Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Review In Progress

mmorpg.com:

Cyberpunk 2077 and I have a troubled history. From its disappointing launch state on console and PC back during its earliest days, I’ve had a hard time really getting into the sprawling RPG, as bugs, glitches and overall performance issues held everything back.

Since those days, I always wanted to jump back in, but never could quite shake the feeling its launch gave me, especially watching many of my friends on console struggle with even worse problems.

However, when CDPR announced Phantom Liberty, as well as the 2.0 update, which changes so many of the underlying systems and gameplay elements in Cyberpunk, this was the chance I sought. I wanted to experience this game, and it felt like this would finally provide the clean slate to do so.

And after the first time I stepped into Dogtown, I’m glad I did.

After Space Force One is mysteriously shot down, crash-landing in the Night City district of Dogtown, V is tabbed to help the FIA solve who is behind this, albeit because he is going to get something out of it in return — help with the BioChip Relic that houses the notorious Johnny Silverhand.

I appreciate that Phantom Liberty doesn’t require you to have beaten the original storyline in order to start this expansion — rather, it takes place alongside the original narrative, enhancing it in a way. Callbacks to missions done before this occurs frequently, with characters referencing the events surrounding Night City as if it were a living, breathing entity around them.

At the center of it all is Solomon Reed, played by the impeccable Idris Elba. Elba brings a gravitas, yet down-to-earth quality that feels rooted in Dogtown. I get flashes of Stringer Bell, the character he played in The Wire, as both are incredibly cerebral, but