By Ryan Pullido, Staff Writer

     In 2018 in a gaming trade fair called “The Electronic Entertainment Expo”, otherwise known as E3, the developers of CD Projekt Red unveiled the first glimpse of gameplay for Cyberpunk 2077. With bated breaths, excited gamers are enthralled looking at the stage salivating at the game they are witnessing. A beautifully crafted world filled with vibrant and unique NPC’s. Celebrities such as Keanu Reeves, Grimes and ASAP Rocky added fuel to the hype of the game. Magazines such as Kotaku heralded the game as the most anticipated title of the century. As the days counted down towards the release of the game the hype reached its peak. But when gamers finally got their hands on the product, they found an entirely different game from the trailers.

     Cyberpunk 2077 was first announced way back in 2012. It was in development hell for seven years before it was finally released on December 10, 2020. By comparison, Final Fantasy XV was first announced back in 2006 in a different title (Final Fantasy versus XIII) but was finally released in November of 2016. It was stuck in development hell for 10 years and the concept of the game changed dramatically throughout those years. But when the final game came out, although the game felt and looked different from the previous demos and trailers, the game felt complete. The same can’t be said about Cyberpunk 2077.

     In the E3 2018 demo, CD Projekt Red showcased Night City as a vibrant and alive world. NPC’s were going to have their own unique actions depending on the time of day with unique interactions. According to CD Projekt Red developers they aim to make “the most believable city in any open world to date.” It was reminiscent of the NPC’s from Grand Theft Auto IV. They were well fleshed out too, taking out their umbrellas when it was raining, dropping their grocery bags when the players bumped into them, etc. The city, albeit depressing, felt very much alive. However, when the game debuted in 2020, the city felt desolate compared to the 2018 demo. The vibrancy of the NPC’s that was previously shown weren’t there. The unique interactions that were promised were nowhere to be seen in the final iteration of the game. Night City and the surrounding Badlands feel empty because of this which is frustrating because the locations were beautifully crafted.

     The combat system in the game was not revolutionary, as it copies the formulas of most first-person shooters; run and gun. However, there are some fun aspects of the game that differed from other RPG games; such as the Beat on the Brat mission (which tried to recreate boxing by forcing players to fight opponents in fist fights.)

      The only reputation system implemented in the game is “Street Cred.” This system, however, does not affect your reputation with any of the affiliated factions in the game. This, in turn, makes the player not care about the other groups from the game aside from the main characters.

     Although the 2020 launch of the game was plagued with bugs and broken systems,  one of the things that CD Projekt Red nailed was the story development and how the character developed throughout the game; which created a lasting impact on the players. According to screenrant.com writer Nicole Rennolds, she writes “Some of Cyberpunk 2077’s best moments are the personal connections with V’s friends and allies, while others involved questlines that force players to grapple with morality, religion, abuse, and exploitation.”

     For all its faults, Cyberpunk 2077 is still a gem. The story tackles a heavy issue that a lot of people can relate to and that is your mortality and identity. The main core of what makes Cyberpunk 2077 good is its gripping story, and if you are a person who can overlook the flaws of a game and be enthralled by a story then go buy this game. Furthermore, CD Projekt Red aims to better improve the game by additional content and fixing the bugs in the game. In a public statement released on January 13, 2021, CD Projekt Red stated, “We are committed to fixing bugs and crashes and will continue to work and improve the game via future updates to make sure you are enjoying the game regardless of the platform.” On February 15, 2022 they made good on that promise by releasing Patch 1.5 which fixed the majority of the bugs as well as adding new features and content on the game. Without a doubt, the Cyberpunk 2077 2020 launch was a catastrophic failure and it will most likely be remembered for that launch. But there are players who have put their trust in CD Projekt Red and the devs intend to not make the same mistake twice. Overall, with this recent patch and more content on the horizon Cyberpunk 2077 does deserve another chance at the spotlight.