Cyberpunk 2077 just lately celebrated is four-year anniversary, and although for many single-player video games a four-year anniversary can be effectively previous the purpose the place they might nonetheless be getting substantial updates (or actually, updates of any type), CD Projekt RED clearly didn’t get the memo. Replace 2.2 just lately went reside for the once-troubled first-person motion RPG, including a number of new options and tweaks that gained’t change the best way you expertise the sport in any significant method by themselves, however do improve numerous facets nonetheless.
Primarily, Replace 2.2 is targeted on including extra choices for beauty customization on a number of fronts. Launched just for the sport’s PS5, Xbox Sequence X/S, and PC variations (as has been the case with the final handful of updates), it provides as many as 112 new customization choices for gamers to decide on between when creating or customizing their V’s look, along with an improved Randomizer. A brand new function now additionally permits customizing your owned autos’ look, one thing you can even do when you’re diving one. Apparently sufficient, in case you change your automobile’s color throughout a police chase and no cops had been shut sufficient to see you achieve this, you’ll be able to shake them off quicker.
Past that, the replace additionally provides a bunch of extra Picture Mode choices and options (like new frames and a Drone Mode), new purchasable autos, in addition to different neat tweaks that gained’t have an effect on gameplay, however will certainly to the overall vibes of the sport, a division Cyberpunk 2077 is already fairly sturdy in. As an illustration, when driving round, there’s an opportunity that Johnny Silverhand will now seem within the passenger seat subsequent to you, the place he’ll sit and take within the sights when you cruise via the neon-drenched streets of Night time Metropolis.
Once more, none of those are updates that may change Cyberpunk 2077’s gameplay expertise in any significant method, however not solely is it a considerable sufficient replace in its personal proper nonetheless. it’s additionally an replace that nobody was anticipating, particularly for a four-year previous single-player recreation that, in line with the gaming historical past books, has lengthy since accomplished its redemption arc. And but, right here we’re, with CD Projekt RED pushing out a brand new replace that comes as one more nice shock for Cyberpunk 2077 fans- and can be indicative of the superb help that the sport has constantly obtained over a chronic time frame.
Technically, after all, help for Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to finish with the double punch of Replace 2.0 and Phantom Liberty slightly over a 12 months in the past in September 2023. That was the second that noticed Cyberpunk 2077 lastly managing to climb over what as soon as appeared like an insurmountable hump within the type of its disastrous launch and its fallout. CDPR continued in its help for the sport, nevertheless, and final 12 months, with Phantom Liberty and Replace 2.0 (which got here on the again of years of enhancements and enhancements), it lastly turned Cyberpunk 2077 right into a legitimately glorious recreation with no caveats.
After that exceptional turnaround, most would have assumed that CD Projekt RED was executed with the sport at alongside final, particularly with early pre-production additionally having kicked off on the subsequent Cyberpunk recreation, presently codenamed Mission Orion. Nonetheless, not lengthy afterward, the developer launched Replace 2.1, which was surprisingly substantial as effectively. The long-requested Metro system was the headlining addition, however the replace additionally introduced with it new autos, the power to hearken to music whereas on foot, enhancements to boss fights, new accessibility options, and extra.
At that time, it was clear that Cyberpunk 2077 would obtain no additional patches- or not any main ones, at any fee. A patch did arrive in January of 2024, after which one other one in February, each bringing a number of extra minor fixes and additions, but it surely appeared to be the tip of the street. Hell, in March, recreation director Gabe Amatangelo himself confirmed in an interview with Sport File that although Cyberpunk 2077 would possibly obtain some small updates right here and there, for probably the most half, work on the title had wrapped up, with the crew having moved on to both The Witcher 4 or the subsequent Cyberpunk (the previous being a lot additional alongside in manufacturing). After which, after all, got here Replace 2.2, marking the 12 months’s finish with one other sudden increase for CDPR’s RPG.
Clearly, the perfect situation for Cyberpunk 2077 would have been a clean launch, eliminating the necessity for CD Projekt RED to need to redeem the sport and restore its personal closely broken redemption solely. If you’re paying full worth for a giant, lengthy awaited launch, as gamers, you naturally hope for a recreation that values your money and time, and actually, nothing is ever going to vary the truth that at launch again in 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 was a whole and utter catastrophe. However although it could be all too frequent for video games with robust launches to be deserted earlier than any actual try will be made at restoration, CDPR selected to stay with what many deemed to be a misplaced trigger, and managed to actually flip it round into the unequivocally nice recreation it’s at this time. And as soon as that was executed, the studio simply saved going.
Extremely sufficient, when you consider it, there’s nonetheless room for Cyberpunk 2077 to get no less than a few not-so-insignificant updates within the comparatively close to future. As an illustration, one function that many have been hoping to see added in for some time is New Sport Plus, whereas many have additionally been hoping to see PS5 Professional enhancements launched for what’s extensively thought of probably the most visually spectacular and technically spectacular video games obtainable on trendy {hardware}. We bought neither New Sport Plus nor PS5 Professional enhancements with Replace 2.2, nevertheless, which suggests we may get these issues with future patches- doubtlessly, on the very least.
We notice we’re being grasping at this level, plain and easy, and actually, it wouldn’t be surprising within the slightest if CDPR selected to lastly transfer on solely from Cyberpunk 2077 and shift its full consideration to future tasks, of which it has fairly a number of in various levels of manufacturing. However curiously sufficient, for the needs of Replace 2.2, CD Projekt RED partnered with Virtuos. An exterior crew coming in to proceed enhancing Cyberpunk 2077 whereas CDPR itself works on different tasks wasn’t one thing that many had given a lot (or any) thought to, however now that we all know that’s on the books, we will’t assist however wonder if we would see extra patches for the sport sooner or later coming courtesy of exterior companions.
The purpose, nevertheless, is that even when we don’t, Cyberpunk 2077 could have already gone above and past with- let’s name them its post-post-launch efforts. After already having garner widespread plaudits for its miraculous restoration and the superb excessive it ended (or seemingly ended) issues on with Phantom Liberty and Replace 2.0 final 12 months, the sport has continued to broaden and enhance, even once we maintain anticipating it to be lastly put to mattress. We’re definitely not complaining, however- as we’ve discovered with time, we (and tens of millions of others) have developed a style for coming again to Night time Metropolis repeatedly and once more.
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