Cyberpunk 2077, Immortals Fenyx Rising
Fear and loathing in Night City – and that’s just the countless delays and catastrophic launch – but when a game’s got Keanu in it, maybe it’s worth giving a second chance?
Lauded like the second coming, then delayed multiple times and plagued by problems at launch (see panel opposite), it’s been a rocky road for Cyberpunk 2077, an open-world game propelled by a groundswell of zeitgeisty ideas.
You play as V (for Vincent or Valerie), a cyber-enhanced mercenary whose appearance and abilities can be customised.
Far from a blank slate, however,
V is fully voiced with plenty to say and thrust into a deeply personal mission. Playing almost entirely in first person, you’re fully immersed, whether knocking back tequila or cracking a quip when a gangster’s got a gun to your face.
There’s a diverse and strongly written cast, including Jackie, your big pal with big dreams, and Panam, a nomad at loggerheads with her own clan… plus Johnny Silverhand, a misanthropic rocker turned revolutionary who’s literally all the worst voices inside your head. It’s a surprise turn from Hollywood A-lister Keanu Reeves, who must have relished the opportunity to play against type.
Night City is composed of multiple districts with their own aesthetics… and it’s very, very seedy. This is a game intent on shocking your senses with explicit imagery and must hold the record for the most in-game sex toys.
And details aside, you’re never short on things to do – the sheer number of associates, fixers and total randoms jacking into your frequency mid-quest to provide you with more jobs will make sure of that. Everything is guaranteed to help build your character’s stats to unlock new options or perks, and earn money or street cred. The gunplay delivers solid precision and feedback, but better still is exploiting your hacking abilities via your optical scanner.
In practice, the story, themes, stealth and combat may not be revolutionary; but for deep RPG systems that translate to a decent shooter it is, as people in Night City might say, pretty ‘preem’.
Alan Wen