Cyberpunk 2077 was shaping up to be the ultimate game of 2020, with what was to be believed great visuals, gameplay and story.
However, after several delays what we ended up getting was quite the opposite.
Advertised as an Action RPG, it delivers well on the Action part but somehow manages to fall big time on the latter. There is literally next to no RPG elements at all and what there is of it is very, very minimal.
Okay you can customise your own character giving them unique hairstyles, facial features and it even went as far as customizing your own private parts, (don’t worry there is an option to turn the nudity off should you wish to do so).
Keeping to the RPG elements within the game you can also upgrade your gear too as well as skills and abilities, but as far as the RPG side is concerned that unfortunately is as far as it goes.
Suffice to say I was expecting better from a game that was said to be an RPG, instead all you have is your typical basic RPG features which do not mount to much at all.
The game was also said to come with various different dialogue options that can lead to different outcomes, I even remember watching and hearing the team over at CD Projekt Red say just that. However, again that too was all false information.
Yes, there are dialogue options that you can choose from but none of them really effect the actual story outcome as one would perhaps expect. In that regard, the story is all fixed trust me. I spent hours trying to find ways to please everyone around me so that I could get a certain outcome, all to which then later realising that it didn’t work like that and you cannot change the story outcome at all. I really do wonder why dialogue options are even in the game… They have very little impact on anything.
The characters are great and for the most part I enjoyed the voice acting too, but again this was yet another disappointment. I say this as there is barely any need for these characters outside of the story, there is no companion system and you are very much out there on your own.
Also, when the game had a great chance with a certain character and to flesh them out more in terms of character development, which would of been great and for most a much needed aspect to the game too. However, this unfortunately was not done. Instead of fleshing the character out more we ended up getting a 6 minute cutscene montage instead of it being playable which would of been a much better approach. Again another missed and wasted opportunity.
It was nice to see actor Keanu Reeves within the game but I personally do not care for actors appearing in games. I also do not watch many movies to be that familiar with the guy anyway. Thus in my opinion he was not needed and with that, what should of happened is the developers should of spent the money that went to Keanu Reeves on developing a much better product. I mean half the time Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t feel like a fully finished product.
Another gripe within the game is with the Lifestyle Paths such as Corpo, StreetKid and Nomad all of which felt very rushed, short and not really necessary.
It also did not matter which lifestyle you went with neither as in the end it all ended up with the same conclusion anyway, this is not how origin stories are meant to unfold.
In fact the only real reward you get from this is different dialogue options for the main story but again these dialogue options do not really mount to much.
The side content all feels rushed too, yes there is plenty to do but all of which come in the form of repetitive jobs and missions. As you can imagine this can all get rather stale and boring rather fast.
OVERAL:
I won’t lie I was expecting better and well a different product altogether. This game is a simple case of false advertising and I’m not ashamed to say it neither but it was also just a simple cash grab.
If you enjoy linear and short story type Action games then sure it might be worth the purchase, otherwise I would hold off on getting it at all.
That just leaves me with a vital question or two before I end this review and put my copy of the game on Ebay or some such, however what did CD Project Red spend all of this money on? It surely was not this game as there is barely any effort to be seen within it. Also, why did it take 7 years to create?
If you want a better RPG with elements that this game promised but failed so miserably on, then I would suggest purchasing games such as Dragon Age Inquisition, Pillars Of Eternity and wait until the full release of Baldur’s Gate III. The latter two are made by much smaller companies and seem to do a much better job at what is to be expected within a proper RPG with actual dialogue outcomes.
In simple terms Cyberpunk 2077, though advertised as an RPG is a basic, linear and boring Action Shooting game which the whole gaming industry is already full on and sick of. Give us something different and stop with the false promises.
I have decided to reward the game a 2 star as despite the flaws it did have a good soundtrack, performed by the band Refused. They did an amazing job even if CD Projekt Red did not.
For now I refuse to play this game any more. I may return to it once and if the promised content finally gets added but for now this game is nothing more than an expensive Early Access title.
- Developer: CD Projekt Red / Publisher: CD Projekt Red
Release Date: December 10th, 2020
Platforms: PC, XBox One, Playstation 4, XBox Series X/S, Stadia, Playstation 5
Genre: Action Shooter
Main Story Length:
Platinum Trophy Length:
Platform Reviewed On: Playstation 4 - Overall Rating: 1/5 (Terrible)
SEE ALSO:
Has been playing video games for her entire life so far. Grew up with the Sega Master System II. Her favourite games include both Resident Evil 2 (OG) and Final Fantasy VIII.
She now writes articles about video games.
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