Blanket Party: A blanket party is a form of corporal punishment, hazing, or retaliation conducted within a peer group, most frequently within the military or military academies. The victim is restrained by having a blanket flung over him and held down, while other members of the group strike the victim repeatedly with improvised flails...
Straight out of Full Metal Jacket, and no, it wasn't just made up for the movie.
CD Projekt is currently enduring potentially the worst excoriation of a developer/publisher we've ever seen, and for very good reason. The business with Devotion aside, Cyberpunk 2077 isn't what it should have been by a long shot. Even with the minor issues I've encountered on a 9900K and 2080 Super, the state of the game is unacceptable given that we were told for nearly a decade: "When It's Ready."
CDPR has never experienced this level of harsh criticism. Yet, they've brought this upon themselves by being so deceitful when it came to obfuscating Cyberpunk's performance on 8th Gen consoles, hamstringing reviewers, and shooting themselves in the foot with their public apology. (Corpo Speak, placing their business partners in untenable positions, which lead to Sony pulling the game from the PS Store). These things are exacerbated even further when you consider the standard CDPR held to in the face of their own marketing and image as a "pro-consumer" corporation.
From this point forward, our Polish friends face their ultimate test and a supremely difficult road back into the world's good graces: taking Cyberpunk 2077 to its fullest potential.
As many have pointed out already, Cyberpunk 2077's issues extend beyond the technical. While the game's visuals (bugs notwithstanding) may have improved significantly compared to pre-release demos and footage, its systems and features have suffered dramatically. Chief among them: AI, character customization (RPG elements), open-world vigor, and the impact of player choice. Many things that should have been fleshed out simply weren't in favor of an arbitrary deadline, and now there are two paths ahead.
Cyberpunk 2077 will have its performance stabilized enough for them to begin work on story expansions that fail to build on the game's current foundation in meaningful ways, or CDPR dedicates itself to restoring and adding features they couldn't get working in time to push Cyperpunk to the next level... Where it always deserved to be.
For CD Projekt to have any hope of regaining a modicum of their formerly sterling reputation, Cyberpunk's performance must not only be fixed and *significantly* improved come the next-gen (and PC ) performance "update" (read: overhaul)... But all of the "little things" that players are finding absent from gameplay need to come back. Furthermore, even newer features should be developed and added over time. I'd wager that the vast majority of people didn't even read the player data/metrics prompt that appears when you first launch Cyberpunk. CDPR needs to put that information to good use, seeing as we all bought into an early-access title.
I've spent over 91hrs in Cyberpunk already, perhaps 12 of them asleep or AFK. I have gained a deep understanding of its underlying systems, the narrative, the city, and I absolutely adore this game... But it's still not enough. As entitled as that sounds, hear me out. CDPR put this game on a pedestal, and it's already good enough to not be that far from actually sitting atop it.
The characters, your relationships with them, and the overall story are positively masterful, with the only major flaws being the ultimate conclusions and how they play out no matter what choices you make. (They all feel rather deterministic and fly in the face of CDPR's implications that every major decision would wildly alter the outcome of your story). Nevertheless, this game drew laughter, tears, existential contemplation, and a general engagement from me that I haven't enjoyed since The Outer Worlds.
Night City is incredible... visually and geographically. However, through the fog of NCPD crimes and dozens upon dozens of smaller side gigs, there's not much to do. I really love the vast majority of them, but the side jobs are essentially part of the campaign, and when all is said and done, Night City is positively empty.
Now, I will never accuse this game of lacking content; it just definitely lacks variety. I'll get more into certain aspects later as I continue and describe the chief issues I mentioned outside bugs.
AI: Inconsistent. The game's Achilles Heel right now. Enemies are either a force to be reckoned with and make for intense engagements, or they're completely braindead and stuck. Enemies are consistently aware of things they shouldn't be when you're in stealth; they can see you through walls before you've been detected, unaware patrol routes take ages to cycle, and their aim is godlike or nonexistent. Separately, and more importantly, the NCPD, period. They spawn behind you, yet they cannot chase you. They are also complete pushovers even as Max-Tac is called upon you, and there's no option for you to be arrested, bribe dirty officers, or engage with them in anything besides open combat. You can lose them in less than 45 seconds, and you'll gain a wanted level whether or not there is anybody to witness you accidentally shooting or plowing through an NPC with your vehicle. As for the crowds? The notion that every citizen NPC of Night City was going to have a full routine for a day/night cycle was always a fantasy, and I'm not sure why that was touted at any point before release. Crowds/traffic need to be optimized and fixed for better variety and responsiveness and made so that they no longer appear/disappear anywhere near V in free-roam for the sake of immersion.
Character Customization (RPG elements): The RPG aspect of Cyberpunk needs some serious attention. Perhaps there's not much to be done in terms of perk reworks, but an overwhelming number of them don't actually change the way you play the game terribly much as they're simple percent increases for XYZ weapon/damage types. Nudity was severely gimped, detracting from the "gritty, adult RPG" side of Cyberpunk that we were made to expect. The Tech tree is basically mandatory for the prolonged use of Iconic weapons and clothes, as there's no alternative way to craft/upgrade items like with Blacksmiths in The Witcher 3. You'll struggle even to look how you'd like to, given that Armor is a crucial stat for progressing through content. The loot system doesn't make much sense as there's no reliable way to obtain higher tier weapon, armor, and cyberware mods even at max level and street cred (vendors seem to be capped at the occasional Epic and the very rare Legendary for each category). While extensive, your physical appearance is the most RPG aspect of the game, given V's ultimate fate is rather "samey" no matter how you decide to tackle the main story.
Open-World Vigor: (Opposed to lividity, which Night City currently suffers from). Despite the mission overload in every district, Night City lacks an actual identity as a place with factions and individuals that respond to your behavior outside of the main campaign. This, in my opinion, severely detracts from Cyberpunk's playability without a narrative driving you forward, be it the main campaign or future expansions. There's no genuine interaction or relationship with the NCPD, no bounty system for factions like the NCPD or the gangs to send powerful mercs after you for meddling in their affairs, no chases, no races (besides one questline), no unique games to play like Gwent that add so much to the world and culture of Night City, no specialized stories/missions/content that only becomes accessible to you based on how you've spec'd your character. There's so much potential for this game to be a time-sink even beyond the end of V's story, but it has yet to be taken advantage of.
Impact of Player Choice: The consequences of the choices you make extend *only* to your relationships with the characters in the story and the inevitable outcome of the game beyond the "point of no return." i.e., How you tackle the final gauntlet, who does or does not accompany you, and one of basically two conclusions.
Finally, there's the cut features and content. Wall running? That makes perfect sense, considering the charge jump and double jump options being as strong as they are. However, the fact that I can't strangle or hack people with my Nanowire? Awful. Not even having the option to change the paint-job on my vehicles? Pretty lame. TWO stealth takedown animations for bare hands and NONE based on what weapon you have equipped? Yikes. No interrogations? Oof.
The point of ALL of this is directly stated in the title of this post. CDPR. You can do the corporate sleaze thing and simply "fix" Cyberpunk 2077 enough to where its performance is no longer an issue like Ubisoft (pick a game), or you can commit yourself to Cyberpunk 2077 and continuously make things up to your community by working tirelessly to keep your promises like Hello Games (No Man's Sky).
I believe you are still dedicated to this game and your fans, prove me right. Then worry about expansions and multiplayer.
Straight out of Full Metal Jacket, and no, it wasn't just made up for the movie.
CD Projekt is currently enduring potentially the worst excoriation of a developer/publisher we've ever seen, and for very good reason. The business with Devotion aside, Cyberpunk 2077 isn't what it should have been by a long shot. Even with the minor issues I've encountered on a 9900K and 2080 Super, the state of the game is unacceptable given that we were told for nearly a decade: "When It's Ready."
CDPR has never experienced this level of harsh criticism. Yet, they've brought this upon themselves by being so deceitful when it came to obfuscating Cyberpunk's performance on 8th Gen consoles, hamstringing reviewers, and shooting themselves in the foot with their public apology. (Corpo Speak, placing their business partners in untenable positions, which lead to Sony pulling the game from the PS Store). These things are exacerbated even further when you consider the standard CDPR held to in the face of their own marketing and image as a "pro-consumer" corporation.
From this point forward, our Polish friends face their ultimate test and a supremely difficult road back into the world's good graces: taking Cyberpunk 2077 to its fullest potential.
As many have pointed out already, Cyberpunk 2077's issues extend beyond the technical. While the game's visuals (bugs notwithstanding) may have improved significantly compared to pre-release demos and footage, its systems and features have suffered dramatically. Chief among them: AI, character customization (RPG elements), open-world vigor, and the impact of player choice. Many things that should have been fleshed out simply weren't in favor of an arbitrary deadline, and now there are two paths ahead.
Cyberpunk 2077 will have its performance stabilized enough for them to begin work on story expansions that fail to build on the game's current foundation in meaningful ways, or CDPR dedicates itself to restoring and adding features they couldn't get working in time to push Cyperpunk to the next level... Where it always deserved to be.
For CD Projekt to have any hope of regaining a modicum of their formerly sterling reputation, Cyberpunk's performance must not only be fixed and *significantly* improved come the next-gen (and PC ) performance "update" (read: overhaul)... But all of the "little things" that players are finding absent from gameplay need to come back. Furthermore, even newer features should be developed and added over time. I'd wager that the vast majority of people didn't even read the player data/metrics prompt that appears when you first launch Cyberpunk. CDPR needs to put that information to good use, seeing as we all bought into an early-access title.
I've spent over 91hrs in Cyberpunk already, perhaps 12 of them asleep or AFK. I have gained a deep understanding of its underlying systems, the narrative, the city, and I absolutely adore this game... But it's still not enough. As entitled as that sounds, hear me out. CDPR put this game on a pedestal, and it's already good enough to not be that far from actually sitting atop it.
The characters, your relationships with them, and the overall story are positively masterful, with the only major flaws being the ultimate conclusions and how they play out no matter what choices you make. (They all feel rather deterministic and fly in the face of CDPR's implications that every major decision would wildly alter the outcome of your story). Nevertheless, this game drew laughter, tears, existential contemplation, and a general engagement from me that I haven't enjoyed since The Outer Worlds.
Night City is incredible... visually and geographically. However, through the fog of NCPD crimes and dozens upon dozens of smaller side gigs, there's not much to do. I really love the vast majority of them, but the side jobs are essentially part of the campaign, and when all is said and done, Night City is positively empty.
Now, I will never accuse this game of lacking content; it just definitely lacks variety. I'll get more into certain aspects later as I continue and describe the chief issues I mentioned outside bugs.
AI: Inconsistent. The game's Achilles Heel right now. Enemies are either a force to be reckoned with and make for intense engagements, or they're completely braindead and stuck. Enemies are consistently aware of things they shouldn't be when you're in stealth; they can see you through walls before you've been detected, unaware patrol routes take ages to cycle, and their aim is godlike or nonexistent. Separately, and more importantly, the NCPD, period. They spawn behind you, yet they cannot chase you. They are also complete pushovers even as Max-Tac is called upon you, and there's no option for you to be arrested, bribe dirty officers, or engage with them in anything besides open combat. You can lose them in less than 45 seconds, and you'll gain a wanted level whether or not there is anybody to witness you accidentally shooting or plowing through an NPC with your vehicle. As for the crowds? The notion that every citizen NPC of Night City was going to have a full routine for a day/night cycle was always a fantasy, and I'm not sure why that was touted at any point before release. Crowds/traffic need to be optimized and fixed for better variety and responsiveness and made so that they no longer appear/disappear anywhere near V in free-roam for the sake of immersion.
Character Customization (RPG elements): The RPG aspect of Cyberpunk needs some serious attention. Perhaps there's not much to be done in terms of perk reworks, but an overwhelming number of them don't actually change the way you play the game terribly much as they're simple percent increases for XYZ weapon/damage types. Nudity was severely gimped, detracting from the "gritty, adult RPG" side of Cyberpunk that we were made to expect. The Tech tree is basically mandatory for the prolonged use of Iconic weapons and clothes, as there's no alternative way to craft/upgrade items like with Blacksmiths in The Witcher 3. You'll struggle even to look how you'd like to, given that Armor is a crucial stat for progressing through content. The loot system doesn't make much sense as there's no reliable way to obtain higher tier weapon, armor, and cyberware mods even at max level and street cred (vendors seem to be capped at the occasional Epic and the very rare Legendary for each category). While extensive, your physical appearance is the most RPG aspect of the game, given V's ultimate fate is rather "samey" no matter how you decide to tackle the main story.
Open-World Vigor: (Opposed to lividity, which Night City currently suffers from). Despite the mission overload in every district, Night City lacks an actual identity as a place with factions and individuals that respond to your behavior outside of the main campaign. This, in my opinion, severely detracts from Cyberpunk's playability without a narrative driving you forward, be it the main campaign or future expansions. There's no genuine interaction or relationship with the NCPD, no bounty system for factions like the NCPD or the gangs to send powerful mercs after you for meddling in their affairs, no chases, no races (besides one questline), no unique games to play like Gwent that add so much to the world and culture of Night City, no specialized stories/missions/content that only becomes accessible to you based on how you've spec'd your character. There's so much potential for this game to be a time-sink even beyond the end of V's story, but it has yet to be taken advantage of.
Impact of Player Choice: The consequences of the choices you make extend *only* to your relationships with the characters in the story and the inevitable outcome of the game beyond the "point of no return." i.e., How you tackle the final gauntlet, who does or does not accompany you, and one of basically two conclusions.
Finally, there's the cut features and content. Wall running? That makes perfect sense, considering the charge jump and double jump options being as strong as they are. However, the fact that I can't strangle or hack people with my Nanowire? Awful. Not even having the option to change the paint-job on my vehicles? Pretty lame. TWO stealth takedown animations for bare hands and NONE based on what weapon you have equipped? Yikes. No interrogations? Oof.
The point of ALL of this is directly stated in the title of this post. CDPR. You can do the corporate sleaze thing and simply "fix" Cyberpunk 2077 enough to where its performance is no longer an issue like Ubisoft (pick a game), or you can commit yourself to Cyberpunk 2077 and continuously make things up to your community by working tirelessly to keep your promises like Hello Games (No Man's Sky).
I believe you are still dedicated to this game and your fans, prove me right. Then worry about expansions and multiplayer.