I really enjoyed Phantom Liberty. While I’m aware of its glaring faults and troubled history, in the years since its release I’ve found it hard not to support Cyberpunk 2077. While it doesn’t have the bite I’d want from the titular genre, that didn’t stop me from falling in love with its cast of characters or wanting to spend dozens of hours getting lost in Night City.
The expansion that launched last year felt like CD Projekt Red was tying a neat bow on its long and arduous redemption arc, especially with confirmation of no PS5 Pro support, yet it still keeps releasing new updates and patches. To celebrate the game’s fourth anniversary, Cyberpunk 2077 launched one of its biggest free updates yet with fresh character creator options and vehicles, new photo mode additions, and more.
Update 2.2 Is Giving Me Cyberpunk 2077 FOMO
When Phantom Liberty arrived, it essentially acted as a relaunch for the original game. It was at the forefront of its marketing strategy as CDPR hoped to introduce it to a new audience of players who weren’t aware of its haphazard origins. The base experience was not only fixed, but enhanced with more detailed gameplay mechanics, an overhauled progression system, and an open world that seemed more interested in reacting to us in dynamic yet interesting ways.
All the new character creation options are an extra kick in the teeth when it comes to choosing between a fresh playthrough or picking up one I’ve left alone for months now.
To my chagrin, it totally worked. Edgerunners softened the blow when it came to falling hard for this world again, but now I could jump onto my PS5 and appreciate a version of 2077 I didn’t need to worry would falter under the weight of its own ambition or force me to confront countless bugs and glitches that would never be fixed. It just worked, and the expansion did a phenomenal job of making Night City a deeper and more sinister place worth caring about.
One thing I never got around to seeing was the new ending, which I’m told is excellent. My playthrough of Phantom Liberty was situated in a relatively fresh save file where I needed to progress further into the narrative, but ever since then I just haven’t had the time. Update 2.2 has me tempted to change my mind, because, man, it adds so much cool stuff I need to see.
Night City, despite being filled with a lot of empty buildings and promises, is still wonderful to walk around in. Putting on some tunes and losing myself on the neon-lit streets for hours as I complete random quests and act like a regular citizen has always been the game’s greatest joy.
Maybe It’s Time To Return To Cyberpunk 2077
This new update appears to add more layers of immersion to moment-to-moment gameplay. Johnny Silverhand will now show up in the passenger seat when you’re driving around so he can offer random commentary, while language used to express randomly generated quests and smaller activities has been changed to make things feel less repetitive.
With more cars on the road and a greater variety of dialogue, it feels like CDPR is trying to bid farewell to Cyberpunk 2077 by bringing it to life one more time. I want to be a part of this odd reunion even as my gaming backlog is filled to the rafters.
I’m yet to mention any of the fresh photo mode additions which want to turn the otherwise serviceable feature into a highlight its players can spend hours with. We’ve already seen the community recreate a few impressive memes and iconic scenes, while the inclusion of a zone makes me excited to see how far I can push my virtual photography of Night City. It’s weird how nostalgic it makes me feel.
If Cyberpunk 2077 never receives a PS5 Pro patch – and at this point I’m still convinced it will at some point – I love that it’s now in a better state than ever. That will make my eventual revisit that much sweeter. For now, I just don’t have the time, but am safe in the knowledge Night City isn’t going anywhere. It may even be better next time I visit.
Developed by CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person action role-playing game based on the Cyberpunk tabletop RPG. You must choose your path through life in the lawless Night City, while contending with the memories of Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves).