Some thoughts about cyberpunk 2077

[kutsuwamushi]

I just started to play it this month - I bought it while it was on sale, well after a lot the major bugs were worked out. Overall, I've really enjoyed it, but it's the kind of game that I can't recommend without a lot of caveats.

1. I don't have much to say about how it handles Japanese characters; others have offered much more in-depth and knowledgeable discussions than I can (for example). Let's just say that you would not be surprised to learn that the game was written by some dudes from Poland - probably the type of dudes whose awareness of the cultural issues involved stops at "but it can't be racist because not all of the Japanese characters are villains."



2. Combat is fun - but also incredibly unbalanced. People who have reviewed the game to say that it's too easy aren't just try-hard gamer dudes this time. They're actually right! I think one of the issues here is that they wanted combat to be incredibly flexible; there are multiple build types with very different skillsets and you have to be able to succeed using all of them. That means no particular skill can be vital.
   
   In particular, netrunner builds quickly reach a level where they break most challenges. You can wipe out an entire building without even going inside, at no risk.
   
   On the plus side, this could make the game appealing to people who like action RPGs but don't necessarily want a challenge.



3. Almost everyone is extremely a bitch, at least when you first meet them. I understand that this is one way that they're trying to set the tone, but it just comes across as forced sometimes.
   
   
4. Speaking of punk... you can take police bounties for cash. There are a lot of them, and it's one of the main ways to build your bank account quickly. There are no consequences for taking police bounties, even though most of the people you work with should have a problem with it.
   
   I think it would have been more interesting if taking police bounties gave you cash, but hurt your street rep. OR if your choice of which bounties to take had any consequence at all. For example, if I only took bounties for human traffickers (mostly scav gang) and ignored bounties for vandalism and slandering a corp (mostly 6th street gang), this would be reflected in my relationships with those gangs.
   
   But I suppose that is asking a lot given how over-ambitious the game already was.



5. Night City is amazing to walk/drive through. It's a big map that really feels like a city.



6. Most of the bugs I've encountered are minor visual glitches. It still crashes a lot, but mostly not in game-breaking ways - except during this one particular boss fight...
   
   It's just obvious that they bit off more than they can chew. There are big, ambitious ideas and set pieces everywhere - but a lot of things were not fully expanded or fully quality checked. Little details slip through.
   
   
7. Oh man do I have thoughts about its treatment of gender and sexuality and sex work and all of that. I think that will have to wait for a bit though, since this post is already long.