I've been a diehard fan of Cyberpunk 2077 from the get-go. The only aspect I have trouble with is the forced audio from world radios and other sources. If you get money from these artists or companies, I get it. But give us the option of not having to listen to it. I generally don't use mods; it was just a personal choice. But I was forced to post 2.0 so I didn't have to hear the same blaring music everywhere I went. Giant speakers or a dozen radios in one area. Some suggestions have been to shoot the radios. I think that we shouldn't have to resort to those options. Give us a sound option that turns that off.
This will sound like a feature change, but it's a review of the game and the only aspect I'm not happy with.
Given that I did this update at level 40, I must tell you that already after a day of playing, I fixed a build (20 strength, 20 technique and soon 20 intelligence) with adrenaline and overclock and a cyberware with 233 capacity and 728 of armor. Well I tell you that although the game is more difficult and fun, I broke it again. I can easily massacre hordes of enemies and even bosses, but honestly now I find it much more fun, before it was a bit boring. In my opinion the game still needs to be improved in terms of movement mechanics and realism of vehicle damage. And then the new weapons are really broken, I massacre enemies through walls and they literally can't do anything to me. Stealth is still possible with integumentary optical camouflage and with overclocking you can massacre enemies by restarting them or using the combo amnesia + optics restart + sonic shock (in combo).
However, there are some bugs that I need to report:
-optical camouflage often fails and they even see you through walls (amnesia doesn't even work well);
-if you remove the bodies they still identify them where they were;
- sometimes you spend 28 of RAM to collapse the system and the collapse doesn't happen;
it's fine to nerf stealth but bugging it like this is not correct or fun.
another thing that they have completely destroyed is crafting, because it is no longer possible to recover mods from disassembled weapons and it is not even possible to replace them. Furthermore, since we cannot buy the components, they have become very rare. Finally, the boost gives very few percentage buffs, so much so that it becomes useless.
I think CDPR went a little to far in some of their changes in some areas with the 2.0 update, and WAAY to far in some others. And if I had to summarize: they REALLY don't want you to feel powerful anymore.
The in-game economy in the game is, staggeringly, even more pointless and useless than it was before.
It is just...so incredibly poorly designed if you want to use the money you're using to ever buy anything useful because you remain simply not allowed to buy fun toys until you've upped your Street Cred/Level or whatever.
They somehow made this aspect worse by not even showing you what you don't qualify to purchase yet or let you know what you need to get to street cred or level wise for you to get it.
And then they made it even worse than that still by not even being able to buy basic components to use to do crafting or upgrading. It is just kind of flat impossible to ever either buy or earn anything more than at most moderately useful for your current level.
What is the point of still having the ability to get endless quickhack components to craft quickhack upgrades, if you can't upgrade your cyberdeck to the rarity tier that will let you use any of the upgraded ones? I'm sitting here with about 10 blue tier quickhacks that I still can't use because I have to wait until the game decides it is finally okay for me to have a blue tier cyberdeck to slot them into because I can find and buy the crafting components for them no problem, but I'm still waiting for the game to start dropping blue tier components to use in any significant number or for the Rippers to finally have them in stock.
They've added level scaling into the game. Which is always one of my least favorite things.
These two things combined really make it feel like you're jogging through chest deep water trying to progress. Gaining a new level feels pretty damn immaterial.
And don't get me started on how utterly useless hacking (in a cyberpunk game!) now is.
I do get that it desperately needed a nerf, but it is mostly flat awful now and has next to no synergy with a stealth build anymore because most hacks that you might use on an enemy are "traceable" now.
Which, sadly, means that if you use hacking to take out an enemy, then about ten seconds later you've been traced and the other 10 enemies in the room now know exactly where you are. This applies to waaaay to many hacks. Even something like Reboot Optics just doesn't work anymore with stealth builds because it is traceable.
So if you want to be a stealthy hacker, then have fun painstakingly using "Distract Enemies" and "Bait" to move them about so you can sneak up behind them and take them out by hand....over and over and over and over again....
CD project red if you are reading this i would like to say how impressed i am with gameplay and the campaign of the game within development over the year though i frown at the site of the 2.0 update the game is not the same game i once remembered playing i feel the overhaul was good in some aspects for cars Cyberware and mods but i can't help but feel more distant from the game now i feel that im playing a game i may never beat always one step forward but 10 steps backwards all do to this progression with Cyberware weapons crafting ect i enjoyed the old skill tree the new skill tree doesn't explain well of things and seems clunky and smashed together all in one making the game more complex for no reason the game was not broken there was no need to fix it though phantom liberty is beautiful in its own right i feel if the game was the old update it would feel better i would feel like im the legend of night city not the dummy with 4 pieces of Cyberware don't know how to use them right and half the perks i want to use it right can't get till im max level just seems more like a grind for anything rather than a open world explore night city thank you for your time reading this
I've said it once and I'll say it again. I lost all interest in video games somewhere around 2015.
I'm my opinion, gaming had fallen into a cash grab cycle of releasing the same game, over and over again...no new concepts or ideas, just watered down mechanics (quick match multi-player, fetch quests and seasons) with slightly better graphics. The cheapest gameplay gimmicks became the norm. For a 40+ year old gamer, I had a bad case of "been there, done that".
Enter Cyberpunk 2077. A stylistic FPS with new mechanics and a great story in an open world! Not only did this game rekindle my curiosity in gaming, it motivated me to buy an Xbox Series X just to play it. Unfortunately, I never beat it. But that was intentional. I wanted to wait for the expansion, to experience the game it in its full glory.
So I loaded up my save last night, picking up where I left off and I have to say, the wait was worth it. This game kicks some serious arse.
So thank you everyone involved in creating this work of art. You've put a lot of care and attention to detail in this game and it shows!
I defended this game when it came out and everyone was bashing on it. Now, with 2.0, I'm going to join the bash.
1 - Using stamina to shoot weapons is idiotic.
2 - Removing the possibility to play a full stealth build netrunner is idiotic. Netrunners aren't supposed to be seen.
3 - The changes to the perk tree are horrible. What's more, past a certain level, some parts of the trees are blocked behind Phantom Liberty DLC, aka, pay up or don't get the full trees. Shameful cashgrab.
4 - Level Scaling belongs in the trash. The hobo dying in the corner that I left at level 3, is still dying in the corner but is now level 50 and as strong as V? Who's in charge of Level/Combat design/balancing? A dead mind flayer with a thirst for revenge after we defeated the elderbrain?
I refunded Phantom Liberty and reverted to 1.63, while also keeping the installer in case you guys want to be funny and remove it from the GOG downloads. This game, to me, is dead past 1.63.
With all the endings, surely one could have been where V gets cured and rides off with his/her love interest? The new ending is so depressing its ruined the whole Cyberpunk experience for me. I don't want to go back and play the parts of the expansion I missed. No incentive there at all.
It's safe to say Cyberpunk 2077 will never be the game CDPR showcased 5 years ago in the 48 min Gameplay Reveal as we still do not have many of those features today. That demo was the game CDPR wanted to make, we wanted to play, but could not deliver.
I finally reached Dogtown and HOOO BOY is the game more cyberpunk than ever inside the new area! I spent the last night playing the intro, cause I couldn't put the game down. Realized I should've when it was 5 am. Haven't felt that way in YEARS. Having a game that actually sucks me in.
I've been absolutely LOVING the game after 2.0. Still got a few cosmetic dark spots here and there but 2077 is finally hitting the high notes they promised before the launch. I particularly love how the bossfights now feel like actual bossfights. Everywhere else V is just as strong as she should be (Im usually just oneshotting mobs with a single bullet to the head). And Im nowhere near the end of the progression., currently around lvl 20.
I remember how originally Sasquatch was nothing more than a common gangoon and dispatched in couple shots. Now she is a dynamic fight where Im properly fighting for my life. I remember walking out of the VDB church and slapping Placide on the cheek and his head would essentially explode. Now he kept me pinned in the corridor chomping heals with his weird double sandevistan .
Oh and the myriad new clothes? New cars? New weapons? Vehicle combat? They are all good. By the 2.0 update the game finally runs and looks as good to be enjoyed. The new Dogtown area looks amazing. And the radiant quests? Yess......
This is the realization of the sales pitch. This is absolution. This is Cyberpunk 2077.
Finally: Five stars.
(lowkey spoilers mostly covering what trailer footage already shows or implies)
I'm honestly A M A Z E D
The start was a bumpy ride. I personally wasn't happy with some plot design choices at first. I wasn't warming up to Johnny. But I started to adapt or like it, esp. after some of the issues were ironed out and when mods started coming out, mostly some vehicle and clothing related ones to cater to some themes I like.
The game became fun. I liked to play it on occasion with my own playstyle. Just immerse myself in the world.
And then came 2.0 and PL.
And I was blown away.
A worthy kickass spythriller with so many emotions from start to near end (I have a bit of rest to go but got the rough endings figured out), they are too many to write down. Was excited the moment I saw 2.0 and entering dogtown. The emotions. The plot with ups and downs. Not many games gripped me like this. The last one was RDR2 that really (and I mean really!) got me engaged in the story like I was there. It's hard to describe in detail, but I'd say it was like you are there and feeling a progression (or a mimicry of it on yourself) of the characters and plot.
In positive terms: I started so optimistic and thrilled when I saw the vibes of the town and when I got to swearing an oath. It was a personal "kink" of mine fulfilled: Actually or quasi-joining a faction. And contextually I felt thrilled. What would lie ahead? I felt a sense of belonging and duty.
Now imagine a time skip and a wild ride.
And then picture me again, no longer thrilled but with doubs. A cloak n' dagger world where not everything is as it initially may have seemed. Where motives overlap. Going to a certain party itself and seeing some thing shocked me. Later on I felt puzzled, emotionally engaged, I even say outright dirty somehow. The progress I saw felt partly hollow due to so many twists, turns and losses. Even Johnny I saw in different fashion and light. He ... changed through the experiences in my book. I began to also like him or get used to him. He's a controversial character at least in my playstyle or with my V. We don't see eye to eye but I warmed up to him. Especially some of his commentary and change in the DLC felt positive to me, yet believable. Guy started becoming a realist while being slotted or just being an engram, yet not totally threw his motivations aboard. He matured just like I feel we did as players and characters in this emotional ride.
Despite the DLC being manageable or in time to get through it felt like a wild ride which is saying something positive.
--------------------
In simple terms, an engaging gripping immersive story was delivered where you could engage to emotionally. Something other RPGs (with shooter elements etc or not) struggle to deliver on that level.
At the start I mentioned a botched start. Let's not kid ourselves, not everything went perfect. But it's even more so refreshing to witness this turn-around rather than defeat or ignorance. You can feel the passion of the staff team, developers, employees of CDPR in the product we today see and partly their handiwork of prior appraised titles.
It's something that lets me relax for the upcoming game, whenver it might hit (hoping before 2030 ). In fact, I already can't wait.
But before I type more of an essay, I hope anyone from CDPR will read this as well: My heartfelt honest thanks to you all. You made this inspiring work of art possible and boosted the Cyberpunk genre from Mike Pondsmith. A horrible dystopian future with adult and stark themes I wouldn't want to live in myself (unless well off I guess?) - but one I love to dab into virtually and emotionally.
Rock on, chooms!
So... I tried once more... and I refunded again. I'll use the money for another game on GOG.
I just don't like the way the game was changed. I'm being pushed into a type of play I don't like and don't want, bugs everywhere (Jackie bugged out on me at the "The Ripperdoc" and I had to start the game all over because reloading didn't fix it for example, then more bugs in later quests until I gave up), netrunner build is a mess.
The game was changed by people that have no clue. They just watched Edgerunners cartoon, decided everyone wants to melee/shoot while face-tanking, and called it a day.
Now, modders are preventing us from playing 1.63 modded as well, by pulling down/hiding the versions of their mods that support 1.63. When asked about keeping a legacy version of the mod, people are being greeted with open hostility, abuse, and toxicity, both from the modders and the fans of this "change", who can't seem to understand that not everyone likes the same things.
That's it for me and this game, at least past 1.63. I'm lucky that I keep backup of all my mods and I'm not in the position of the poor people dealing with abuse and toxicity, simply because they don't like 2.0 and would like to keep their 1.63 mods.
I've been gaming for about 38 years now, and I've been a dev for the past 16. I can't remember a time when I was so let down by a game, or the company behind it... not to mention its gaming community.
(SPOILERS) Finished Phantom Liberty and the new ending. Kind of rushed it - so about to start another 'full' run of the game. My thoughts:
Cyberpunk 2077 - 8.5/10
The Witcher 3 is still CDPR's crown jewel.
Night City is the best open world ever created in a video game and I am not sure it is even remotely close right now.
The game continues to be visually stunning and performs well. Not sure what those system requirements that they released were, but my PC crushed this game and while there were still some bugs - none of them were game breaking.
Combat in Cyberpunk 2077 is really a ton of fun for me.
The base game still feels shallow in spots and like it was rushed to market.
I would still prefer CDPR make their main quest lines longer - the main story still feels very rushed to me and like it is missing big chunks of what should be there. The Witcher 3 comes off as a full story come to life - Cyberpunk 2077 comes off as a story that was cut down because of data taken in from the amount of players that finished the full story of TW3.
I forgot about this since I hadn't played since release - but in my opinion romance options should just be 'player sexual'. Any other way of doing this just seems to hurt player choice and replay-ability.
The game is very, very good. But not great in my opinion.
2.0 - 10/10
Just about everything added and changed since I played in the original launch is very good.
The patches including 2.0 make the base game very much feel alive.
There are definitely 'cookie cutter' type builds with the way skills are laid out, but there are enough of them to still make it feel very RPGish.
I'm going to lump in some Phantom Liberty stuff by saying that I think CDPR did the 'radiant quest' stuff pretty well. Stealing cars, air drops, NCPD, etc. It all seems to take the correct amount of time and give the correct kind of reward. It also works well and feels like it is part of the world for the most part - rather than feeling like it is just some randomly generated garbage to waste time.
I believe 2.0 should have been the release of this game. It is even more obvious now that this game needed 4-6 years in development and it instead got something like 3 to 3.5 years. Hopefully CDPR has learned their lesson - it seems like they have.
I'm glad they made clothing just clothing and focused on Cyberware being the main 'equipment' in the game. This was a necessary change that makes the game a ton better. It also just makes way more sense.
Phantom Liberty - 9.5/10
Dog Town is a masterclass in why companies do not need to keep making bigger open worlds. It packs a ton of high quality content into a relatively small space that still makes sense.
I expected a lot out of the expansion in terms of the size of it, quality of it, etc. It delivered.
The story was great, but it seems a bit out of place. V becoming a government agent kind of just comes out of nowhere and seems a bit disjointed from the base game. It's cool - but to me it seems more like this could have just been the plot for a sequel with a different main character.
This story also felt a bit rushed at times. I got into it big time later on, but I was often asking myself... why should I care that much about Songbird or Alex? I just met them, I haven't even interacted with them that much.
I was not a huge fan of Songbird or Alex - but I enjoyed just about every other character introduced in Phantom Liberty. Idris and Keanu in particular did an amazing job. Also thought the President character was well done and Mr. Hands was great.
Kurt Hansen, in my opinion, should have been a bigger part of the plot and you should have interacted with him more to really set him up as a 'big bad'.
A bit disappointed that there were no romance options in Phantom Liberty - even a 'fling' or something like that. This very much feels like "James Bond the game!"... but without the 'Bond Girl', so to speak.
The gigs, side quests and everything like that were laid out extremely well. It was a bit... off-putting to go back to a lot of the gigs in the main game because tons of them are far more shallow. The side content in Phantom Liberty rivals The Witcher 3, in my opinion... where as a lot of the base game falls short in that regard.
CDPR/The Future Of Cyberpunk:
Not every quest has to be a 'morally gray' type of thing. Sometimes things can actually just be right or wrong - good or evil. They do a good job with the morally gray thing, but it got a bit worn out toward the end of Phantom Liberty.
I get CDPR is going for the 'dark future' thing with the message that there are no real 'happy endings' and stuff like that. But I think there are a lot of fans who wanted that 'Ciri becomes a Witcher' moment in this game. They wanted to live happily ever after knowing that you can be with the people you love/care about. That there is hope... and this game doesn't really offer that. I get that it is art and I get that in this world they created that might be somewhat unrealistic... but there are a lot of unrealistic things in the game. I see nothing wrong with having a legitimate happy ending - even if it is a bit cheesy.
I hope that the sequel focuses on some kind of corporate war breaking out.
I doubt you go anywhere but Night City and if you do - it will be a side area. Night City very much feels like the main character of this franchise.
After the new ending/story I have to imagine this was it for V. V will not be the protagonist of the sequel, IMO. We will get a new one with every game.
I think it is okay if they want to make Cyberpunk a "open world action-adventure" game rather than an "RPG". If they do I wouldn't even mind cutting out most of the dialogue options and them just God of War'ing it where they tell their story.
They should just go back to 'player sexual' romance options, IMO. One of the biggest choices you make in this game is at character creation with what gender you pick... and that is not very good game design.
Final Thought(s):
Cyberpunk 2077 is a really good game. Phantom Liberty is an even better game/experience. CDPR seems to have learned their lesson and delivered something that is worthy of their former reputation.
The biggest disappointment is that fans finally have the Cyberpunk 2077 they deserved. Is it everything they promised? Is it the best game ever made? Would it have lived up to the hype? I mean - no, probably not. But it is a damn good game... and the worst part of this whole six year saga of the game being developed and released is that we didn't get as much as we wanted and CDPR wasn't able to deliver what they wanted to. They wanted to make multiple expansions, probably even more than the two that The Witcher 3 got... and we just got one of them. That really sucks because I would have definitely bought multiple more expansions to dive back into the world of Night City... and we likely won't be getting a sequel for another 4-6 years.
The story was great, but it seems a bit out of place. V becoming a government agent kind of just comes out of nowhere and seems a bit disjointed from the base game. It's cool - but to me it seems more like this could have just been the plot for a sequel with a different main character.
This story also felt a bit rushed at times. I got into it big time later on, but I was often asking myself... why should I care that much about Songbird or Alex? I just met them, I haven't even interacted with them that much.
The game is amazing now. Only major problem, console needs an FOV slider. I don't understand why most devs can't prioritize this for console players. It is MUCH needed!!!!!!!!!!
Alright, I said I would wait until the game is "finished" though we're here after the big 2.0 update and expansion release, so... I don't think by any reasonable standard I should be required to wait X number of weeks or months for the next patch - this was said before 2.01 and I've still yet to check out that update seeing as it apparently borks the PC version for a great deal of people - good job, guys... I would hope the next next patch comes sooner rather than later given they have the expansion behind them and should have plenty of hands available, but with CDPR you never know really.
TLDR; I would begrudgingly give the game9/10. When it's good it's great, when it's not is far less often than before but raises the alarm for what the next iteration will look like. CDPR still seems to operate under the MO of "what can we get away with?" rather than just following through with the task they signed themselves on for... Depending on how things continue to develop the score may hold firm or slip. There's no going up at this point because this game is done. The system today are what they will be forever and only external forces with change that.
The combat is superb, they've re-implemented several features that were mind-bogglingly cut; Things like chromed enemies with abilities, netrunners having more than one quickhack, enemies having injury states, etc. The overhaul of the perk system feels great, melee is much more satisfying, though perks for guns remains kinda...'mid'. I think if Deadeye could have auto-locked on to 3 or more targets and headshot them that would be great. Even better would be a perk that has you auto fire a single shot that ricochets around the room several times 1-shotting multiple enemies. - Yeah, it's a video game. You'll get over it.
The World - Greater than ever. The amount of detail is staggering at times, especially in Dogtown. The number of cars and the quality of those cars is insane. Seeing them around the world makes it feel all the more believable. Just knowing there would be a ton of new cars made the expansion an easy sell for me. The hidden gems, the amount of people, even the basic-bitch scripted events(not dynamic at all, guys) are good when they are 'good'. Well done!
Audio - top f*ckin' notch. Surprised by just how good the fan radio station is, though there were a few missed tracks they should have added imo. Radio stations themselves are all good, even the music I don't appreciate is quality work. Actual recording quality varies, with some very distracting mixing on some parts such as Cheri and Vik namely, but big games like this almost always have that problem. It's not great, it's not even okay, but it's common enough that I'm not as bothered by it like I am other stuff.
Story - not much to say. I don't really play games for their story, but I can appreciate a good one and 2077 provides that. The sidequests and longer form gigs are great enough that I still enjoyed the game at launch even after being immensely disappointed with their delivery. That's exceptional.
The momentary 0's, which still occur, are fewer and far between,and some seem to be couched in a kind of "f*ck you" from the developer more so than just outright laziness on their part as was the case before. To be clear, I give those things a pass largely as getting frustrated will make no difference and CDPR themselves have either come to terms with their lacking abilities or were never bothered to begin with. I even appreciate these things on some level.
Example 1 being;
The dated, half-hearted police system that intentionally rubs it's ass all over the lore and world building set before and throughout the game, to the point they even have goofy radio chatter of the officer hitting on dispatch, or running late because they're too busy pissing. Yeah, amazing socio-economic commentary, guys. - I don't appreciate this system very much. But it is what it is. Mocking them for not being able to put together a vehicle combat system that matches what one modder did nearly two years ago, let alone that it doesn't even do a number of things they said it would mere weeks ago, will get us no where. They've convinced themselves this is what a next gen police system looks like - nothing more to see or say here.
Example 2; The new ending,
V gets to live... but as a hapless, weak, limp-wristed schmuck. Figured a way to really grind NC's gears into the player. Not only that, they gave such players the big impact they wanted - Now Night City is a police state under Militech's occupation, Takemura has been framed for Hanako's murder as well, Viktor sold out to Zetatech, and even Padre got 'got' it seems. Good work, V!
- I like it. They stuck to their nihilistic guns and upheld the theme they went for from the start while giving people "what they want".
Then come bugs, cockups, and just the general state of the game at present. Worst of all at the moment seems to be the PS5 issue, they needed to hotfix that day 1, otherwise I have some gripes of my own.
I had wrote this up in even more detail but really, why bother? It's a great game, and for what it is I enjoy it dearly.
The story was great, but it seems a bit out of place. V becoming a government agent kind of just comes out of nowhere and seems a bit disjointed from the base game. It's cool - but to me it seems more like this could have just been the plot for a sequel with a different main character.
Main story is still 2077s biggest weakness. Not just phantom liberty but the original specifically. Many times the game conjures laughable mumbo jumbo just to sell certain events that somebody decided have to happen, damn the common sense.
Most everything else is pretty great at this point, but the story can never be retconned into being good. One can only hope the sequel will either lower the emphasis on story or create a better one.
ps. I still wish I could actually drink alcohol in at least one of the games numerous bars.
Main story is still 2077s biggest weakness. Not just phantom liberty but the original specifically. Many times the game conjures laughable mumbo jumbo just to sell certain events that somebody decided have to happen, damn the common sense.
Most everything else is pretty great at this point, but the story can never be retconned into being good. One can only hope the sequel will either lower the emphasis on story or create a better one.
ps. I still wish I could actually drink alcohol in at least one of the games numerous bars.
Yeah - so I don't think the story for the base game or Phantom Liberty were 'bad'. It is just that they are rushed. CDPR wants two things:
1. To write massive, rich stories like The Witcher 3.
2. To not make their main stories 75+ hour slogs where people get burnt out half way or 3/4 the way through.
You can't really have both things. So they need to keep the scope of their stories in check so that they are coherent. At least that is my take on it.
Still think they are the best writers in gaming right now though. They craft very good characters and their dialogue (for the most part) is top notch. Also love their stories... they just have to either make the games longer or get the scope under control.
Also - I think Phantom Liberty's story was far more suited for the story of a major AAA game than the original base story. Kind of wished they swapped them around. Made the whole President crash lands and you are an operative thing the main plot... then made the Keanu stuck in your head thing an expansion where there was a mad dash to try to find a cure.
Yeah - so I don't think the story for the base game or Phantom Liberty were 'bad'. It is just that they are rushed. CDPR wants two things:
1. To write massive, rich stories like The Witcher 3.
2. To not make their main stories 75+ hour slogs where people get burnt out half way or 3/4 the way through.
You can't really have both things. So they need to keep the scope of their stories in check so that they are coherent. At least that is my take on it.
Still think they are the best writers in gaming right now though. They craft very good characters and their dialogue (for the most part) is top notch. Also love their stories... they just have to either make the games longer or get the scope under control.
Also - I think Phantom Liberty's story was far more suited for the story of a major AAA game than the original base story. Kind of wished they swapped them around. Made the whole President crash lands and you are an operative thing the main plot... then made the Keanu stuck in your head thing an expansion where there was a mad dash to try to find a cure.
Personally I find it out of place, and that's not exactly easy to solve considering how CDPR shaped most aspects of the expansion itself. This compounds the already pressing pacing issues of the campaign, and that's why it feels off I think.
PL's tone, pace, and hyped prognosis of V's condition make it seem like something that should take place at the last minute both in terms of story and narrative. From the way Johnny and V behave based on a few factors, the increased relationship percentage, more intense seizues and coughing fits all the way to them coming to terms with the situation and even
Johnny not wanting to let V go. Like, literally begging for V to not call Reed didn't feel like self-preservation. I'm very certain Johnny just didn't want to let V go. When he eventually comes to terms with where things are headed, he peppers V with the kind of nagging yet loving compliments only a true friend or family member would before a final goodbye. That shit fucking hurt.
Behind VDB quest only makes sense story-wise, imo, in that you perhaps got Songbird's attention piercing the blackwall to contact Alt. Otherwise it feels rushed and out of place. I'm not sure if that's mentioned and I missed it, but that's my assumption for why they placed it there. Placing it near the end of the games renders a lot of it's best features from high-lvl cyberware and unique cars to weapons and clothing practically moot though.
Erebus and Hercules, Rara Avis, the Charon? Well, guess you can wage a little extra havoc in Arasaka Tower because this story is a wrap at that point if you saved PL for after Hanako's offer, which is where it makes sense story-wise.
PS - The whole "We couldn't find a place for romance and sex, especially when uwuwuwuwu" doesn't cut it, especially after the dancing scene with Alex that was totally going somewhere. Heat of the moment romps are a trope in spy thrillers. Mid.
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