9. Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)
Having bought Cyperpunk 2077 (CP2077) on day one when it came out in 2020, I was one of those crazy people who stuck it out with the game despite glitches and game breaking bugs galore. Adding to the insanity of my perseverance even more, I purchased the game on the PS4, which was infamous for being the least optimized, poorest running, and most unstable release compared to all other platforms CP2077 was released on. The fact I was able to beat the game at all on the PS4 back in 2020 (I actually beat the game on 1/1/2021, but whatever) was a miracle akin to V dodging a cascade of bullets and coming out the other end unharmed. Maybe the craziest thing of all was I actually walked away from this early build of CP2077 on a console it probably should have never been released on to begin with, with an overall positive impression of the game. Sure, some of the bugs and glitches, and the fact there was terrible frame rate and pop in issues throughout certainly dampened my opinion of the game somewhat, but I still had a great experience by the time the credits rolled.
Hearing nothing besides how CDPR turned the game completely around and even made it way better with its expansion, Phantom Liberty, had be eager to replay CP2077 and see how much more I'd enjoy it now that the game was fixed and no longer borderline unplayable. Originally, I was going to review the base game of CP2077 and Phantom Liberty as one game, however after beating base CP2077 and completing what the internet tells me is the first 1/3 of Phantom Liberty, I just ddin't feel right lumping the main game and expansion together. Phantom Liberty, at least so far, is a very different experience in so many ways compared to the base game. Some of this, again so far (I haven't beat Phantom Liberty yet), is a good thing whole some I'm not quite sure about just yet. Either way, it just feels very jarring and shoehorned into the pretty solid, cohesive narrative present in the main game of CP2077. However, with that out of the way, here are my thoughts on CP2077 5 years since originally playing it.
CDPR has improved virtually everything in this game as of version 2.31. Almost every gameplay mechanic and system works way better, possessing a level of polish almost every feature in version 1.XX was missing. Stealth works a 100 times better, shooting is actually fun and effective now, hacking and completing missions or areas outside of the box now actually feels doable, and the leving/progression system is noticeably tighter and better thought out. Honestly, the only thing that still feels kinda crappy is driving, which obviously sucks, but it's a far cry from how almost everything in CP2077 was pretty busted back in 2020/2021.
The game offers an almost overwhelming amount of missions, side objectives, oddities to explore, and other fascinating things to see and do, that you'll rarely feel bored or underwhelmed by what CP2077 has to offer. Unfortunately, many of these missions do play out the same way more or less (break in, steal this, kill that guy), but luckily the writing does a fairly good job at spicing some of this side content up. Beyond just the combat and exploring Night City, there isn't a ton of more out of the box side experiences, which is a bit of a shame, but the core of CP2077 is so good now, that it hardly needs that side crap anyways.
The story of CP2077 is pretty good overall. There are so many ways to experience this game differently depending on what back story you choose, what dialogue and action options you decide to make, what side missions you choose to complete, and so may other variables, CP2077 can almost feel like an entirely different game between playthroughs. Whle the middle 50% of the game mostly plays out the same, the beginning of the game and the ending can look dramatically different depending on your in game choices. While I'm not going to spoil anything, the ending I got during the playthrough blew the alternate ending I got doing my 2020 playthrough completely out of the water! And what's even crazier is there are even more ending I could see depending on choices I make. Combine all this with some excellent character writing, dialogue, and a pretty original, gripping plot and you have a video game that rivals many sci fi books and movies in terms of how interesting it is.
Still, with all that said about the story, it still has a few parts that aren't as interesting or great. The writing in side missions can outstay its welcome at times. And if I'm being completely honest, the dynamic between certain main and semi-main characters can sometimes feel all over the place, even when not talking dialogue options into consideration. Still, these are fairly minor gripes to what is otherwise a really enjoyable, well made story.
I honestly don't have a single bad thing to say about the visuals or audio in CP2077 on the PS5. The game runs silky smooth, even during more hectic sections of the game. The amount of detail in Night City absolutely makes it feel like a real living, breaking place. There are random allies you can explore that look completely unique even if there is otherwise nothing remarkable or noteworthy about it. Just the level of visual detail is off the charts in CP2077 and I can say with absolutely certainty that this is one of the best looking video games ever made. Audio is also amazing. Great soundtrack, nearly perfect voice acting, amazing sound effects of all sorts. The audio is legendary and needs to be heard to be believed!
While some of its flaws and shortcoming do hold this game back for me as being one of my favorite games of all time, it's still no understatement to say that CP2077 is one of the best games ever made. It's nothing short of incredible how much CDPR turned this game around in just a few years and delivered the title we had all hoped for back in 2020. But as they sau, better late than never. Now, I just hope I enjoy Phantom Liberty just as much, if not more, even though that game is quickly turning out to be a bird of another color. (1/25/26) [42/50]
