I’ve spent most of my life relying on public transit. Despite living in very different cities and very different states with very different transit capabilities over the course of my professional career, I’ve never really been a ‘car’ guy in the sense of owning one, wanting to own one, or caring about owning one.
I don’t think I’m a better person for this philosophy. There are no wise climate change decisions being made here; I’m just really lazy and even more cheap. It really sounds like a lot of work and it’s funnier at this point that I’m just not doing it. And, to be completely honest, I’ve been at this for so long that I consider mass transit to be extremely soothing compared to riding in a car.
To be clear, this preference for public transit has never had any impact on a game before. I love driving in video games, because I don’t have to go to jail when I accidentally kill an elderly pedestrian with a blue shell. I’m more than fine stealing a car in a game and driving it over sidewalks and stairs in what turns out to be the least efficient way to get anywhere. That extends to Cyberpunk 2077, a game I’ve somehow both joked about endlessly and enjoyed even more.
The Best Thing To Do In Cyberpunk 2077 Is Nothing
I love just grabbing a car or bike or whatever and going wild with it. We all do. It’s what the game is all about outside of every character in the game talking about becoming a ‘legend’ or something. This is a game where you can just put on an audio book and drive for a while and relax. Furthermore, I’m going to say something really embarrassing: public transit in Cyberpunk 2077 is even better. If you need a brain massage, that’s where it’s at, buddy.
Of course, I know that riding the subway has been available in Cyberpunk 2077 for a little while now. It’s not new, although if you haven’t been paying attention it’s a little easy to miss. In addition to the old fast travel stations throughout the game, they – I was going to say ‘recently’ but really, it’s ‘eventually’ – added a few new points of a metro system in Night City that could let you jump from place to place along a certain subway line. Since it’s a fast travel option, you have the ability to essentially teleport to the next place. Great. But far better – and I’m not even joking – is the ability to ride the train to the next station. Or, as I’ve been doing, just get on and let it roll and let the public works of Night City take me wherever they want.
Somehow riding the subway in Cyberpunk 2077 has become my new comfort food. Sometimes I’ll put it on and just read a book with the sounds of public transit pouring over me. Other times it’ll go on my second screen as I work. Yes, I know that ‘ambient noise and movement’ isn’t an astonishing new idea in the space of second screens, so shut up.
In fact, during the Steam sale, I also picked up Ambient Dark, an early access game that could best be described as ‘not a game’. You’re just walking around two – and, at some point in development, more – areas of an empty spaceport. It’s another second screen-style thing and, no, it’s not expensive. It’s only three bucks, comforting as all get out, and great to have on in the background while reading. Also, you can just sit in the bathroom of the space port and stare at the sink as long as you like, which has never made me feel more in touch with the future. I don’t know. Maybe there’s a very stupid part of my brain that enjoys itself more while some form of game is happening in the background.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Subway Is As Weird And Relaxing As The Real Thing
I think I love that Cyberpunk 2077’s subway is dynamic. It reminds me of actual subways. People talk. Weird people stare at you. If you position yourself to look out the window, you get one of the best views in the game. And, depending on the line you pick, you can just sit there and let it loop. It’s perfect ambient noise without just being a pre-recorded YouTube video you’re disappointed to realize is AI-generated or a cozy game set in a microscopic cafe that you’re disappointed to learn is a metaphor for life. After patch after update after expansion, they did such a good job of bringing Night City to life that it makes me want to sit in the middle of it and try to ignore everybody by concentrating on a good book.
True, it’s probably strange that someone who lives in a major metropolitan area – such as myself – would use a fictional subway as the new background for reading and working. But, hell, I read faster and better on the subway. I might as well enjoy that experience without walking a few blocks or waiting to get a seat or hearing someone trying to play acoustic guitar at full volume in the middle of the goddamn day.
So, yeah, I get a slightly more fake, more chill experience in Cyberpunk 2077, a game that is not really ‘chill’ in its design ethos. Night City is meant to be a lot of things, but calming isn’t high on the list. It’s beautiful! It’s vibrant! It’s fun! It can even be thought-provoking with its little missions and so forth and whatnot. But there’s just something about sitting on a subway across from weirdos having a strange conversation that feels like coming home to me.
Again, the metro system isn’t brand new in Cyberpunk 2077, and there have been plenty of games that allow you to sit back and just let the world play itself out. And those are all great. I want everyone to make many, many more and tell me where to buy them online. I’m a sucker for the slightest thing, so really, take my money. If anything, I love that Cyberpunk 2077 is the game that keeps giving back. It wasn’t great at launch, it got better, it got even more better, and now it feels like a living theme park I can visit for fun and relaxation. Perhaps it’s silly to load up a big triple-A game with showcase graphics to comfort myself as I flip through a magazine and pretend I’m bored in the future. But it’s nice to know that at least someone is reading in Night City.
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OpenCritic
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Top Critic Rating:
76/100
- Released
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December 10, 2020
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