I played the game from start to finish with all life paths and all outcomes. And I was left feeling...well, empty.
First of all, no matter what you do, V is left with a dark notion that they'll eventually die. So basically, there is no real happy ending in this game. You can only speculate on "what ifs" when the game ends, but you don't actually see anything that would really soothe your mind. Whether it's storming the Crystal Palace or leaving NC with Panam, V is staring into the distance with this weary, dejected look on their face. I simply couldn't feel any fulfillment for any possible ending.
Everyone leaves V. It seems that as soon as you get attached to a certain character in the game, they stop being a part of your life!
Jackie dies. Horribly and heartbreakingly. You lose your BFF from the get go.
Delamain concludes his fate either way and stops being the awesome AI pal that you've become fond of.
Speaking of awesome AIs: Brendan and Skippy are also mercilessly taken from you. Brendan is brainwashed, and Skippy outright hates you if you don't return him to Regina.
And why can't we have more interactions with Skippy? I remember Enserric the Grey - the sword you can get in Neverwinter Nights - who had so much character, and you could interact with him throughout the entire game. He was also denied a proper ending, though... We never got the chance to find him a body. But at least he didn't reject me.
Takemura is either killed, or goes back to Arasaka. In the other option, all you have is a few messages on the phone, or his presence during the second worst ending. And choosing that ending isn't worth it merely for the sake of his companionship.
Panam, Judy, River and Kerry are HORRIBLE in a relationship, whether it's friendship or romance. You do quests for them, and apparently - that's it, until you hit the ending. If you play long enough, you may receive a few messages. If you go to their homes, you can converse a bit, but this doesn't really affect anything. And if you're in a romance, you only get that one intercourse and the relationship becomes platonic from that point. They only call you during the End credits. Also: why can't I call them or message them whenever I want? It's a one-way street and it sucks.
I don't know about you, but the relationship system in this game is so shallow that I was left feeling used by these characters. If you choose to become the "legend of NC", your relationship turns sour. I mean, you survived and finally hit the major leagues, but all that success feels like crap when your significant other is obviously depressed! What I'm trying to say is that these relationships could have been richer and far more interactive, not merely quests that need doing.
Johnny. Hah. You either lose him or become him. No middle ground. During every playthrough, I felt as if the whole thing is actually about Johnny, and V is just an NPC who is following up on his story.
Another major factor of the story is the first person game mechanic. Despite what CDPR claimed, I never had the impression of immersion from this perspective - quite the opposite! I can't see V's facial expressions during dialogues, I can't see how they really behave during a fight, how they walk down the street, how they run and observe their environment. V is a faceless persona most of the time, and I have to try really hard to develop any kinship to the character I'm playing as.
Third person perspective it something this game desperately needs. I am positive that it would turn tables in a big way for all us gamers, specifically those who are still holding on to this game and what it could have been.
What drove me the most throughout the story is not the story itself, but the potential of it that I managed to manufacture in my mind. And that is far from enough. We get no closure, we don't feel real connection to a single NPC - or even V for that matter, and all our efforts are...well, not exactly rewarded.
Personally, I am shocked that CDPR had made such a letdown, comparing to Witcher series. And the comparison is inevitable.
What do you think? Were you left feeling depressed and empty as I did? What would you change, if you could?
First of all, no matter what you do, V is left with a dark notion that they'll eventually die. So basically, there is no real happy ending in this game. You can only speculate on "what ifs" when the game ends, but you don't actually see anything that would really soothe your mind. Whether it's storming the Crystal Palace or leaving NC with Panam, V is staring into the distance with this weary, dejected look on their face. I simply couldn't feel any fulfillment for any possible ending.
Everyone leaves V. It seems that as soon as you get attached to a certain character in the game, they stop being a part of your life!
Jackie dies. Horribly and heartbreakingly. You lose your BFF from the get go.
Delamain concludes his fate either way and stops being the awesome AI pal that you've become fond of.
Speaking of awesome AIs: Brendan and Skippy are also mercilessly taken from you. Brendan is brainwashed, and Skippy outright hates you if you don't return him to Regina.
And why can't we have more interactions with Skippy? I remember Enserric the Grey - the sword you can get in Neverwinter Nights - who had so much character, and you could interact with him throughout the entire game. He was also denied a proper ending, though... We never got the chance to find him a body. But at least he didn't reject me.
Takemura is either killed, or goes back to Arasaka. In the other option, all you have is a few messages on the phone, or his presence during the second worst ending. And choosing that ending isn't worth it merely for the sake of his companionship.
Panam, Judy, River and Kerry are HORRIBLE in a relationship, whether it's friendship or romance. You do quests for them, and apparently - that's it, until you hit the ending. If you play long enough, you may receive a few messages. If you go to their homes, you can converse a bit, but this doesn't really affect anything. And if you're in a romance, you only get that one intercourse and the relationship becomes platonic from that point. They only call you during the End credits. Also: why can't I call them or message them whenever I want? It's a one-way street and it sucks.
I don't know about you, but the relationship system in this game is so shallow that I was left feeling used by these characters. If you choose to become the "legend of NC", your relationship turns sour. I mean, you survived and finally hit the major leagues, but all that success feels like crap when your significant other is obviously depressed! What I'm trying to say is that these relationships could have been richer and far more interactive, not merely quests that need doing.
Johnny. Hah. You either lose him or become him. No middle ground. During every playthrough, I felt as if the whole thing is actually about Johnny, and V is just an NPC who is following up on his story.
Another major factor of the story is the first person game mechanic. Despite what CDPR claimed, I never had the impression of immersion from this perspective - quite the opposite! I can't see V's facial expressions during dialogues, I can't see how they really behave during a fight, how they walk down the street, how they run and observe their environment. V is a faceless persona most of the time, and I have to try really hard to develop any kinship to the character I'm playing as.
Third person perspective it something this game desperately needs. I am positive that it would turn tables in a big way for all us gamers, specifically those who are still holding on to this game and what it could have been.
What drove me the most throughout the story is not the story itself, but the potential of it that I managed to manufacture in my mind. And that is far from enough. We get no closure, we don't feel real connection to a single NPC - or even V for that matter, and all our efforts are...well, not exactly rewarded.
Personally, I am shocked that CDPR had made such a letdown, comparing to Witcher series. And the comparison is inevitable.
What do you think? Were you left feeling depressed and empty as I did? What would you change, if you could?