Topic: Cyberpunk 2077 OT

@colonelkilgore awesome! I’d be glad to hear your thoughts on it. I’m not big on numbered scores, and if I were I would use the whole scale much more widely than it generally is. With that said, I still feel this game is a solid 8 - 9 so I think you’re bang on with your expectations.

@Mpquikster your trophy question has been answered 👍 but just to add to that, I found the handling of cars to be pretty different. I settled on one that I both like how it feels to drive and is aesthetically pleasing to me.

@Jimmer-jammer I get your reticence over review scores (as they are just so subjective) but I do find them helpful to a certain degree in filtering out the wheat from the chaff. I’ve found a few YouTubers who I tend to agree with more often than not... and I do use their content a lot when deciding on a purchase.

Also, I’ve got the most out of being on Push Square in this regard too. I must’ve picked up about 15/20 games since being on here (late December 2020) that I probably wouldn’t have considered if I hadn’t read/discussed them with the regulars here...

... and while we’re on that subject, I am on the fence about picking up The Evil Within 1 & 2... obvs you are sporting the sequels cover as an avatar, would you mind giving me your thoughts on the two games when you have the time?

@ApostateMage man, that was a great mission. There are so many little touches like that. I’ve also gotten a kick out of the mission descriptions written by Johnny. Don’t think I’ll ever forget talking a suicidal car down from driving off a cliff either.

@LordSteev man, I value your opinion so those words are taken to heart. I appreciate it.

The GTA comparison is a marketing fail. It’s just not that type of game. For me, it falls way harder into the the Fallout 3 and 4 camp of games. There might not be quite as much choice as in those games but for me the gameplay itself is far, far more interesting and satisfying in Cyberpunk. Which does lead me to the main thing I wish Cyberpunk did more of.

I do wish there were more non combat options. More often than not, the only pacifist way of dealing with a mission is to stealth it, which is fine, but it feels like a missed opportunity to me in some instances. For example, when gaining access to a restricted area, I would love to be able to shmooze the receptionist or hack a guard to make him think I’m someone I’m not or even outright impersonate an officer - something. Thankfully, the stealth and combat options are varied and it’s not a terrible sticking point by any means.

This game is a good example of the sum being greater than its individual parts. Oh, and if/when you do find Skippy, use him, at least for a bit. I had a moment after using him for a while that actually had me laughing out loud. Good stuff.

Edit: just made something a little less spoilery...sorry, my spoiler radar is atrocious.

@ApostateMage Great mission. I like the way V gets more irate with Johnny as it goes on, but Johnny doesn't give a toss and carries on regardless.

@colonelkilgore PushSquare has been great for that for me too. 13 Sentinels, Doom, Streets of Rage 4, Skyrim and Haven were all fairly recent purchases I’ve made that I probably wouldn’t have without influence.

The Evil Within 1 & 2 are fantastic in my opinion, particularly the second one. The first is definitely a little rough around the edges. It’s overly long, the voice acting and script are b-level, graphics are so-so...but there is something about it that really works. It has an old school feel to it (Resident Evilish) and some serious difficulty spikes that I enjoyed quite a bit. I’ll try not to spoil anything but the narrative and world building is solid. There’s a notable Japanese flair to it all that gets lost a little with the sequel.

The second one is where the whole concept really came into its own for me. It shed pretty much everything that I didn’t enjoy in the first and expanded on what I thought was great. It’s a different game, for sure, but still very much retains that Evil Within DNA that made the first special. It’s not anywhere near as linear as the first either, which works to the game’s benefit in this case. This is all just my opinion of course.

I guess to sum it up, I had a lot more ups and downs with the first one but still thought it was great. There’s just something about it that really captured me and I can’t quite put my finger on it. The second one is one of my personal favourite games. It’s just such a ride, a wild ride. I know this is all very vague but it’s hard to talk specifics about these games without ruining some of the surprises. Hope that helps!

@Jimmer-jammer cheers JJ, I ordered them last night actually, don’t quite know why I’ve left it this long to play them (well it’ll be a wee bit longer what with the backlog and all) as I remember when 2 was released (can’t remember 1’s release at all) and thinking it could be my kinda thing.

I watched a few reviews last night and what caught me in particular was the aesthetic, very reminiscent of something that is just out of my memory’s reach. Maybe a bit Clive Barker-esque?

Oh, and as you alluded to... I love that vibe that only comes from a game developed in Japan. There’s just a different perspective that appeals to me greatly.

I've said before I hadn't planned on playing it til I have a PS5 and the next gen version had released... But it seems more likely I'd find a unicorn in the back garden then a PS5 (Not that I'm or will be searching for one for quite a while)

I may end up with the oppurtunity of giving Cyberpunk 2077 a try though due to my son having borrowed it off a friend. Whether I will is another matter entirely but it does seem to be running on my son's OG PS4 just fine (Or at least well enough) from the sound of things.

And I am curious...

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy If I can find a copy cheap enough someday, I might play an unpatched version of Cyberpunk on the PS4. It sounds worse than any Switch port, which is hilarious when you consider how rough some of those can get.

Well, if you get to it, I'd be curious to hear your impressions.

My son did actually play it unpatched @Ralizah for a couple of hours but he didn't really go into detail about it unfortunately beside the textures being... What they were and the map screen being a bit different. He's a bit more casual gamer then yours truly

I'll be sure to chronicle my thoughts if I do give it a go (... Which I might actually be leaning towards) and be sure to give it a fair shake!

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy if you can put up with some rough edges, it’s totally worth giving a go. I would naturally recommend waiting for the best version, but I know the power of curiosity and my personal experience has been incredibly enjoyable, so it’s hard not to get excited over your piqued interest, especially when you have the opportunity to try it out at no cost.

The one thing I feel compelled to stress is to take the time to drink it in. Read the shards, lap up the environmental details, feel the brilliant soundtrack...it’s easy to write everything off as shallow and soulless with a breezy play through but if you’re willing to piece together the individual stories, empathize with the well written characters and really take in the world building, a very rewarding experience potentially awaits. This game lit my imagination on fire. Cheers!

@Jimmer-jammer Sorry so late getting back, spent the day at Toyota yesterday getting my airbags fixed under recall.

I would LOVE a game with disguises! Did you play Outer Worlds? There was one (very small) section in that game where you could don a disguise, and a timer would run down if you got close to people, and pause if you hid or were out of sight. It was implemented well, and I loved it, but it only lasted for that one scene. I'd love a game that used this as one of the basic mechanics! Maybe you scout a location out before coming back later to lay waste to it, lol. Or even try to isolate enemies by talking to them, asking for directions, or having them follow you so that you can 'show them something'. It seems like it could open up a world of possibilities.

I was actually thinking about this when I was playing TLOU2. Don't know if you ever saw Fear the Walking Dead, but there was a guy who covered himself in entrails and strode among the enemy. Only lasted till the smell wore off, and that seems doable in games. Maybe once developers have fully unleashed the potential of the new consoles, innovations like this will become reality. I hope so!

@LordSteev no worries at all, man! Life is busy and contains far more important aspects than PushSquare, as great as PS is. The day this site feels like a third job to me is the day I’m out 😜

I’ve been very curious about The Outer Worlds but really haven’t followed up with anything on it. You’ve piqued my interest a bit more, how was it?

After all the negativity After launch it really deflated my interest in playing this game and I'm a big lover of the witcher games so really wanted it to succeed.

After the recent patches and reading the last 4 pages of comments on this topic, you guys have really piqued my interest for it again, it's good to hear people talk about it positively and the way some of you have described the game has made it sound almost like a enhanced version of Deus Ex and less like a poor version of GTA which a lot of negative YouTubers seem to do.

I'll be waiting for the ps5 version since I may as well try get the most out of it but I'll definitely be adding it to the must play list now.

@Jimmer-jammer

I'd give it a solid 8. It was patterned after the Bethesda games, but had a much lower budget. They (Obsidian) did a great job with what they had to work with, but again, it's no Skyrim. Bethesda Lite. This was the first game I ever said that about. I'd recommend it, but wouldn't include it in any 'greatest of all time' lists. It's fun if you like that kind of game.

@MaulTsir

That's sort of how I see it, like an open world Deus Ex. The slower and more thorough you play it, the more rewarding it becomes. It's been my hour eater ever since it came out, and I recommend it highly. But wait for the 5 version.

@LordSteev I might check if out at some point...man, one of the unsung heroes of Cyberpunk for me is the audio. I don’t know what dark magic the sound designers conjured up here, but it has truly been one of the most immersive open world soundscapes I’ve ever heard. This extends far beyond the original score, songs and licensed music.

Walking the streets and hearing the pedestrian’s chatter, cars driving by, advertisements blaring on innumerable screens, cars flying overhead, crosswalk indicators beeping...it really all adds to the feeling of being in a mega city, and kudos is especially deserved for the balance of it all.

I’ve been primarily playing with headphones just because the soundscape is so well balanced. I find the score itself pretty dynamic to what you’re doing too, which is nothing new but it’s well executed here.

@MaulTsir what @LordSteev said! The game has scratched my Deus Ex itch in a way no other game really has. I think now that the dust has settled a bit and expectations are grounded in reality again, the conversation will move towards the things the game actually does very well. Hope you can enjoy it as much as I have.

@Jimmer-jammer

Sound feels like the most often overlooked factor of immersion in video games. Just walking around downtown, how many layers, or individual pieces of sound, do you think must be playing at the same time? And which should be louder? Softer? And how much louder should this one be than that one?

They completely nailed it in Cyberpunk. I remember walking (probably should have been driving, it was a long walk) up north of Malestrom territory where there's some boats parked in an industrial harbor sort of area, and the transition from city to harbor was done so gracefully, I couldn't quite pinpoint where the traffic faded out and the waves lapping the side of the boats kicked in, but all the sudden, I wasn't in the city anymore.

If I could go back to school full-time and change my major, I would have loved getting into sound design. Oddly enough, it seems you can sometimes measure what a good job has been done by how unobtrusive it actually is in practice.

You're quite right, it's another example of the talented people who worked to bring Night City to life. Every play session, I find something that makes me admire the talent and thought process that went in to making it, not only on it's own merits, but in how it was incorporated into the game itself. So many small pieces fitting together harmoniously to make up bigger pieces, which in turn unite seamlessly to make up even bigger pieces. It's like watch making on a digital medium.