I'm one of the lucky few who did not buy into the hype that ended up casting a thick black shadow over this game's legacy. But everyone had a part to play. The soyboy redditors thinking this was going to be the Morbius of video games, amazing, catered to their every whim and packed with every small feature they could think of; and CDPR for sustaining that hype through a marketing campaign that did not reflect reality.

It's been a few years now, couple of bug fixes and I decided to brush the dust off and give it a go. Yes, some bugs still linger but underneath the bright yellow cover is easily one of the best and more importantly -memorable- story experiences released in a long time. Once you warm up to the game's mechanics and gameplay style, it really takes off fast. It does have problems though. It has fallen into the same pitfalls as other "fail RPGs" like Fallout 4 (voiced protagonist, linear quest structures), but is still very much a polished and immersive experience set in the backdrop of a beautifully crafted albeit horizontal Night City. A lot of its character-building mechanics can be quite linear, its cyberware system no more complex than Deus Ex: Human Revolution's, and not offering much diversity in terms of different playstyles. Driving can be an effort too and sometimes the UI can be a bit annoying. Stealth is pretty easy as most enemies have a very basic (or no) patrol path and the computers that control the cameras are usually in your path. Despite all this, I can't recommend it enough.

The story is set across decades, strumming between the present and past as your fate is tied with that of the iconic cyberpunk rockerboy Johnny Silverhand, who's high-energy performance by Keanu Reeves came as a shock and pleasant surprise. His iconic reveal at E3 and his in-game introductory quest will forever cement him as one of gaming's most memorable characters. He is accompanied by a pantheon of other interesting people who hail from all corners of the messed up world of Cyberpunk, and through them you can catch glimpses of just how screwed all castes and classes really are. The game touches on topics most of us are not only familiar with, but sensitive to. Dysfunctional governments, totalitarian all-consuming corporations, polarized societies and rampant poverty surrounded by bright neon and digital screens depicting naked Japanese ladies. Entering this world gave me a hunger to keep playing, with the hopes that my actions could hopefully make some form of everlasting change. But as you learn though your journey with Johnny Silverhand, every little thing is interconnected, tied together by pieces of string controlled by distant fingers and hands.

But outside of the politics, there are many endearing and personal moments you can partake in, like when you can have a meaningful discussion about childhood with Takemura on the roof of a building with the backdrop of the city in front of you.
I came for the cyberpunk themes but stayed for its charm. With the latest bug fixes, the game runs very well with only the occasional (but not game-breaking) bug.

Also, they made a fictional rockband and got Refused to make straight up bangers for them too. How sick is that?

[h1]suits run when I come undone canʼt kill me Iʼm zeroes and ones add justice to the peoples math blaze way down the rebel path[/h1] I'm one of the lucky few who did not buy into the hype that ended up casting a thick black shadow over this game's legacy. But everyone had a part to play. The soyboy redditors thinking this was going to be the Morbius of video games, amazing, catered to their every whim and packed with every small feature they could think of; and CDPR for sustaining that hype through a marketing campaign that did not reflect reality. It's been a few years now, couple of bug fixes and I decided to brush the dust off and give it a go. Yes, some bugs still linger but underneath the bright yellow cover is easily one of the best and more importantly -memorable- story experiences released in a long time. Once you warm up to the game's mechanics and gameplay style, it really takes off fast. It does have problems though. It has fallen into the same pitfalls as other "fail RPGs" like Fallout 4 (voiced protagonist, linear quest structures), but is still very much a polished and immersive experience set in the backdrop of a beautifully crafted albeit horizontal Night City. A lot of its character-building mechanics can be quite linear, its cyberware system no more complex than Deus Ex: Human Revolution's, and not offering much diversity in terms of different playstyles. Driving can be an effort too and sometimes the UI can be a bit annoying. Stealth is pretty easy as most enemies have a very basic (or no) patrol path and the computers that control the cameras are usually in your path. Despite all this, I can't recommend it enough. The story is set across decades, strumming between the present and past as your fate is tied with that of the iconic cyberpunk rockerboy Johnny Silverhand, who's high-energy performance by Keanu Reeves came as a shock and pleasant surprise. His iconic reveal at E3 and his in-game introductory quest will forever cement him as one of gaming's most memorable characters. He is accompanied by a pantheon of other interesting people who hail from all corners of the messed up world of Cyberpunk, and through them you can catch glimpses of just how screwed all castes and classes really are. The game touches on topics most of us are not only familiar with, but sensitive to. Dysfunctional governments, totalitarian all-consuming corporations, polarized societies and rampant poverty surrounded by bright neon and digital screens depicting naked Japanese ladies. Entering this world gave me a hunger to keep playing, with the hopes that my actions could hopefully make some form of everlasting change. But as you learn though your journey with Johnny Silverhand, every little thing is interconnected, tied together by pieces of string controlled by distant fingers and hands. But outside of the politics, there are many endearing and personal moments you can partake in, like when you can have a meaningful discussion about childhood with Takemura on the roof of a building with the backdrop of the city in front of you. I came for the cyberpunk themes but stayed for its charm. With the latest bug fixes, the game runs very well with only the occasional (but not game-breaking) bug. Also, they made a fictional rockband and got Refused to make straight up bangers for them too. How sick is that?