It's not exactly the expansive GTA-like sandbox RPG that was marketed as, but it's a pretty great game nonetheless.
It's clearly using the same blueprint as The Witcher 3. Very similar games both in design and structure. Combat is simple, nothing special, fun but can get old after a while. Systems such as crafting and netrunning feel underused and unnecessary, maybe in higher difficulties this changes like in The Witcher. Character customisation isn't it's main strength, it never really felt like I was playing as a unique character through my choices, it's very much a predetermined character with some minor characteristics you can change depending on how you like to play, once again, kinda like The Witcher. Having clothing and fashion directly tied to armour values is a pretty big miss, a transmog system would go a long way in making the main character feel more of one's own.
The world, the setting, the writing, characters both main and secondary and the strength of the mission structure are the reasons why I would highly recommend playing this game.
The art design of Night City is unparalleled, no other game let's you explore a city like this one. It's really fun to drive around and just absorb the environment. It's sadly not as lively and active nor as interactible as a Rockstar-made city, but it fully scratches the Cyberpunk environment itch.
The "NCPD Hustles" as they're called are just small activities you can find all over the map, rather simple and quick to complete, I never really got bored by these as I did rather quickly with the ones in The Witcher 3. Side Jobs offer a more compelling case for going around the map and clearing the checks off the list. Very fun, very varied, lots of colorful characters and situations. Main Side Jobs and Main Jobs are the meat of the game and you are missing all of the best moments and interactions if you're not experiencing them fully. Really well written and acted characters abound, plenty of standouts. Keanu Reeves is really well utilised as Silverhand, not a crappy celeb cameo, he's basically the co-protagonist and is great at it.
I really enjoyed the game. It runs great now, I've encountered more issues in games that have had no bad press around them, I played it at launch even and thought the reaction to the release was way overblown. It didn't really need many updates to "fix" the game itself as it was never exactly going for what it was expected to be, but some new quality of life additions were solid. It's a pity that the whole release fiasco screwed up the game's image, because I ended up appreciating it more than The Witcher 3 by the end and I'm pretty sure that it could have end up being similarly regarded by the general public. (The Witcher 3 isn't all that great chill out). I'm curious about those rumoured expansions, I would like to see more stuff made in this world.
If the aesthetics interest you, there's no other one quite like it.
It's clearly using the same blueprint as The Witcher 3. Very similar games both in design and structure. Combat is simple, nothing special, fun but can get old after a while. Systems such as crafting and netrunning feel underused and unnecessary, maybe in higher difficulties this changes like in The Witcher. Character customisation isn't it's main strength, it never really felt like I was playing as a unique character through my choices, it's very much a predetermined character with some minor characteristics you can change depending on how you like to play, once again, kinda like The Witcher. Having clothing and fashion directly tied to armour values is a pretty big miss, a transmog system would go a long way in making the main character feel more of one's own.
The world, the setting, the writing, characters both main and secondary and the strength of the mission structure are the reasons why I would highly recommend playing this game.
The art design of Night City is unparalleled, no other game let's you explore a city like this one. It's really fun to drive around and just absorb the environment. It's sadly not as lively and active nor as interactible as a Rockstar-made city, but it fully scratches the Cyberpunk environment itch.
The "NCPD Hustles" as they're called are just small activities you can find all over the map, rather simple and quick to complete, I never really got bored by these as I did rather quickly with the ones in The Witcher 3. Side Jobs offer a more compelling case for going around the map and clearing the checks off the list. Very fun, very varied, lots of colorful characters and situations. Main Side Jobs and Main Jobs are the meat of the game and you are missing all of the best moments and interactions if you're not experiencing them fully. Really well written and acted characters abound, plenty of standouts. Keanu Reeves is really well utilised as Silverhand, not a crappy celeb cameo, he's basically the co-protagonist and is great at it.
I really enjoyed the game. It runs great now, I've encountered more issues in games that have had no bad press around them, I played it at launch even and thought the reaction to the release was way overblown. It didn't really need many updates to "fix" the game itself as it was never exactly going for what it was expected to be, but some new quality of life additions were solid. It's a pity that the whole release fiasco screwed up the game's image, because I ended up appreciating it more than The Witcher 3 by the end and I'm pretty sure that it could have end up being similarly regarded by the general public. (The Witcher 3 isn't all that great chill out). I'm curious about those rumoured expansions, I would like to see more stuff made in this world.
If the aesthetics interest you, there's no other one quite like it.