“Cyberpunk 2077” v1.2: an Ambitious Achievement in Open World Games
Publisher: WB Interactive
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Platform: PS4 (Also Available on PC and Xbox One, Coming soon to PS5 and Xbox Series)
ESRB Rating: M
My Rating: ****½:5
After being previously delayed from its planned release this past February, “Cyberpunk 2077” has seen the release of its v1.2 update in late March 2021. Though the game has admittedly seen its fair share of issues since its initial launch this past December; this latest major update (along with its accompanying “Hotfix” patches) is a sure sign of developer CD Projekt RED being dedicated to improving the experience and showing the true potential of the title.
Upon its initial release, while the game had a stable performance on PC and new generation consoles; the Playstation 4 and Xbox One versions were significantly less sound. Over time, a series of “Hotfix” patches and the previous major update helped vastly upgrade overall experience. Now that this second major update has finally seen release; the full potential of the game is now being realized with more content updates in the wings (including full ports to the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series that can be upgraded for existing players at no extra cost).
Drawing from the “Cyberpunk 2020” tabletop role-playing game and the developers’ previous work on titles such as “The Witcher” series, the world of Night City, CA has proven to be a setting full of life and tremendous attention to detail. The depiction of a near-future Northern California is rife with quests to complete and encounters unique to each distinct “life path” you choose for your character. The real-time combat is intuitive on the surface, yet surprisingly deep as you upgrade your skill levels of each weapon type. One key tip is don’t try to play the combat missions like a first-person shooter: your avatar will die a lot if you do. This latest major update not only further refines the progress already made on the base game; it’s easily the best version of the game to date. The game has also made a variety of improvements to the graphics that push the current generation of consoles to their limits and make a fantastic showcase for the new generation of hardware.
Whether you’ve been playing since the initial launch this past December or have been wanting to try the game for the first time, the v1.2 update of “Cyberpunk 2077” is easily the best version of the game to date; marking an ambitious achievement in open-world games. With more content coming in the near future, now is the perfect time to jump into the world of Night City.
