a puzzle game. That said, this game engrossed me. As someone who likes to explore every nook and cranny, all the flavor text on every interaction was a delight to discover. Want to use a carton of expired milk on a random NPC? Maybe you'll think better of yourself. Maybe you'll get looks of mild confusion, maybe you'll have someone rant about what an asshole you are for offering them that. A lot of the depth comes not from the story, but from your own exploration and interaction with the city. The game is very much what you make of it. If you just follow the story from objective to objective, you won't get nearly as much as if you take the time to interact with as much as possible. (Managed to get a few game overs by exploring more than I was supposed to, haha.) Take the time to talk to people, and I think you'll have a grand time in Neo San Francisco. Also, to touch on the content, it's very easy to draw parallels between real life and the game, to the point where some might find it "preachy", as I've seen it described. But personally, I found it a nice way to make you think about social issues in a more interactive, introspective way. All in all, I definitely recommend this game.
This game is a truly awesome experience. You get to adventure how you want, at your own pace. You can choose what to do, and what to avoid. Your character will shape your interactions with the world. I highly recommend playing as one of the Origin characters, which will shape your journey even more. (The Red Prince is my favorite) The switch between real time exploration and turn-based combat is marvelously done, there's loot abound, and there's really nothing about this game that I don't love. I sincerely recommend snagging a copy.
