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---------- PRE-PLAYTHROUGH EXPECTATIONS
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Some background on me:
- I havent really dug into any pre-release info, like trailers or interview
- I spent what I think would be a pretty thorough amount of time with Cyberpunk base game, but I didnt submerge myself in every detail about the game outside my own playthrough.
- I also am not familiar with the Witcher games or CD Projekts past development sensabilities so I can only speak on an experience with Cyberpunk.
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So that being said, here are some thoughts:
- I anticipate the story of the expansion to be interesting but probably not crucially relevant to the events of 2077. I think some people delude themselves into a fantasy, nothing CD Projekt did in the base game (and also considering the challenges and logistics of designing a DLC in the first place, for any company or game) makes me think that CD Projekt would decide to start doing something compelling complex now, out of the blue.
- I expect basically no innovation on combat design, apart from the modest editions made in the 2.0 update. Itll be groups of baddies, hanging out in some sort of building, where your goal is to obliterate them with any number of your extremely OP god-like perks and equipment, in exactly the same fashion you did in every fight in the base game. Enemies will probably dress in some new aesthetic representing some new faction in the game but I entirely expect them to behave the same as everything else. (Wouldnt be too hard to make this happen tho, I could be surprised on this one)
- While not being fully informed, Ive heard a snippet about Dogtown being a separate discontiguous area from Night City. Some people see this as an issue, I think this can only be a good thing. CD Projekt has an opportunity here (and Im ambivalent if theyll pull it off) to make a much more dense and interesting series of set pieces when they dont have to worry about slotting it in to a world that is basically already boring terrain-wise. The worst outcome here, would be making a mini-Night City - this is an opportunity to really leverage the Kowloon thing they are trying to capture.
- In typical DLC fashion, I anticipate this to be an especially rewarding piece of content, where theyll push alot of value by giving me unique access and features, as well as incredibly potent items thatll be easier to acquire compared to the base game. This is always a lil bittersweet - its fun to get cool shit but it almost always trivializes the experience in the tradeoff. It also always feels like it incentivizes reversing design decisions just to make something an appealing purchase, or maybe like youre paying for something that ought to have been considered for the regular game. Its just a lil arbitrary-feeling I guess. It unfocuses the game - but this isnt a CD Projekt or Cyberpunk unique issue. Its just the reality of adding more game to a game I suppose.
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Overall tho I think Im in for a fun lil romp. If I were to use Bethesda games as a benchmark:
- I suspect it wont be more better Shivering Isles from Oblivion. I dont think Cyberpunk has what it takes to outdo in drama what Sheoggorath does in comedy.
- I do think that Phantom Liberty has every opportunity to be better than Far Harbor from Fallout 4. In this case, both games are tackling a similar style of drama, and it could still be the case that Far Harbor does a better job there. But Id bet Dogtown as a location will be more engaging than Far Harbor was as an explorable location.
And thats not too shabby a trajectory tbh. Thats pretty good for a DLC, so lets hope its not somehow below expectation here.
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