Honest Impressions After 20 Hours of Cyberpunk 2077 (Review Part 1)
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VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
Normally, we'd have a full review ready shortly after a game is released, but with Cyberpunk 2077, we're taking a different approach. This game is so huge that we're going to take our time with the review and release it in stages. As the game inevitably evolves and improves with new patches and updates, we'll be here to cover the changes and keep you up to date with our impressions.
Script written by Ty Richardson
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of the internet! My name is Ty with MojoPlays, and these are my impressions of “Cyberpunk 2077”!
Folks, normally, I’d have a review ready for your viewing pleasure, prepared to take whatever flak is coming my way because I know someone is going to be mad whether I love this game or hate it. However, because of how massive “Cyberpunk 2077” is, I thought that I should take my time with this one. Now that the game has been out for roughly a week at the time of this recording, I felt now is a good time to at least give you my impressions of the game so far. And don’t worry - the footage you’re seeing is only from the first two hours of the game. No spoilers here!
At this very moment, I have clocked in a little more than twenty hours, most of which has been spent progressing through the main story. I believe I’m in Act 2 of the main campaign, and for the time being, I’ve taken a break and have been doing a lot of side missions to get my character beefed up. Right now, I’m sitting at Level 18 with a Street Cred of 30. So, needless to say, I’ve sunk a lot of time into this game, and honestly, I can’t stop playing it.
“Cyberpunk” has captured me in a way that other AAA games from last year didn’t. “DOOM Eternal” was alright; I wasn’t too keen on the specific way it wants you to play, though. “Miles Morales” was a lot of fun, but fell flat in some areas for me. Still a great game, though. And then, there’s “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” which was absolutely appalling in its quality, does all of the annoyingly monotonous things open world games do, and has combat that makes “Golden Axe” look like a godsend when it comes to combat design.
“Cyberpunk”, on the other hand, I cannot stop playing. I’m so enthralled with the world, its characters, the various encounters that range from serious to hilarious. My absolute favorite, so far, is the side mission where Delamain has you searching for rogue taxis. I won’t spoil the best part about it, but I’ll say this - “Portal” is one of my absolute favorite franchises.
Anyways, I want to touch base on a couple of the things that really shine for me here. First off is the combat. The gunplay is incredibly satisfying! Every weapon I’ve used - shotgun, SMG, pistol, even melee weapons - has had the perfect level of “UMPH” put into the recoil. You really feel the impact of your shots both within the controller’s vibrations and the spectacle of bullets and gore. It’s almost surprising how well a game like “Cyberpunk” has pulled off shooting mechanics despite leaning so heavily into the RPG side of things. This game could have easily fallen into the same trap “Fallout” did when Bethesda took the IP. Yet it boasts the same level of quality as “Borderlands”.
I also wanna recognize the character design and narrative. As some of you may know, I’m not usually someone who cares about story in my games. I’m someone who puts gameplay first over everything else. After all, you can have a great story, but if your controls or gameplay loop are ass, then so is your game. “Cyberpunk” gets kudos from me because of how real the characters are, and I’m not saying that in terms of visuals. These are characters that feel like they could be real people. They have their own wants and needs, their own personalities, and the way they’re introduced to you, the player, makes it more interesting to learn they aren’t what they seem later on.
Not to dunk on “Valhalla” some more, but the problem I had with the characters in that world is that many of them felt very one-note and easily persuaded. There wasn’t any reason given to care about them outside of “Oh, you guys had your village ransacked, and now you lead them”.
I’m also pleasantly surprised by how tolerable and satisfying the driving is. Vehicle physics in open world games has been a pretty glaring issue. Not even a conglomerate of a franchise like “Grand Theft Auto” has nailed driving the same way “Cyberpunk” has. I feel like I’m in total control of the car...except for a few of the sporty cars. Those have a bit of torque in them. But driving around in the Alvarado and motorcycles has been pretty enjoyable.
So, yeah, I have really high hopes for “Cyberpunk”. However, I am aware of the controversies surrounding the game. Yes, I do read the news, and I know about the reports of crashes, bugs, how the team was made to crunch, etc. And I know that there were a handful of people who took issue with us naming “Cyberpunk” as our Game of the Year.
Honestly, I have faced a number of bugs and glitches myself. Bad rendering, character models fiddling about the place, game crashing, you know the drill… Since version 1.04, my problems haven’t been as severe. I absolutely do believe this needed more time in the oven so they could iron things out. However, I don’t understand why people are in a frenzy about this. I can understand some folks feeling cheated because they never showed gameplay on base PS4 and Xbox One. They really should have prioritized current-gen consoles and saved next-gen versions for a year later. But when we’ve had so many games like “GTA V”, “Fallout 4”, “Skyrim Remastered”, and - once again - “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” launch in a state just as ludicrously broken, I gotta ask “why the rage?” Why are people getting mad about THIS when so many other massive games have released in a similar state, if not worse? At least Cyberpunk’s gameplay is great! Personally, I can’t say the same for most open world games these days.
That being said, I stand behind our decision to name it MojoPlays Game of the Year. Yes, it’s not in the most stable condition, but from the twenty hours I’ve spent with this game, I can tell you with great confidence this was one of the best games I’ve played in 2020. I cannot stop playing. And this is coming from me, someone who desperately wanted us to name “Hades” as our Game of the Year! Ask Ricky, I was fighting tooth and nail for that! That’s how much “Hades” got me! So, my praise for this game should speak for how satisfying it is to play.
Unfortunately, all of this turns into a sad reminder for me that the folks at CD Projekt supposedly underwent months of crunch, not the six weeks the public knew about back in October.
First off, I do not condone crunch in game development. I believe the only way to avoid this is for game companies to stop shelling out millions upon millions of dollars for a single, massive game. I believe game companies should be developing smaller titles with smaller teams.
Unfortunately, crunch is done specifically to keep investors/shareholders happy. If a company is taking too long to put something out, those investors could lose interest and cease funding. Same thing happens when dealing with publishers. So many games have been cancelled because it seemed like things weren’t going anywhere. The modern mindset seems to be “why should I wait longer when I want it now.” So, why invest in a project that is taking REALLY long to put out its product and make me more money when I can give it to a company that’ll belt a new thing out every year? That’s what they’re thinking.
When I was a film major in college, one concept I was frequently taught was the Time-Money-Quality Triangle. You have these three things, but you can only pick two. When you’re looking at scripts as a producer, you need to consider if the project fits with the two things you’re looking for. If it’s a good project that won’t take long to make, it won’t be cheap. If it’s cheap to make and won’t be in production long, it probably won’t be very good. If it’s very good and cheap to make, it’ll most likely take a long time to make. You can’t have all three. Investors of any sort - game, film, business in general - follow a similar mindset. They want results, and they want them ASAP.
As far as my position as a reviewer goes, I don’t consider how a game was made as part of my review process. The product is out - there’s nothing I can really do or say to change how a company operated during production unless caught in the act, and as we saw at the Last of Us Awards recently, crunch is heavily rewarded even by the public and media. Reviews of products are primarily reserved for the end result, not how we came to that result, which is a problem in itself. I can tell you how tasty a burger is, but did I consider where the meat came from and how the company who made the burger conducts business, how they operate? You can certainly review a product with that in mind, and you can criticize something for ignoring alternative, more beneficial measures. I’m sure CD Projekt did a few things I would not agree with under any circumstance to make this game. In the end, though, I’m here to tell you whether you should spend your money or not.
Before we go, for the love of Pete, do not harass people for loving or hating the game. Do not harass developers, voice actors, and critics. C’mon, let’s be civil and discuss things like decent human beings. We can all disagree with each other and still talk, and after the year we’ve all had, can we please end it with us being nice to each other?
Folks, my name is Ty. I look forward to discussing any and all questions or concerns you have in the comments section below. I hope you all have a safe holiday as we ride out what little we have left in 2020. Stay safe, be nice to each other, and I’ll see you in 2021!
Cyberpunk 2077 Impressions
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen of the internet! My name is Ty with MojoPlays, and these are my impressions of “Cyberpunk 2077”!
Folks, normally, I’d have a review ready for your viewing pleasure, prepared to take whatever flak is coming my way because I know someone is going to be mad whether I love this game or hate it. However, because of how massive “Cyberpunk 2077” is, I thought that I should take my time with this one. Now that the game has been out for roughly a week at the time of this recording, I felt now is a good time to at least give you my impressions of the game so far. And don’t worry - the footage you’re seeing is only from the first two hours of the game. No spoilers here!
At this very moment, I have clocked in a little more than twenty hours, most of which has been spent progressing through the main story. I believe I’m in Act 2 of the main campaign, and for the time being, I’ve taken a break and have been doing a lot of side missions to get my character beefed up. Right now, I’m sitting at Level 18 with a Street Cred of 30. So, needless to say, I’ve sunk a lot of time into this game, and honestly, I can’t stop playing it.
“Cyberpunk” has captured me in a way that other AAA games from last year didn’t. “DOOM Eternal” was alright; I wasn’t too keen on the specific way it wants you to play, though. “Miles Morales” was a lot of fun, but fell flat in some areas for me. Still a great game, though. And then, there’s “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” which was absolutely appalling in its quality, does all of the annoyingly monotonous things open world games do, and has combat that makes “Golden Axe” look like a godsend when it comes to combat design.
“Cyberpunk”, on the other hand, I cannot stop playing. I’m so enthralled with the world, its characters, the various encounters that range from serious to hilarious. My absolute favorite, so far, is the side mission where Delamain has you searching for rogue taxis. I won’t spoil the best part about it, but I’ll say this - “Portal” is one of my absolute favorite franchises.
Anyways, I want to touch base on a couple of the things that really shine for me here. First off is the combat. The gunplay is incredibly satisfying! Every weapon I’ve used - shotgun, SMG, pistol, even melee weapons - has had the perfect level of “UMPH” put into the recoil. You really feel the impact of your shots both within the controller’s vibrations and the spectacle of bullets and gore. It’s almost surprising how well a game like “Cyberpunk” has pulled off shooting mechanics despite leaning so heavily into the RPG side of things. This game could have easily fallen into the same trap “Fallout” did when Bethesda took the IP. Yet it boasts the same level of quality as “Borderlands”.
I also wanna recognize the character design and narrative. As some of you may know, I’m not usually someone who cares about story in my games. I’m someone who puts gameplay first over everything else. After all, you can have a great story, but if your controls or gameplay loop are ass, then so is your game. “Cyberpunk” gets kudos from me because of how real the characters are, and I’m not saying that in terms of visuals. These are characters that feel like they could be real people. They have their own wants and needs, their own personalities, and the way they’re introduced to you, the player, makes it more interesting to learn they aren’t what they seem later on.
Not to dunk on “Valhalla” some more, but the problem I had with the characters in that world is that many of them felt very one-note and easily persuaded. There wasn’t any reason given to care about them outside of “Oh, you guys had your village ransacked, and now you lead them”.
I’m also pleasantly surprised by how tolerable and satisfying the driving is. Vehicle physics in open world games has been a pretty glaring issue. Not even a conglomerate of a franchise like “Grand Theft Auto” has nailed driving the same way “Cyberpunk” has. I feel like I’m in total control of the car...except for a few of the sporty cars. Those have a bit of torque in them. But driving around in the Alvarado and motorcycles has been pretty enjoyable.
So, yeah, I have really high hopes for “Cyberpunk”. However, I am aware of the controversies surrounding the game. Yes, I do read the news, and I know about the reports of crashes, bugs, how the team was made to crunch, etc. And I know that there were a handful of people who took issue with us naming “Cyberpunk” as our Game of the Year.
Honestly, I have faced a number of bugs and glitches myself. Bad rendering, character models fiddling about the place, game crashing, you know the drill… Since version 1.04, my problems haven’t been as severe. I absolutely do believe this needed more time in the oven so they could iron things out. However, I don’t understand why people are in a frenzy about this. I can understand some folks feeling cheated because they never showed gameplay on base PS4 and Xbox One. They really should have prioritized current-gen consoles and saved next-gen versions for a year later. But when we’ve had so many games like “GTA V”, “Fallout 4”, “Skyrim Remastered”, and - once again - “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” launch in a state just as ludicrously broken, I gotta ask “why the rage?” Why are people getting mad about THIS when so many other massive games have released in a similar state, if not worse? At least Cyberpunk’s gameplay is great! Personally, I can’t say the same for most open world games these days.
That being said, I stand behind our decision to name it MojoPlays Game of the Year. Yes, it’s not in the most stable condition, but from the twenty hours I’ve spent with this game, I can tell you with great confidence this was one of the best games I’ve played in 2020. I cannot stop playing. And this is coming from me, someone who desperately wanted us to name “Hades” as our Game of the Year! Ask Ricky, I was fighting tooth and nail for that! That’s how much “Hades” got me! So, my praise for this game should speak for how satisfying it is to play.
Unfortunately, all of this turns into a sad reminder for me that the folks at CD Projekt supposedly underwent months of crunch, not the six weeks the public knew about back in October.
First off, I do not condone crunch in game development. I believe the only way to avoid this is for game companies to stop shelling out millions upon millions of dollars for a single, massive game. I believe game companies should be developing smaller titles with smaller teams.
Unfortunately, crunch is done specifically to keep investors/shareholders happy. If a company is taking too long to put something out, those investors could lose interest and cease funding. Same thing happens when dealing with publishers. So many games have been cancelled because it seemed like things weren’t going anywhere. The modern mindset seems to be “why should I wait longer when I want it now.” So, why invest in a project that is taking REALLY long to put out its product and make me more money when I can give it to a company that’ll belt a new thing out every year? That’s what they’re thinking.
When I was a film major in college, one concept I was frequently taught was the Time-Money-Quality Triangle. You have these three things, but you can only pick two. When you’re looking at scripts as a producer, you need to consider if the project fits with the two things you’re looking for. If it’s a good project that won’t take long to make, it won’t be cheap. If it’s cheap to make and won’t be in production long, it probably won’t be very good. If it’s very good and cheap to make, it’ll most likely take a long time to make. You can’t have all three. Investors of any sort - game, film, business in general - follow a similar mindset. They want results, and they want them ASAP.
As far as my position as a reviewer goes, I don’t consider how a game was made as part of my review process. The product is out - there’s nothing I can really do or say to change how a company operated during production unless caught in the act, and as we saw at the Last of Us Awards recently, crunch is heavily rewarded even by the public and media. Reviews of products are primarily reserved for the end result, not how we came to that result, which is a problem in itself. I can tell you how tasty a burger is, but did I consider where the meat came from and how the company who made the burger conducts business, how they operate? You can certainly review a product with that in mind, and you can criticize something for ignoring alternative, more beneficial measures. I’m sure CD Projekt did a few things I would not agree with under any circumstance to make this game. In the end, though, I’m here to tell you whether you should spend your money or not.
Before we go, for the love of Pete, do not harass people for loving or hating the game. Do not harass developers, voice actors, and critics. C’mon, let’s be civil and discuss things like decent human beings. We can all disagree with each other and still talk, and after the year we’ve all had, can we please end it with us being nice to each other?
Folks, my name is Ty. I look forward to discussing any and all questions or concerns you have in the comments section below. I hope you all have a safe holiday as we ride out what little we have left in 2020. Stay safe, be nice to each other, and I’ll see you in 2021!
