While Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is right around the corner, releasing on September 26, many of you have yet to play the base game. There have been countless upgrades by CD Projekt RED, and Cyberpunk 2077 has been a whole new game after the Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode patch.
But then again, this game has largely been recommended for the next-gen consoles, and many believe that this is how it should’ve been from the very beginning, and it was a mistake by CD Projekt RED to release the game on current-gen consoles. But even after all that, Cyberpunk 2077 should run well on PC, and while the game was released in 2020, many wonder how it would run on PC in 2023 and whether it is finally worth playing after all its updates.
Cyberpunk 2077 was the first PS5 game I ever played, and it was fantastic. But after hearing that the PC version looks far better than the console version, I decided to give it a shot. Right away, I was really impressed by the graphics compared to PlayStation 5. I have a powerful gaming PC capable of playing Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum settings, including ultra detail and fury mode.
I don’t mean to overstate things, but the visuals do blow people away at first. I am playing at 1440p with maximum settings on all graphics settings. While the ray-traced version looks incredible, I thought the fog effect was distracting. It’s a little annoyance while you’re behind the wheel. The PC version of the game has better visuals, although it still looks kind of cheap.
Cyberpunk 2077 was released in 2020. Similar to games like The Witcher 3 or Red Dead Redemption 2, and with a similar amount of dialogue-heavy heaviness that some players may find off-putting. Even though CD Projekt RED usually adds mini-games like GWENT in all their recent games, Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t have any such game, while it could’ve been fun to have something like that.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed that some roads appear devoid of traffic, which brings me to my next point. You won’t see a single car crossing any of the bridges at night, especially not outside of Night City. Few vehicles are seen driving about here, even when the option to increase the population density is selected from the menu.
Over the years, many improvements have been added to the game, making the whole experience much more satisfying. You could say it’s too little, too late, though. These changes took a while to implement, and they haven’t affected the gameplay much. The combat and gunfights have improved since the game’s release, and I still love them. However, they aren’t particularly ground-breaking. The physics of the game, I believe, is their main hindrance. The bad physics in this game are highlighted by the way a dead adversary falls to the ground after being shot.
Combat sequences in melee and with firearms are fine, but nothing exceptional. The driving is solid, and it certainly feels more realistic than titles like Grand Theft Auto V. It takes some practice to get the hang of driving one because the back end likes to slide out of corners if you go too fast. Overall, the driving has gotten much better, though some may miss the arcade feel. A more realistic atmosphere is what appeals to me the most.
Apart from the subpar car dynamics and damage mechanisms, I have no complaints about the driving in this game. So, even when playing on a PC with the crowd density turned up, the streets feel empty, and you may go miles without seeing another vehicle. The city remains dull as a result, and unfortunately, the NPCs out and about are still not particularly bright. You should expect to observe NPCs going about their day, taking in the scenery, and generally not caring or paying attention if you initiate hostilities.
Many places still don’t pay enough attention to the smallest of details. You can easily avoid NCPD enforcement as well. In reality, they won’t follow you all over the place. Instead, NCPD vehicles simply appear on the highways and become targets of gunfire. Since the release, the authorities have made it more difficult to evade them.
So, it has undergone some refinement since its initial release. Yes, the game has been improved since release, and, at least in my experience, there are no longer any game-breaking bugs; however, there are still some bugs. Unfortunately, the game still has some rough spots, such as when you’re driving, and random automobiles appear in front of and behind you.
I was hoping this wouldn’t happen on PC, and it’s not even subtle. However, when traveling in the desert, it does. Things seemed to be appearing out of nowhere. When you run over an NPC in the street, their body will often vanish immediately. In addition, there are still occurrences in which two people in separate vehicles observe the same car. And this makes me long for the 2008 release of Grand Theft Auto 4. Other than that, I never ran across anything that completely broke the game for me, but it’s obvious there’s still much work to be done.
To wrap things up, I believe that playing Cyberpunk 2077 on a PC will provide the finest visual experience imaginable; nevertheless, you will need respectable hardware to run the game. Given the game’s potential greatness, it’s quite frustrating that so many problems have persisted since release.
While the dialogue-heavy heaviness can be off-putting for some, it’s also a bonus for those who love to dig into a game’s lore. This isn’t usually a problem, but the tale didn’t immediately hook me. Just based on the plot, I wouldn’t buy it. Cyberpunk 2077’s Reboot Version 2.0 is being highly praised by most gamers, especially those who have been playing it on next-gen consoles and PC. The price of this game has also decreased significantly, so if you’re interested in giving it a shot because of the gameplay, now is the time to do it.
