The verdicts are in and it seems that CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 has not only impressed early reviewers, but some have even said that it’s their new favorite game of all time. That’s quite an accomplishment!
Cyberpunk 2077 is a behemoth of a first-person action RPG that has been highly anticipated since its beginnings in 2012 and its first official reveal in 2018. And this is a no-brainer, since CD Projekt’s previous endeavors include the Witcher series, the PC port of Baldur’s Gate, and GOG.com. Yes, CDProjekt created one of Steam’s greatest competitors.
But now we face Cyberpunk 2077‘s release date on December 10th and the buzz has turned into an eruption. This game not only has sci-fi game fans excited, but it has everyone who appreciates a well-crafted game excited.
So while we count down the hours until release, let’s take a look at what those who have had some hands-on time think about their experience. We’ve done our best to leave out the biggest spoilers while picking out the best, most succinct quotes from each review so you don’t have to. You’re welcome!
IGN (Tom Marks’ 16-Hour Playthrough Review)
“If there’s perhaps one thing I want you to take away from this preview, it’s how different Cyberpunk 2077 feels to play than many of the games it can be compared to. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, an RPG – and despite the FPS combat full of fancy weapons, its pace is otherwise slow and deliberate. But even then, it’s not like other open world RPGs like Fallout 4 or The Witcher 3 thanks to one extremely important difference: combat is not an inherent part of travel.”
IGN (Ryan McCaffrey’s 4-Hour Playthrough Review from October)
“Cyberpunk 2077 feels like the spiritual successor to Warren Spector’s legendary original, Hall-of-Fame-inducted Deus Ex, and I cannot personally pay it a higher compliment than that. It just might somehow live up to the years of hype.”
PC World (Brad Chacos)
“Listen, I’ve played a lot of video games in my life. Almost 30 years of them at this point. I know what a ‘city’ looks like in video games, and I’ve watched that definition evolve over the years. I remember when Morrowind’s towns seemed bustling, and Oblivion after that. I remember watching a trailer for the original Assassin’s Creed and being stunned how large and crowded it was. I remember driving around Grand Theft Auto V and being in awe of the traffic and the number of unique pedestrians.
So I’m deadly serious when I say: I didn’t think Night City was possible. Not yet, at least. I literally didn’t think the technology existed. What I saw during CD Projekt’s demo was astounding.”
Trusted Reviews (Jade King)
“If Cyberpunk 2077 depicts a society where transpeople can exist without worry, why does it still maintain so many of the tired tropes we’ve failed to upheave in the 21st Century? The situation worsens as the narrative progresses, with excellent female characters being twisted into nothing more than tragic objects of motivation for male characters like Johnny Silverhand who exhibit all the worse qualities of this battered and broken society.”
The Gamer (Kirk McKeand)
“I can’t get Cyberpunk 2077 out of my head. I’ve had it a week and played 70 hours, which is probably about as healthy as scooping out my face and replacing it with electronics, but it didn’t feel like work. Like a digital personality loaded onto a biochip, it felt like stepping into another life for a while. It’s a life I can’t wait to relive.”
Polygon (Carolyn Petit)
“Neither its gameplay nor its narrative can imagine the bold possibilities that I find so central to the best of cyberpunk. But what it does offer is visions of people trying to make do and get by in a world that’s trying to eat them alive, and sometimes those people get by with a little help from their friends. It’s not the revolution I hoped for, but it’s something.”
Of course, this is just a taste of the reviews pouring in for this game. Be sure to check out the Review Megathread on Reddit for much more!
