The highly controversial cyberpunk 2077 was released just a year ago: at the time of big promotions, should we still dwell on this RPG, symbol of both excess and failed development? We take stock.
It was only a year ago. On December 10, 2020, after a chaotic development with multiple delays, the title was postponed in extremis to come out of the ground just before Christmas. The result, we know it: the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 was failed from start to finish, and the revelations behind the scenes of the production of the title, between endless crunch, questionable salary conditions, all the power of the big pundits of the studio and actual harassment, ended up completing what was to be the RPG of the future. But there is no question of rewriting history here.
Console versions still struggling
In a year, however, CDProjekt hasn't twiddled its thumbs: after the launch period, apologies and refunds, the studio has set about fixing its game. "Fixed" is the term, because on consoles the title was simply catastrophic, to the point of pushing Sony to remove the game from its store, to put it back there six months later, in June 2021.
Today, has the situation changed for this game that it is "out of the question to abandon", as Adam Kicinski, CEO of CD Projekt RED himself admits? Yes and no.
For this article, we relaunched the game on a PS4 Pro… And found that the experience is still quite painful, even after the gigantic summer patch. The framerate is still struggling - less than before however - and the game is still far from technically up to scratch. On PlayStation 5, on the other hand, the test is much better, even if the next-gen patch, first promised for this year, then postponed to an indefinite date, is still not available.
Should we advise you to place Cyberpunk 2077 under the tree of your favorite next-gen consoles? Certainly not, even if the expected update will be free. Note all the same that a new version will be marketed for the occasion that the prices excluding promotion will surely benefit from it to go up.
Truth be told, if you buy Cyberpunk 2077 on consoles today, you're betting more on the future than anything else. Playing the title right now on PS5 or Xbox Series isn't a bad experience, but the game's forward-thinking approach could suffer from lingering technical issues.
On PC, it's a safe bet...
It is quite different on PC. The "main" platform of the game unsurprisingly benefits from a more than premium edition - some will even say that this is the experience originally promised. And the patches that have been made available have done it even more good.
If you had framerate issues on a computer a few months ago, it's a safe bet that Cyberpunk 2077 is now doing like a charm. In our test configuration, a year apart, the finding is clear: with all the drivers up to date, and the last summer patch, the CD Projekt game sees its framerate doubled, with or without DLSS.
In addition to the versions on the Cloud (in particular that of GeForce Now, which has Ray-Tracing), the "hard" PC version undoubtedly reflects the initial vision of the studio, with a breathtaking atmosphere. The technical challenge represented by the universe of the title is still there, and many bugs have been fixed. During our session we certainly saw some questionable scripts here and there, but nothing as dramatic as what was proposed at launch.
… but there are still problems
The problems intrinsic to Cyberpunk 2077 are however still very present and one really wonders if they can be corrected, as they are an integral part of its structure. The police who come out of nowhere? Check. The populace that disappears if you turn the camera? Check. Artificial intelligence to absent subscribers? Check, check, and re-check.
The patches are far from over, it's true, and many more will arrive in the coming months, but on PC, we can certainly afford it for a handful of euros, without risking being disillusioned. .
A major work of video game
If everything isn't perfect yet - could it just be? - Cyberpunk 2077 remains, one year after its release, a great RPG in terms of staging, choice, writing, freedom of action... Not trying it is probably missing out on this which can be considered a major video game experience. A year later, it is no longer a question for players (at least on PC) to suffer, but to truly take part in a breathtaking adventure, as only the creators of The Witcher can offer us.
And that's undoubtedly what makes all the difference: despite its problems, which are not to be minimized or hidden, Cyberpunk 2077 has lost none of its modernity over the months. A year later, it remains just as fresh in the western RPG landscape, helped by the absence of real competition, it must be said.
