‘CYBERPUNK 2077’ was for many the most anticipated game of 2020. Despite much hype for what was being sold as a definitive epic single-player achievement that would transport gamers into their very own futuristic dystopia, many gamers were ultimately left disappointed.
Way back in 2013, while developer CD Projekt Red was still in the midst of developing ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ (which after a rocky release is now viewed as one of the great games of its generation), they released a teaser trailer that was dripping in style and atmosphere.
From there the hype stayed at an even simmer until the release of a massive 48-minute long preview filled with what was purported to be actual gameplay. The anticipation skyrocketed – the footage leaving gamers on a high that would be replenished by the occasional trailer released over the next two years.
Of course, anyone who has played the game in the months since its release – who have memories of the pre-release hype – can’t help but be a little disappointed, no matter how favorable their experience.
Console gamers who prefer the Playstation 4 would probably use stronger words as Cyberpunk was downright unplayable on the platform. In fact, Sony would go so far as pull the game from its online store. Microsoft for its part offered discounts for Xbox users.
Personally, while there was a lot to enjoy – the sweeping vistas are beautiful and some of the characters are among the most detailed and personality-rich in the history of gaming – it’s still a long walk from what was initially sold.
For every stunning sunset, there are the near-constant pop-ins of cars, people and random geometry. You turn all the way around on a city street, and people appear out of thin air. If you drive too fast, cars seemingly materialise out of nowhere in front of you, and buildings lack detail if you are moving too fast.
The main characters who are featured in cutscenes and dialogue are incredibly well animated and detailed (for the most part), but the NPCs (non-player characters) who populate the world – pedestrians, vendors, enemies – are incredibly janky. Their routines are repetitive to the point of immersion breaking, which fundamentally undermines one of the game's biggest selling points.
What this does is give the impression of a beautiful looking world that is skin deep. It is very much not a living, breathing world.
Another of the game’s highpoints is its varied combat system, where gamers are capable of entering a combat situation with guns ablazing, or with stealth – complementing a robust suite of hacking abilities. This is one of the areas where the science fiction of the world can be truly felt.
Unfortunately, the enemy AI is straight-up dumb, being incredibly easy to manipulate and abuse. As many of the side missions have repetitive objectives, this can make what is unique seem rote. Sure, you can ramp up the difficulty to give yourself a challenge, but that only goes so far.
This doesn’t even touch on police spawning out of nowhere if the player commits crimes, which is also immersion breaking and runs up against what the game was sold as. Many other games in this type seem to avoid this problem, with the 'Grand Theft Auto' (GTA) games being able to craft a functional law enforcement mechanic for more than two decades.
For its part, CD Projekt Red keeps releasing updates to fix issues big and small (even though new issues invariably pop up). In addition, although they are going ahead with two new major releases for next year, it has promised to not start up the hype engine too far in advance.
A prospective multiplayer component of ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ (details of which have long been vague) has also been kicked down the road, if not downright cancelled.
On the sidelines, the industry leader in this sub-genre – Rockstar Games – the developer behind the iconic and acclaimed ‘GTA’ and ‘Red Dead Redemption’ series, is sitting pretty with the open world crown. – The Vibes, April 6, 2021
*all screenshots taken with the in-game photo mode. Game played in 1440p resolution on PC, no ray-tracing enabled
