[SPOILER] Adam Smasher. Character we have lost.

[LeKill3rFou]

But in those cases, on the relic 1.0 Doesn't it only allow you to speak with the Engram? to implant into a new body wouldn't you need the Relic 2.0? Even if the engram is backed up somewhere they wouldn't have the tech to Implant it. I could be missing something, but I thought only the relic 2.0 could actually bring someone back. But I've only seen the Devil ending once just to see it, I prefer most of the other ones so never went back and played through it a second time.

The Relic 1.0 only allow to speak with engrams, sure. But engrams are simply datas which can be copied or modified or even maybe transfered on different devices
Johnny was stored "normally" (like all the other engrams) in Mikoshi before been put on the Relic by Yorinobu.

After you're, right, transfering the engram on a body (or a brain in Adam case^^) could be a problem without Mikoshi/Soulkiller/Relic... But at least, they could remain "alive" as long as there is a "backup" engram.

 

[DjSpyder]

The Relic 1.0 only allow to speak with engrams, sure. But engrams are simply datas which can be copied or modified or even maybe transfered on different devices
Johnny was stored "normally" (like all the other engrams) in Mikoshi before been put on the Relic by Yorinobu.

After right, transfering the engram on a body could be a problem without Mikoshi/Soulkiller/Relic... But at least, they could remain "alive" as long as there is a "backup" engram.

Right so without Mikoshi and the Relic 2.0, even if the engram does exist it's useless at least for brining someone back from the dead. The work around for Smasher is he was more machine than man, so MAYBE they could use that logic for why it works for him. OR they could always say, that wasn't the only prototype they built. But even with the engram intact, assuming they made one for him, I just don't see it getting implanted without the help of Arasaka and in most endings besides "the devil" Arasaka is not in a good place. But also, Sci-Fi video games anything can happen

Honestly In my opinion, if he is alive, in the expansion or sequel I hope they do like TW3 and he's only alive if you spared him. I feel like things should have weight I don't want to find out the choice was meaningless.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Honestly In my opinion, if he is alive, in the expansion or sequel I hope they do like TW3 and he's only alive if you spared him. I feel like things should have weight I don't want to find out the choice was meaningless.

Oh yep I hope too, or CDPR have to create a very "good and believable" reason (which is also possible^^)
(After, it would be quite dumb for Arasaka to have a entire online server network, full of "very important" datas with absolutely no offline backup. I imagine all the current big "net corporations" have some sort of offline backup in case)

 

[CTPhipps]

Oh yep I hope too, or CDPR have to create a very "good and believable" reason (which is also possible^^)
(After, it would be quite dumb for Arasaka to have a entire online server network, full of "very important" datas with absolutely no offline backup. I imagine all the current big "net corporations" have some sort of offline backup in case)

To be fair, there's no internet in this world for this exact reason.

Mike Pondsmith made the Subnets because he didn't want the Netrunners operating from 200 miles away.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

To be fair, there's no internet in this world for this exact reason.

Mike Pondsmith made the Subnets because he didn't want the Netrunners operating from 200 miles away.

I say "offline" or "online" in a subnet
Like Mikoshi, it's "online" but on a subnet which include orbit servers and access points like the one in Night City under Arasaka tower (in this case, if "someone" manage to have access to any of the access points, he have access to everything... Like Alt indeed).
By "offline" I means some servers totally isolated from outside. The only way to access to them, it's a physical connexion.

Like if you saved your personal datas on a physical drive.
Online : Disconnect your net access but let everything connected to your WIFI network. You don't have access to the net, but if someone have access to your WIFI, he potentially have access to everything which are connected to it.
Offline : You disconnected the drive and stored it in your drawer. So the only way for someone to access to these datas is to break through your home^^.

 

[The_Blacks]

He seems like the Cyberpunk version of Ser Gregor Clegane to me

 

[Iferrebee]

I am taking Guts to see him. We need to discuss some mistakes he has made in life

 

[Plantfoodclock]

I think philosophy/story of Smasher is best told less as a personal story but more of a reflection of the Cyberpunk world to its worst extremes. Let me explain a bit.

We meet Smasher first at Yorinobu's hotel room via Ev's BD. From her POV, we see this scary big metal man: more machine than human. Treats people like meat and takes jobs to satisfy his bloodlust rather than the money or maybe even reputation. Basically everyone's terrified of him: seems like his implants have lost all of his humanity, all he wants to do is kill, and (except for a few people) it seems he's at the top of the game. And throughout the story, it doesn't get much more than that.

Do a bit of digging on his backstory: from street punk to soldier to merc. Not particularly special in the Cyberpunk world, except he was good at what he did because he was generally a sadistic person with plenty of experience at the game. Sure he might not necessarily like being under Arasaka's thumb to live, but he doesn't necessarily have much qualms with the jobs he's given, except for the fact that few lack the challenge he's looking for. And realistically, if other companies could keep him alive and could afford him the lifestyle he has: he could switch as any ruthless corp would love a guy like him. In fact, Militiech likely has the same capabilities as Arasaka. Only reason he doesn't join up is because Blackhand was/is working for them and Arasaka is the one company most likely to give him opportuntiies for Smasher to kill him.

So why a world reflection over a personal story? Adam Smasher represents the problems of what the world of Cyberpunk rewards: bloodlustful killers with less humanity than implants. You don't become a legend by hestitating to be kind or do the right thing. You become one by taking the most ruthless jobs, doing whatever it takes to get it done, and taking out anyone else on the way to the top, at the cost of your humanity. Adam is that, except there is no cost of humanity as he didn't have much to start with, which just makes him the perfect guy in a world like Cyberpunk. He's not a cyberpsycho; he's a psycho with implants. And that's what it takes to be on top. And you have to ask, am I able to do the same thing and be what it takes to become a legend?

So yeah, Smasher is a mindless, killing machine and nothing else. But he's not a simple, average story: he's full extent of the evils of the Cyberpunk world itself.

The story of his death feels, unfortunately, much more simple than great though. You sure can tie in some ideas and speculation to this theme, but it still feels lacking than what it could've been about.

 

[pliskards]

After seeing Smasher's portrayal in Edgerunners I am a bit disappointed that he was killed off in Cyberpunk 2077.

I think his character running wild from time to time and brutalizing people game-to-game, show-to-show could have built him up into a Darth Vader type of villain... then there could have been a much better and more impactful story built around eventually taking him down. He seems like a villain at such a level that an entire game could be built around him terrorizing people with eventual revenge on him... or he could have served as the "end boss" of a trilogy or something like that.

Great character. Died too early in the IP's lifecycle, IMO.

 

[The_Blacks]

F*ck him for killing Becca

 

[Sardukhar]

Great character. Died too early in the IP's lifecycle, IMO.

If dead.

Anyway, he's kind of over-the-top silly for Cyberpunk. Rah-rah kill kill kill blah blah blah. Sub average intellect and more a statement of Arasaka's arrogance than their good judgement. Without his gear, he's not much. His portrayal in 2077 was better than typical - more ominous than usual. Disappointing end for sure though.

There are some pretty cool characters in Cpunk - A guy who thinks he's Neptune, another who uses a stealthed FBR and Zen to stay sane in pursuit of his murderous duties, another person who changes bodies and could be anyone; the whole crew/cast of Combat Cabb; the Inmate Penal Corps; Harbour Police NC; the leader of an all-women boostergang called the Valkyries (kind of like Maelstrom meets the Mox); Asavado, the Cyberpsycho (!) who runs a Luddite cult; the mysterious Cyber-Circle..

Any of those are a lot more interesting than Adam, whose whole philosophy and character can be summed up as, "Arrrgh killing fun."

 

[CTPhipps]

After seeing Smasher's portrayal in Edgerunners I am a bit disappointed that he was killed off in Cyberpunk 2077.

I think his character running wild from time to time and brutalizing people game-to-game, show-to-show could have built him up into a Darth Vader type of villain... then there could have been a much better and more impactful story built around eventually taking him down. He seems like a villain at such a level that an entire game could be built around him terrorizing people with eventual revenge on him... or he could have served as the "end boss" of a trilogy or something like that.

Great character. Died too early in the IP's lifecycle, IMO.

I mean, Smasher should never be a more important character than V. He's a footnote in what should be the legend of the greatest Edgerunner in Night City history who will hopefully do more in future games.

 

[pliskards]

Any of those are a lot more interesting than Adam, whose whole philosophy and character can be summed up as, "Arrrgh killing fun."

I think that a pretty over simplified view on what the character is, his view on flesh vs. metal and what could be accomplished with it. I think this is pretty easily seen in the Edgerunners series and the amount of emotion drawn out by some of the things that he did.

 

[Sardukhar]

I think that a pretty over simplified view on what the character is, his view on flesh vs. metal and what could be accomplished with it. I think this is pretty easily seen in the Edgerunners series and the amount of emotion drawn out by some of the things that he did.

That's not about Adam, it's just what he did to characters people like.

His philosophy, (and again, he's not very bright), is metal is better than meat because he can kill better with it. Check out SoF2 for a whole article written by him on the subject of arrgh killing better with full robot body. He's akin to a child desperate to prove he's just as good as The Other Guys even though, again, it's tech he doesn't understand and could never install (Tech 4) that someone else paid to put him in, because he's dumba nd violent and addicted enough to be a particular kind of tool.

He's not a great shot, he's not a top-line pro (at least during Corp IV, after years of practice), he's not particularly observant in a field where that is job one, he's pretty poor at the martial art he talks up...

The point of Adam is that Metal can make you equal or better than Meat, even if you were just a deranged gun toting twit before. It' s a point he makes well.

The interesting part about his character is that his tragedy is that he -is- a tool, and a blunt one at that, like a barely-sentient robot. Not only does he willingly dehumanize himself, but other, much smarter people make it much worse, when they could obviously do better.

That's the best part about Adam and why his fate (probable fate) is a waste - he was never more than a sub optimal tool for the job with a bad end used by smarter, more evil people.

This is why he's arguably more engaging a character than, say, Morgan Blackhand who just always wins.

I just wish Adam was less Adam-y. Arrgh kill maim. Sigh. Again 2077 did a better job for sure and ER even better in their portrayal of him as a Darth Vader like figure.

 

[CTPhipps]

I just wish Adam was less Adam-y. Arrgh kill maim. Sigh. Again 2077 did a better job for sure and ER even better in their portrayal of him as a Darth Vader like figure.

Well Adam isn't meant to be the cool, cunning, intelligent manipulator villain.

That's Saburo and Kei Arasaka.

He's meant to be the Terminator and the villain's primary henchmen. Perhaps different from Darth Vader and more like Oddjob or Jaws from Bond.

Though I someday hope Mike Pondsmith does "Michiru's Day Out" where she goes on a date with Adam Smasher "dressed" as a blonde Elvis clone.

 

[pliskards]

That's not about Adam, it's just what he did to characters people like.

Right. It's like Michael Myers or something like that.

That doesn't make the character shallow. Characters like that can serve a purpose and be extremely impactful if used the right way.

Edgerunners was the ideal example of that.

 

[CS554]

His philosophy, (and again, he's not very bright), is metal is better than meat because he can kill better with it. Check out SoF2 for a whole article written by him on the subject of arrgh killing better with full robot body. He's akin to a child desperate to prove he's just as good as The Other Guys even though, again, it's tech he doesn't understand and could never install (Tech 4) that someone else paid to put him in, because he's dumba nd violent and addicted enough to be a particular kind of tool.

I don't know what SoF2 is, but from what I recalled and after revisiting a wiki, I think that isn't all of it.

He was always drawn to violence. He started in New York gang, took leadership of that. He became only survivor of gang after military took it down and joined army. After being discharged for insubordination, he started a career as mercenary which then led him later to become tool for the Arasaka. Arrangement works for Smasher too as he can be what he ultimately is, a psychopath who has always been addicted to killing and sadism and practicing that is what makes him tick. Gun down a room full of people to get one who is Arasaka's target, he not only does that willingly, but also enjoys it. For Arasaka, there's no need to motivate him. They can count on him doing the one thing he is good at, being Adam Smasher.

As interactable character, there's nothing more to Adam Smasher than we seen in the game, he is a someone who would always feel like a robot, chrome or not.

What could be done with Adam Smasher is to study how survival of the strongest (note, a sidejob with V's neighbor, with a turtle, how that can be resolved. Darwin's realization was "survival of the fittest") down to neurological aspects (psychopathy), appears to be a dead end, though in history of homo sapiens there's been an era where such genetic feature has been one of the tracks.

Will to dominate, no what's so ever moral restraints, survival instinct in theater of violence, yet always overextends. That's what the chrome enables for him, survive his own drive that would otherwise been his demise a long ago.

I could see learning about Adam Smasher via Braindances and other such sources, maybe some old mercenary could remember him, etc. Adam Smasher could very well be intellectually interesting, not as interactable character but study in real world terms and CDRP based on CP 2077 is studio that could make that work.

 

[MartineDee]

In addition to my previous post, I shan't hide my admiration for Adam.
My V wants to be all Adam Smasher is, save for being on a Saka leash. Take that, and augment it exponentially. That's the sweet spot.

Essentially, a wild vigilante liability that all corps combined cannot remove, and find it easier to make deals. Deals they would not make in money, but in how they conduct their business. The end game is doing what people's politicians are supposed to do but aren't. Unfortuhnately, an ordered NC wouldn't keep my V. She'd move to another broken place and fix it, whatever that means in 2077+.

 

[vanderminde]

F*ck him for killing Becca

That was actually great. Like setting a point to another silly bullshit. Only a true professional can make flat even more flatter. What a hard work zeroing punks and idiots for about 80 years. Damn, Adam, bro, you're my hero. Real hero who was ruined for the sake of better game marketing.

 

[PrinnyWesker]

I respect cold blood professionals. Like Smasher, Takemura, Adam Jensen, Corvo Attano and others. People who are intelligent and volitional. Who can predict the course of events, take responsibility and pay the price if necessary.
I disrespect infantile psychopaths, naive and agressive idiots ready to start any shit for their absurd beliefs.

This game forces me to kill a high-grade professional for nothing. To go and destroy something great. I dont care if devs named best ending a "Devil ending". Nope, nothing about devil is here. In given circumstances its the only true ending with the best possible outcome.

I agree he would have been more interesting as a high grade professional - its just that he never was in the source material

We're talking about a character who, while freelancing, would only take a job if they allowed civilian casualties

Mike Pondsmith has gone on to describe him as a high-functioning cyberpsycho

Dude just loves killing. Killing is his favorite