I'm making a new review based off of a 2nd play-through, finishing phantom liberty and fresh off the back of v2.1:

WOW.

What an incredible comeback from CD. I was a strong believer even when the game first launched that it had such incredible potential and CD managed to unleash it like a caged feral dog. No held punches, from combat, to driving, to narrative; everything is maxed out to 11 in every regard.

In it's own right, the main story is still very, very strong. In my second play-through I intended to play everything differently and it's very obviously designed to do so. No sense of deja vu, everything felt new - quests and content completely hidden in my other play-through that I was able to find and adore. No small feat went into designing this one-off side quests, random encounters and world events; they're all just as polished as the main-line quests.

Phantom Liberty was also a mind-blowing experience, a vastly different avenue for Cyberpunk to go down while still being placed smack in the middle of the game. The opening is fast-paced, in full and LOUD. The main content of the expansion does the same, carefully weaving these stories and knitting a stunning new environment to explore, dripping with a gooey corrupt political core - you can see the trails of a fine-tooth comb all the way through this expansion. The ending is one that will stick with me for a long time, what a brilliant decision to completely tear open the narrative and allow the player to rewire what happens, handing them full control over decisions that felt like they had a genuine impact on my journey. A stunning flex of a beautifully orchestrated narrative and one that will stay in my mind for years to come.

What an incredible game.

I'm making a new review based off of a 2nd play-through, finishing phantom liberty and fresh off the back of v2.1: WOW. What an incredible comeback from CD. I was a strong believer even when the game first launched that it had such incredible potential and CD managed to unleash it like a caged feral dog. No held punches, from combat, to driving, to narrative; everything is maxed out to 11 in every regard. In it's own right, the main story is still very, very strong. In my second play-through I intended to play everything differently and it's very obviously designed to do so. No sense of deja vu, everything felt new - quests and content completely hidden in my other play-through that I was able to find and adore. No small feat went into designing this one-off side quests, random encounters and world events; they're all just as polished as the main-line quests. Phantom Liberty was also a mind-blowing experience, a vastly different avenue for Cyberpunk to go down while still being placed smack in the middle of the game. The opening is fast-paced, in full and LOUD. The main content of the expansion does the same, carefully weaving these stories and knitting a stunning new environment to explore, dripping with a gooey corrupt political core - you can see the trails of a fine-tooth comb all the way through this expansion. The ending is one that will stick with me for a long time, what a brilliant decision to completely tear open the narrative and allow the player to rewire what happens, handing them full control over decisions that felt like they had a genuine impact on my journey. A stunning flex of a beautifully orchestrated narrative and one that will stay in my mind for years to come. What an incredible game.