[Spoilers] Where is the punchline?

[tRYSIS3]

I was trying to come with a summary for the story, but I'm having a hard time... there must be something I'm missing?

Cyberpunk is a story about a merc that got shot in the face, but luckily they survived because of a chip inside their head. The merc finds out that the chip is slowly killing them, and they must find a way to remove it. The merc then proceeds to spend their last two weeks looking for a nonexistent cure... Where is the punchline?

 

[acakomandos]

I was trying to come with a summary for the story, but I'm having a hard time... there must be something I'm missing?

Cyberpunk is a story about a merc that got shot in the face, but luckily they survived because of a chip inside their head. The merc finds out that the chip is slowly killing them, and they must find a way to remove it. The merc then proceeds to spend their last two weeks looking for a nonexistent cure... Where is the punchline?

In that chip lives Keany voiced terrorist who killed 500k people and you can give him your body. So innovative

 

[papplaus]

"They really thought they could save themselves. Can you believe that?"

 

[Simuxas]

Punchline?
CDPR on V:

 

[Icinix]

It was never about you.

They just made you believe so convincingly, so utterly without doubt, that it was.

 

[Simuxas]

They lied about the game and then the story was a lie overall.

Game feels like dealing with compulsive liar.

 

[sacred_darling]

I was trying to come with a summary for the story, but I'm having a hard time... there must be something I'm missing?

Cyberpunk is a story about a merc that got shot in the face, but luckily they survived because of a chip inside their head. The merc finds out that the chip is slowly killing them, and they must find a way to remove it. The merc then proceeds to spend their last two weeks looking for a nonexistent cure... Where is the punchline?

Oh, I summed it up earlier: an amateur (Evelyn) plans a heist hiring other amateurs. They're so shit that everyone dies, including the cargo (depending on what you make of Johnny).

I agree re: comments about street gigs vs. the Heist -- the latter is such an epic mission, it even feels strange to have it so early in the game

 

[jj284b]

Oh, I summed it up earlier: an amateur (Evelyn) plans a heist hiring other amateurs. They're so shit that everyone dies, including the cargo (depending on what you make of Johnny).

I agree re: comments about street gigs vs. the Heist -- the latter is such an epic mission, it even feels strange to have it so early in the game

Amateurs??? it would be successful if not for circumstances NOBODY could predict... nobody in NC had access to Saburo Arasaka plans... he was not supposed to be in NC... his visit to his son was well kept secret... Hanako was in the city and news were full of it... if somebody knew Saburo is in town, it would get out quickly....

 

[sacred_darling]

Amateurs??? it would be successful if not for circumstances NOBODY could predict... nobody in NC had access to Saburo Arasaka plans... he was not supposed to be in NC... his visit to his son was well kept secret... Hanako was in the city and news were full of it... if somebody knew Saburo is in town, it would get out quickly....

Lots of things don't add up.

You're planning an epic heist. Knowing Yorinobu's agenda is simply a must. Probably, T-Bug shouldn't be the only netrunner since the mission entirely depends on her. Evelyn doesn't even know why she needs the chip, let alone that they NEED a technician if something goes wrong with it. So yep, not a professional approach

 

[PepeSmug]

Amateurs??? it would be successful if not for circumstances NOBODY could predict... nobody in NC had access to Saburo Arasaka plans... he was not supposed to be in NC... his visit to his son was well kept secret... Hanako was in the city and news were full of it... if somebody knew Saburo is in town, it would get out quickly....

Yes, which implies that no one should have attempted the heist. Yet they did, hence amateurs. That aside, V and Jackie didn't have any business robbing so much as a convenience store, let alone the most powerful corporation on the planet. Two complete clowns.

I was trying to come with a summary for the story, but I'm having a hard time... there must be something I'm missing?

Cyberpunk is a story about a merc that got shot in the face, but luckily they survived because of a chip inside their head. The merc finds out that the chip is slowly killing them, and they must find a way to remove it. The merc then proceeds to spend their last two weeks looking for a nonexistent cure... Where is the punchline?

Nope, you're not missing anything. It's pretty much this.

 

[Simuxas]

Yes, which implies that no one should have attempted the heist. Yet they did, hence amateurs. That aside, V and Jackie didn't have any business robbing so much as a convenience store, let alone the most powerful corporation on the planet. Two complete clowns.


Nope, you're not missing anything. It's pretty much this.

Yea, indeed, the heist was way too rushed and out of nowhere. Like V and Jackie are mercs doing stuff but then immideatly tries to be best robbers in the city, what?

 

[PepeSmug]

Yea, indeed, the heist was way too rushed and out of nowhere. Like V and Jackie are mercs doing stuff but then immideatly tries to be best robbers in town, what?

Bad writing alert.

They tried, I guess. CDPR, I mean.

 

[Sillivanukas]

Yes, which implies that no one should have attempted the heist. Yet they did, hence amateurs. That aside, V and Jackie didn't have any business robbing so much as a convenience store, let alone the most powerful corporation on the planet. Two complete clowns.

This is kind of pointless argument in the grand scheme of things, problems of the plot really aren't about the heist in my opinion. But I'll bite.

The point you say "implies" no one should have attempted it, was that they should have foreseen head of a megacorp flying there right then and there? Really?
Sure, the plan was overly ambitious and foolhardy but I think you guys are being a bit uncharitable about that plot point.

 

[sacred_darling]

The heist was a perfect way to introduce Johnny though I loved very single detail from the random ads and emails leading to it, with no one telling you that this "save your soul" mess is going to hit you in particular.

And then it turns out that no one cares about his narcissistic 'soul' on a chip, it's Alt who matters. This was fun!

Post automatically merged: Jan 12, 2021

This is kind of pointless argument in the grand scheme of things, problems of the plot really aren't about the heist in my opinion. But I'll bite.

The point you say "implies" no one should have attempted it, was that they should have foreseen head of a megacorp flying there right then and there? Really?
Sure, the plan was overly ambitious and foolhardy but I think you guys are being a bit uncharitable about that plot point.

Well, we don't even know why Evelyn would need the chip. Apparently, even the Netwatch decided to just buy it rather than find a fixer and steal it.

And in terms of foreseeing things, in one of the final mission alternatives Johnny gets Alt to blow up a space station, so that Arasaka's guards can't contact each other. That's good planning.

 

[Simuxas]

The heist was a perfect way to introduce Johnny though I loved very single detail from the random ads and emails leading to it, with no one telling you that this "save your soul" mess is going to hit you in particular.

And then it turns out that no one cares about his narcissistic 'soul' on a chip, it's Alt who matters. This was fun!

Post automatically merged: Jan 12, 2021

Well, we don't even know why Evelyn would need the chip. Apparently, even the Netwatch decided to just buy it rather than find a fixer and steal it.

And in terms of foreseeing things, in one of the final mission alternatives Johnny gets Alt to blow up a space station, so that Arasaka's guards can't contact each other. That's good planning.

Evelynn is trying to get it for Voodoo boys. But I don't remember why Evelynn is doing that in the first place.

 

[Sillivanukas]

Well, we don't even know why Evelyn would need the chip. Apparently, even the Netwatch decided to just buy it rather than find a fixer and steal it.

And in terms of foreseeing things, in one of the final mission alternatives Johnny gets Alt to blow up a space station, so that Arasaka's guards can't contact each other. That's good planning.

Well in emails to Judy, Evelyn laments that there must me more to life than what she has. And also said that if Judy helped her, she didn't have to do anything but art anymore. So probably she just wanted to sell it.

I don't think foolhardiness and overambition is necessarily a plothole or bad writing.

 

[sacred_darling]

Evelynn is trying to get it for Voodoo boys. But I don't remember why Evelynn is doing that in the first place.

Yep, VoodooBoys learn that Netwatch wants it to get to Alt, and they want the same thing.

But Evelyn decides to mess with them and get the chip for herself. Evelyn's job was only to record the apartment braindance. And that's why the VBs cyberpsycho'ed her.

Evelyn doesn't have a real motivation so far to pull off the heist on her own.

Moreover, suddenly the VoodooBoys and the Netwatch forget about the chip, and we actually have to find a way to contact them through Mr. Hands. Why?

Post automatically merged: Jan 12, 2021

Well in emails to Judy, Evelyn laments that there must me more to life than what she has. And also said that if Judy helped her, she didn't have to do anything but art anymore. So probably she just wanted to sell it.

I don't think foolhardiness and overambition is necessarily a plothole or bad writing.

That adds something, but here are the outcomes:
- Who do you sell it to? Netwatch or VoodooBoys, apparently. The latter will just kill you. Moreover, they will kill you if they learn that Netwatch bought the chip off you.
- Yorinobu will also be looking for you.

The chip is not smth you can sell that easily cause very few people would need Johnny's digital mind, or a tiny segment of it.

 

[Sillivanukas]

That adds something, but here are the outcomes:
- Who do you sell it to? Netwatch or VoodooBoys, apparently. The latter will just kill you. Moreover, they will kill you if they learn that Netwatch bought the chip off you.
- Yorinobu will also be looking for you.

The chip is not smth you can sell that easily cause very few people would need Johnny's digital mind, or a tiny segment of it.

I don't know what the plan was. The game doesn't explain that and Evelyn dies soon after, so from storytelling standpoint the whole ordeal was to just get us into deep waters and the chip into our head.

I agree it's kind of disappointing, I liked Evelyn's femme fatale role and hoped it would have amounted to something more, but I don't see that as a massive issue for the story. Something left vague isn't really a plothole, even if it's a bummer sometimes.
I think the actual issue and bad writing is that if we boil the story down, it really doesn't resolve into anything meaningful, as OP pointed out.

 

[Simuxas]

CDPR: "Hey, can I copy your homework?"
R*: "Sure, just change it up a bit, so it doesn't look identical"
CDPR: "Ok"

All we got is worse RDR2 story that resolves nothing.

 

[Kikinho]

Yep, VoodooBoys learn that Netwatch wants it to get to Alt, and they want the same thing.

But Evelyn decides to mess with them and get the chip for herself. Evelyn's job was only to record the apartment braindance. And that's why the VBs cyberpsycho'ed her.

Evelyn doesn't have a real motivation so far to pull off the heist on her own.

Moreover, suddenly the VoodooBoys and the Netwatch forget about the chip, and we actually have to find a way to contact them through Mr. Hands. Why?

Post automatically merged: Jan 12, 2021

That adds something, but here are the outcomes:
- Who do you sell it to? Netwatch or VoodooBoys, apparently. The latter will just kill you. Moreover, they will kill you if they learn that Netwatch bought the chip off you.
- Yorinobu will also be looking for you.

The chip is not smth you can sell that easily cause very few people would need Johnny's digital mind, or a tiny segment of it.

There are other Corpos who would pay big money for a chip like that. Evelyn's plan was simply to make money out of it and leave behind the prostitution life. Militech comes to mind for one. Or the chinese corpo, they are actually hiding Hellman after he warned Saboru.

I don't consider this a plothole. She was naive yes. She thought Cloud's security could protect her from the VBs, but she was wrong. If the heist was so impossible then Dex wouldn't have gotten involved in the first place.

By the narrative V and Jackie can be considered amateurs, but that is only because the game did a bad job at showing us how many gigs and experince are behind them. The way they pulled off the heist was pretty darn planned out.
If not the for the unexpected visit, they could have easily gotten out. Probably still could have had an easier time to get out if the old man wasn't offed there.

Besides, with he bugged quest marker we know that there was a path to escape via the roof by stealing a flying car. We don't know how that would have gone, but the way it is atm, the heist is simply ended the way it did so we get Jhonny in our heads.

Also discussing this doesn't address what is the punchline in the end of the game?