Cyberpunk2077- How the internet owes them an Apology
Hello, guys. Yeah I know. This blog post is covering a very hot topic. One, I wondered if I should even cover because this topic alone has been giving me so much sadness, but I feel this is important because this also reflects the current gaming community.
So, you might like videogames, you might not. You might think videogames are for kids, but they're not. They can be beautiful cinematic and technological breakthroughs in gaming. But, I'm sure I don't need to go on about this, you all can experience for yourself.
But lately, especially over these last ten years within the internet, the gaming community has shifted into pandering a very cynical, almost doomsday approach when it comes to their enjoyment of videogames. This is largely due to how some users, I won't even say fans, but some users experience a new videogame title, and are met with some underwhelming expectations.
This can be anywhere from how people feel disappointed about the LACK of triple A development as before seen throughout the Xbox, Gamecube, PS2 and the Xbox360 eras, compared to the amount worked on now with more videogames releasing sporadically, by fewer studios, and by fewer studio interest with many IPs to still see a sequel or some new alternative such as my favorite in Timesplitters and Left4Dead.
So, in these recent times, we have seen more bigger studios approach a safer, more settle-down approach in their developments by shifting their focus on their major big titles, their Marios and Zeldas, GTAs, and Fallouts.
Just recently, a prime example would be with FromSoft releasing a new Mecha game, despite their more demand for another Souls game. But that's what I like about these studios. These studio companies have all the right from also developing the games they want to make. Such as with Bethesda, despite being popular with their Elder Scrolls franchise, also release other games they like to make like Fallout and their excitement on their ESO third party. And that's fine.
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But anyway, I'm getting off topic. What does all this mean to the gaming community? Well, there are also some companies that have turned to feature in-gaming purchases, sometimes for simple things like cosmetics, but more have turned to be full on mobile game in their gatcha features.
I would argue, the bad reception with certain games, have been the spearhead for the current gaming community to use, as sort of a mask to why ALL modern day videogames are bad.
So, because some games have flopped in user experience like with the Starwars game and Dark Vader fiasco, or the Call of Duty in game purchases, or the free to play Battle Royals like Overwatch, many have begun to unfair judge ALL videogames being made today to be on the same lackluster content.
So in today's age, where triple A development is long to make, and with fewer titles, more attention builds and swirls around new games peaking around the corner of release.
But none other, was more anticipated than Cyberpunk2077.
Now, this game, wasn't in production for 10 years, as many falsely like to boast, in fact, the title was first announced at the end of 2012 and the first cinematic trailer sneakpeak was posted in Jan 2013. So I have no idea where people are saying "we have to wait 10 more years for another sequel."
Cyberpunk2077, was a game made by a fairly new triple A studio from the Witcher series. I would argue more towards the rumors that Cyberunk2077 was started in 2016, after the Witcher 3(2015), and the blood and Wine dlc.
If this true, then it's more reasonable to say that this huge game began only after the developers were able to release Witcher 3 first and then shift their full production to Cyperpunk2077. It's ONLY reasonable because the only thing we have seen before 2015 was a title announcement and a cinematic render teaser. So if you want to argue against this, then I don't really think you know just how massive and time crunch it would take to make the Cyberpunk world you play today with it's level of world design. I mean, we're talking about a small development studio that is a new triple A company on the likes of other giants like Microsoft, EA, and Blizzard. If you watch any insight about the Cyberpunk production you would see constant mention how they have expanded as a company because of the Witcher success.
So, let's talk about the real meat and controversies about this game. The "broken promises."
A lot of people today, when arguing about the bad state of this game, and never budging to give any credit where credit is deserved, fall back on this argument of broken promises. That, the cyberpunk we play today is really just a shell, a percentage, a fraction of what was promised to the gaming community.
So I ask, how much are we talking about here? Some are saying Cyberpunk is only 10% of it's original potential, others, give a lot less. But honestly, what is the internet even fixating on???
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Well, I've done some deep diving, not because I wanted to, but because I was led more and more confused about the mixed feedback on the internet, and this 180 positive view now on this game after 2.0.
So, let's start with the missed potential argument. Which, to me is the most hilarious of this.
If you ask a gamer, today, what they expected from the potential of this game, I don't think you'll be able to have 2 gamers give you an exact response. Because when you talk about what potentials were missed, it all goes to user expectations. "I wish the game had this," or "It would be better if this game had that," or "GTA had this feature so I wish this game did that too."
From even the hardest critics, like Youtuber Some Ordinary Gamers, a person that loved the game at launch and praised the gameplay to it's core, has only stated that the game is not bad, it might be "buggy" but it's not unplayable or a bad game in it's own, has stated multiple times that Cyberpunk2077 is an RPG at its core, closer to a Deus Ex type of approach, not a GTA clone.
Though, he has since turned on his own statements and continues to complain that Cyberpunk2077 should be a GTA clone by comparing the two games.
But this idea of "missed potential" is only half of the coin. These are just things people complain about for no apparent reason in order to not respect Cyberpunk2077 for what it is, and rather hate the game for what it isn't. Such as not being able to enter every single building, not being able to have thousands of stores to enter (even though there are stores and more are outside markets), or even complaining that Cyberpunk doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a non existent perfect RPG like anywhere from survival, diseases, getting old, back problems, brushing your teeth, etc.
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The other half of the coin is the argument of "broken promises and they LIED to us." One, that gave me the most curiosity. Like, just using this phrase online gets plenty of upvotes with hardly anyone commenting on what they mean.
So I looked into it, and I just want to ask first, what EXACTLY, like, can you give a list EXACTLY, of what broken promises and lies were and how any missed features actually matter in the whole game? Because, even like the "missed potential," experimental things that were not included in the final version are seen as a broken promise. But, you can see the demos for yourself, and most of what is mentioned in those demos were available at release. Unless the hype crowd took it upon themselves to stray away whenever some elements of an RPG were mentioned. I don't know, when it comes to RPG games, it's either all an RPG or missing something small makes it nothing like an RPG, though in reality games are mostly a mix of all features. Like, it's not possible for a game to be 100% RPG based while also being 100% Open World and 100% Sci-fi or 100% immersive. Games are built to focus on a bit of all, and if you give special treatment to one aspect you will end up shadowing another. That's just how videogames are, the devs are the one's that decide how much they choose to include.
In the same videos, mostly the gameplay showcases, where ALOT of these broken promise complaints were coming from, I noticed in the top of the videos, in almost all cases whenever Cyberpunk2077 was previewed, the very obvious disclaimer that I can't believe so many people decided to ignore:
WORK IN PROGRESS - DOES NOT REPRESENT FINAL LOOK OF THE GAME.
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I'll just let that sink in, because this brings up a reminder, of what ARE previews when it comes to videogames.
From a technical stance, there is 0 reliability in watching a gameplay of ANY game to reflect what they are when that game is released. That is why most games often look VERY different from production vs the final version of it's release. For example, before the popularity of the internet, there were only magazines publishing photos of games which advertised one way, but released differently from the early photos.
So it should come to NO surprise if you buy a game and your favorite certain niche feature didn't make it in the final cut. IT STILL DOES NOT TAKE AWAY THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GAME AS A WHOLE. If people are so mad that you can't jump off walls or be able to customize your car, is THAT really the end of the world? Are people so spoiled to warrant that a refund and go online to cry? Is it considered lying when the game is still in production? Does that take away from all the other features that ARE in the game?
Man, I don't even care myself. I'm here for Cyberpunk, I play Cyberpunk, I enjoy Cyberpunk.
In the modding community, it's even a popular theme to make mods that edit a videogame to the certain aesthetics that were seen in an E3 demo. This is nothing new. But when it comes to Cyberpunk2077, all of a sudden beta-production turns into LIES, SLANDER, AND DECEPTION!!!!!!
A sort of bias, don't you think?
I mean, I remember Halo 2. You know, the game with the most beautiful lore Render movies for it's time. You know what I'm talking about if you are a Halo fan.
To me, the most surprising discovering I found about Halo was when I was able to find out more about Halo 2 on the internet, and I saw footage of this cool demo of the Earth Level.
It wasn't until later that I learned that cool demo, was cut completely from the actual game and replaced with the Earth Level we see today. I was mind blown.If this had come out today, people would be calling this beta-production demo a CRIME AGAINST THE GAMING COMMUNITY.
But that's just where we are today. You can thank all those negative Youtubers that have gone on to the lengths of making content that everything in gaming is bad now and a beta-production demo equals "they lied to the customer." In fact, if you just so simply happen to click on any clickbait video about, "GAMES SUCK" or "DISAPPOINTMENT," you might just end up falling down a deep rabbit hole of the cynical side of gaming youtube where EVERYTHING is trash and nothing is good.
Yeah, go ahead and test it out. Just think of your favorite video game, right now. There is some hate on it already. For me, I love Elden Ring. But, there are plenty of people saying it's trash. I also love Skyrim, and people are very toxic fixated on it's minor issues saying it's a buggy mess, even though Skyrim received a beautiful 64 version, WAS ABLE TO BE MADE INTO VR, AND IT EVEN CAME ON ON THE DANG MOBILE SWITCH AND NOW HAS AN AMAZING 10 YEAR GRAPHICAL REMASTER.
I'm sorry, maybe I'll make a skyrim defense piece another time, because I just have so much justice for that beautiful hated game.
That's just how people are, especially gamers. There is a certain bias hatred among the gaming community on certain studios and franchises. And it's sick and has to stop.
We're gamers, all we do is buy the game. We have no say in how they're made, what engines they're built on, nothing on the development side. But as gamers we somehow believe that our money equals ownership and entitlement of the development. That when a game comes out, we take it personally as if we were the ones that made the game.
But that's just how gamers are. It's sad to speak the truth. It's embarrassing in fact. Because studios are real life companies with serious development, but the internet is the one that often ruins a gaming studio by our clickbaits, our exaggeration for angry content, our constant complaints, the way it's easy to simply upvote negativity and drama than it is making actual content on the internet.
And, don't even get me started on the way the internet clickbaits on the smallest bugs in order to gain more views and attention. If any small glitch occurs now that in no way affects the game, people are quick to make it the headline for their videos. Even though bugs are either related to real time hiccups, physic simulations, or just plain lagg on the game to fire a new quest and require a refresher load. When it comes to videogames, a glitch and a bug can occur the more likely the studio was in their ambition with a game, such as using physic simulations but also risking the bugs that they cause, or using crowds of AI npcs and the hiccups that may occur. Rather than looking at companies ambition to try complex features, the internet turns on companies whenever a bug is seen, whether that bug is at the start of a playthrough or several hours in. Unless a game is very linear and pre-made to have easier and safer heavy scripting performances, I for one admire how many dare to streamline their games in real time features. Like with Skyrim, the risk of giving Npcs their own AI, rather than using the safe approach like Witcher or Dark Souls of having Npcs stand around or move slightly. This alone is why I am more understanding whenever I do see something minor occur in a real-time game, especially with the technology and bigger scale of today's games.
I just hope this piece reaches more hearts. I for one am getting tired of the gaming community coming out with another "this game sucks because it doesn't do this" or "this studio engine does this and this studio engine doesn't" or "wow look at that shadow, I can't see my custom hair, the game is soooo bad(actual comment I found)."
It's gotten so bad, that now I can't even tell when a review is being serious or when they are deliberately exploiting a small bug into a bigger deal than it is. (btw many of these critics haven't touched the game since or any update. except Kevduit. hmmmm. Some haven't even made content since and have clearly done these videos because, just like today, Cyberpunk is trending.)
As a gamer, that has been here since my early days kicking butt on JP on the Sega, I can confirm, that the one thing I know is true, is that GAMERS TODAY ARE JUST PLAIN UNGRATEFUL SPOILED USERS. Every game, even from my childhood had bugs and exploits. But I don't remember saying things like "wow I can't break the glass, this game sucks" or "wow this tree doesn't have animation" or "this game is bad because I can't circle around the planet."
But hey, I already said too much. I am now a bootlicker.
