Cyberpunk 2077 not too long ago celebrated is four-year anniversary, and although for many single-player video games a four-year anniversary can be nicely previous the purpose the place they’d nonetheless be getting substantial updates (or actually, updates of any type), CD Projekt RED clearly didn’t get the memo. Replace 2.2 not too long ago went stay for the once-troubled first-person motion RPG, including a number of new options and tweaks that received’t change the best way you expertise the sport in any significant manner by themselves, however do improve numerous points nonetheless.
Primarily, Replace 2.2 is concentrated on including extra choices for beauty customization on a number of fronts. Launched just for the sport’s PS5, Xbox Collection 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 automobiles’ look, one thing which you could even do when you’re diving one. Apparently sufficient, in case you change your automobile’s color throughout a police chase and no cops have been shut sufficient to see you accomplish that, you possibly can 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 automobiles, in addition to different neat tweaks that received’t have an effect on gameplay, however will certainly to the overall vibes of the sport, a division Cyberpunk 2077 is already fairly robust 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 by means of the neon-drenched streets of Evening Metropolis.
Once more, none of those are updates that may change Cyberpunk 2077’s gameplay expertise in any significant manner, 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 sport that, based on 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 persistently obtained over a chronic time period.
Technically, in fact, help for Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to finish with the double punch of Replace 2.0 and Phantom Liberty a bit of 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 endured 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 sport 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 following Cyberpunk sport, at the moment codenamed Challenge Orion. Nonetheless, not lengthy afterward, the developer launched Replace 2.1, which was surprisingly substantial as nicely. The long-requested Metro system was the headlining addition, however the replace additionally introduced with it new automobiles, 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 charge. 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, sport director Gabe Amatangelo himself confirmed in an interview with Recreation 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 group having moved on to both The Witcher 4 or the following Cyberpunk (the previous being a lot additional alongside in manufacturing). After which, in fact, got here Replace 2.2, marking the 12 months’s finish with one other sudden increase for CDPR’s RPG.
Clearly, the best situation for Cyberpunk 2077 would have been a clean launch, eliminating the necessity for CD Projekt RED to should redeem the sport and restore its personal closely broken redemption completely. If you’re paying full value for an enormous, lengthy awaited launch, as gamers, you naturally hope for a sport that values your money and time, and truthfully, nothing is ever going to vary the truth that at launch again in 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 was an entire and utter catastrophe. However although it might be all too widespread for video games with powerful launches to be deserted earlier than any actual try might be made at restoration, CDPR selected to stay with what many deemed to be a misplaced trigger, and managed to really flip it round into the unequivocally nice sport it’s at present. And as soon as that was executed, the studio simply saved going.
Extremely sufficient, when you concentrate on 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 Recreation Plus, whereas many have additionally been hoping to see PS5 Professional enhancements launched for what’s extensively thought-about one of the visually spectacular and technically spectacular video games obtainable on fashionable {hardware}. We acquired neither New Recreation Plus nor PS5 Professional enhancements with Replace 2.2, nevertheless, which suggests we might get these issues with future patches- probably, on the very least.
We understand we’re being grasping at this level, plain and easy, and truthfully, it wouldn’t be surprising within the slightest if CDPR selected to lastly transfer on completely from Cyberpunk 2077 and shift its full consideration to future tasks, of which it has fairly just a few in various phases of manufacturing. However curiously sufficient, for the needs of Replace 2.2, CD Projekt RED partnered with Virtuos. An exterior group 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 are able to’t assist however ponder whether we’d 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 may 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 hold anticipating it to be lastly put to mattress. We’re definitely not complaining, however- as we’ve realized with time, we (and thousands and thousands of others) have developed a style for coming again to Evening Metropolis many times and once more.
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