""FULL ANALYTICAL REVIEW""
(as much as giving us steam the opportunity to write up to a word limit)

In Cyberpunk 2077 the player takes the role of V. At the beginning of the game, after a very detailed configuration of the appearance of the character that up to the size of his… molecule allows you to "tease", we are asked to choose one of the three lifepaths (Nomad, Street Kid and Corpo). Lifepaths, practically, concern what social position you want his character to have in Night City, the city where the events of the title take place. Although I thought that lifepaths give a completely different path and twist to the game, in the end what they do is differ in the introduction to the world and offer a few different series of dialogue. I wanted the CDP to make bigger and braver changes, even at the script level, between the three lifepaths, something I ultimately did not see. For the record I started as a Nomad. Cut off from the night cream and the frenetic rhythms of Night City, V is out of town, fleeing and unprotected. Within a short time, the city pulled him back into its tracks and very soon threw him into a dark affair, from which it will be difficult to untangle.

The diary writes 2077 and society is more divided than ever. The rich control everything and the poor just survive. There is strong policing and the world looks more like dystopia than anything else. The lights, the glow and the liveliness that comes from Night City, is just a showcase. Crime is rampant and technology is now operating as a "drug" in people's lives. Overall, the cyberpunk setting of the game is extremely impressive and in my opinion, fantastically interesting, which is why I have been following its course so intensely in recent years. That is, the way the Poles "painted" the future is special, although there are many influences from giants of the genre such as Blade Runner.

I personally really liked the story of Cyberpunk 2077. It has a very interesting plot, quite charged emotional points and generally keeps the player's attention until the credits. Note that I spent about 55 hours playing the game. The main questline can be completed even in 15 hours, something that finds me opposed. I think the basic story of the game "lifted" and should be longer. The situation is slightly saved by the side missions, which are many and I would say that many times they are better than the basic missions. But I can not say that either the main or the side missions have something masterful to say. There is a recycling of ideas, most of them are not original and in general they are things that we have seen more or less in Rockstar games, ok a few times. Simply put, throughout Cyberpunk, I did not see a quest approaching The Witcher 3's Bloody Baron quest.

What I admit to the CDP is that it knows how to marry the basic with the secondary missions and does so in such a way that the line separating them is blurred. This means that in order to have a complete view of the story, characters and lore of Cyberpunk 2077, one must definitely invest enough time in side missions. What I think is very unfair to the creators' writing is that you can not appreciate and bond with the characters just by playing the main storyline. Simply put, if one plays only the main missions, one will not see the unfolding of the characters, like Judy for example and it is a pity. All in all, the Poles have in their hands a fantastic lore, with interesting characters, amazing setting and ready canvas to paint on for many years, either with expansions or with sequels. I just feel like they wanted to say more and they didn't get it and that, in my opinion, is sad…

In terms of interpretations, my views differ. On the one hand, there are some moments when voice overs are cinematic, on the other hand they are often weak. I expected a lot more from Keanu Reeves. His role in the game is leading, his position in the lore important, however he does not seem to stand out in terms of interpretation as happened with Mads Mikkelsen in Death Stranding for example. So there is still a long way to go before the Polish team can reach The Last of Us: Part II or Red Dead Redemption 2 levels.

What I loved about Cyberpunk 2077 is the direction and the whole atmosphere that was rendered through it. There I confess that fantastic work has been done by the Poles. Although the trailers showed a bit of "kaffir", "frenzy" and "crazy" game, in reality the events are governed by a seriousness, with the atmosphere being constantly electrified with a style that is very similar to Blade Runner and Deus Ex.

In open-world games, the protagonist is - and should be - the world in which they play. CD Projekt RED had promised a lot in terms of the open-world of the thing, but in fact few of them I think it realized. First, we have Night City, a gray metropolis that gets its unique colors from its neon signs. The city itself has a great variety in its structure. Bridges, squares, large commercial and many levels to explore. The city is fantastic to see. On the PC (and I note this, because that's not exactly the case with consoles), there are places that are overwhelmed with people and liveliness. A walk in the Japantown bazaars at night is enough to convince you. Visual "noise", noise, crowds make you feel like this is the most "lively" city you have ever visited in a video game. But what does it mean to be alive? When a world like Night City just makes noise but you can't interact with it, how alive can it be?

Apart from the missions, there are no other complementary activities to do to fill your hours walking around the city. Even The Witcher 3 had a bunch of extra activities to do (eg mini games). I feel like someone fantastically dressed the city, but forgot to give them oxygen. See GTA V, a 7-year-old game, how many "millions" of things you have to do in addition to missions. And in the end, why didn't the game keep Deus Ex style communicatively, but instead created the most lively and rich world we have ever seen? I'm not of the opinion that all games should be as chaotic as GTA and RDR, but when you identify as "next-gen open-world" then they should be ready to suffer the consequences.

And the problems with the structure of the open world do not end here. The police also have terrible issues. I explain. You are committing a crime (eg you are killing a citizen) so as expected the crime is reported and the police come to arrest you. Aside from the fact that it never catches you, you can just run a few hundred meters and lose it in seconds as if nothing ever happened. You will never see a police officer get out of his car, for example, to chase you if you have committed a crime, but you will see police officers getting involved in scripted fights with thugs. Many contradictions and many incomprehensible tactics from a studio that gave us, I repeat, The Witcher 3. The movement of cars and pedestrians is also funny. The cars will never maneuver to avoid you if you block their way, while the pedestrians react as they did in Vice City (maybe even worse). Overall, I noticed terrible problems with the AI ​​of the city routine.

To summarize: First, read the text to draw safer conclusions. Secondly, those of you who have a good PC, although you will not play the next polished diamond in the industry, will at least be able to enjoy it to the fullest extent possible. Those of you who have a PS5 and Xbox Series X are waiting for the big next-gen patch that will come sometime in 2021. Those of you who have a PS4 and Xbox One, ignore it for now. Yes, Cyberpunk 2077 is, in its backbone, a very good game, but it was not ready at all. CD Projekt RED put her hands on her own and took out her own eyes CD