Cyberpunk 2077 review: Where do I start?

For

• Everything about Jackie Wells
• Shows hope
• Braindance detective work is neat

Against

• Buggy equally all get out
• Crashes a lot
• Story takes a while to get going
• Character creation isn't as consummate equally it thinks

Pros

• +

  Everything well-nigh Jackie Wells

• +

  Shows promise

• +

  Braindance detective work is neat

Cons

• -

  Buggy every bit all get out

• -

  Crashes a lot

• -

  Story takes a while to get going

• -

  Grapheme creation isn't as consummate equally it thinks

I volunteered to write our Cyberpunk 2077 review considering I'd never played whatever of developer CD Projekt's games earlier — and I was curious what all the hype was about. Aye, I skipped The Witcher 3 (I've rarely ever enjoyed swords and magic games outside of the Zelda franchise), merely Cyberpunk 2077's neon-soaked futuristic glory and the promise of Keanu Reeves lured me in.

After ane week of playing Cyberpunk 2077 (on the eve of its troubled release), I wished I could go that week back. I was nearly done with its mainline story, and that's given me enough moments to believe I'm judging it fairly.

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In that week, I'd gotten my fair share of hilariously buggy moments, inexplicable crashes and even been surprised by how brusque the mainline story is. I've learned enough nearly the game to write a fairly helpful set up of Cyberpunk 2077 tips and tricks.

Oh, and to go this out of the style early: I played Cyberpunk 2077 on an Xbox One X, which I selected because it'southward the only 4K console I have (it'due south all the same then hard to get a PS5 or Xbox Series X), and because I don't own a gaming PC. I hear the game runs better on tricked out PCs and the new consoles, only I'm of the opinion that you should only release games on consoles they'll run well on.

Cyberpunk 2077 review: Release dates and ensuing chaos

While Cyberpunk 2077 came out on December 10 for the PC, PS4, Xbox One and Stadia (PS5 and Xbox Serial X and Due south can run the game likewise), Sony removed Cyberpunk from the PlayStation Store on Thursday, Dec. 17. Why? Well, information technology runs really poorly on the PS4. One redditor even claimed information technology bricked their PS4.

Cyberpunk 2077 finally came back to the PlayStation Store, in June 21 last year. However, Sony recommends you play Cyberpunk 2077 on a PS4 Pro and PS5 to avert any performance bug. The game now also has official PS5 and Xbox Series X versions.

To rewind a bit, Cyberpunk 2077 was arguably destined for a rocky showtime for some time prior to its release. CD Projekt originally slated the game for April sixteen, 2020. Then, information technology pushed back to Sept. 17, and and so November. nineteen. Forth the way, execs from CD Projekt promised that devs wouldn't suffer the long hours of work that take been commonly referred to as "crisis." Privately, the execs reportedly said crisis was necessary. The company even admitted it didn't spend enough fourth dimension on the PS4 and Xbox One versions.

But it turned out that 8 months of extra evolution time wasn't enough. The game striking the footing buggy, with a new wrinkle in its chaos: the visuals used for the braindance sequences acquired seizures, and Game Informer reported that the game uses blinking lights "much similar the bodily device neurologists utilise in real life to trigger a seizure when they need to trigger one for diagnosis purposes." An update added a warning.

So, it got worse. The company then apologized for the game's poor performance — #Cyberpunk2077Bugs is a fun hashtag to spend some time on — and told gamers that refunds would exist possible, except Sony rejected refund requests. Then, Sony took the game off the virtual shelves, as explained earlier.

Cyberpunk 2077 review: Story

Yous and Jackie, trapped in the closet (Epitome credit: CD Projekt Cerise)

OK, all that out of the fashion, let's talk about the game itself. When it'due south moving smoothly, you're in the modified body of V, a ne'er do-well who's moved back to Night City, who'due south returned home to seek celebrity.

Not in it for the eddies (Eurodollars are the game'south currency), V wants to be remembered. He makes friends with some other criminal, the big hulking teddy-bear of a man Jackie Wells (Jason Hightower), and the pair become a strength to exist reckoned with.

Information technology'due south in these moments when you lot're seeing Jackie'south vulnerability — his genu shakes slightly as you're getting info on the big mission that'south going to brand yous infamous — that Cyberpunk actually engaged with me emotionally.

And in these moments, when you're becoming friends with Jackie, and seeing the big human's scrap of vulnerability — his knee shakes slightly as you're getting information on the big mission that's going to make yous infamous — that Cyberpunk actually engaged with me emotionally. Your big task is to pilfer a bit of tech from the Arasaka corporation, and you get to play a chip of futuristic detective while doing so, scanning through 'braindances" memories recorded to chips.

Maybe this wall-walking robot could fix the Cyberpunk 2077 bugs (Prototype credit: CD Projekt Red)

Of course, that big mission goes very, very wrong. I'll try and keep this spoiler-gratis, but eventually y'all find your brain over-run past another identity. Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves) is a musician/terrorist who's gone through his own chaos with the Arasaka corporation. And then the big mission of the game is revealed: you need to become this digital version of Silverhand out of your caput earlier information technology kills y'all.

Outside of the moments with Jackie, petty in the game's mainline story actually resonated with me. This may be because the game (on an Xbox One) was far from immersive, but it'southward merely through other characters, such as BD maestro Judy (Carla Tassara) and the rebellious Panam (Emily Woo Zeller) that Cyberpunk 2077 connected. Therefore, I spent large hours of the game waiting for one of these characters to resurface.

Judy is one of the better characters in Cyberpunk 2077. (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

The vocalism work from Hightower and Tassara is exceptional, and carried a lot of the weight for making those characters more dimensional, though I accept to give them credit for the quality of the nervous looks from Jackie when you're trapped in an Arasaka penthouse tower room.

V, on their own, is such an empty vessel that saving them didn't really exercise much for me. Yous can choose your backstory and your pronouns (though the game fails at providing a non-binary pick), simply I couldn't detect a manner to care nigh V.

Come across Panam. (Image credit: CD Projekt Cerise)

Cyberpunk 2077 review: Gameplay

If I had to describe what information technology's like to play Cyberpunk 2077, I'd say "Grand Theft Machine, but in the future." You walk or drive around the wildly busy Night Metropolis, and and then get missions (way too many missions, it could be argued). You're basically told to either kill, steal or talk to someone else, and then on and so forth. At that place'due south as well a globe of tech to be hacked, so y'all can disable or toy with security cameras, vending machines, TVs and more. This tinkering is fun and opens up some creative options.

If I had to describe what information technology's like to play Cyberpunk 2077, I'd say "Grand Theft Automobile, only in the future."

Navigating the 'braindance' video clips is the big novel chip of fun in Cyberpunk 2077. One time yous jack in, you get to rewind, fast forward and jump around three layers, ane for visuals, another for thermal signatures and another for audio. There, y'all find clues, and it's pretty dandy.

Cyberpunk 2077 lets you play detective in braindance editing. (Paradigm credit: CD Projekt Cherry-red)

I selected Normal difficulty for the game because I always want to see what the creators retrieve the baseline difficulty should be. It turns out that Normal in Cyberpunk is kinda like shooting fish in a barrel. The enemy AI is remarkably unintelligent, letting me get away with sloppy play left and right, and I about noticed this when trying to be stealthy. Enemies have a while to actually find you — a meter appears with an eyeball to bear witness how long they're taking — and you can run away or around them (while withal existence near) to lower the meter. Metal Gear Solid this is not.

Boss fights tin can exist frustratingly never-ending or surprisingly short, so Cyberpunk 2077 fails to strike the right residual in that regard. For example, I took down a mech-riding Arasaka employee with a grenade and a shot of a gun, while the sledgehammer-wielding Sasquatch (who runs the Animals gang) took about 25 headshots with a pretty decent shotgun. And she wasn't fifty-fifty wearing any head armor.

The enemies of Cyberpunk 2077 are more intimidating than challenging, at least on Normal difficulty. (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

In that location's tons to be done to customize your character for greater fighting and techy efficiency, with upgrades to your arms, legs, immune system and more. But I just skipped over all of information technology considering I never felt a need to. If the AI were smarter, or the game's mainline missions more demanding, there might take been a point to it all.

Character customization feels hollow at best. If you choose male person genitals, you can decide whether y'all're circumcised or not, and that'southward proficient for a chuckle or a glitch depending on your feel, just the same lack of a non-binary option rubs me the incorrect mode — and reminds me of the arguments that the game's release (and some of its in-game ads) were riddled with transphobia.

Oh, and if you option any pilus pick you might non encounter it when yous inevitably wait yourself in the mirror: there'due south a glitch where wearing headwear including a balaclava tin make y'all bald.

Five has hair in my game. Wearing a balaclava makes him bald in the mirror. (Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077 review: Functioning

If you're on a high-finish PC with a mighty GPU, or a side by side-gen console, y'all might experience Night City and its missions as it was meant to be seen. Simply for as cute every bit the town looks in stills (or from within cars as you're chauffeured around boondocks), the game I played failed to run smoothly early and oftentimes, and this ruinined any chance I had at immersion. At the end of the day, the Cyberpunk 2077 I played felt more like fodder for YouTuber videogamedunkey (who pokes fun at glitch-filled games) than the presumptive Game of the Year nominee information technology was marketed every bit.

When I ran into that diner to meet Takemura, the game only froze and crashed. Another crash happened after I was saving a video clip of gameplay. I could go on, but I don't want to waste your time — that'southward Cyberpunk 2077'south job.

That starts with the footling things, like the game freezing as I walked around a bar in a very early on scene. And just simply observing your surroundings volition pb y'all to see low-res assets used in the game, such as a motorcar that your new eyeball is put into past ripperdoc Viktor Vector, or the pizza on the table at the diner where you see up with Goro Takemura.

If this person yelled "I can't feel my legs," I'd notice the glitch a little funnier (Epitome credit: CD Projekt Red)

Cyberpunk 2077's big, broad, beautiful world truly falls apart if you peruse it with too much excitement. Specifically, if you run or drive fast around town, you'll meet the game'south framerate slowly dip, and it's all-time described as visually unappealing. And information technology gets worse.

When I ran into that diner to run across Takemura, the game simply froze and crashed. Another crash happened later on I was saving a video prune of gameplay, and then returned to play the game — which had to boot up. Patently it only zonked out in the background. I could become on, but I don't want to waste your time — that's Cyberpunk 2077'south chore.

At present is the time to actually buy cyberpunk, while the bugs are nonetheless hot and hilarious, not refund it! cherish this pic.twitter.com/CSEmyKmrQlDecember 17, 2020

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If you lot tin can enjoy glitches and bugs as an absurdist art, then maybe you should exist playing Cyberpunk 2077. I got a lot of laughs out of the game'southward biggest fails, like when I popped out of a car to shoot downwardly drones, only to have the shotgun I was firing not actually testify on screen. Or when I drove with Panam to a meet upwardly, but instead of sitting beside her, I saturday within her, seeing her eyes from the within, as well as her hair.

The about comical of all moments involved trying to pause into a shack through its window, only for that window frame to propel V back hundreds of feet, like it'due south an ejector seat. And these aren't isolated incidents, I've seen footage of others running into them online.

Cyberpunk 2077 review: Verdict

Having finished my Cyberpunk 2077 review, I am ready to scream "I'm free!" Though the masochist in me is considering spending more than time to finish the mainline story (There are multiple endings, which is why I might but read synopses online), I'm happy to be done with this game. If you were thinking about getting it (if you tin fifty-fifty buy it), my all-time communication is to agree off for a while.

At the end of the solar day, I experience bad for the engineers and developers who worked to become Cyberpunk 2077 in this working condition. The game is gear up to get major issues-fixing updates in Jan and Feb 2021, and I don't want to imagine how little personal time will be left for those workers this vacation season.

His expect says it all. (Image credit: CD Projekt Carmine)

Anyone with any power at CD Projekt should accept tested this game on a PS4 and Xbox One to meet how the vast majority of gamers would likely play information technology (PS5 and Xbox Series X scarcity was as anticipated as annihilation in 2020). Pushing it to 2021 might take been bad for the visitor, but not pushing the game has hurt CD Projekt'south reputation to an astronomical degree.

In glimmering moments, even I saw the Cyberpunk 2077 that CD Projekt wanted me to see. But in 1 of the game's most emotional scenes, i of its more absurd glitches ripped me right out of the moment, and it's issues like that which leave me unable to tell anyone to spend $threescore on this, unless it's for the lulz.

Henry is a senior editor at Tom'south Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple tree, reviewing devices and services for the by vi-plus years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/cyberpunk-2077

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