2023 Edit: Here we are--the greatest redemption arc in gaming is complete. Update 2.0 is brilliant. CDPR has proven that the original release was an anomaly. They've proven that they are still indeed one of the best in the industry. Over the past 3 years, I've enjoyed Cyberpunk (you can read my original thoughts below), but today, I can confidently say that it's one of my top 3 favorite games of all time. I look forward to playing this for years to come. Thank you, CDPR.

EDIT: While this had a rocky start, I still stand by my recommendation. The devs have done a great job of polishing this game and fixing the bugs; the large team they've dedicated speaks to their commitment. The core game itself, imo, is fantastic. It's a gorgeous open world with an absolutely incredible story and top notch acting by all involved. I, personally, enjoy the numerous side gigs and hidden stories around the city. As someone that loves the cyberpunk aesthetic and more urban environments in video games, this has become my favorite open world map. I look forward to the future content the devs have in store.

I’ve only played 7 hours (straight) and will be revising this review as I go.

Overall Impression

I’ll say from the beginning: I’m in love with this game. The world (Night City) is an absolute masterpiece. I’ve never seen a game world that feels so alive and with so much verticality. It’s reminiscent of that feeling I got when I first stepped out of the sewers of Oblivion...except that feeling didn’t end; with each new district, with each time I looked up at the skyscrapers and tenements towering above me, or walked through a neon lit marketplace packed with some of the most diverse looking NPCs I’ve ever seen, that feeling came flooding back. For that continuing feeling alone, this is worth a full price purchase to me.

The Breakdown:

COMBAT: This is way better than reviews made it out to be. While the melee is simply passable, I really love the gunplay. It feels punchy. The guns have weight and sway and each one (so far) has looked unique. I haven’t even gotten to the cool stuff in my game yet with their unique perks and abilities.

DRIVING: This is another aspect I was worried about, but have been pleasantly surprised thus far. I’ll say that this will differ person to person depending on preference, but I like driving that feels heavy, and that’s what this is. The cars feel extremely weighty and handle accordingly. Driving in first person is rough, but I truly enjoyed third.

OTHER GAMEPLAY: The conversation system and the way choices are presented is deep and I’m already eager to go back to a few moments and see how things play out differently with other options. The hacking is unique and interesting, though I only have a limited amount of RAM (think of it like mana) and hacks available right now so I’ll need to explore that more.

GRAPHICS: Gorgeous. Consistently jaw dropping. The caveat is that you have the ability to run it maxed out. I’m sure it’s a great looking game regardless, but I’ve seen multiple reports that the recommended hardware was a vast underestimation. I’m playing on a 2080S with a Ryzen 7 3700x. On ultra I easily get above 60 FPS. I can run RTX, which is stunning, but it hits me for about 20fps and wasn’t worth it at the end of the day, so I turned it off.

BUGS: I didn’t run into many, but they are absolutely there in the form of the occasional glitchy floating object and Jackie walking through a closed elevator door. I’ve seen nothing egregious or game breaking thus far, but there have been a few patches, so who knows what they’ve knocked out.

RATING: n/a. I’ll rate it when I “beat” it. Thus far, this is one of the most enjoyably starts to a game I’ve had in my 30+ years of gaming.

2023 Edit: Here we are--the greatest redemption arc in gaming is complete. Update 2.0 is brilliant. CDPR has proven that the original release was an anomaly. They've proven that they are still indeed one of the best in the industry. Over the past 3 years, I've enjoyed Cyberpunk (you can read my original thoughts below), but today, I can confidently say that it's one of my top 3 favorite games of all time. I look forward to playing this for years to come. Thank you, CDPR. EDIT: While this had a rocky start, I still stand by my recommendation. The devs have done a great job of polishing this game and fixing the bugs; the large team they've dedicated speaks to their commitment. The core game itself, imo, is fantastic. It's a gorgeous open world with an absolutely incredible story and top notch acting by all involved. I, personally, enjoy the numerous side gigs and hidden stories around the city. As someone that loves the cyberpunk aesthetic and more urban environments in video games, this has become my favorite open world map. I look forward to the future content the devs have in store. I’ve only played 7 hours (straight) and will be revising this review as I go. Overall Impression I’ll say from the beginning: I’m in love with this game. The world (Night City) is an absolute masterpiece. I’ve never seen a game world that feels so alive and with so much verticality. It’s reminiscent of that feeling I got when I first stepped out of the sewers of Oblivion...except that feeling didn’t end; with each new district, with each time I looked up at the skyscrapers and tenements towering above me, or walked through a neon lit marketplace packed with some of the most diverse looking NPCs I’ve ever seen, that feeling came flooding back. For that continuing feeling alone, this is worth a full price purchase to me. The Breakdown: COMBAT: This is way better than reviews made it out to be. While the melee is simply passable, I really love the gunplay. It feels punchy. The guns have weight and sway and each one (so far) has looked unique. I haven’t even gotten to the cool stuff in my game yet with their unique perks and abilities. DRIVING: This is another aspect I was worried about, but have been pleasantly surprised thus far. I’ll say that this will differ person to person depending on preference, but I like driving that feels heavy, and that’s what this is. The cars feel extremely weighty and handle accordingly. Driving in first person is rough, but I truly enjoyed third. OTHER GAMEPLAY: The conversation system and the way choices are presented is deep and I’m already eager to go back to a few moments and see how things play out differently with other options. The hacking is unique and interesting, though I only have a limited amount of RAM (think of it like mana) and hacks available right now so I’ll need to explore that more. GRAPHICS: Gorgeous. Consistently jaw dropping. The caveat is that you have the ability to run it maxed out. I’m sure it’s a great looking game regardless, but I’ve seen multiple reports that the recommended hardware was a vast underestimation. I’m playing on a 2080S with a Ryzen 7 3700x. On ultra I easily get above 60 FPS. I can run RTX, which is stunning, but it hits me for about 20fps and wasn’t worth it at the end of the day, so I turned it off. BUGS: I didn’t run into many, but they are absolutely there in the form of the occasional glitchy floating object and Jackie walking through a closed elevator door. I’ve seen nothing egregious or game breaking thus far, but there have been a few patches, so who knows what they’ve knocked out. RATING: n/a. I’ll rate it when I “beat” it. Thus far, this is one of the most enjoyably starts to a game I’ve had in my 30+ years of gaming.