Cyberpunk 2077 is the most awaited game of the year. Its delayed release and years-long hype has made it a shoe in to win game of the year. However, the reception to Cyberpunk 2077 has been mixed.
It’s been hailed as a leap forward in gaming and has been praised for its rich visuals, gameplay, and storytelling. Yet, the bugs and issues with its various console versions have resulted in mocking and several memes. In fact, there’s even a lawsuit going on pertaining to the game. So which is it? Is Cyberpunk 2077 game of the year or a failure?
The Love
Even before Cyberpunk 2077 was released, it had gotten hundreds of awards and won the admiration of the gaming community. It was praised for its rich visuals and gameplay. Not only that, but the inclusion of Keanu Reeves’ motion capture performance as Johnny Silverhand generated great enthusiasm. It even birthed the mini Keanu Reeves meme and the ‘You’re Breathtaking’ meme.
After its release, the game was greeted with a lot of critical and commercial praise. The PS5, Xbox Series X and PC gameplay was given unending praise. The rich renders, gameplay aesthetics, and engaging storyline were all received very well.
The game presented a world where you could modify your own appearance, and the gameplay almost completely. You could fight with futuristic weapons or old classics. You could also change from a first person shooter to a racing simulator to an interactive role playing game.
All the while, the game presented a storyline that entailed speaking to a ghost in the machine. Johnny Silverhand is a long deceased revolutionary whose consciousness has been implanted into a chip. The protagonist communes with him while the two consciousnesses battle it out.
As of December 22nd, 2020, the game had sold over 13 million copies.
Now on to the hate.
The Hate
Ever since the game launch, owners of previous generation consoles like PS4 and Xbox One have been experiencing major issues. Framerate drops, bad renders, repeated crashes, and a drop in visual detail have been the most frequent complaints. Memes have been made to no end about the game’s poor performance on last gen consoles. Sony even pulled it from the PlayStation store!
The fact that Cyberpunk 2077 had been repeatedly delayed for months has exacerbated this situation. This has resulted in a mixed reception overall. For example, the PC version of the game stands at an 86% on Metacritic. Yet, the PS4 score is at 54% and the Xbox One score is at 61%. The User score is even worse at 3.4!
CD Projekt Red, the developers, released a day one patch to address these issues, but they continued to plague gamers. As a result, CD Projekt Red offered a refund for PS4, Xbox One, and PC users. Weeks after the release, a lawsuit was launched against the developers for misleading investors about last gen console performance.
Taking it all together, it seems like the game will live on in history as one of the most polarizing products. All in all, that’s a win. Those with the right consoles and beefed up PCs are enjoying the game to no end. Yet, the bad will always be remembered for this envelope pushing game.
