It's actually one of the best or the best video on the game I've seen so far.
The thing is that the Souls games tell a completely different kind of story. Or rather, there isn't much of a story, ther eis instead a lot of lore. The basic story of Dark Souls 1 you play and your empty shell of a charcter experiences is: You get thrown into a dying world, no idea what you're supposed to do, get a few hints on what to do next, meet some charcters with a bit of backstory, defeat a lot of bosses and experience one or two endings. The rest (Gwyn and his knights, Astorias, the witches, everything elese you can discover by reading intem descriptions) is lore. It makes the game feel rich, mysterious and overwhelming and basically enhances the overwhelming atmosphere of the game to make you feel awed. It is not a direct part of the story. Therefore, it is completely ok to make everything open ended without giving clear answers, because it enhances the mystery. The basic story of your character is super simple and nothing is left dangling at the end. It's basically a story frame for you to experience the gameplay.
Whereas in CP you have a complex (more complex than Dark Souls at least) main story you live through with V, with a main character that has a backstory and personality, NPCs with their own agenda, sidequests that add more to the story etc. And on top of that you have the lore presented to you mostly via shards. Now, like item descriptions and random mutterings by NPCs in Dark Souls, the shards enhance the atmosphere and the lore of the world. They can be ambiguous and open to interpretation.
But the main story with all it's complexities should not be left dangling, because other than Dark Souls, it's the main focus of the game. You can leave some questions open for exploration, but the main quests and most important questions should not be just scratces on the surface or be left unresolved.
I have no context. I'm a casual gamer and youtube content is rarely relevant to me regardless of game. Then I checked deconstruction of some rage video at LowSodiumCyberpunk and I don't feel there's any point trying to make comparison between this and content created just to get clicks to begin with.
That said, it has to be pretty good to keep me awake to watch it. It was perhaps a bit shocking that environmental storytelling in game needed to explained. That's not critique, I think everything there is in video is there for a reason.
It was funny how punk part in context of cyberpunk can mean very different things to different people. He does actually cover this and does very good job at that in context of his generation and that is the generation that matters here.
But for some additional context. Back in the 80's in elementary school it was not unheard of that even teachers may had this very positive vision regarding technology solving our problems. And our (students) future where there would be transportation methods similar to personal rocket ship, jet plane or equivalent available for everyone. Science fiction that's always been mix of exiting pulp stories and sometimes something worth awhile, was riding that wave too. But people grow up and some things just didn't spoke to us anymore. You start to think that getting stuck in these visions of rocket ships or some magical interpretation of the laws of thermodynamics, there won't be necessarily much future at all. Or maybe there's a rocket ship but in the end, most of us are average people and it wont be available for us in any other aspect than pollution perhaps.
So cyberpunk filled certain void, in lack of better comparison, Mass Effect character, in the end of ME3, reject incoherently rambling TIM with his big talk about big visions and his non-solutions, which one may wonder were ever anything to begin with, before that even happens. But that was in context what world was decades ago and most of media was printed. I don't think anyone can claim any authority. I can say that, what was above, was a thing too and that's about it.
I really liked how he described somethings in game. For me, not exactly similar of course not, but those vibes. One of most striking moments just happened after I had completed one mission on some of city rooftops. Just looking down to street and sidewalks, people. World where everyone has some angle to play. Even if somebody showed mic to your face and gave you platform, you don't know how it would be cut, and everything you say can be used against you from one angle or another, so you say pretty much nothing and then media says that people don't really have anything worth awhile to say about anything.
It was relief really. We have whole social media platform here, but nobody here talks about that. At times I even wondered if I was the only one.
Gotta repeat what i wrote before in some different terms.
You only think it has specific substance if you don't percieve the themes talked about (and he only goes into two with this game truly) as standard or normal.
It's nice to see someone spend time on the obvious anti-hyper-capitalism theme though. Something i feel would be superfluous exercise when talking Cyberpunk2077. Saddly he misses Takemuras point about questioing the alternatives to that system and therefore further strengthening the idea of the inveitability and actual counter to "punk" - which defined itself always too much about being 'anti-' something, e.g. anti-political.
That's the problem. Shards are bad way to convey important lore informations. Mostly because they are detached from the rest of the game, and the fact that the playable character doesn't react to them makes it feel like they are there just for the player. Which is metagaming, an awful sin in RPGs.
Shards are a das way to tell a story, is because you are often readi g the shards out if context, because you read them later on.
In a book, the content of a shard would be dead in where it needs to be. Same with a movie.
That dies not work in an I teractive medium.
It's OK to teach background knowledge but that's it.
Shards would work better in the game if there was less of them and if they were placed in the context of missions, places or characters.
I 100% agree shards was a very poor design choice. In my first game I rarely even looked at them or even collected them. And it takes a great deal of effort to collect and read them.
And as many have pointed out some are basically useless information while others are actually important to the game and you just don't know which is which.
I wondered that, for the sake of cyberpunk literature not being anti-capitalist per se, but written more as to reminder that there's always going to be a system and backdrop for that was 80's Reagan's era America and in other cultural terms Orwell's 1984 was more relevant but also perhaps seen differently.
EDIT: Forgot to write this: Political landscape especially in the US has been through change for over a decade. It's very difficult field to navigate and I perhaps even if something may appear to be a bit awry, it's still may be that way for a reason.
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I actually liked them actually something that really sucked me as in NCPD missions especially, they looked awfully lot like something lifted from actual police cases. I don't know what immersive really even mean anymore at these days but that they really added to universe and overall message. May have Mantis Blades or high tech gun, crime and motives remain the same.
I'm not going to start speculation about alternative methods, maybe in other topic.
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I couldn't really comment on the US-American political landscape all too much.
What i percieved about the 80's was rather that the US shifted away (more) from the idea that new technologies will always lead towards a better future - so to say it felt a bit like the Industrialization area Britain, in that now Robots, Globalisation and Co. truly hit jobs again - but that's just my perception without having spent more time really looking into the subject. Which naturally would lead towards more criticism towards consumerism/capitalism and also technologies.
And that feels what quite inherent in the 'Cyberpunk'-PnP games of that time (well speaking only knowing CP2020 and Shadowrun). But then again you also got RoboCop, Aliens and other works, which happily made corporations the bad guys.
More in regards to the topic and the video again.
It's interesting seeing how in the Arasaka ending while looking at earth they play in the line of "A thing of beauty will never fade away" from the Never fade away song. Which could, depending upon how you interpret the song, go in both directions - the world is beautiful or fading away. The one of how it is interpreted in the video, or exactly against that.
From Hollywood works RoboCop was actually pretty good, but that was Verhoeven. In the movie we see people subscribe to some sort of anarcho capitalist ideology and are simply ignorant to issues. It's never said in the film, but implied that people wanted this, get government out of the picture, so we get back to simple truth that power vacuums will always be filled and reality might not always be what was expected. Verhoeven had this, certain touch so to say. There were and perhaps still are people who don't get that his Starship Troopers was a parody. LOL
There are lot of things that could be picked up, but I don't everything is necessarily but what we think of them.
I like how author goes to matters like collapsing social fabric. Think over generations and continents, thinking the same things about things that actually matter. I can't think of any game that has come anywhere close.
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Well there's always the undertones of rebellions will eat its own childrens in terms of power vacuums.
But on a more basic level one can argue that humans tend to organize, which will lead to hierachies and in the end always to some power structures. But that's not exactly touched upon in the game
I'm certain i've missed stuff.
I mean if they've added more about Michiko, one could also find generational rebellions represented.
Well ... as old Monkey Island fan i've to argue that a line about how much money would be appropriate to pay for a game is likely a lot more important as a message...
But i gotta say, at least currently i couldn't really remember anything much better as message. Though i liked Deus Ex Human Revolution. Then again i think something similar is present in other games.
This goes to what I wrote earlier about cyberpunk genre. Changes are sometimes very necessarily, wouldn't be very fun to live in time before Magna Carta, Luther and all that. Game has a limited scope but a bit of history is touched in Aldecados camp. I really liked how they had different kind of conversations than people in city, different kind of topics. That Nomad education showing up.Well there's always the undertones of rebellions will eat its own childrens in terms of power vacuums.
But on a more basic level one can argue that humans tend to organize, which will lead to hierachies and in the end always to some power structures. But that's not exactly touched upon in the game
This is my favourite review, watched it twice already lmao
While these mysteries and loose ends give the sense that the world is bigger than V's story, I don't find that it makes V's story better. It does create space for more story in that universe though. Not the kind of depth that makes a story great for me.
Something that I haven't seen mentioned. Element that can be seen in context of cultural history, ancient Greece and their mythology. Video covers this (and I recommend watching the video) in philosophical context, but there's more and it's totally intended.
Spoilers regarding one of the endings follow.
I mentioned this earlier in highlight topic but I think this really belongs here. A lot of could be discussed about certain parallels I try to explain below, but I don't see purpose in explore that any farther than in it's relevance to game.
In mythology of ancient Greece god Cronus overthrew his father. Based on his own action and prophecy he devoured his own children birthed by his companion Rhea, so they wouldn't ever come to overthrow him. Zeus survived because Rhea deceived Cronus by giving him rock in swaddling instead of baby.
We can see some parallels in story with Yorinobu and his father Saburo, especially considering that Yorinobu knew about that his father existed in a relic. We see him kill him yes, but he was imprisoning him. We can also learn that his vision about Arasaka Industries was different than his father. For Saburo it was like Mount Othrys (where Cronus lived) and Yorinobu wanted something different, while not perhaps like mount Olympus where new generation of gods led by Zeus lived, something different than Saburo's vision.
In Arasaka ending V is in situation like from Greek horror tale. We are at mount Othrys and only outsider who knows what really happened, sociopath on top just ate his kid and if we learned about Saburo, we also know that he is as hell bent to destroy the US as before and peace talks are just cover. We can choose either to come down from mountain and perhaps at least warn people closest to us and that's about it. We get very good picture of social classes through different characters in game and can make educated guess that even if we had proof, what could even Peralez do about it and they are already dealing with something else. Or we can join to mount Ohtrys though not as equal, but but property, servant if they need that.
What is true horror in society like this. Gangs are very real threat but even for citizens higher on social ladder living on safe areas there's intellectual solitude. Worker is paid to create software along certain guides, knows that it's terrible, may very well know why it's so but makes excuse blaming management to ignore that the whole thing is about to keep those consultation fees running and milk every possible enny through failures. Or some other worker's job is just to design systems that break to keep people buying new dish washer, new fridge, new arm.
There's a question of what that sort of thing does to individual and social fabric AND how they ended up with gigantic scrap yard surrounding your city like a belt, what we see in game.
Spoilers regarding one of the endings follow.
I mentioned this earlier in highlight topic but I think this really belongs here. A lot of could be discussed about certain parallels I try to explain below, but I don't see purpose in explore that any farther than in it's relevance to game.
In mythology of ancient Greece god Cronus overthrew his father. Based on his own action and prophecy he devoured his own children birthed by his companion Rhea, so they wouldn't ever come to overthrow him. Zeus survived because Rhea deceived Cronus by giving him rock in swaddling instead of baby.
We can see some parallels in story with Yorinobu and his father Saburo, especially considering that Yorinobu knew about that his father existed in a relic. We see him kill him yes, but he was imprisoning him. We can also learn that his vision about Arasaka Industries was different than his father. For Saburo it was like Mount Othrys (where Cronus lived) and Yorinobu wanted something different, while not perhaps like mount Olympus where new generation of gods led by Zeus lived, something different than Saburo's vision.
In Arasaka ending V is in situation like from Greek horror tale. We are at mount Othrys and only outsider who knows what really happened, sociopath on top just ate his kid and if we learned about Saburo, we also know that he is as hell bent to destroy the US as before and peace talks are just cover. We can choose either to come down from mountain and perhaps at least warn people closest to us and that's about it. We get very good picture of social classes through different characters in game and can make educated guess that even if we had proof, what could even Peralez do about it and they are already dealing with something else. Or we can join to mount Ohtrys though not as equal, but but property, servant if they need that.
What is true horror in society like this. Gangs are very real threat but even for citizens higher on social ladder living on safe areas there's intellectual solitude. Worker is paid to create software along certain guides, knows that it's terrible, may very well know why it's so but makes excuse blaming management to ignore that the whole thing is about to keep those consultation fees running and milk every possible enny through failures. Or some other worker's job is just to design systems that break to keep people buying new dish washer, new fridge, new arm.
There's a question of what that sort of thing does to individual and social fabric AND how they ended up with gigantic scrap yard surrounding your city like a belt, what we see in game.
Since it's recommend by a Moderator, I planed to watched it last month.
But I'm busy this month and pass through the "BlackWall" need some effort, so it's a bit late.
And after this 2 hours watching, I'm sorry to say it's really little... disappointed for me.
Some part of vedio has little flatter, the wide empty dump is definitely the result of rush work, because not every player would stay at dump and think so deeply. The wise solution is give these place more sidejob. Actually, a large dump at the city like NC must the core life of poorest people. But in this game, it's just empty.
But, OK, let's left these part away, they are not the point.
It is deeper than many vedio because the author try to discusse the social system of CP world.
I do agree later capitalistic society is a disaster that should never happened.
But is it the end?
I think it's the worst part of critical art, they told you there is a shit on your road but never give you a way to avoid to step on.
The author said much about Johnney, the introspection about what he did and the punk campaign in real world.
But why they failed? I'm no doubt that as an American, he can hardly catch the point because it is hidden for him, on purpose.
The later capitalistic society is much closer than it looks like, yes we haven't invent Cyberware, but it's the least important part. People are losing jobs, corp win again and again. They chose what you can watch and hear, to make it... normal, to make you used to.
And, they hide the solution. It work well at real world. I'm hesitate a lot about if I should write next part, because it may touch the line corp would not like to show.
How can they hide the solution, since people suffered?
By slice the people, the social itself, lengthways.
They give everyone tags, so that people read each other by their tag, but not the real human.
Punk, is also one of these tags, if you have a tag of punk, people will reduce the attention about who you really are.
The author said good band will change and the campaign will fail very fast, that's not because become popular let them not punk anymore, but make them different people as their fans. That twist acutally crush them, at silence.
But they still have the tag of punk, and this create the chaos which will lead the fast failure.
Corp have the best of the best, a pure and simple boy like Johnney have no chance to win.
But he is still the one I respect, because his failure is not meanless.
I know the anger he has, and this inner fire of people, it will finally bring the light.
I can sure it because the history prove that. I said about my city was like NC many years ago at this forum. There were many people tried their best to change it, most of them failed very soon, some of them got some progress but failed in the end, only one made it.
Johnney, aweak my memory about one of the “got some progress”.
He planed to assassin the big bad guys, the core level of fascist. He is very good at it, the best shot he got was a general, which bring him the wanted "dead or alive" and the title of "terrorist" and a nickname "demon".
He finally dead by the wanted, after many other great assassin jobs. But, the general's death change nothing. The victory of war of anti-fascist can't be done just by kill one man, and it can't be done by one man either. Instead, the death of Hitler is the result of the battle of berlin.
That's the meaning of his sacrifce, just like the nuke of Johnney. To stop the dark future, there is only one way that people must do it together, use thier lifes for the common future of human beings.
The author said about the social fiber, but corp in real word actually not cut it all, they reorganize it by slice lengthways. And the wrong structure keep people feel good, but disintegrate the power of unite. They let people attack each other by their tags, and conceal the man who control the "later capitalistic society", even their name is open and we talk about 1% VS 99% many times.
OK, this is truly far, let's bring back to the game.
Still, I hope it can give more about how to deal with the "later capitalistic society".
But not the useless individualistic heroism tragedy, live like Johnney maybe the worst expect of Johnney because his life is tragedy and he knows that.
And the last issue, about AI and Soul-Killer. Well, this game talk about "what count as human" and "what is soul", but both simple, especially the last one.
In almost every ending, you are burned and Alt redownload you or Johnney into your body. You are also asked to test if you are still human at the rest devil ending part.
That means the game eliminate the problem itself, whatever you like or not, you have to use it to save your life.
Death is too close so that you have no room to think about other issue. It's not the good way to talk about these things, but I guess you have no time to do better.