I’ve played Cyberpunk 2077 on Google Stadia, and it’s amazing. Stadia is one of the platforms it runs very well on because it’s a streaming service not requiring the latest hardware.
Seriously, it is very good. A futuristic Grand Theft Auto with a deep story. You can fully customize your character with choice of face, body, genitalia. Choosing a more masculine or feminine voice will determine what pronouns are used throughout the experience. It has nudity, sex and drug use.
Does this sound like an awesome videogame?
Keanu Reeves has a big role and maybe gives the best performance of his life. To a fan of William Gibson, seeing ideas from novels like ‘Braindance’ (which is like a movie you watch in your brain) come to life is delightful. Other references are from science fiction like Neil Stephenson, movies like Akira and Blade Runner, etc.
What could anyone possibly have against this awesomeness?
The big issue at launch, which developer CD ProjektRed issued a statement on, was that it ran very poorly on low end platforms despite being advertised as visually stunning. On PS5, Xbox Series X and high end PCs, it was generally okay, but not so much on PS4 and Xbox One. Testimonials like this one showed it running comically terribly. Full refunds were offered to dissatisfied gamers, there are two class action lawsuits, a reprimand from the developer’s home country, and of course a lot of bad press. Since then, updates called ‘Hotfixes’ have generally resolved issues, and things have been smoothed over.
Personally I understand how developers need time to work. That doesn’t always line up with expectations from Marketing and the need to get it out by a certain time (such as the 2020 Holidays in this case) and a bumpy launch is the result. It’s understandable.
Visceral rage wrought by the aforementioned is disproportionate though. One hit-piece in particular, from the New York Times, is especially over-the top.
Why does ProjektRed get the ‘enemy of the US’ tear-down treatment? Described as a shadowy corporation with a sordid past, as though they knew exactly what they were doing. We have to know they’re based Poland (not one of us). You would think they planned The Insurrection or something.
Instead of bashing the developers for huge aspirations, celebrate the scope and vision of what they tried to make and in some ways succeeded or failed. Really, they’re trying to make amends now and do right by the consumer.
Put differently: If you don’t like how a movie turned out, you don’t then sue the producers and burn down the studio. Give them a fair hearing.
