In a year or so when 'much ado about nothing' has happened in so many aspects of our lives and where in creative industries there's been no plays, theatre, concerts, recitals or events, and major movies have either stalled or been multiple postponed, the gaming media and You Tuber reviewers and their audiences have been relatively starved of new content to experience. There's been precious little to review and distract our lives with. Good books are still being written but there are no more bookshops, music is being released digitally but there are no more live bands to see.. it's a cultural limbo...
Add to that the media hype over this one game and our supercharged consumer expectations, and throw in an unhealthy dose of 'Covid excuse making' and, lo and behold we got ourselves a (disaster) convoy..!
In an ironic way CB2077 has become a icon of the times, a symbol of our yearning to be free to roam the mean streets of a brand new refreshingly adventurous exciting virtual future and see the world and engage with exciting new digital people, and then kill them.. !! ( like an old Army recruiting poster)..
And then....the Law of Disappointment kicks in and our hyper inflated expectations, loaded with pandemic-fuelled desire for new (even virtual) freedom goes down the digital toilet in a resounding flush of despair. It's true indeed that the old saying that no matter how you dress it up, you cannot polish a turd...
There is Good, and Bad in CB 2077 and in its RL corpo greed story there is the Ugly. Those of us gifted with or open minded enough to have tolerance have accepted our lot and will enjoy as much as we can from a flawed delivery. Some will give up and run, never to return, as others whinge for a living and become an incessant soundtrack of misery. Eventually it will end up as 'que sera..'
That future is yet to be seen in what will be (one way or another) a legendary/notorious game release which will define the standard of consumer expectation and pressure on those brave companies who are still trying to produce games in this uncertain age. Commercially it's ironic that disgruntled players have to read of a huge monetary success for this product given the level of sheer animosity and vitriol that erupted in media and user feedback after the launch.
We all of us have different personal slants on 'what we like and hate' as that of course is the dilemma that faces any company trying to release a much hyped title to literally millions of single-minded consumers... ( 'you can't please all of the people all of the time'... etc). I personally have some resentment towards what I see as the 'Keanu Fetish' and the corporate w*nk fest that resulted from his zealous involvement in their pursuit of the almighty $. Some blame other factors. I guess I shall be endlessly curious about what 'might have been' with the original Pondsmith vision and storyline had they not gone the celebrity route.
In all, my view is that I bought what is for me, on a high end PC, an entertaining and 'on the way there' product towards the Cyberpunk universe I've dreamed of playing in since Gibson, Sterling, Blade Runner and many other influences.
It's not the entire Cyberpunk future cake, not even near it, someone left a few layers out, the icing was rushed and wasn't properly set, the jam was weak and watery, and there was no cherry on the top, let alone the sparklers and whipped cream I wanted, but I'm still eating it. While enjoying the taste, I mourn for the delight it might have been. It's not that bad that I want to trip down to McArthur Park and leave it in the rain to melt, but I wouldn't be ordering another one or recommending it to my friends...