Haven't watched the video yet, but I'll comment: Cyberpunk turned out to be a great game. Sure, it has its bugs but not any more than any of the Fallout series (in fact, in my experience - less)...
Haven't watched the video yet, but I'll comment: Cyberpunk turned out to be a great game.
Sure, it has its bugs but not any more than any of the Fallout series (in fact, in my experience - less) and I enjoyed those immensely (up until the ending of FO4). If anyone is still on the fence, it's a great game, incredibly fun, and some very cool mechanics (taking over security cams, hacking, braindances, &c) and the story line is breathtaking! Goes in a thousand different directions and comes together incredibly well, the game keeps you guessing and you never know what is going to happen next. Combat can at times get stale, but then you just need to change up your weapons or approach (I prefer stealth) and it's a lot of fun again. Variety is the spice of life, I suppose.
I'm not saying there aren't issues, the police AI is a bit rough, wish there was more complex missions (some puzzles would be nice), and I've got my own ideas on features they should have implemented, but overall it's a fun game that plays a lot like a movie that would be likely winning awards for its storytelling and considered a cult-classic.
Was the video worth watching? Cuz I also enjoyed the game, and the video description alone makes me incredibly skeptical of it, given it says: It was panned by a lot of critics and a huge segment...
Was the video worth watching? Cuz I also enjoyed the game, and the video description alone makes me incredibly skeptical of it, given it says:
a video review and critique of Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most infamous flops of recent years
It was panned by a lot of critics and a huge segment of incredibly vocal (and obnoxious) social media users, but I would hardly call it a flop. It sold 13 million copies in the first week alone, and was apparently the largest digital game launch of all time. And like you, I personally really enjoyed it despite its faults, the idiotic hype train leading up to its launch, and the overblown criticism afterwards.
So does this video fall into the "overblown criticism" category too, or does it focus on the actual, objective, and tangible faults of the game (so even I can enjoy it)?
I am not familiar with Noah at all, which is part of why I was so wary of the video. But thanks, that's good to know. I will check it out now, since I actually do enjoy good/fair game (and movie)...
I am not familiar with Noah at all, which is part of why I was so wary of the video. But thanks, that's good to know. I will check it out now, since I actually do enjoy good/fair game (and movie) criticism videos, even of content I enjoyed.
p.s. The insane internet hatefest directed at Cyberpunk 2077, especially by people (even some here on Tildes) who I know for a fact didn't even play the fucking game, or did play it but then felt that justified them shitting on anyone who actually enjoyed it, really irked me... and is also why I am so wary of such critical content directed at this game in particular. :(
This is becoming a huge problem in media criticism on social platforms lately. There is never any middle ground. Either a film/book/game/show is the best thing since sliced bread, or worse than...
This is becoming a huge problem in media criticism on social platforms lately. There is never any middle ground. Either a film/book/game/show is the best thing since sliced bread, or worse than cancer.
The extreme hyperbole surrounding Star Wars: The Last Jedi really opened my eyes to this, though thinking back the problem has been going on for many more years than that.
This is true but how much of this is due to social media? When there are two competing opinions on a website that rewards opinion with n > 50% can we expect a different result? Like you say,...
The extreme hyperbole surrounding Star Wars: The Last Jedi really opened my eyes to this, though thinking back the problem has been going on for many more years than that.
This is true but how much of this is due to social media? When there are two competing opinions on a website that rewards opinion with n > 50% can we expect a different result? Like you say, there's no room for nuance because your 'side' is either winning or losing.
I quite enjoyed TLJ and thought Cyberpunk was a pretty bland game so it's interesting to have been on both sides of the pile on. In this case I played 2077 for about 20 hours before putting it down -- It was fine but I was getting similar levels of enjoyment from it as a Ubisoft open world game and I just don't have time to play games that aren't either doing something novel or delivering an exceptional experience.
I think the critical response was pretty on-point, though. Take IGN for instance; PC version got a 9/10, PS4 version got a 4/10. Which is fair. 9/10 is perhaps a tad high, but it's a good game for...
I think the critical response was pretty on-point, though. Take IGN for instance; PC version got a 9/10, PS4 version got a 4/10. Which is fair. 9/10 is perhaps a tad high, but it's a good game for the scope of what it is. It's not anywhere close to the sandbox GTA V or RDR2 is, it's not really an RPG, it's not going to make you contemplate the material like a Planescape, but it's a pretty solidly themed single player shooter with a touch of RPG elements and big time production value. If you can run it, that is.
The PS4 and Xbox One releases absolutely deserved the beating they received both publicly and critically.
Yeah, I absolutely agree that the console release, release schedule, and bugs criticism was totally fair, and CDPR deserved to eat shit for that. And most of the major gaming outlets' criticism of...
Yeah, I absolutely agree that the console release, release schedule, and bugs criticism was totally fair, and CDPR deserved to eat shit for that. And most of the major gaming outlets' criticism of the game was reasonably fair as well... but that is not what I was referring to, and none of that made up the bulk of the criticism I saw at launch (at least on the sites I frequent).
Noah Gervais is easily one of the top video game critics currently active, many of the other major figures point to him as the gold standard. His work is always comprehensive, insightful, and...
Noah Gervais is easily one of the top video game critics currently active, many of the other major figures point to him as the gold standard. His work is always comprehensive, insightful, and well-considered. He's completely unlike the usual video game critic, and so his work usually lays on the opposite end of the spectrum from your standard YouTube gaming reviewers or the subjects they cover. You can be sure that if he says something, there's at least three paragraphs worth of explanation coming up right behind it to explain the context and nuances behind it.
In this case, what he identifies as a flop isn't the sales or critical reception, but the aims the game had to be part of cyberpunk canon and how it fell short of the mark.
If you haven't played the game, then frankly, you don't know what you're talking about: the game very plainly was not ready for release. Of course most games will have some bugs here and there....
If you haven't played the game, then frankly, you don't know what you're talking about: the game very plainly was not ready for release. Of course most games will have some bugs here and there. I'm a software developer, I understand. But Cyberpunk was something else entirely! I've played it some weeks after it came out, on a solid desktop machine, and the flaws were just incredibly obvious (and obnoxious) . Things that will have jumped at every play tester within an hour of playing (e.g. background objects floating through the scene or very weird car mechanics). I won't even speak to the more-in depth issues (e.g. weird/nonsensical/bad writing in some of the story line). The game deserved every ounce of blowback it received, and more, I think. This was very, very, VERY obvious that this game was not ready to be released. The fact that the publishers decided to release it in its half-finished state unashamed is, quite frankly, insulting. It was a quick money grab: it was obvious that the game was going to sell even in it's half-baked shape, so they decided to release it as-is and deal with the backlash later. As customers, we should not accept this, and I think it's good that there was such an outcry about it.The game had the potential to be one of the best games of the decade, to be one of these eternally awesome games. And the fact that they refused to give the game another half year and call it quits and cash in is... very sad.
I have played the game (over 200 hours worth of it) and still think @Loire's take on the situation is mostly accurate. Yes, there are undeniably plenty of valid criticisms that can and should be...
I have played the game (over 200 hours worth of it) and still think @Loire's take on the situation is mostly accurate. Yes, there are undeniably plenty of valid criticisms that can and should be levied against the game and CDPR, and many gaming outlets and people have expressed those. However, the vast majority of the hate on social media being directed at them (and often also at people like myself who actually enjoyed the game and were vocal about it) did not seem to actually be about those valid criticisms. The bulk of it felt motivated more by "fuck you for liking something I don't like" feelings, and bandwagoning, rather than having anything to do with those actually valid criticisms.
Here's my theory on the whole "Cyberpunk is buggy and unfinished" ordeal: The game was supposed to come out April 2020, and then was delayed. This means that it would have originally launched when...
Here's my theory on the whole "Cyberpunk is buggy and unfinished" ordeal:
The game was supposed to come out April 2020, and then was delayed. This means that it would have originally launched when only last-gen consoles were out, and they would have been able to spend the next year+ for the upgrade for the PS5 version (keep in mind, they wouldn't have had to have the PS5/XB/Next Gen upgrade same day).
But, they had hit issues that delayed it for so long that they had to come out with a next Gen version and so they spread their resources too thin working on the game, working on the upgrades, and working on the general cleanup and bugs. Tie this all into limited staff, in-house work days because of the pandemic, and you can see why they had so many issues. If they had their original timeline of last-gen consoles, updates for bugs along the way, and then work on the next-gen consoles then they would have likely had a much smoother experience.
I think the bigger issue was the unacceptable level of performance on consoles. For those of us playing on PC, it was an unpolished, buggy mess, but the game was still fun to play and the story...
I think the bigger issue was the unacceptable level of performance on consoles. For those of us playing on PC, it was an unpolished, buggy mess, but the game was still fun to play and the story engaging despite the technical issues. For users trying to play on a PS4 or Xbox One though, it was an unplayable mess on launch. Far worse than other buggy console launches I can think of, like Assassin's Creed: Unity or Fallout: New Vegas.
It doesn't help that CDPR kept delaying the game in the name of polish (ultimately releasing many months later than their initial release date). When developers make such a big deal about not releasing their software until it is ready, it is reasonable for users to expect a finished, polished game when it finally releases.
Haven't watched the video yet, but I'll comment: Cyberpunk turned out to be a great game.
Sure, it has its bugs but not any more than any of the Fallout series (in fact, in my experience - less) and I enjoyed those immensely (up until the ending of FO4). If anyone is still on the fence, it's a great game, incredibly fun, and some very cool mechanics (taking over security cams, hacking, braindances, &c) and the story line is breathtaking! Goes in a thousand different directions and comes together incredibly well, the game keeps you guessing and you never know what is going to happen next. Combat can at times get stale, but then you just need to change up your weapons or approach (I prefer stealth) and it's a lot of fun again. Variety is the spice of life, I suppose.
I'm not saying there aren't issues, the police AI is a bit rough, wish there was more complex missions (some puzzles would be nice), and I've got my own ideas on features they should have implemented, but overall it's a fun game that plays a lot like a movie that would be likely winning awards for its storytelling and considered a cult-classic.
Now I'll go and watch the video.
Was the video worth watching? Cuz I also enjoyed the game, and the video description alone makes me incredibly skeptical of it, given it says:
It was panned by a lot of critics and a huge segment of incredibly vocal (and obnoxious) social media users, but I would hardly call it a flop. It sold 13 million copies in the first week alone, and was apparently the largest digital game launch of all time. And like you, I personally really enjoyed it despite its faults, the idiotic hype train leading up to its launch, and the overblown criticism afterwards.
So does this video fall into the "overblown criticism" category too, or does it focus on the actual, objective, and tangible faults of the game (so even I can enjoy it)?
I am not familiar with Noah at all, which is part of why I was so wary of the video. But thanks, that's good to know. I will check it out now, since I actually do enjoy good/fair game (and movie) criticism videos, even of content I enjoyed.
p.s. The insane internet hatefest directed at Cyberpunk 2077, especially by people (even some here on Tildes) who I know for a fact didn't even play the fucking game, or did play it but then felt that justified them shitting on anyone who actually enjoyed it, really irked me... and is also why I am so wary of such critical content directed at this game in particular. :(
This is becoming a huge problem in media criticism on social platforms lately. There is never any middle ground. Either a film/book/game/show is the best thing since sliced bread, or worse than cancer.
The extreme hyperbole surrounding Star Wars: The Last Jedi really opened my eyes to this, though thinking back the problem has been going on for many more years than that.
This is true but how much of this is due to social media? When there are two competing opinions on a website that rewards opinion with n > 50% can we expect a different result? Like you say, there's no room for nuance because your 'side' is either winning or losing.
I quite enjoyed TLJ and thought Cyberpunk was a pretty bland game so it's interesting to have been on both sides of the pile on. In this case I played 2077 for about 20 hours before putting it down -- It was fine but I was getting similar levels of enjoyment from it as a Ubisoft open world game and I just don't have time to play games that aren't either doing something novel or delivering an exceptional experience.
I think the critical response was pretty on-point, though. Take IGN for instance; PC version got a 9/10, PS4 version got a 4/10. Which is fair. 9/10 is perhaps a tad high, but it's a good game for the scope of what it is. It's not anywhere close to the sandbox GTA V or RDR2 is, it's not really an RPG, it's not going to make you contemplate the material like a Planescape, but it's a pretty solidly themed single player shooter with a touch of RPG elements and big time production value. If you can run it, that is.
The PS4 and Xbox One releases absolutely deserved the beating they received both publicly and critically.
Yeah, I absolutely agree that the console release, release schedule, and bugs criticism was totally fair, and CDPR deserved to eat shit for that. And most of the major gaming outlets' criticism of the game was reasonably fair as well... but that is not what I was referring to, and none of that made up the bulk of the criticism I saw at launch (at least on the sites I frequent).
Noah Gervais is easily one of the top video game critics currently active, many of the other major figures point to him as the gold standard. His work is always comprehensive, insightful, and well-considered. He's completely unlike the usual video game critic, and so his work usually lays on the opposite end of the spectrum from your standard YouTube gaming reviewers or the subjects they cover. You can be sure that if he says something, there's at least three paragraphs worth of explanation coming up right behind it to explain the context and nuances behind it.
In this case, what he identifies as a flop isn't the sales or critical reception, but the aims the game had to be part of cyberpunk canon and how it fell short of the mark.
If you haven't played the game, then frankly, you don't know what you're talking about: the game very plainly was not ready for release. Of course most games will have some bugs here and there. I'm a software developer, I understand. But Cyberpunk was something else entirely! I've played it some weeks after it came out, on a solid desktop machine, and the flaws were just incredibly obvious (and obnoxious) . Things that will have jumped at every play tester within an hour of playing (e.g. background objects floating through the scene or very weird car mechanics). I won't even speak to the more-in depth issues (e.g. weird/nonsensical/bad writing in some of the story line). The game deserved every ounce of blowback it received, and more, I think. This was very, very, VERY obvious that this game was not ready to be released. The fact that the publishers decided to release it in its half-finished state unashamed is, quite frankly, insulting. It was a quick money grab: it was obvious that the game was going to sell even in it's half-baked shape, so they decided to release it as-is and deal with the backlash later. As customers, we should not accept this, and I think it's good that there was such an outcry about it.The game had the potential to be one of the best games of the decade, to be one of these eternally awesome games. And the fact that they refused to give the game another half year and call it quits and cash in is... very sad.
I have played the game (over 200 hours worth of it) and still think @Loire's take on the situation is mostly accurate. Yes, there are undeniably plenty of valid criticisms that can and should be levied against the game and CDPR, and many gaming outlets and people have expressed those. However, the vast majority of the hate on social media being directed at them (and often also at people like myself who actually enjoyed the game and were vocal about it) did not seem to actually be about those valid criticisms. The bulk of it felt motivated more by "fuck you for liking something I don't like" feelings, and bandwagoning, rather than having anything to do with those actually valid criticisms.
Here's my theory on the whole "Cyberpunk is buggy and unfinished" ordeal:
The game was supposed to come out April 2020, and then was delayed. This means that it would have originally launched when only last-gen consoles were out, and they would have been able to spend the next year+ for the upgrade for the PS5 version (keep in mind, they wouldn't have had to have the PS5/XB/Next Gen upgrade same day).
But, they had hit issues that delayed it for so long that they had to come out with a next Gen version and so they spread their resources too thin working on the game, working on the upgrades, and working on the general cleanup and bugs. Tie this all into limited staff, in-house work days because of the pandemic, and you can see why they had so many issues. If they had their original timeline of last-gen consoles, updates for bugs along the way, and then work on the next-gen consoles then they would have likely had a much smoother experience.
I think the bigger issue was the unacceptable level of performance on consoles. For those of us playing on PC, it was an unpolished, buggy mess, but the game was still fun to play and the story engaging despite the technical issues. For users trying to play on a PS4 or Xbox One though, it was an unplayable mess on launch. Far worse than other buggy console launches I can think of, like Assassin's Creed: Unity or Fallout: New Vegas.
It doesn't help that CDPR kept delaying the game in the name of polish (ultimately releasing many months later than their initial release date). When developers make such a big deal about not releasing their software until it is ready, it is reasonable for users to expect a finished, polished game when it finally releases.