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Is Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 Worth It?
Credit: Leonardo/MyTechPiece
We spoke about Cyberpunk 2077 extensively here, and if the initial release was unforgivable and catastrophic (we played it on PS4 at first, and “Oh boy!”) it’s a different game now. The massive 1.6 patch fixed a lot of issues when we rediscovered it on pc, and with a 1080 GTX, it was a bliss.
CD Projekt Red released the 2.0 update which promises a lot of improvements, detailed here. Is it worth playing with this new update?
The Graphical Evolution
The first build of the game was beyond bland. It was empty with ugly textures, and we’re not even talking about the bugs yet. The 1.6 update improved it a lot with more NPCs, better texture work and optimization, which made Night City a fascinating city.
The 2.0 update furthers this intention, and it also corrects a lot of issues with animations. It’s still not perfect, though, with changes making things a bit weird in places. For instance, hitting NPCs before made them run away and disappear. Now, one punch puts them down and they fall with some nightmarish rag doll physics. Water has seen some improvements, but it’s not a swimming simulator, so we didn’t really care for this aspect. Still, there is some water simulation when shooting or driving your car in it.
Texture work is improved, especially if you have access to DLSS 3.5, with textures appearing less blurry and more detailed. It also affects skin texture on characters’ faces, which is essential in an experience like Cyberpunk 2077 where you’re often up close talking to people. It impacts the immersion, with facial expression being conveyed more accurately.
Credit: Leonardo/MyTechPiece
Lighting Does The Heavy Lifting
Cyberpunk 2077 is a gorgeous game, but it’s not all about the graphics, which aren’t the most advanced in the industry. Beyond graphic fidelity, the game plays a lot with lighting effects, reflections, and smoke volume to bring the environment to life. This is what makes Night City an immersive experience, and the 2.0 update greatly improves that aspect.
Before you had jagged shadow edges everywhere, incoherent reflections, and sometimes a lack of lighting in some areas. This has been fixed, and you can see it in environment that aren’t directly lit, which caused flickering. There are still issues of the sort in the 2.0, but it’s less egregious, and it’s more tolerable than before, removing most of what was immersion-breaking. In any case, we’d argue that the art direction helps make up for these issues, and for our new play through exploring the city, it felt great to see the changes.
Credit: Leonardo/MyTechPiece
Still Not The Ultimate Experience?
Despite the many improvements, the game isn’t perfect, and some players may be disappointed. However, if you’ve never played it, it’s the right time to discover it. It’s almost what was promised at the time, and it’s how it should have been released, with later patches working from this build.
Gameplay-wise, the driving is better (it’s not GTA, but it’s better), there are more physics involved, like windows destruction, car tires animations when shooting them, and so on. The NPCs are still problematic in their reactions and this is the part the game needs to improve, even if it tries to hide it by having a lot of them.
Regarding the new skill tree, it’s much easier to understand than previously, and the new layout changes how you can approach upgrades. It’s easier to understand how your choices will specialize your character, and defines different builds more. Meaning you won’t cumulate different skills as easily.
The police now exists. They can now pursue you and create roadblocks, when they just appeared out of thin air before. It now plays more like Mafia Definitive Edition, with police vehicles looking for you on the map. You can still easily get rid of them, but at least there’s something fun to do if you decide to create mayhem, especially with the hilarious new finishers.
Credit: Leonardo/MyTechPiece
Should You Play Cyberpunk 2.0?
If you’ve never played Cyberpunk 2077, the 2.0 update allows you to finally appreciate the narration and incredible atmosphere of the game without the game-breaking bugs. As a returning player, it’s a cool experience to revisit and play around with. However, it’s not GTA, if you’ve done everything in the game before, you’ll simply want to play the new quests and jobs, but the main story will stay the same.
Still, it’s interesting to revisit it now before testing out the Phantom Liberty DLC, so definitely worth playing if you’re in the mood for the grim future it depicts.
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