Returnee
2 reviews liked by Returnee
Burning Shores has an interesting premise in that it's a direct continuation of the main game, adding important plot points that will probably cause some confusion in players who will start Horizon 3 but haven't played this DLC, unless the writers decide to disregard it in the sequel.
That being said, Burning Shores builds upon the audiovisual masterpiece that has been Forbidden West and once again shines with interesting characters and great acting, but it has some shortcomings when it comes to it's actual story and overall content. With there only being two proper side quests and not a lot of other activities to do, the focus here is clearly on the main plot. This is underlined by a very vertical design of the new area we get to roam, a natural approach after the events of the main game, but it in turn makes detailed exploration of the Burning Shores unappealing and cumbersome.
The plot itself, while being generally interesting and engaging, unfortuntely suffers from subpar pacing, which could accurately be described as "that escalated quickly". The finale excels with a spectacular boss fight and some good closure for the new characters, but the road there does feel a little bumpy. Overall, it is a solid DLC, but can't quite keep up with the quality of the main game.
That being said, Burning Shores builds upon the audiovisual masterpiece that has been Forbidden West and once again shines with interesting characters and great acting, but it has some shortcomings when it comes to it's actual story and overall content. With there only being two proper side quests and not a lot of other activities to do, the focus here is clearly on the main plot. This is underlined by a very vertical design of the new area we get to roam, a natural approach after the events of the main game, but it in turn makes detailed exploration of the Burning Shores unappealing and cumbersome.
The plot itself, while being generally interesting and engaging, unfortuntely suffers from subpar pacing, which could accurately be described as "that escalated quickly". The finale excels with a spectacular boss fight and some good closure for the new characters, but the road there does feel a little bumpy. Overall, it is a solid DLC, but can't quite keep up with the quality of the main game.
Cyberpunk 2077
2020
Cyberpunk 2077 is pretty much a classic CD Projekt RED game in many ways, from its world to its quest design and narrative. But it's also a very capable action RPG and shooter. While it does seem to be cluttered with too many game mechanics, skill trees and loot types at first, all these different pieces start to fall into place as the game gives you enough time to get to grips with them before releasing you into the open world proper after the first act of the main story.
At that point, you may find yourself getting distracted from the overarching quests regularly to do mercenary work or one of the many larger side jobs. This rivalry between main and side missions, both trying to get your attention by telling you how urgent they are, is characteristic of almost every open world game, but CDPR once again shine with excellent writing of both side characters and narratives, which are arguably often more interesting than those of the main quests. So much so that when it comes to choosing between the two, it's easy to find yourself rather wanting to help a newfound friend than advancing in the overall plot. It's also worth noting that the major side storylines are being picked up again at the end of the campaign, so it's wise to stroll around Night City in between main quests to see what you might find.
And it's a good thing that there is usually one side quest or small gig to find at every second intersection because apart from them the metropolis of Night City feels incredibly empty. This is probably the one aspect that bothers me the most, where the actual game falls behind the promises made before launch. While streets and apartment blocks are usually bustling with NPCs, you only have to stop and watch them for a second or try to interact with them to see that everyone and everything in this city is not much more than backdrop and extras, meant to be quickly run through and shoved out of the way on your way to the next quest-bound point of interest. Night City is busy and feels completely lonely at the same time, and unfortunately not for the right reasons.
Nonetheless, if you ever wanted to play Cyberpunk 2077, now is pretty much the best time to do it. In late 2022 (patch 1.6 at the time of writing), most of its bugs are ironed out, new minor content and quality of life improvements have been added, and the hype that the recent release of the anime Edgerunners added (back) to the game really makes the catastrophic launch and all the controversies and broken promises around it seem to be a thing of the past.
I have been playing Cyberpunk 2077 for about one and a half years now, and saw it go through a lot of much-needed patches until the credits finally rolled over my screen today. Almost two years after the game's initial release, it now is a great distopian action RPG experience, if you manage to completely forget everything you know about the game up to this point, jump into it completely unbiased, and can forgive it not being the best gaming experience you ever had but instead expect a fun, intriguing, and often story-driven adventure.
At that point, you may find yourself getting distracted from the overarching quests regularly to do mercenary work or one of the many larger side jobs. This rivalry between main and side missions, both trying to get your attention by telling you how urgent they are, is characteristic of almost every open world game, but CDPR once again shine with excellent writing of both side characters and narratives, which are arguably often more interesting than those of the main quests. So much so that when it comes to choosing between the two, it's easy to find yourself rather wanting to help a newfound friend than advancing in the overall plot. It's also worth noting that the major side storylines are being picked up again at the end of the campaign, so it's wise to stroll around Night City in between main quests to see what you might find.
And it's a good thing that there is usually one side quest or small gig to find at every second intersection because apart from them the metropolis of Night City feels incredibly empty. This is probably the one aspect that bothers me the most, where the actual game falls behind the promises made before launch. While streets and apartment blocks are usually bustling with NPCs, you only have to stop and watch them for a second or try to interact with them to see that everyone and everything in this city is not much more than backdrop and extras, meant to be quickly run through and shoved out of the way on your way to the next quest-bound point of interest. Night City is busy and feels completely lonely at the same time, and unfortunately not for the right reasons.
Nonetheless, if you ever wanted to play Cyberpunk 2077, now is pretty much the best time to do it. In late 2022 (patch 1.6 at the time of writing), most of its bugs are ironed out, new minor content and quality of life improvements have been added, and the hype that the recent release of the anime Edgerunners added (back) to the game really makes the catastrophic launch and all the controversies and broken promises around it seem to be a thing of the past.
I have been playing Cyberpunk 2077 for about one and a half years now, and saw it go through a lot of much-needed patches until the credits finally rolled over my screen today. Almost two years after the game's initial release, it now is a great distopian action RPG experience, if you manage to completely forget everything you know about the game up to this point, jump into it completely unbiased, and can forgive it not being the best gaming experience you ever had but instead expect a fun, intriguing, and often story-driven adventure.