I tend not to watch game trailers as they add an over extensive hype to a product I maybe interested in, giving me a disappointment when I do actually play the game.
However, after two of my favourite Youtubers did videos on it, I was exposed to the full thing and I now have a vested interest in this title.
There are a few things I am leery of (open world vs narrative, combat mechanics, difficulty progression) but it's atmosphere of taking Deus Ex and cranking it up a couple of notches with a Film Noir feel in the story has me intrigued.
It maybe a full price purchase for me, and I rarely buy triple A games full price. The last 2 were CIV6 and Injustice 2 and I can't remember a title before those two. I'd probably have to go all the way back to GTA5 for that.
For now pretty much the only thing I straight up dislike is that it is in first person perspective. It's just how I am. In this case, however I can look past that - people make an argument that first person gameplay provides better immersion, and in case of Cyberpunk 2077 this could be true - unlike some other developers, I don't think Red's will screw up writing, therefore destroying that immersion.
There is one thing that still worries me. The protagonist is voiced, even if there is character creation thing. I don't want this game to go Fallout 4 route.
@FinneousPJ Geralt is well-established character from the series of books. But in Cyberpunk 2077, V is created and heavily customized in many ways by the player, yet with not being silent type of protagonist, V can feel like Fallout 4 character. And in there, some established character traits were clashing with role-playing choices a lot.
What I am afraid of is this kind of clash, when what player wants and what in-story character wants differs in significant way. It can take you out of experience and I don't want that to happen.
@FinneousPJ Geralt is well-established character from the series of books. But in Cyberpunk 2077, V is created and heavily customized in many ways by the player, yet with not being silent type of protagonist, V can feel like Fallout 4 character. And in there, some established character traits were clashing with role-playing choices a lot.
What I am afraid of is this kind of clash, when what player wants and what in-story character wants differs in significant way. It can take you out of experience and I don't want that to happen.
@O_Bruce Yes, but the Witcher series does attempt to give you choices. Are you unhappy if the choices in Cyberpunk are comparable to Witcher 3, as in they should be more varied?
@FinneousPJ True, but in a game with strongly established character voice acting adds to experience, and the choices can be presented in such a way that it would fit the character. In a game with silent protagonist, you project yourself on the character fully, and thus choices can be written in more open way. But when you try to combine the two, voice acting can get into way - on the one hand, the game wants to give you as much choice and role-playing opportunites as possible, on the other hand the voice acting actually limits your own interpretation on the character you try to play as.
For example, if I want to play a nihilist I don't need the voice actor to deserately shout he/she wants to save a family member. It creates a void between what I want and what game wants me to seek.
As of right now, I see Cyberpunk sitting in the latter category, unless the fact proves me wrong. If I am, then please inform me about it. I am willing to have my mind changed.
My one worry is that I already feel like I live in a cyberpunk capitalist dystopia in Seattle today and it will be a little too much like real life for me. I already had my Max Headroom, we are living in the future moment almost 10 years ago, when I saw a bunch of bums clustered around a laptop in Pioneer Square. I'm probably the only person around that complains, "Why can't Amazon hurry up and build the Archaelogy and wall themselves off from the rest of the city, already?"
Not my type of game, but they have been advertising that it is possible to do a "no kills" run, so I'm a (tiny bit) interested. On a side note, I suspect Keanu is bathing in virgin blood to look so fine.
If there isn't a sidequest where you have to escort Keanu's Cyberpunk character and his dog to a location, and Keanu goes nuts on a killing spree every time the dog is touched, I will be SORELY disappointed. XD
While I'm actually not THAT big a fan of cyberpunk in general, I find the themes behind transhumanism to be extremely fascinating, especially considering it may not be that far off in our own future. So yeah, I'm quite looking forward to CP2077. I'll probably try doing a normal run, followed by a pacifist no-kills run, and then one where I turn myself into a cybernetic Jedi assassin (that hopefully can wield a non-euctactic blade a la Deus Ex) that just bounces off walls in between slicing up hapless goons. XD
On the subject of voiced versus silent protagonists, I actually agree with O_Bruce above. I think that voiced protagonists are fine for established characters such as Batman (from the Arkham games) or Geralt (from the Witcher novels), but I otherwise vastly prefer silent protagonists such as the Bhaalspawn from the BG series, or the Warden from Dragon Age: Origins. The reason is the same that Bruce gave; no matter how skilled the voice actor, over time a voiced character will start to display a personality of their own, based on how the voice actor is interpreting their lines. That's how you wind up getting the distinct impression that Commander Shepard (from Mass Effect) and Hawke (from Dragon Age 2) are their own characters, and that you're merely guiding their actions through the game, rather than creating a character of their own.
Voiced protagonists have their merits, but they don't allow me to fully immerse myself in a RPG the way silent protagonists do. That doesn't mean that games like Witcher or Mass Effect or Cyberpunk aren't fantastic games in their own right, but I do hope that other upcoming RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 will let me scratch my silent protagonist itch.
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However, after two of my favourite Youtubers did videos on it, I was exposed to the full thing and I now have a vested interest in this title.
There are a few things I am leery of (open world vs narrative, combat mechanics, difficulty progression) but it's atmosphere of taking Deus Ex and cranking it up a couple of notches with a Film Noir feel in the story has me intrigued.
It maybe a full price purchase for me, and I rarely buy triple A games full price. The last 2 were CIV6 and Injustice 2 and I can't remember a title before those two. I'd probably have to go all the way back to GTA5 for that.
There is one thing that still worries me. The protagonist is voiced, even if there is character creation thing. I don't want this game to go Fallout 4 route.
Geralt is well-established character from the series of books. But in Cyberpunk 2077, V is created and heavily customized in many ways by the player, yet with not being silent type of protagonist, V can feel like Fallout 4 character. And in there, some established character traits were clashing with role-playing choices a lot.
What I am afraid of is this kind of clash, when what player wants and what in-story character wants differs in significant way. It can take you out of experience and I don't want that to happen.
For example, if I want to play a nihilist I don't need the voice actor to deserately shout he/she wants to save a family member. It creates a void between what I want and what game wants me to seek.
As of right now, I see Cyberpunk sitting in the latter category, unless the fact proves me wrong. If I am, then please inform me about it. I am willing to have my mind changed.
Spellcheck- taking perfectly fine words and mangling them so that you look like a total idiot.
April 16, 2020!!!
Noooooooooo!
Well there is this:
https://www.keanuisimmortal.com/
While I'm actually not THAT big a fan of cyberpunk in general, I find the themes behind transhumanism to be extremely fascinating, especially considering it may not be that far off in our own future. So yeah, I'm quite looking forward to CP2077.
On the subject of voiced versus silent protagonists, I actually agree with O_Bruce above. I think that voiced protagonists are fine for established characters such as Batman (from the Arkham games) or Geralt (from the Witcher novels), but I otherwise vastly prefer silent protagonists such as the Bhaalspawn from the BG series, or the Warden from Dragon Age: Origins. The reason is the same that Bruce gave; no matter how skilled the voice actor, over time a voiced character will start to display a personality of their own, based on how the voice actor is interpreting their lines. That's how you wind up getting the distinct impression that Commander Shepard (from Mass Effect) and Hawke (from Dragon Age 2) are their own characters, and that you're merely guiding their actions through the game, rather than creating a character of their own.
Voiced protagonists have their merits, but they don't allow me to fully immerse myself in a RPG the way silent protagonists do. That doesn't mean that games like Witcher or Mass Effect or Cyberpunk aren't fantastic games in their own right, but I do hope that other upcoming RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 will let me scratch my silent protagonist itch.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/cyberpunk-2077-release-pushed-back-to-september-17-2020/
They say it's technically complete, but they need more time for play testing and bug squashing.