Here is the problem though. Dexter Deshawn's untimely demise is due to his own actions, he is very aware of the risks associated with what he was doing. he was always in control until he wasnt. Still more control than the main protagonist.
Evelyn wanted to get rich quick because of "reasons" and ended up comitting suicide. She choose those actions and was in control until she wasnt. Still more control than the main protagonist. She knew many things and choose to withhold that information, because down the line she was probaly going to kill the main protagonist.
All these characters that you mention have one thing in common and thats the main protagonist, which just adds to bad feeling around you. People you work with tend to end up dying. Now I know Takamura dosn't. but he also has loyalty to others and motivations that does not benefit the main character. If you storm arasake tower by yourself, its implied he kills himself. He has more control than the main protagonist.
Jackie Wells is meant to be your spanish mirror, no matter your background and a advance premonition of what happens to you. He has no control like you because of this reason.
I repeat you can have a "tragic" hero story, without it becoming depression on the player controlling the character.
the main protagonist in crpg rarely has control, its just that you prefer a lack of control that leads to success, over defeat.
this said, like I have said many times.
V hasn't failed yet. You haven't lost until you are dead.
Its also weird to claim V is failure with no control of their fate.
V does more in 2-4 weeks than most people do in their whole lives.
He successfully steals cutting edge immortality tech from a world power
He survives almost guaranteed death, if he can solve the 6month problem, he has unlocked immortality tech, he also came back to life 3 times in game.
depending on his choices he takes over a powerful faction of mercs, doing jobs big enough to change world politics
finds a true ride or die family, willing to die, or kill form him, and gets them resources to be a dominant force in the world
Or decides the leadership of one of the most powerful corporations, giving them access to immortality.
can become a legend.
brings his friend back to life.
frees consciousness trapped for 60 years
can make more money in weeks than people make in a decade
cripples the most powerful organizations in NC.
successfully goes to war with a mega corporation.
can have Adam smasher level cybernetics, but still looks sleek and sexy.
this is not someone with no control, a victim of fate. Also, V's problems are a result of V's choices. Yes, they successfully make V feel like they didnt win, when they in fact they have dominated every situation, achieved every goal, and have repeatedly achieved the impossible. V gets the girl/boy, gets rich, destroys all their enemies, is loved by many, is treated special, shapes the lives of all around them.
If V lives, they are probably the most effective legend of NC ever.
V ends the game not knowing if they will survive the next 6 months, welcome to 90% of the people in NC. The difference is that the world rises and falls around V's actions, whereas most people die of starvation in a gutter, in random crossfire, or killed by their enemies.
Yeah its ok to not be always the superhero in the game but with their decision of this games story path they went away from the mainstream and "only" satisfied a single favor of peoples storyfinals.
I mean they could have added a final in wich V can fix the damage that the relic caused in V´s brain, perhaps with a very very difficult in game achievement but they decided not to satisfy both the dramatic and the heroic oriented customers.
V completely solving this issue, first time, in 2-4 weeks that people have been trying to solve in game since 2013, 64 years. As person comin up from the bottom, is god mode protagonist level stuff.
now, as mentioned above, V is already essentially living the legendary protagonist life, but solving this last issue would really be the death of V. Because that would be a character with no where to go, who has achieved everything and done it all. There would be no reason to continue that character's story. Especially within the limits of the genre
The only reason V's future is worth a story is because they haven't won. The ending leaves them as a highly capable legend, but the world is still a stronger opponent that they might not win against. If V cures relic completely at this point, what is impossible for them? what is a worthy opponent? If V successfully beats the world, which is the primary enemy in cyberpunk, what is a realistic threat? What is their purpose?
What if Skywalker beats Vader and saves the galaxy in a New Hope?
Only the Star ending gives some hope, but it's very flimsy, because all it does is saying "the search for the solution continues", which in reality doesn't mean anything.
Maybe that will end up being the "Canon" for the dlc?
@Anarchizt@Simpson3000 If you could choose between a heroic succes and failure then there would be a right or wrong ending. Even if you took a choice about installing the relic during the heist, at that point V was just preserving the merchandise. Dex causes the problem by shooting you. To me a tragic hero has to die anyway regardless of whether their demise is of their own making.
You're right it is depressing, but ultimately even in real life most people are just grease for the machine.
I don't mind failing the heist or the fact that my actions don't matter in the grand scheme of Night City. It would be neat if there were sidequests that could possibly lead to an secret sidequest that can only be reached by achieving positive results on the certain side quests. What's this special seeeecret quest? Hopefully a chance for V to just flat out not die or maybe provide a body for him to transfer in. If V can't save his own body maybe he can get a new oooone...
*mass effect 3 flashbacks* I've accepted the ending to mass effect 3 but its always sad when games take similar endings... I hope the dlc's can atleast change this. V goes back to being a common thug... Nobody cares and everything it would be as if he was thrown off right back where it started. Minus his best bud.
Since this thread is about not wanting to fail the heist... let's talk about that... the hotel goes under lock down no matter what. Unavoidable. I do believe it would be nice to have passed the mission... It would be cool if V took the shard from the get go. Maybe Jackie lived and said frick it. He wants out of the merc life and takes a career with his future wife... if Jackie lives, V's death wouldn't involve saying "see you in the major league Jackie".
The fact that the hotel goes under lockdown no matter what makes me wonder if it even can be possible to 'pass' the mission. The helicopter always spots you. Theres no alternative route. The fact that the place is always gonna be under lockdown no matter what you do makes getting out preem always forever out of the question. It's kinda pretty in a way... V never had a chance despite all the planning and effort. It's all Yorinobu's fault.. why couldn't he kill his dad the next day? Dam... stupid old man couldn't have arrived two hours late... Yorinobu would have betrayed his daddy but atleast V and Jackie woulda been gone by then... oh well...
My money is on the secret sun ending being canon going into story dlc.. V doesn't risk anyone life but their own. they both become a legend and honor the memory of their best friend Jackie by achieving what they both originally set out to achieve; become legends and go out in style. Mr. Blue Eyes who will most likely be the next antagonist is introduced, and the credits roll as V heads towards a corpo casino in space.
For me, surprisingly, it's really good.
I find that it adds emotion to hope during whole game and that in fact, no ! Nothing, V will die anyway... Like in RDR2, when my lovely white horse died, god... so tough, so good
I would have liked less (or been less touched at least) if it was a "Care Bears ending"*.
it is simply a question of point of view. No, CP-2077 is not a fairy tale, fortunately. I would have liked a more nuanced ending; a masterpiece of its kind.
an extreme of deferment that have never been seen before.
the main protagonist in crpg rarely has control, its just that you prefer a lack of control that leads to success, over defeat.
this said, like I have said many times.
V hasn't failed yet. You haven't lost until you are dead.
Its also weird to claim V is failure with no control of their fate.
V does more in 2-4 weeks than most people do in their whole lives.
He successfully steals cutting edge immortality tech from a world power
He survives almost guaranteed death, if he can solve the 6month problem, he has unlocked immortality tech, he also came back to life 3 times in game.
depending on his choices he takes over a powerful faction of mercs, doing jobs big enough to change world politics
finds a true ride or die family, willing to die, or kill form him, and gets them resources to be a dominant force in the world
Or decides the leadership of one of the most powerful corporations, giving them access to immortality.
can become a legend.
brings his friend back to life.
frees consciousness trapped for 60 years
can make more money in weeks than people make in a decade
cripples the most powerful organizations in NC.
successfully goes to war with a mega corporation.
can have Adam smasher level cybernetics, but still looks sleek and sexy.
this is not someone with no control, a victim of fate. Also, V's problems are a result of V's choices. Yes, they successfully make V feel like they didnt win, when they in fact they have dominated every situation, achieved every goal, and have repeatedly achieved the impossible. V gets the girl/boy, gets rich, destroys all their enemies, is loved by many, is treated special, shapes the lives of all around them.
If V lives, they are probably the most effective legend of NC ever.
V ends the game not knowing if they will survive the next 6 months, welcome to 90% of the people in NC. The difference is that the world rises and falls around V's actions, whereas most people die of starvation in a gutter, in random crossfire, or killed by their enemies.
Post automatically merged:
V completely solving this issue, first time, in 2-4 weeks that people have been trying to solve in game since 2013, 64 years. As person comin up from the bottom, is god mode protagonist level stuff.
now, as mentioned above, V is already essentially living the legendary protagonist life, but solving this last issue would really be the death of V. Because that would be a character with no where to go, who has achieved everything and done it all. There would be no reason to continue that character's story. Especially within the limits of the genre
The only reason V's future is worth a story is because they haven't won. The ending leaves them as a highly capable legend, but the world is still a stronger opponent that they might not win against. If V cures relic completely at this point, what is impossible for them? what is a worthy opponent? If V successfully beats the world, which is the primary enemy in cyberpunk, what is a realistic threat? What is their purpose?
What if Skywalker beats Vader and saves the galaxy in a New Hope?
I think we have played different games and/or have vastly different perspectives.
<V hasn't failed yet. You haven't lost until you are dead.> The goal of the game, from title to credits is to survive and prevent your mind and body being reaped and taken over by the chip. At the end of the game, if alive, you are still dying your goal completely open ended. Becoming a legend was Jackie's goal. What are they going to do, release big huge expansions - CP2077 - Blue Eyes - try and find the cure. Second expansion - CP2077 - Space Adventures - continue to try and find that cure you guys!! At the end of the game you are dead or dying with another ticking clock going.
<He successfully steals cutting edge immortality tech from a world power> You broke into a hotel room and stole a briefcase. I'm sure other runners in night city have done similar jobs.
<He survives almost guaranteed death, if he can solve the 6month problem, he has unlocked immortality tech, he also came back to life 3 times in game.> Um, no. If you somehow succeed in the future you have survived but changed - brain damage tends to do that. V didn't invent the chip nor know how to make it work unless V can in a few weeks get a doctorate in medicine and cybertech.
<depending on his choices he takes over a powerful faction of mercs, doing jobs big enough to change world politics> Wait, what? What powerful mercs? You mean the magical getting both ownership of a bar and that translates into being a world class fixer with zero experience and contacts? Uh-huh. Not exactly believable if you think about it.
<finds a true ride or die family, willing to die, or kill form him, and gets them resources to be a dominant force in the world> Find a family sure. But their reasoning for goign on a near suicide mission for someone who has done a few jobs for one of their people does strain believability. Calling them a powerhouse is a sick joke as just a week before they barely could cobble together enough resources for survival (Panam saying they were dying and near powerless and afraid of the Scavs...) so um where did they get all this world shaking power from? Dominant force in the world.. you mean a collection of 10 cars RUNNING from night city to go to a new place???
<
Or decides the leadership of one of the most powerful corporations, giving them access to immortality.
can become a legend.
brings his friend back to life.>
Umm.. thats not you.. you are forced tojust watch it happen with no say in it and not exactly rewarded for it anyway.
Becoming the bestest evah!!! in mere weeks - sorry - you may buy that but doesn't make much sense.
We will have to agree to disagree on johnny as friend.
<frees consciousness trapped for 60 years> Oh gosh I can't stop laughing. Okay, in mikoshi you have collection of voluntary and involuntary psyches stored. They get ABSORBED by Alt. They no longer exist. They merge into the huge powerful AI and are absorbed. No trace of them as unique minds/person exists after they are assimilated.
<
cripples the most powerful organizations in NC.
successfully goes to war with a mega corporation.
can have Adam smasher level cybernetics, but still looks sleek and sexy.>
Damages, sure. But especially reverting the old head to new head of Arasaka isnt exactly crippling.
and not exactly but also quite immersion breaking to have whole limbs replaced with ZERO hospital time for surgery and recovery. Makes no sense. Extremely immersion breaking should you stop and think of it. Whole limbs being replaced by MAGIC
<
Also, V's problems are a result of V's choices. Yes, they successfully make V feel like they didnt win, when they in fact they have dominated every situation, achieved every goal, and have repeatedly achieved the impossible. V gets the girl/boy, gets rich, destroys all their enemies, is loved by many, is treated special, shapes the lives of all around them.
If V lives, they are probably the most effective legend of NC ever.>
V's problems are a railroaded script with zero player agency. V dominates NO SITUATION. You dont save Evelyn. Don't even take her to a good doctor to see if anything can be done for a second opinion (Helllooooo Vic!!), Judy's attempt to take over clouds ends in awful deadly failure as the player has no say and no ability to do anything more to the gang than takes it back. Panam solves the getting Hellman, not V. Rogue tracks down Smashers allies - not V. We fail to have any good result in the politicians.
We save Sandra, we can help Del, and we assault a building. And shoot lots of people along the way.
Once again - relative nobody to bestest evah!!! in 2 weeks stretches credulity.
<V ends the game not knowing if they will survive the next 6 months, welcome to 90% of the people in NC.> Well, no one on earth can fully predict the future so make that 100%. Name me any great movie that isn't a Part one on purpose that presents a problem for protagonist to solve - and doesn't resolve any of the underlying goals. Yes, some fiction the "goal" starting out is not the goal/resolution you have and achieve by the end. RDR2 isnt about living/dying - its Arthur doing things for the group/gang that gets them to survive and move on and resolve the issues inside the gang. He succeeds - even with dying.
<
now, as mentioned above, V is already essentially living the legendary protagonist life, but solving this last issue would really be the death of V. Because that would be a character with no where to go, who has achieved everything and done it all. There would be no reason to continue that character's story. Especially within the limits of the genre
The only reason V's future is worth a story is because they haven't won. The ending leaves them as a highly capable legend, but the world is still a stronger opponent that they might not win against. If V cures relic completely at this point, what is impossible for them? what is a worthy opponent? If V successfully beats the world, which is the primary enemy in cyberpunk, what is a realistic threat? What is their purpose?
What if Skywalker beats Vader and saves the galaxy in a New Hope?>
You assaulted a bloody building. Luke blew up the death star at the end of Star Wars. Luke wins the comparison by a HUGE margin. And Star Wars was a complete story. No one complain and rants about the ending. I think even after Luke does something far more impressive than V that old George was able to write two more stories.
The "legend" is entirely post mikoshi duck tape slap together to make you, the player, feel somewhat good about the story ending unresolved. Amazingly the "legend" V just hours before going into mikoshi is still having issues fighting common street gangers and simple fixer quests that they give to solo mercs. (As Rogue says she reserves the best jobs for current runner groups... sorry to burst your bubble but even before assaulting mikoshi V isnt the best out there )
I HOPE expansions are about V - but there is a damn good chance the expansions are not about future V
Then again everyone going on about the ending and there is still hope have no knowledge about degenerative drain diseases. If you are going to die of say - cancer/degenerative drain condition - it isn't 5 months and 29 days all is fine then suddenly 6 month date you drop dead. You decay - you get less and less able. Sharp. Smart. Coordinated. Memory holes. Motor functionality Brain damage has serious serious ramifications
Beating the world is not the goal of cyber settings. It's survival. Staying who you are - in the face of the world and setting.
I think we have played different games and/or have vastly different perspectives.
<V hasn't failed yet. You haven't lost until you are dead.> The goal of the game, from title to credits is to survive and prevent your mind and body being reaped and taken over by the chip. At the end of the game, if alive, you are still dying your goal completely open ended. Becoming a legend was Jackie's goal. What are they going to do, release big huge expansions - CP2077 - Blue Eyes - try and find the cure. Second expansion - CP2077 - Space Adventures - continue to try and find that cure you guys!! At the end of the game you are dead or dying with another ticking clock going.
<He successfully steals cutting edge immortality tech from a world power> You broke into a hotel room and stole a briefcase. I'm sure other runners in night city have done similar jobs.
<He survives almost guaranteed death, if he can solve the 6month problem, he has unlocked immortality tech, he also came back to life 3 times in game.> Um, no. If you somehow succeed in the future you have survived but changed - brain damage tends to do that. V didn't invent the chip nor know how to make it work unless V can in a few weeks get a doctorate in medicine and cybertech.
<depending on his choices he takes over a powerful faction of mercs, doing jobs big enough to change world politics> Wait, what? What powerful mercs? You mean the magical getting both ownership of a bar and that translates into being a world class fixer with zero experience and contacts? Uh-huh. Not exactly believable if you think about it.
<finds a true ride or die family, willing to die, or kill form him, and gets them resources to be a dominant force in the world> Find a family sure. But their reasoning for goign on a near suicide mission for someone who has done a few jobs for one of their people does strain believability. Calling them a powerhouse is a sick joke as just a week before they barely could cobble together enough resources for survival (Panam saying they were dying and near powerless and afraid of the Scavs...) so um where did they get all this world shaking power from? Dominant force in the world.. you mean a collection of 10 cars RUNNING from night city to go to a new place???
<
Or decides the leadership of one of the most powerful corporations, giving them access to immortality.
can become a legend.
brings his friend back to life.>
Umm.. thats not you.. you are forced tojust watch it happen with no say in it and not exactly rewarded for it anyway.
Becoming the bestest evah!!! in mere weeks - sorry - you may buy that but doesn't make much sense.
We will have to agree to disagree on johnny as friend.
<frees consciousness trapped for 60 years> Oh gosh I can't stop laughing. Okay, in mikoshi you have collection of voluntary and involuntary psyches stored. They get ABSORBED by Alt. They no longer exist. They merge into the huge powerful AI and are absorbed. No trace of them as unique minds/person exists after they are assimilated.
<
cripples the most powerful organizations in NC.
successfully goes to war with a mega corporation.
can have Adam smasher level cybernetics, but still looks sleek and sexy.>
Damages, sure. But especially reverting the old head to new head of Arasaka isnt exactly crippling.
and not exactly but also quite immersion breaking to have whole limbs replaced with ZERO hospital time for surgery and recovery. Makes no sense. Extremely immersion breaking should you stop and think of it. Whole limbs being replaced by MAGIC
<
Also, V's problems are a result of V's choices. Yes, they successfully make V feel like they didnt win, when they in fact they have dominated every situation, achieved every goal, and have repeatedly achieved the impossible. V gets the girl/boy, gets rich, destroys all their enemies, is loved by many, is treated special, shapes the lives of all around them.
If V lives, they are probably the most effective legend of NC ever.>
V's problems are a railroaded script with zero player agency. V dominates NO SITUATION. You dont save Evelyn. Don't even take her to a good doctor to see if anything can be done for a second opinion (Helllooooo Vic!!), Judy's attempt to take over clouds ends in awful deadly failure as the player has no say and no ability to do anything more to the gang than takes it back. Panam solves the getting Hellman, not V. Rogue tracks down Smashers allies - not V. We fail to have any good result in the politicians.
We save Sandra, we can help Del, and we assault a building. And shoot lots of people along the way.
Once again - relative nobody to bestest evah!!! in 2 weeks stretches credulity.
<V ends the game not knowing if they will survive the next 6 months, welcome to 90% of the people in NC.> Well, no one on earth can fully predict the future so make that 100%. Name me any great movie that isn't a Part one on purpose that presents a problem for protagonist to solve - and doesn't resolve any of the underlying goals. Yes, some fiction the "goal" starting out is not the goal/resolution you have and achieve by the end. RDR2 isnt about living/dying - its Arthur doing things for the group/gang that gets them to survive and move on and resolve the issues inside the gang. He succeeds - even with dying.
<
now, as mentioned above, V is already essentially living the legendary protagonist life, but solving this last issue would really be the death of V. Because that would be a character with no where to go, who has achieved everything and done it all. There would be no reason to continue that character's story. Especially within the limits of the genre
The only reason V's future is worth a story is because they haven't won. The ending leaves them as a highly capable legend, but the world is still a stronger opponent that they might not win against. If V cures relic completely at this point, what is impossible for them? what is a worthy opponent? If V successfully beats the world, which is the primary enemy in cyberpunk, what is a realistic threat? What is their purpose?
What if Skywalker beats Vader and saves the galaxy in a New Hope?>
You assaulted a bloody building. Luke blew up the death star at the end of Star Wars. Luke wins the comparison by a HUGE margin. And Star Wars was a complete story. No one complain and rants about the ending. I think even after Luke does something far more impressive than V that old George was able to write two more stories.
The "legend" is entirely post mikoshi duck tape slap together to make you, the player, feel somewhat good about the story ending unresolved. Amazingly the "legend" V just hours before going into mikoshi is still having issues fighting common street gangers and simple fixer quests that they give to solo mercs. (As Rogue says she reserves the best jobs for current runner groups... sorry to burst your bubble but even before assaulting mikoshi V isnt the best out there )
I HOPE expansions are about V - but there is a damn good chance the expansions are not about future V
Then again everyone going on about the ending and there is still hope have no knowledge about degenerative drain diseases. If you are going to die of say - cancer/degenerative drain condition - it isn't 5 months and 29 days all is fine then suddenly 6 month date you drop dead. You decay - you get less and less able. Sharp. Smart. Coordinated. Memory holes. Motor functionality Brain damage has serious serious ramifications
Beating the world is not the goal of cyber settings. It's survival. Staying who you are - in the face of the world and setting.
1) in edgerunner lore, taking on arasaka is not common place. There is a reason the job is the big leagues, And has the potential to pay enough for 5 people to retire for life. Also, Arasaka is literally one of the top 2 security corporations in the world. Robbing their flagship hotel of night city is considered an insane task. Believe it or not, the game makes it clear in world this isn't an easy task.
2) If V solves 6 month problem, he has access to all the data another group needs to solve the problem. Arasaka pulled a fast one on V in devil questline. V has the first successful relic ever, the first successful patient, all the specs and documentation of the product, and Alt's apparently superior soulkiller technology that hanako who invented their current soulkiller version wanted. If v succeeds, the knowledge of making a better version than saburo in devil ending exists, which won't need highly specific genetic matches for a chance if success. And V has possession of all the data needed. The chip alone was a huge loss
3)Nomads aren't gods when v leaves with them, but they are implied to be in a powerful position within the nomad world, with options they didnt have before. Which they obtained by robbing Arasaka of tons of technology/information. in Sun ending blue eyes makes it clear that the opportunity to rob arasaka V created was of huge effect. Also note Aldecados are a large organization, This is one "family" within the clan. Such a big win might put them in a leadership, or at least influential position. Its clear the difference of position nomads are in sun vs star endings, and what they are capable of(connections and a cure are the obvious ones). Also, panam makes it clear her version, and Young Saul's(her best memories of Saul as a kid) version of aldecados risk it all for their fam. They did it for mitch, for Saul, so V isn't an exception.
4) V is a legend, not a god. V can't control other people, but yes they did save Evelyn, she chose death. They did allow Judy to take over clouds, Judy failed to protect her people, V kills Adam Smasher, rogue and Johnny couldn't do it in 60 years. V repeatedly succeeds where others have failed, V may not be wise, yet, but they are extremely capable.
5) you miss the point about people dying in NC, its not like our society. the population according to the radio is down 25% this year. Some of those may have left, but if you have been paying attention to the city, A lot of those are deaths. All of Mama Welles kids died. Everywhere is a crime scene, most people can't afford health care (emails) and radio. Corpo V was supposed to be dead in intro, 3/10 corpos you meet in intro are dead by the end of the game. And V was a mercenary, not a regular guy. And he died like 3 times in 2-4weeks. V's not the only one, Rogue, soul survivor of their crew, Jackie tbug, dead. Merc corpses litter the game with shards telling the story of how everything went wrong.
6) In cyberpunk lore, assaulting Arasaka succesfully is blowing up the death star.
7)Alt may have changed, but in like 2045+ she is known for securing a city for engram consciousness who escaped arasaka. She also tells V what life will be like for them beyond the wall. She describes it as freedom for netrunners, and freedom but deadly for non netrunners. She also tells Johnny who makes the absorbtion claim that he has no idea what she means. All in all, its unlikely that what alt's plan is simply being the new prison. But since a lot of alt's history is only hinted at in game, I can see why people take it a certain way.
8) takamura tells V the projection is that V will be mostly fine, until about the last month, which will then probably have a painful and quick decline. But also the 5-6 months is a less certain timeframe. Essentially V has about a half a year give or take, with the end being a rapid decline. So V shouldn't expect to become unable to act for awhile.
9) V may feel like they are passive in the Arasaka struggle, but in fact their choices determine Wether saburo, yorinobu, and hanako lives or dies, and who is running the company. Which also decides world politics, as Arasaka is a huge political force, not just some company. Yorinobu is doing things significantly different on the world stage than saburo. Listen to the news in the various endings
When most real people get a terminal illness, that only those in the top .1% can afford a cure for, they die. They don't get to assualt the pharmaceutical company, steal their patents/change their leadership and run away with their breakthrough. They don't get to change the government, or the corporations controlling them. They don't get to spend their time with rock stars, or defeat entrenched gangs. To claim that V is a powerless entity with no control over their fate is simply in no way accurate.
But its great that the writers successfully make it believable that V feels that way(and the player), inspite all the crazy things they do and can achieve. Blue eyes correctly realizes V is a miracle that can alter the world, whereas V still thinks they are just a bit player doing a job, and trying to get by.
My biggest bothers with the game (there are many things I love about it, but there are aspects which I don't and find it beneficial to share) are 3 things:
Main one: lack of a more branched storyline. I was honestly hoping for this one to be granted, coming from the Witcher developers. I'm sure on their next entry to the series this aspect will be a lot more present, since they have the basics for the IP going.
Second: related to the first, if the story is to be so linear, I'd like there to have been the effort to create 3 separate Vs (street kid, Nomad, Corpo) and this personality would be fluid depending on dialogue choices.
For example we know from the lore that the Nomad education and worldview is the best since it thrives on a Family/community environment, the Corpo education is very specialized and biased to the specific company and what IT wants their employees to know and the street kids education comes from the screamsheets and all the mess of news that reaches the city. But no matter the lifepath V is always a naive person. I'd like this to translate better into the dialogs, where we have the option to KNOW who Holt is for example, and many more examples...
The lifepath should also affect the map in my opinion. For street kid Heywood would have "easy" enemies while city center and the badlands would be the worst; for Nomad badlands would be easy and city center the hardest; the Corpo would struggle with the poorer regions and badlands and dominate the richest zones. Pacifica is still Pacifica and in this version should always be hard
Third: player agency. I think CDPR tried to take too much control over players actions. There are cinematic sections where it makes a lot of sense but there are sections where it doesn't. To not be able to not answer a call, the restricted actions during one, even the open world gameplay features and minigames players constantly ask for feel they were barred for not going accordingly with CDPRs idea of rythm to play the game. Like the shooting range that we can use only in the side mission. Along with the map areas of enemy difficulty this makes it difficult to change approaches when replaying. We can change the order of somethings but mostly Vs abilities.
Same with failing side missions. We should be able to do that.
Even with a linear story we should be able to play a loyal knowledgable techie Nomad that goes into Night city, because he knows how to learn he learns about the city during those 6 months and FOR SURE knows who Holt is, plays the map in a certain order, is firm in his/her dialogues, contrary to a Corpo that is naive in world views but incredibly Inteligent netrunner, owns city center before venturing into Heywood or Santo Domingo, sleeps with (different) joytoys every night,...
The lifepath should also affect the map in my opinion. For street kid Heywood would have "easy" enemies while city center and the badlands would be the worst; for Nomad badlands would be easy and city center the hardest; the Corpo would struggle with the poorer regions and badlands and dominate the richest zones. Pacifica is still Pacifica and in this version should always be hard
My biggest bother is just the sheer lack of things to do outside of questing. I mean GTA Vice City pioneered this. You've got to give us other things to do. Don't place a million arcade machines about the place and not let us play them, don't put shooting gallery's in the game and only allow us to access them for a single quest, and don't give us all of these great looking cars without the ability to even mod them.
Incredible game, but I just wish there were more distractions.
1) in edgerunner lore, taking on arasaka is not common place. There is a reason the job is the big leagues, And has the potential to pay enough for 5 people to retire for life. Also, Arasaka is literally one of the top 2 security corporations in the world. Robbing their flagship hotel of night city is considered an insane task. Believe it or not, the game makes it clear in world this isn't an easy task.
2) If V solves 6 month problem, he has access to all the data another group needs to solve the problem. Arasaka pulled a fast one on V in devil questline. V has the first successful relic ever, the first successful patient, all the specs and documentation of the product, and Alt's apparently superior soulkiller technology that hanako who invented their current soulkiller version wanted. If v succeeds, the knowledge of making a better version than saburo in devil ending exists, which won't need highly specific genetic matches for a chance if success. And V has possession of all the data needed. The chip alone was a huge loss
3)Nomads aren't gods when v leaves with them, but they are implied to be in a powerful position within the nomad world, with options they didnt have before. Which they obtained by robbing Arasaka of tons of technology/information. in Sun ending blue eyes makes it clear that the opportunity to rob arasaka V created was of huge effect. Also note Aldecados are a large organization, This is one "family" within the clan. Such a big win might put them in a leadership, or at least influential position. Its clear the difference of position nomads are in sun vs star endings, and what they are capable of(connections and a cure are the obvious ones). Also, panam makes it clear her version, and Young Saul's(her best memories of Saul as a kid) version of aldecados risk it all for their fam. They did it for mitch, for Saul, so V isn't an exception.
4) V is a legend, not a god. V can't control other people, but yes they did save Evelyn, she chose death. They did allow Judy to take over clouds, Judy failed to protect her people, V kills Adam Smasher, rogue and Johnny couldn't do it in 60 years. V repeatedly succeeds where others have failed, V may not be wise, yet, but they are extremely capable.
5) you miss the point about people dying in NC, its not like our society. the population according to the radio is down 25% this year. Some of those may have left, but if you have been paying attention to the city, A lot of those are deaths. All of Mama Welles kids died. Everywhere is a crime scene, most people can't afford health care (emails) and radio. Corpo V was supposed to be dead in intro, 3/10 corpos you meet in intro are dead by the end of the game. And V was a mercenary, not a regular guy. And he died like 3 times in 2-4weeks. V's not the only one, Rogue, soul survivor of their crew, Jackie tbug, dead. Merc corpses litter the game with shards telling the story of how everything went wrong.
6) In cyberpunk lore, assaulting Arasaka succesfully is blowing up the death star.
7)Alt may have changed, but in like 2045+ she is known for securing a city for engram consciousness who escaped arasaka. She also tells V what life will be like for them beyond the wall. She describes it as freedom for netrunners, and freedom but deadly for non netrunners. She also tells Johnny who makes the absorbtion claim that he has no idea what she means. All in all, its unlikely that what alt's plan is simply being the new prison. But since a lot of alt's history is only hinted at in game, I can see why people take it a certain way.
8) takamura tells V the projection is that V will be mostly fine, until about the last month, which will then probably have a painful and quick decline. But also the 5-6 months is a less certain timeframe. Essentially V has about a half a year give or take, with the end being a rapid decline. So V shouldn't expect to become unable to act for awhile.
9) V may feel like they are passive in the Arasaka struggle, but in fact their choices determine Wether saburo, yorinobu, and hanako lives or dies, and who is running the company. Which also decides world politics, as Arasaka is a huge political force, not just some company. Yorinobu is doing things significantly different on the world stage than saburo. Listen to the news in the various endings
When most real people get a terminal illness, that only those in the top .1% can afford a cure for, they die. They don't get to assualt the pharmaceutical company, steal their patents/change their leadership and run away with their breakthrough. They don't get to change the government, or the corporations controlling them. They don't get to spend their time with rock stars, or defeat entrenched gangs. To claim that V is a powerless entity with no control over their fate is simply in no way accurate.
But its great that the writers successfully make it believable that V feels that way(and the player), inspite all the crazy things they do and can achieve. Blue eyes correctly realizes V is a miracle that can alter the world, whereas V still thinks they are just a bit player doing a job, and trying to get by.
Ahhh.. he power of head Canon.
shall we dive in? Yes we shall.
1.) You argument went from <(Why V is a legend) He successfully steals cutting edge immortality tech from a world power> to the above - particularly <Robbing their flagship hotel of night city is considered an insane task. Believe it or not, the game makes it clear in world this isn't an easy task.>. You break into a hotel room and steal a briefcase. Yes, it is the big leagues. Agreed. But there are many others who run out of Rogue's club who are in the big leagues. It isn't insane!! A two bit fixer coming out of a semi retirement gets two newbies and a good runner to do it. It isn't easy - but there is a Vast gulf between insane and easy.
2.) your argument went from V has unlocked immortality Tech to now <If V solves 6 month problem, he has access to all the data another group needs to solve the problem.... all the specs and documentation of the product, and Alt's apparently superior soulkiller technology that hanako who invented their current soulkiller version wanted. If v succeeds, the knowledge of making a better version than saburo in devil ending exists, >
Playing whack a mole with your changing arguments is certainly an exercise. You mean all the data V has IN THE ORIGINAL GAME? Yet never ever ever ever approached a rival corp, medical tech company, etc etc with such knowledge? Yet now is massively a legend because you have said specs? An no - sorry - V getting soulkilled and back in dying body does not hand over to someone else the source code of Alt's soulkiller - you just have the results therein. Not how the removal and placement process works. A V's is superior to Saboro's???? Head Canon anyone? I think not as saboro doesn't have a 6 month death sentence.
3. This one is quite fun to watch!! Your argument went from <finds a true ride or die family, willing to die, or kill form him, and gets them resources to be a dominant force in the world> to now < Nomads aren't gods when v leaves with them, but they are implied to be in a powerful position within the nomad world, with options they didnt have before. Which they obtained by robbing Arasaka of tons of technology/information. in Sun ending blue eyes makes it clear that the opportunity to rob arasaka V created was of huge effect. Also note Aldecados are a large organization, This is one "family" within the clan. >
Please stop your fan fiction. A group of 50 nomads, even IF, we will agree to disagree of amout of tech/$$$ they got from mission, and 10 vehicles aren't a world power. They aren't powerful from a geopolitical state. They might be a once again decently strong smuggler group. Yes the aldecados came to NC - hence Panams issues - a few were still behind in NV - but this isnt one group amongst many (your one family amongst many)- hence the others would have been consulted on the dual leadership, etc. They are a tiny group of smugglers with some money. Useful as smugglers go and to people who want to sneak in stuff. But near zero geopolitical influence.
You having to keep changing your argument to defend the games writing is amusing but taxing tbh.
4. < V is a legend, not a god. V can't control other people, but yes they did save Evelyn, she chose death. They did allow Judy to take over clouds, Judy failed to protect her people, V kills Adam Smasher, rogue and Johnny couldn't do it in 60 years. V repeatedly succeeds where others have failed, V may not be wise, yet, but they are extremely capable.>
V doesn't save evelyn- sorry to burst your bubble. V pulls evelyn comatose corpse out of the reaping and torture facility she was in. Judy failed to protect her people?? Shes not a fighters - but she has this bestie/lover to be V - who - news flash - IS!!! Yet zero ability to do anthign to help - even if you want to. Zero player agency equals absolute failure for what you tried to accomplish to work. Yes - V is capable. But your origianal argument was the are a legend - and tyhose of us who value immersion and logic sit back and thick "what???" to someone beatign up gangers for a week going from nobody to the bestest evah in a week or so. you said <If V lives, they are probably the most effective legend of NC ever.> now its extremely capable. Do you see the issue having a discussion of the game with you? Your narrative, head canon, and arguments change as you so desperately want to defend the game - and EVERY aspect of it including teleporting police. The most effective legend of night city....
6) and the last one as I will only spend so much time fighting changing arguments... <In cyberpunk lore, assaulting Arasaka succesfully is blowing up the death star. which is a modification of: <
The only reason V's future is worth a story is because they haven't won. The ending leaves them as a highly capable legend, but the world is still a stronger opponent that they might not win against. If V cures relic completely at this point, what is impossible for them? what is a worthy opponent? If V successfully beats the world, which is the primary enemy in cyberpunk, what is a realistic threat? What is their purpose?
What if Skywalker beats Vader and saves the galaxy in a New Hope?>
So their story is ONLY good because it ends in a unresolved cliffhanger. The V's story CAN ONLY continue if death sentence is not resolved by the end. Further, that assailing ONE building... not taking out all of arasaka , the largest corporation in the world.. which HQs ALL over the world - assaulting ONE building is akin to blowing up the death star.
Applause. I'll leave it undebated as the words of your argument alone make me smile. ((Hint - vader did lose in Star Waras.. station stil blew up.. story resolved.. most people loved it.. and pro tip.. there are two sequels after it))
I don't have the heart to go into what it means to be MERGED into an AI. And the difference between what Alt would allow V/Johnny to do versus merging with it.
Ahhh.. he power of head Canon.
shall we dive in? Yes we shall.
1.) You argument went from <(Why V is a legend) He successfully steals cutting edge immortality tech from a world power> to the above - particularly <Robbing their flagship hotel of night city is considered an insane task. Believe it or not, the game makes it clear in world this isn't an easy task.>. You break into a hotel room and steal a briefcase. Yes, it is the big leagues. Agreed. But there are many others who run out of Rogue's club who are in the big leagues. It isn't insane!! A two bit fixer coming out of a semi retirement gets two newbies and a good runner to do it. It isn't easy - but there is a Vast gulf between insane and easy.
2.) your argument went from V has unlocked immortality Tech to now <If V solves 6 month problem, he has access to all the data another group needs to solve the problem.... all the specs and documentation of the product, and Alt's apparently superior soulkiller technology that hanako who invented their current soulkiller version wanted. If v succeeds, the knowledge of making a better version than saburo in devil ending exists, >
Playing whack a mole with your changing arguments is certainly an exercise. You mean all the data V has IN THE ORIGINAL GAME? Yet never ever ever ever approached a rival corp, medical tech company, etc etc with such knowledge? Yet now is massively a legend because you have said specs? An no - sorry - V getting soulkilled and back in dying body does not hand over to someone else the source code of Alt's soulkiller - you just have the results therein. Not how the removal and placement process works. A V's is superior to Saboro's???? Head Canon anyone? I think not as saboro doesn't have a 6 month death sentence.
3. This one is quite fun to watch!! Your argument went from <finds a true ride or die family, willing to die, or kill form him, and gets them resources to be a dominant force in the world> to now < Nomads aren't gods when v leaves with them, but they are implied to be in a powerful position within the nomad world, with options they didnt have before. Which they obtained by robbing Arasaka of tons of technology/information. in Sun ending blue eyes makes it clear that the opportunity to rob arasaka V created was of huge effect. Also note Aldecados are a large organization, This is one "family" within the clan. >
Please stop your fan fiction. A group of 50 nomads, even IF, we will agree to disagree of amout of tech/$$$ they got from mission, and 10 vehicles aren't a world power. They aren't powerful from a geopolitical state. They might be a once again decently strong smuggler group. Yes the aldecados came to NC - hence Panams issues - a few were still behind in NV - but this isnt one group amongst many (your one family amongst many)- hence the others would have been consulted on the dual leadership, etc. They are a tiny group of smugglers with some money. Useful as smugglers go and to people who want to sneak in stuff. But near zero geopolitical influence.
You having to keep changing your argument to defend the games writing is amusing but taxing tbh.
4. < V is a legend, not a god. V can't control other people, but yes they did save Evelyn, she chose death. They did allow Judy to take over clouds, Judy failed to protect her people, V kills Adam Smasher, rogue and Johnny couldn't do it in 60 years. V repeatedly succeeds where others have failed, V may not be wise, yet, but they are extremely capable.>
V doesn't save evelyn- sorry to burst your bubble. V pulls evelyn comatose corpse out of the reaping and torture facility she was in. Judy failed to protect her people?? Shes not a fighters - but she has this bestie/lover to be V - who - news flash - IS!!! Yet zero ability to do anthign to help - even if you want to. Zero player agency equals absolute failure for what you tried to accomplish to work. Yes - V is capable. But your origianal argument was the are a legend - and tyhose of us who value immersion and logic sit back and thick "what???" to someone beatign up gangers for a week going from nobody to the bestest evah in a week or so. you said <If V lives, they are probably the most effective legend of NC ever.> now its extremely capable. Do you see the issue having a discussion of the game with you? Your narrative, head canon, and arguments change as you so desperately want to defend the game - and EVERY aspect of it including teleporting police. The most effective legend of night city....
6) and the last one as I will only spend so much time fighting changing arguments... <In cyberpunk lore, assaulting Arasaka succesfully is blowing up the death star. which is a modification of: <
The only reason V's future is worth a story is because they haven't won. The ending leaves them as a highly capable legend, but the world is still a stronger opponent that they might not win against. If V cures relic completely at this point, what is impossible for them? what is a worthy opponent? If V successfully beats the world, which is the primary enemy in cyberpunk, what is a realistic threat? What is their purpose?
What if Skywalker beats Vader and saves the galaxy in a New Hope?>
So their story is ONLY good because it ends in a unresolved cliffhanger. The V's story CAN ONLY continue if death sentence is not resolved by the end. Further, that assailing ONE building... not taking out all of arasaka , the largest corporation in the world.. which HQs ALL over the world - assaulting ONE building is akin to blowing up the death star.
Applause. I'll leave it undebated as the words of your argument alone make me smile. ((Hint - vader did lose in Star Waras.. station stil blew up.. story resolved.. most people loved it.. and pro tip.. there are two sequels after it))
I don't have the heart to go into what it means to be MERGED into an AI. And the difference between what Alt would allow V/Johnny to do versus merging with it.
I would like to adress this point with a combination of what the game tells us and what someone may know from the CP lore.
First and foremost, IF the Cyberpunk lore behind this game states that destroying Arasaka tower AND Mikoshi (lets not forget that) is akin to having blown up the Death star in SW as far as influence and decline is concerned. then Arasaka Tower dead = death star dead is both equal. I'm not the hardcore lore scholar on this so I cannot state that it is, maybe someone else can.
But what we shouldn't do in my opinion is believe both examples are not of equal proportion in each their own universes for the simple reason the death star was the size of the moon whereas Arasaka Tower is just a building.
If you say blowing up the Death was huge, I could also debunk that by saying they had a second one and besides that they still maintained a huge fleet around the entire system with Star Destroyers and fck knows what, so the Galactic Empire would also still be the dominant force around.
So again, comparing the feat of blowing up a building to a moon is not a fair comparison if you dont take into account what that means to each universe.
Then what does the game tell us (I am rusty here)
First, if you choose NOT to accept Hanako's offer: the game tells us that the destruction of Arasaka Tower and Mikoshi left a huge power vacuum, one which eager companies will want to jump in, Militech for instance. Not sure if others names where called. Arasaka faces a military coup staged by Yorinobu. The combined result was a high loss of political power, huge loss of assets and an unclear future. I believe aso something was said about shares but I don't know the specifics. So in conclusion: Arasaka is in BAD shape and corps like Militech, Biotechnica and maybe even Night Corp may become dominant over Arasaka. So again: Arasaka is in no place to call many demands after the destruction of Mikoshi.
Accepting Hanako's offer or doing the suicide are basically a 'thowing in the towel' move.
Also, We still have little information on exactly it is the Alt did, and if that may have grave repercussions down the line.
To throw in my 50 cents in regards to the original point made
To me the game always felt like they cut the first half. After all the digging I did, apparently thats true.
Apparently the original goal was to have a lifepaths system, that would lead to one of several heists, that have in turn several outcomes.
Not just having one for Street kid, Nomad, and Corpo, but also offering different results depending on playstyle, as in Lethal, non-lethal, or stealth, and Solo, Netrunner, and Techie.
Thing is, this alone would mean 27 endings. So maybe lets just say the 3 origins and 3 general playstyles, which is 9 endings, with maybe a bit of wiggle room in between.
So the scope was too big, it was cut, and instead of rewriting a completely new story, the Streetkid Solo ending was used as the story for every char.
So you have Jackie, and Johnny Silverhand, both Solos, both Street Kids, both wanting to become big Legends.
Of course I don't know if this is actually true, only CDPR insiders could know.
But lets assume it was.
This explains a lot. Basically the original scope of the game was to give you one half to basically explore the world, meet characters, and build an identity within night city, which then works towards the big leagues and the heist.
This explains why Jackie in the final version feels so badly written, cause he was meant to be a way larger impact on way more story, that just wasn't there. Not to mention, there were supposed to be a few more characters you could chose to enjoy the world with other than jackie.
But okay what does that mean for the Heist, and for the beginning as a whole? Well, simply put, the entire part of the game that was supposed to get the player into the headspace for the heist has been removed. The entire part of learning how the city works, who is who, and what things mean.
Imagine the beginning with Lifepaths, you start at the intro, and are introduced to how you leave your old life. But you meet someone else (I mean is it just me, or do the Corpo and the Nomad Intro feel like Jackies part wasn't written for Jackie?) who is in the same boat as you, someone who you can rely on while getting your footing in night city.
You start to do simple jobs, get to meet Fixers, and things in the world, like Delamain, you hear about Samurai, you hear about the afterlife, but arent allowed in yet. And especially you hear about Arasaka.
Bit by bit you build up a reputation over maybe 10 main missions and as many side missions as you want, maybe 20-30 hours of playtime.
Then you get to the heist, a big mission, something entirely new and different. By then you know who Arasaka is, you may have heard about them in clubs you did jobs in, you may have heard about ppl that tried to break into just some affiliate to Arasaka and how that went.
And then the game poses the choice.
"What is it Miss/Sir V, quite life or blaze and glory?"
And the game would actually let you chose, stop persuing the main quest, and continue doing side biz. But actually letting you continue to play.
Or you continue on the path to glory.
Then the end makes sense, the parallels between Johnny and V, the entire ironic mirror you are given for the decision to do the heist.
But that isnt what the game is like.
Instead, you start the intro. You meet Jackie... thats it, the game cuts, shows you a montage, and throws you out into a scripted mission.
You do that mission, and the very next thing is, go to Vic, and then go and prepare the heist.
If you dont know the lore... you dont know whats going on, you dont understand what gravity that situation has.
And worst of all, you have no choice.
If you dont do the heist, you have no game to play. You can never see most of Night City.
And that imo is why the Heist feels so forced and needless... you dont have a choice. Cause if you dont do it, you dont have a game to play. The entire story and side content builds on the fact that the heist has happened. You can't finish a single storyline without doing the heist. All you can do is some simple side biz, with almost no characters and narrative to them.
So instead of working yourself up and ending up at a place where you feel you earned yourself the place to do such a big heist... you are just forced to do it.
And that just is a very bad substitution for building an emotional connection to the world and its characters.
TW3 didn't start with you finding Ciri, and for good reason. It started with a backflash to see who Yennefer and Ciri are, who Vesimir is, and who Geralt is. It starts with an introduction into the world. You first search for Yennefer, who tells you that she is searching for Ciri, after which you search for Ciri. And only after many many hours of that, do you actually get into the nitty gritty of the main quest.
And the entire story up until you find Ciri is about getting to know the world, getting to know your enemies and getting to know who Geralt is. And deciding who you want your Geralt to be.
None of that is in Cyberpunk.
So to summarize, should the heist go well? No... not really, it works well in the story.
But the story isnt given any time to develop, the player isnt given any time to understand what is going on, to create bonds with the characters.
Instead the entire setup and the heist that is called "Act 1" essentially is just a glorified intro.
So replaying the story and understanding who V is, who Jackie is, and how NC works, I can appreciate the story, even if the start still feels forced.
But starting out, my first playthrough I felt like the game just didnt want me to play it.
It first told me to do the heist to be allowed access to the game world, just to then slap me in the face for doing what I was told.
And after I spent 50+ hours to finally solve the problem I was told I had to solve cause the game forced me into that problem...
I am told, that it was all worthless. That there is no solution.
And at that point I was about ready to never pick the game back up, and I only did cause of modding and cause the character creation is the best in any game I know.
Lets not bring stupid fan theories into this and treat them as fact. There is 0 dev info abt any of this just angry fans coming up with their own stories. You can be disappointed with the game without coming up with some silly cut content theories from 4 chan.
It feels like the whole hype of this game started living its own life. I hear some random stuff all the time from ppl that try to make sense of why they dont like the game.
Lets not bring stupid fan theories into this and treat them as fact. There is 0 dev info abt any of this just angry fans coming up with their own stories. You can be disappointed with the game without coming up with some silly cut content theories from 4 chan.
It feels like the whole hype of this game started living its own life. I hear some random stuff all the time from ppl that try to make sense of why they dont like the game.
And then there comming people of the great fanboy guilt of yes sayers who find an excuse for almost everything that find a reason for even paying the full 60 bucks for an 100 percent bug-only-collection.
No seriously, thats the internet where people type and share what they think to read other peoples thougths. If you are unintressted in read what other people think then dont read it, thats your godgiven right. But please if you dont care for it then dont unload your opinion about it either.
I'm not a fan of the story. I find myself constantly skipping through the dialog. Maybe its just too much dialog but I find all "go see takemura, talk to takemura, lean on the rail, get in the car, talk some more..." very monotonous.
So instead of working yourself up and ending up at a place where you feel you earned yourself the place to do such a big heist... you are just forced to do it.
That's a pretty good way to describe my disappointment.
You do the prologue for your LP selection. This justifies why V moves into NC. You meet Jackie in different ways. This provides further justification. You then get the montage, V and Jackie doing missions/living the dream, then move to rescuing Sandra Dorsett. Two mercs on a job. So far we're all good. You're kind of along for the ride but get some flavor choices and it's a neat little intro. From here it all goes downhill.
That theme of going out in a blaze of glory is shoved in your gullet as soon as you hit the Afterlife. You can choose how to respond but the responses don't offer much for the player to drive them in any particular direction. Perform some high risk job and get blasted in the process so people remember you? Know what makes more sense? Doing it right the first time like a professional and succeeding. Yeah sure, people are going to remember those two mercs who bit off more than they could chew and ended up in a ditch. Nope. It's like the game tries to make V come off as some naive street thug.
The Pickup was a win. Specfically the Spider Bot part. Hey, you can like.... make a choice and get a consequence. Alas, it's also short lived because upon completion it gets dropped. Events change for characters involved but it's arguably irrelevant in the grand scheme.
Moving onto the conversation with Dex to offer incentive for the Heist in the first place. Dex hand-picked V and Jackie for a reason. A true professional would have told him to fuck off. There were too many red flags. It was clearly leaning toward a setup. A smart merc would have seen through his charade. If memory serves there was even dialogue in-game hinting at the notion certain fixers will offer the world to unknown mercs at times. If it works out, great. If not, oh well. More dead mercs nobody cares about.
Even the hiding of the true nature of the target. So, you want me to steal something from freaking Arasaka and insist on being hush hush about what it is? Okay, find someone else there ace. If we're headed for early retirement and potentially getting on the bad side of a ruthless megacorp all the details are going to be out in the open. Otherwise it's not happening.
So shit hits the fan and you get detected due to unforseen circumstances (no plan survives contact with the enemy... contingencies, contingencies, contingencies....). Neat, the job is blown and Jackie gets shot. Yes, let's put this chip we know nothing about in our head to save it. Let's reiterate, the job is blown. TBug gets lit up and Arasaka knows someone is stealing their cool toy. That thing just became radioactive. At that point you're not selling it and walking away with the money. The correct play is to leave it, get the hell out and go into hiding until it blows over.
Jackie kicks the bucket here. Oh hello there forced emotional sabotage for the sake of emotional sabotage. What does V do? Surrrree, let's take the chip we know nothing about out of Jackie and slot it in our head. Continue as planned. Meet up with Dex at some shitbox motel in nowhereland to regroup. Yes, the letters aren't on the wall there. Hey, here is an idea. Let's go visit Dex and put his ass in the dirt for handing us a clusterfuck. Sorry, we got stories to tell.
Surprise, Dex intends to cut out the loose ends. Shocker. Didn't see that one coming. Please go clean up in the bathroom while we prepare to knock ya out, take you to a random levitating garbage dump and put a bullet in your head. Yessir Dex, I'll walk right into that just for you.
Insert a convenient mechanism to thrust Johnny into the game. That old rockerboy everyone forgot about because he's been out of the picture for ages. Yep, people clearly remember those going out in a blaze of glory. Cool, now we have a convenient way to insert more heroes and villains of the CP universe into the picture. All of Johnny's old pals, his nemesis, etc. We gotta reestablish his relevance if he's going to be in the player head all game.
Oh boy, V is dying. Rub some dirt in it V. We got a name to make for ourselves. Let's chase down some leads. Open door number one. Whoops, try another door. Door number two? Nope, try again. Door number three, let's meet up with Hanako of Arasaka. You know, the megacorp we just stole from. That's smart. Oh, but wait. You must be blessed with her presence first. Hop through some hoops with our boy Takemura to even gain an audience.
You finally get blessed with the presence of Lady Hanako. No worries, just help me solve this power struggle in our big ole megacorp. All will be forgiven. We'll fix your problem, trust us. Alternatively, blow your brains out. Alternatively, do side-quests so you can get some simple unlock for more better options. Oh and we couldn't bother to let you make any choices out of that. Nope, we're just going to lump everything together. Which team you gonna pick on the roof? Enjoy your ending.
The first issue is so much of this is forced on the player. I get it, it's a game. Even so, there had to be a better approach, possibly even a better narrative choice, where V would have more opportunities to drive things forward in a certain direction. A different end/romance conclusion/epilogue from one choice, a whole bunch of flavor and simple content unlocks didn't quite do it.
The second issue is the theme of getting screwed over. It's NC. If you were looking for a happy ending you haven't been paying attention. Again, I get it. V made bad choices. Thus, V gets screwed. Well, at worst they're totally screwed. At best they're stuck in perpetual death is fast approaching limbo. Unless you shoot yourself in the face or decide an indefinite stay in cyberland is the right path forward anyway. Where it went wrong is V was forced to make bad choices. It's all fine and good to get burned for touching the scorching hot stove burner. It's another matter when your character is shoehorned into touching it in the first place.
