Cyberpunk 2077 is back! The sensational game by CD Projekt RED has thoroughly improved and has become not only playable, but a full-fledged game that you want to play, want to play through, and want to admire. And I want to say that the game is worth your attention, even for those who have already completed it. Has the Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 finally created the game we were waiting for? Let’s figure out what awaits us.
Cyberpunk 2077 has come a long, long way since the original version received disappointing reviews in 2020, with scores as low as 3/10, which was simply unheard of scoring for some sites. But the developers, having survived all sorts of obstacles, could find the strength in themselves not to give up the game and make it better, stronger, and, of course, more beautiful. Their improvement journey can be easily seen since its release on PS5. Now, having spent over 20 hours with the game’s highly anticipated 2.0 update before its public launch today, I can confidently call it a superior open-world experience. This truly game-changing patch significantly improves Cyberpunk 2077 and makes it almost exactly what we wanted it to be. The gameplay has undergone the most impressive changes. We’ve always enjoyed the game’s sharp and bloody action, but it could sometimes feel a little sloppy, with weak controls and a degree of jerkiness holding it back. But in version 2.0, all this was stretched out, and if we talk about battles, I can guarantee you that now you will feel like that guy from a video on YouTube who does unimaginable things. Movements have become more precise, and aiming has become much better. It’s hard to explain in writing, but the game feels solid and confident.
My story with Cyberpunk
But before I start going into all aspects of the game, I would like to tell my story about this game. 2020, like many, sat at night and waited for the long-awaited release of the game, which was announced back in 2012. And so, having bought it, I waited until the very moment came when the button on Steam would light up green and start. And I would like to remind you that in the same year, games such as Half-Life: Alyx and Demon Souls for PS5, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, The Last of Us 2, and many others were released. And now the moment has come. Greenlight, steam servers are on fire, and CDPR Launcher doesn’t let you log into your account and get extra clothes, but after a short delay, here it is, Cyberpunk. And yes, I would like to add that I specifically skipped all sorts of gameplay shows and everything else. This was just my one-on-one time with this game…
At that time, my combat machine was powered by a 1080TI paired with an I7 7700k, which, according to my calculations, should have given me an excellent experience in this game, and of course, the flagship was 2080, which only then began to master RTX, and at that time this technology was still controversial, not like now.
So I start playing without even paying much attention to the settings. I go through the first missions with a smile on my face, and as soon as the open world begins. Well, you already know what happened next. But still, I can say with confidence that on the first day of release, I spent 22 hours in the game. I remember this number very well on the time counter on Steam. The next day, I sat down again and started playing. Yes, there were problems, but the game captured me, and I continued to play and enjoy it. But after some more time, I gave everything back, whether it was a reluctance to play or the bad state of the game – I don’t remember, maybe the amount of press and posts that littered the Internet put pressure on me. After a few days, I finally quit the game, but I remember returning to play on weekends, but enthusiasm and frustration took their toll. But the most exciting thing is that I did not delete the game and just waited until I desired to return.
I remember that it was a long time (by the standards of solo games), the game became available in December 2020, and I returned to it only in February 2021. By that time, the game had become much more stable, and the developers were still suffering from oppression from fans, but Still, we were playing the game, and when I sat down, I ultimately went through the entire story, all the additional tasks, all the combat skirmishes, I bought what was available at that time… And already at that moment, I realized that I liked this world, this universe, history, and characters. I can even say that I fell in love with this game, but not so much as to run around in it every day constantly, but simply leaving its story in my heart.
As time passed, the fire slowly went out. At first, I even followed the updates with the thought of returning and exploring the corners of Night City again. But it never came. Time passed again, the game was slowly forgotten, it was slowly improved, the developers hired new staff after many had left, the game got better.
And then, at one point in 2022, the majority began to forget about this game because many returned it or left it in the library and covered it with a lid. Cyberpunk Edgerunners anime coming out from Japanese studioStudio Trigger, which simply created a small nuclear bomb in a community and was able to do what the main game did not manage to do: show what is in this world and attract players to explore, most of my friends and acquaintances began to download and play, which was a definite victory.
I watched how my friends played, became attached to the characters, looked for beautiful shots, and even more streamers returned to this game. And I was happy for CD PROJEKT RED because, after this victory, huge opportunities opened up for them.
But let’s get back to now
And here I am, having received early access to version 2.0, downloading the game. Of course, I don’t go into the settings because now I already have a 4070ti and 13600k. I launch into my old save, just the final scene of one of the game’s endings passes in front of me. After playing this scene, I am sent back to my native Night City, and then I stand in place in shock at what I saw on the screen.
When you return to the game, you don’t remember what exactly was wrong. You only remember fragments. Something is wrong with the NPCs, something is wrong with the traffic, something is wrong with the shooting, and the game was barely playable at 60 fps. Now imagine my surprise when your character is standing at night in the middle of a crowded street where there are a lot of NPCs who are different and attractive with their variety and clothes. After a few seconds, a policeman passes from behind, and you turn the camera a little to the right and see that the traffic has become busier. And these are just my first impressions after less than 2 minutes of play.
When you open your inventory, you immediately notice a change in clothing. Previously, clothing provided specific armor and resistances, but now this is not the case, but it is provided by modules that can be changed at any time. You go into the skills, and here everything is entirely new, and while I was distributing everything I could, night fell. And then the city began to shine, and it simply came to life, reflections, neon rays. You can’t even imagine how surprised I was and looked at all these details like a small child looks at fireworks. And then my long hours began to re-learn this game.
I understood one thing about driving around the city because recently, I just spent a considerable amount of time in Starfield, which is also not having the best start. And after playing Starfield, I am grateful to her for realizing how much I like the world of Cyberpunk. Yes, it is small compared to Starfield; nothing is flying here, and compared to the same game, it is limited in capabilities. But it wasn’t until I launched the game with my 2021 saves that I realized how different these games are and how much I would recommend this game over the other.
Let’s look at the changes in detail
Combat is now based on fully developed skill trees, divided into primary abilities and secondary perks. You can view new skills and build your build in the kindly created for us website.
At the start of the game, all of your perk points will be returned to you, and you will have the opportunity to reallocate all of your base ability ranks once, given how much they have changed.
The idea is that abilities fundamentally define how you play, and perks reinforce their parent abilities with stat modifiers and additional effects. For example, the Body tree has an incredibly fun ability that allows you to pick up weakened enemies, hold them above your head, and throw them with enough force to explode on impact with a hard surface.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is an ability that allows netrunners to queue up hacks on a single target, instantly suppressing them. Another ability replaces your standard dodge with an air dash, instantly making you a mobility monster, and it gets even crazier if you unlock the air dash from above. And we have to mention the ability that allows you to deflect bullets with your katana, potentially sending them back to the shooter if you time it right.
In some ways, the skill trees have been greatly simplified, but the sense of progression has been greatly enhanced. Each skill point spent clearly impacts how you act, which is very important in a game where character development is key. The process of leveling up and creating the perfect mercenary is now truly rewarding.
Enemy AI has also been adjusted. Roughly speaking, your opponents take on more defined roles during combat. Heavy shotguns and psychopaths with mantis blades will, unsurprisingly, attack your position, while smaller enemies armed with simple pistols or cheap rifles will sit in cover, and snipers and netrunners will send us “gifts” from distant hideouts. I’m saying that the combat feels a lot more dynamic, but it’s still possible to take advantage of the AI’s bad habits. Enemies will still pour through doorways one after another, practically begging to be shot in the head. And if you’re playing stealth, suspicious guards can still slowly walk in circles as if they have a big sign attached to their back. Improvements also apply to non-hostile NPCs, who are now much more responsive to violence and nearby shootouts, but the accuracy of “friendly” police officers or the accuracy of shots during gang warfare remains a question, but nothing can be done about it.
There’s noticeably a much greater emphasis on skill-based gameplay, with effective use of your key abilities playing a huge role in whether you can escape an encounter unscathed. In short, it’s not about the numbers but your moment-to-moment game decisions and basic character-building. Does this mean that the 2.0 update has made Cyberpunk 2077 less of an RPG?
The game currently feels more like open-world action, but again, the emphasis on truly impressive abilities reinforces concepts like unique character builds – and that’s a very positive outlook for an RPG. CDPR stated that one of the goals of version 2.0 was to emphasize player expression in gameplay, and we believe the team has fully achieved this through a combination of new skill trees and rebalanced combat.
Armor and cyberware
Under the new system, you can equip many more cyber programs simultaneously, but not every piece of cyber program has a power cost. You start out with a fairly low capacity, but perks and leveling up can raise it into the hundreds.
Armor, regular clothing no longer gives you armor. Instead, certain types of cyber programs and body enhancements contribute to the appearance of new armor indicators on the cyber programs screen. Skeleton and skin augments provide most armor but come at a high cost.
Revamped Police
I’m not sure if this is the biggest update of this whole group because I saw how the developers tried to restore the work of the police, and now they have completely managed to do what they worked for, and in essence, this is the police in the style of Grand Theft Auto, only instead of tanks a charged MaxTac squad arrives.
The police will erect barricades on the streets and ram your car, launching a new vehicular combat system. At maximum wanted level, you’ll be thrown MaxTac, a SWAT-style unit designed to take down Cyberpsychos. I got into big fights with the police a few times to test it out and found that I could still handle most cops almost indefinitely, just run around and pick up the ammo.
Vehicle Combat
The game finally has car shootouts, which were shown to us in the official trailer during the release of the first version. It is divided into three types: some cars with built-in real weapons and a lot of armor, drive and shoot for fun, but of course only forward, but that is what it is. Several of the cars you find or are gifting or buying will be equipped with machine guns and missiles, making the whole thing a Twisted Metal affair.
The second type is that you shoot from two types of weapons that you can use while driving. You can try to shoot exactly in the head and kill the pursuer, or shoot at the car and, as an option, punch the wheel and immobilize them. And don’t forget that if you go the route of a burglar, you can remotely hack the brakes of your pursuers or cause a malfunction and blow up the entire car. The third type, and my favorite, is the ability to jump or slide out of the car and shoot all the enemies in flight in slow motion.
Restart or keep going?
How can I tell you this update brings nothing new except improved mechanics and the environment? If you haven’t completed it yet or quit somewhere at the beginning or in the middle of the game, you can track this simply by tasks. If the counter is less than 100 completed tasks, you can safely go through again. If you’re already towards the end of the story, it’s not worth it; there are plenty of places in the game where you can try and touch everything, especially considering Phantom Liberty.
In addition to the main improvements, I can say there are improvements in many aspects besides the officially stated ones: the character models, the amount of traffic and characters on the streets, and the animation have improved. The use of healing items and grenades has also changed, and new clothing and weapons have appeared. And I think there’s a lot more there.
Needless to say, I was very impressed with the 2.0 update. Cyberpunk 2077 came out earlier. And we had to wait almost three years for it to reach its current form, and I love it. And I wish they had been there from the beginning because they would have left a lasting impression on more than just me. The game has become much more beautiful thanks to new technologies, and in places where you sit and admire what is happening on the screen, I haven’t had such a feeling for a long time.
Our review of Cyberpunk 2077 v2.0 was completed using a key provided by PR.
