You know, I bought the first Punch Club years ago on some Steam sale and then it stayed in my library, unplayed, for several years until about a month ago when I finally gave the game a shot and absolutely loved it!

I was thrilled to find out there was a sequel coming out in less than a month, and I quickly pre-ordered it, even though there was one thing that concerned me about this sequel — its setting.

I have never liked cyberpunk. Not in movies, not in video games, not in anime, not in other forms of media. I don't mind stories taking place in futuristic settings, but the whole dystopian, technocratic hellscape settings that have completely permeated various forms of media in recent years, never appealed to me, but I thought to myself, "I loved the first game so much. I might still enjoy this!" and hoped for the best.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into it after all. One thing that appeals to me about playing video games is how they offer an escape from reality. Punch Club 2, of course, takes place in a very colorful and exaggerated world, but it still comes a bit too close to how dystopian and dysfunctional our real world is and where it will, most likely, end up in the near future. I just find it too depressing to keep playing and the game's setting really takes away the fun that I, no doubt, could've had if the game was a more straightforward sequel to the original.

You know, I bought the first Punch Club years ago on some Steam sale and then it stayed in my library, unplayed, for several years until about a month ago when I finally gave the game a shot and absolutely loved it! I was thrilled to find out there was a sequel coming out in less than a month, and I quickly pre-ordered it, even though there was one thing that concerned me about this sequel — its setting. I have never liked cyberpunk. Not in movies, not in video games, not in anime, not in other forms of media. I don't mind stories taking place in futuristic settings, but the whole dystopian, technocratic hellscape settings that have completely permeated various forms of media in recent years, never appealed to me, but I thought to myself, "I loved the first game so much. I might still enjoy this!" and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into it after all. One thing that appeals to me about playing video games is how they offer an escape from reality. Punch Club 2, of course, takes place in a very colorful and exaggerated world, but it still comes a bit too close to how dystopian and dysfunctional our real world is and where it will, most likely, end up in the near future. I just find it too depressing to keep playing and the game's setting really takes away the fun that I, no doubt, could've had if the game was a more straightforward sequel to the original.