Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t have the best launch (lol). But some of us enjoyed the game despite its flaws. In the time since then, they’ve had nearly two years to patch the issues and add QoL.

Recently, I decided to give it another go and see how far it’s come since then and MAN did I enjoy the hell out of it! Like, way more than I expected. It’s really a much better game now than it was at launch.

I went right from finishing Cyberpunk to Starfield and boy did it make Starfield look bad. Like, not just visually (how can a two year old game look THAT much better than Starfield??) but I mean things like the combat and the role playing are just miles better in CP2077.

And in two days (Sep 21), version 2.0 will release. This is going to be a huge patch that’s free for everyone who already owns the game that adds and changes a bunch of stuff even if you don’t buy the expansion (which comes out a few days after that).

Given how good v1.6 (the current version) of CP2077 is, I’d say there’s no better time to dip into this game if it’s something you’ve been thinking about.

I’m really excited to play through again. With a different build, the gameplay will feel fresh regardless of the updates. And the role playing is deep enough that I can make different choices to see different results in most of the quests I’ll have to repeat. Neither of those things are true about Starfield.

  • simple@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Being a patient gamer has worked out once again. I’m planning on picking the game up in about a month after they ironed out most of the issues with the big update. Excited to finally try the game after hearing so much about it.

    • lustyargonian@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Ditto. Next big sale after 2.0 launch is when I’ll play it for the first time. I’ve not begun Starfield either, already we know they’re going to fix the HDR and add some QoL improvements.

      • Stillhart@lemm.eeOP
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        1 year ago

        Honestly not sure what they can do to fix Starfield. Bug fixes and QoL aren’t going to help the systemic issues the game has.

        • lustyargonian@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Yeah I don’t mean make it a different game but stuff like HDR settings, eat button, mod support can make it a much better experience than what it was during vip access or launch.

          • Stillhart@lemm.eeOP
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            1 year ago

            Modding maybe, but that doesn’t help console players. An eat button and HDR settings are so hilariously inadequate that I think the people excited for those changes already like the game and don’t see the actual issues.

            • lustyargonian@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              ICYMI Mod support would come to consoles as well, now how good or bad it would be is something we’ll have to see.

              Yeah, I mean if someone is excited to play any game and they can’t even adjust brightness or have to witness very long loading screens, they would want it to be fixed before their playthrough.

      • AttackPanda@programming.dev
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        1 year ago

        I waited on CP2077 till a year into release and had a blast playing it on the Deck. I’m going to do the same thing with Starfield where I will wait to see if they can get it running in the Deck and maybe then give it a shot.

        • lustyargonian@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          It’s already improving almost every week. 3.5 update further improves Starfield’s performance.

  • d3Xt3r@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I’m one of the foolish ones that actually pre-ordered the game. Was super hyped for it too, did a countdown till midnight so that I can start playing at launch, and I even live streamed it (and also had a few other streams going on two laptops). Took the day off to play the game as well.

    The clock hit 00:00 and less than 30 minutes into the game, I ran into my first bug. I stuck was in a dialog loop and couldn’t get out no matter what I tried, so was for forced to load an earlier save. Then I got stuck somewhere else, or something funky would happen. I’d never been so utterly disappointed in a game until Cyberpunk came along. So anyways, I was so put off by it that I’d decided not to play it any further, until they patched it all up. So the first patch came along, but this time I decided to read the reviews first - still plenty of bugs. Thought I’d wait for the next one, noope, still buggy. And the next one. And the next. And then I decided to ignore the game completely, until not only they fixed the bugs, but also added QoL stuff into the game. Like better AI, better peds, better driving etc. Make the city more immersive. I mean, I had waited for so long, so might as well wait and play until it’s at it’s best version.

    So, not only will I not play now, nor when 2.0 comes out, I’ll play it only when Phantom Liberty is out, and will enjoy the game, for the first-ish time, the way it was meant to be played.

    Assuming of course that Phantom Liberty isn’t a dud, but having learnt from my previous experience, I might wait a bit after it comes out and see if they release a post-launch patch or something first.

    Never again pre-ordering a game… unless it’s a Zelda.

    • Stillhart@lemm.eeOP
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      1 year ago

      …did a countdown till midnight so that I can start playing at launch, and I even live streamed it (and also had a few other streams going on two laptops). Took the day off to play the game as well.

      Every time I read stuff like this, I just shake my head, no matter what game is being discussed. I won’t say this has NEVER worked, but certainly not for the last decade or two. Games have just evolved to the point where big budget releases are always problematic right at launch. Whether it’s full of bugs like CP2077 or it has server issues like all the “live service” games, there is always something that makes playing right at launch just not viable.

      Hope for the best, expect the worst.

      • Mechanismatic@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I really like having learned delayed gratification. There are plenty of great games (and shows and movies and music) that I’m happy to wait to experience later when I’m ready for them. The only issue is just time-sensitive things like spoilers from other people or games that depend on live servers/seasonal events and I try to avoid those. And being patient often means better discounts, game of the year editions, multiple DLCs, humble bundles, more mods, etc. As long as you aren’t worried about FOMO, it means you’re far less likely to be surprised or upset over the quality or price point of any particular game.

        • 995a3c3c3c3c2424@feddit.nl
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          1 year ago

          I was just totally disappointed by it… it was basically “Breath of the Wild, Director’s Cut/Remake”, and I didn’t enjoy the building mechanic at all, which seems to be what they had spent most of their time working on. If I’d waited for the reviews I don’t know if I would have bought it. I definitely would have waited for a sale at least.

          • Hot Saucerman@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            Valid critique. I felt like it really built on the first game in positive ways in gameplay and story. They basically hid the existence of the Depths until the games release. I spent very little time building stuff, and a lot of time fucking around in the Depths.

            For a game existing in the same world as the previous title, I think it worked well for what it was. Also, far fewer people complained about Far Cry 4/Far Cry Primal having the exact same map, slightly tweaked, so the complaints about it seemed a little confusing for me.

            However, I would agree that while I think it’s bigger than a DLC, it really shouldn’t have been $70 brand new, especially when they had no plans to make DLC for it.

  • Computerchairgeneral@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    As someone who was hyped for Cyberpunk but backed out due to all the negative press, I’m cautiously optimistic about Phantom Liberty. I was a little concerned back when they announced the game would only have one major expansion, but the free update revamping the game has eased a lot of those concerns. Looking forward to finally picking up Cyberpunk once the update and expansion are out.

  • Mojo@ttrpg.network
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    1 year ago

    I could not bring myself to finish Starfield. Such an old feeling generic janky game. Fucking fast travel simulator. They didnt even bother to fix the NPC faces. Like 5% technical improvements since Fallout 4.
    Fuck that expensive crap.

    Also looking forward to the Cyberpunk update.
    Now maybe I can enjoy it. Love that world but I think I had every bug at release.

    • Stillhart@lemm.eeOP
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      1 year ago

      Looking forward to CP2077 so I can stop trying to have fun in Starfield. That game just is not doing it for me, as much as I try.

    • Kra@mtgzone.com
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      1 year ago

      CP2077 was always an outstanding game to me, with flaws, but still outstanding from the start. Starfeld however… why is it 70€, it should cost 30€ then it would probably be worth it.

    • Catastrophic235@midwest.social
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      1 year ago

      Damn I’m glad I bought AC6 at launch instead of Starfield, unlike half my friends lol. Pretty sure one of them got a save breaking bug on the same night I beat Balteus 😂😂😂.

      I’ll probably still get it, but it’ll be months from now after the modding community has gotten established and the problems have been mostly worked out.

  • the_weez@midwest.social
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    1 year ago

    CP2077 is unironically my favorite game right now. For some reason my first playthrough was mostly bug free and now preformance is better. My second playthrough is about 60% done and I’m pretty pumped for the new expansion.

  • Dudewitbow@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    I went right from finishing Cyberpunk to Starfield and boy did it make Starfield look bad. Like, not just visually (how can a two year old game look THAT much better than Starfield??) but I mean things like the combat and the role playing are just miles better in CP2077.

    Creation Engine. Bethesda is tied to the engine in order to make modding easier when creation kit is out. Although creation is terrible for vanilla content, its easily one of the best engines for modders to mess around in. Its also one of the reasons why Bethesda games dont have heavy DRM. As modders will eventually use 3rd party executables for some mods (script extenders) for each of their titles.

  • thingsiplay@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    @Stillhart I was still waiting. One of the reasons is that I wanted to build a new computer (which happened last week) and waiting until the game got fixed a lot. Both happened. Now I am waiting for the launch of Phantom Liberty in a few days, as the base game will be dropped in price again. That’s when I go into the game for the first time. And it will be the best version of the game so far.

  • Quasar@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    I played on my launch ps4 system. Had to reformat the drive to resolve some hard locks when loading. But goddamn when I finally got into it, I found the game so enjoyable. The quests, and stories hidden in some the corners were great and detailed. My only true complaint was a bit of a shallow open world experience (wanted mini games, better cop interactions etc.) Once I cranked up the difficulty and really loved the combat. Even doing leveling loops just fragging or slicing apart groups was satisfying. I cannot wait to load it up on pc with PL and see how far it’s come.

  • finthechat@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Cyberpunk 2077 didn’t have the best launch (lol)

    Lmao, even.

    I’m ready for PL. I just finished re-watching Edgerunners last night in one go. It was just as good this time around as it was when I first saw it a year ago.

    Although both games launched to controversy, there is no real comparison between Starfield and Cyberpunk. Cyberpunk is flat out better.

  • Ashtear@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I first played Cyberpunk after 1.3 came out so I never had that early bad experience so many did (I only ran into one major bug, blocking progression in one sidequest). It was also my first introduction to anything in the Cyberpunk setting so I didn’t know what to expect, but I quickly fell in love with it. Even without Phantom Liberty, I’m sure I still have a half dozen major sidequests on top of the nomad origin story that I haven’t done yet.

    I’m pumped for this, especially after being a bit disappointed in Starfield. I’m ready for graphics that pop again, the amazing facial animations, the fluid combat, and more Cherami Leigh. Hell, I’m ready to hear the character creator music again, lol.

  • Ecksell@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    I’m glad I’ve barely started it even though it’s been in my library for a while. Hopefully this is much closer to their vision. Looking forward to Thursday!

    • Grimpen@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Got it on sale, earlier this year. It’s in my backlog.

      The release of 2.0 and the DLC might be the perfect time to actually play it.

  • Chozo@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I’ve been replaying a new character lately in preparation for Phantom Liberty. I’m fucking hyped as hell to learn about Idris Elba’s character after that new trailer that they released a few days ago.

  • averyminya@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Cyberpunk 2077 suffered from over-promising as well as people expecting things that also were never going to happen. Some of the other issues on launch like police and people were really only noticeable under certain playstyles. I had 100%'d the game by around 1.3 or 1.4 (and I took my time) and had very few bugs, all quest ones easily solved, and while there were some shortcomings with the game it was very few. Mostly, the ending. I just don’t like finishing a game and being put back into my last save with the quest still active. I don’t really if the ending makes it not make sense canonically… Other than that, my main issue was a bit in regards to end-game perspective. Once you complete all the quests, you’re effectively no longer able to be a passenger anywhere. No metro system (can be modded in though) and no taxi and no friends, just me driving around, unlike the rest of the game where I was just a passenger watching the city. I can’t drive dude, I’ll get a relic attack and kill us (plus I wanna get stoned to Night City). There was a cool mod for cruise control though, which somewhat solved my issue.

    I recently loaded up my save just to see how it’s running and I’m glad to see it’s even better than it had been, though still not much for me to do lol. What I think I’m most excited for is once PL releases the game is officially complete. Modders hopefully will come to finish their mods and the game can truly be the best it could be. It doesn’t have the extent of Skyrim modding but it’s got a lot of potential. No more patches breaking things :)

    All in all I had a great experience with 2077 on a 2070 -> 3080, though I didn’t following the marketing past the E3 release video so the only thing I missed was wall-climbing with the Mantis Blades. I got my Spider-Man (rope-swing) mod and that’s good enough for me.

  • mayooooo@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Well the dlss 3.5 was a nice lie, you can’t run the ray reconstruction thing on older hardware. Otherwise it runs the same I guess, no time to check