This game is honestly amazing, much more than I thought it would be. I'm not particularly a fan of the type of games in its Genre, as I never really got into Left 4 Dead 2, or other games where you're cooperatively playing against swarms of enemies with a group of people because I've always felt that either my own skills lacked and I wasn't good enough for the team - or if someone else lacked skills I found myself annoyed that they brought the team down. So I always avoided those types of games simply because I wanted to avoid the headache and frustrations.

So what makes this game so different that I can't seem to put it down?

The simple fact that its more than just "Run to the end of the map with people and survive.". Each level is procedurally generated, meaning each map is unique enough that it doesn't get stale, and is some of the best multiplayer experiences I've ever had. I got it as a Christmas gift from a friend, and our little circle had been enjoying nights just doing random stupid stuff together and laughing about it, such as creating 6 minute long pipes to grind on, having a friend as the Driller cryo freeze us to blow us up with C4, or contemplating an all Scout Deep Dive. Even Solo play has been a fun and relaxing experience just playing missions that I enjoy when I don't have assignments to do.

Plus, what makes it even better is that each Weapon, Class, and unstable overclock has its uses dependent on the situation. A Scouts M-1000, for example, is excellent for Elimination Missions or Industrial Sabotage Missions, but might not be as useful as say their Plasma Carbine on Escorts, Salvage, or Refinery missions where the game sends waves of enemies your way. Not only that, but the action is frenetic and fast paced as well which means that theres never a dull moment. This is NOT a tactical shooter, and cover won't help you at all, so to survive you need situational awareness, to know the layout of your immediate area, to understand your support weapons and what they do, and be ready to run, juke, jump, and more on higher difficulties that require you to constantly be on the move when surrounded by enemies. Nothing will kill you faster than having your back against the wall when enemies are constantly eating your face.

Overall, I can easily see myself putting in 200-300 hours into this game, if not more.

Like a lot of players, I only recently got this game because of the Anime adaptation. I fell in love with the world and characters in Edgerunners, and it did get me interested in playing Cyberpunk 2077. I remember the problems that were at launch, and how I had a lot of friends who had preordered the game and were disappointed with it. Initially I wrote it off, and figured I'd pick up the title "Eventually", but thanks to the anime and a friend who bought it for me, I had a chance to actually sit down and put time into it.

And good god, am I glad I did. While there were still some bugs here and there (what open world game doesn't have those?), overall this was one of those experiences that just left me stunned, emotional, and craving more. The story is definitely its strongest suit, because this game has it in spades. While the main storyline I felt was a little short (You can probably complete it in around 15 or so hours and probably get to lvl 30) it packs one hell of a philosophical punch to the face. It asks questions about identity, and how we perceive ourselves and how we evaluate our own concepts of who we are, while at the same time also asking questions or presenting situations about our relationships with not only ourselves, but the people around us in our lives. Cyberpunk media typically sets its characters up against rampant corporatocracy and technocracy that devalues and even undermines the human soul in the face of corporate greed and dehumanization, and this game's world is no different.

The best part is that it never has an answer to any of these themes it presents. It doesn't tell you how you should feel, but rather leaves you to ponder them well after the game concludes. I won't spoil anything specific either, as this is a game you have to play for yourself; especially if you're a fan of open ended questions.

Speaking of playing though, the game play is really great as well. While in the end theres really only several ways to play that sort of get pigeonholed together (Either Quickhacking, getting a Sandy, or Berserking), I enjoyed how you can still experiment to find a build thats right for you, and most missions have multiple ways to approach the objective. Outside of a few side missions that have stealth as an optional objective, you can go in sneaky like to complete objectives, or just go in guns blazing and leaving a trail of bodies. You even have modifications to your weapons that allow you to not kill people either if you want a truly pacifist run (Or as pacifistic as Night City can let you be).

Overall, Johnny and V's dynamic is the heart of this game, and I'm glad I got to spend my time with them. I'm sad that their adventures came to an end and it happened the way it did, but it was sublime to witness their journey and relationship and - hey - I can always put another 150hrs into a second run. I know that they're going to be with me in my mind for a while.

9/10. I had to knock a point off though because I'm headcanoning my own ending that's much happier than what the cyberpunk genre as a whole will ever give me.