The tl;dr: I’ve never had this much fun in a game I was so disappointed by. Cyberpunk 2077 turned out to not be the game I was expecting based on all the previews and other info provided before launch. The world is interesting on the surface, but don’t try to dig too deep or you’ll notice the substantial lack of substance to the world. Ultimately, that world, a world that felt alive and gave you the tools to make our own story, are conspicuously missing. There is fun to be had though; it’s as if many of the systems previewed didn’t have the time to be fleshed out, so were dropped and quickly covered up by something much simpler (and less interesting). Night City itself is impressive, and I enjoy just walking around and looking at it. The characters are also quite good, at least in the main quest line. It is very possible that, in a year or two, this game will be much different and more this review won’t still apply. For now though, a month after launch, it’s perfectly fine to wait and see what happens unless you just must see it now.
From everything I saw and read about CrossCode it seems like a game I'd really enjoy: a deep 16-bit style RPG with unique mechanics and interesting puzzles. However, after playing upwards of 20 hours, I had had enough. Here's why: - I hate the dual-stick ranged attack mechanics. I just couldn't get used to it, and very often I would resort to melee attacks because I was frustrated by just feeling incompetent. It could very well be a "git gud" type of thing, but I could never get to a point where if felt satisfying or comfortable to use. - The puzzles were generally good, but there were some that depended on the height an object was at, but I couldn't tell if something was higher or lower than I was currently at. It feels cheap that the developers rely on hiding things in their faux-3D space just to make a puzzle harder. - I'm not a fan of MMOs at all; never have been. I've quickly bailed on the ones I've tried because I quickly get annoyed and overwhelmed by the noise of the world. Even though CrossCode isn't actually an MMO, the fact that its setting is made the story less enjoyable. I realize these things won't be issues to everyone, but it was enough for me to put it down.
