My Favorite Open World--RDR2

I've played an absolutely insane amount of Cyberpunk 2077 (and will continue my weird obsession with the game that the entire internet loves to hate on), but after four full playthroughs, I decided that it's time to give Night City a break.  Of course, then I was confronted with the age-old panicked feeling of trying to figure out what to play next.  Since I found the open-world aspects of Cyberpunk to be one of the weakest parts of the game (it's a beautiful world, but it just lacks depth), I got to thinking about my longstanding issues with many open-world games.  Nowadays, it feels like every major RPG is centered around a massive world.  The challenge for developers/game designers is to figure out how to effectively fill up that space and make it engaging for players.  I often find myself getting bored in open world games--since I'm a completionist, it's very easy to get caught up in what I like to call the "map marker elimination" task.  I just want to clear my map of all those obnoxious symbols!  However, focusing solely on those symbols becomes the definition of drudgery--there's not much fun in stabbing your 10,000th guard in Assassin's Creed or diving for another obnoxiously located set of treasure chests in The Witcher 3.  There's one game though that manages to have a massive, open-world and somehow avoid many of the other common missteps from other games--Red Dead Redemption 2.

RDR2 is a true masterpiece of the open world.
(*Not my pic--credit to the NY Times)

What works well in RDR2:

1.) They don't drown players in a jillion map symbols.  As a completionist, it can be very overwhelming to see all the myriad tasks just waiting to be completed.  By having players find and use maps for certain objectives (legendary animals/fish, treasure maps) it eliminates much of the clutter (although, I'm sure some would argue that having to access your inventory and look at those maps as opposed to simply punching the map button can get annoying).

2.) By using a "blank map" they encourage players to explore.  I've always enjoyed the fact that as you find animals, pick herbs, and explore unique locations new details are added to the map.  It's fun to see a blank square and then set out to discover exactly what's there.  Rockstar is good at rewarding exploration with unique encounters and strange events (my favorite random building in RDR2 is the scene of a bizarre 19th century suicide cult).  Plyers are also encouraged to explore by the fact that fast travel takes some time to unlock.

3.) A wide variety of tasks for players to choose to complete.  There are legendary animals to hunt, legendary fish to catch, several sets of hidden objects/locations to find, collectibles to find, gangs to track down, a variety of criminal activities to participate in (robbing homes, robbing stagecoaches), garment sets to assemble (requiring a number of various perfect pelts...so, even more hunting), items to track down for gang members....and I could go on!  I find this variety to be the biggest strength in RDR2.  In way too many open world games the same 3-4ish tasks get recycled in different locations (I'm looking at you random military bases in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey).

4.) Random encounters.  Every time you set out, there's always the chance to come across something unexpected.  It could be a stranger asking for help, an ambush by enemy gang members, or simply a drunk person who has become lost (or many more--there are definitely opportunities for events that range more on the bandit side of the morality spectrum which I usually avoid).  These random encounters help maintain interest...even if you are frequently doing many of the same activities.

5.) The game mechanics give you a good reason to return to camp periodically.  Camp supply levels are dependent on purchases or donations made by the player.  This gives you a good reason to periodically return to your camp--many games give you a camp/base and then no reason to ever return to it.

6.) Throughout the story, the gang camp moves around the map.  This allows for players to focus on a particular area and not get too consumed with trying to venture to every far flung corner from a single location.  It also provides variety, which is nice.

7.) Somehow, the side content/open world activities don't distract from the main story.  I'm not sure exactly how they did it--if it's the pacing of the missions, the strength of the main story and characters, the freedom of choice players have (in the open-world activities they can pursue).  I've found that in many large, open-world games the main story can get pushed completely into the background as players focus on eliminating map markers.

I think Rockstar makes some of the best open-world games and they've really come up with a fantastic formula.  While other games can't exactly copy this formula, I think they can and should try to come up with a greater variety of engaging tasks for players to choose to complete (Cyberpunk's open world could greatly benefit from variety--I think part of the challenge lies in having a mostly urban environment--gotta come up with some "city" types of tasks).  

    

Loving the Thing Everyone Hates--My Parting Cyberpunk Thoughts

It's hard to put into words exactly how I feel about my experience with Cyberpunk 2077--it's very strange to feel so fascinated by a world that I willingly put an obscene amount of time into it because I wanted to squeeze out every last secret and experience.  At the same time, the level of disgust that people have for Cyberpunk makes it difficult to fully enjoy my obsession.  Every social media post or article about Cyberpunk seems to draw nothing but scorn from the masses of people who want to express their disappointment that it hasn't lived up to the hype.  My experience wasn't colored by the hype--I only loosely followed information about the game prior to release, so in some ways, ignorance is bliss.  I think if people went into the game without the hyped version playing through their minds, they would have a different experience.  I'm not saying Cyberpunk is perfect--there are problems--but I don't think it's the disaster that it's made out to be either (right now at least, I think that story was different several months ago).

I've felt the grasp of my obsession finally starting to wane (after four full playthroughs...yikes!) and I'm trying to wrap my mind around what works and needs improvement to help lift Cyberpunk out of the scorn-heap.

What Works

It's easy to find beauty in Night City.

1.) The world and world building is amazing.  You can't deny the magic of Night City--it's beautiful and completely dysfunctional.  I've been so obsessed with this world that I purchased the accompanying art/lorebook (The World of Cyberpunk 2077) and the level of detail that went into creating the game world is awesome.  Unfortunately, the depth of the world I got from the lorebook seems lacking in the actual game.  Something that is unfortunate is that the game doesn't draw much attention to the background, the history, and many of the details of the world (I actually forgot there was a database until my second playthrough).

2.) The main storyline and many of the chaining side missions that revolve around characters and their stories are great.  The main storyline forces players to make some heavy decisions that are thought provoking--I really enjoyed the way it played out and the branching options at the end.  I know many people are critical of the fact that they don't feel like the story was branching enough or that there were enough choices that impacted outcomes, but I didn't feel that way.

3.) Memorable characters.  Johnny Silverhand starts off as this obnoxious asshole who's actively trying to kill and possess V, but by the end of the story, you actually find yourself liking him.  Judy Alvarez is one of the most well-written characters in the game and one who fans obviously adore (there are sooo many threads about needing more Judy content...people are definitely attached).  There's Panam and the nomads; Takemura; Jackie Welles...and many others.    

Problems

1.) For me, the strongest and most enjoyable parts of CDPR's games are the characters--they've gotten fabulously good at designing likeable, fascinating, and flawed characters.  You'll meet several of these characters in Cyberpunk and the main storyline revolves around the most memorable.  Unfortunately, I think Cyberpunk is a case of too much world and not enough character.  There is a ridiculous amount of map marker side content (which, is arguably skippable) that feels like pointless filler (you can reach max street cred by only completing a fraction of them).  It's repetitive and can get quite boring if it's all you focus on (and, I think many players have found themselves quitting because they have focused too much on side content and they've missed out on the best parts of the game--the scripted main and side storylines).  It's a problem that plagues Cyberpunk and many open-world games.

The world in Cyberpunk could benefit from CDPR playing to their strengths--more great characters with complex, morally grey stories that play out through well-written chaining missions (the character story missions are great; Sinnerman and the one with Jefferson Peralez are both fun and interesting--there just needs to be more like those!).  I think that the decision to try to shorten the length of the main storyline (compared to The Witcher 3) was a mistake that left the world feeling oddly empty.  If DLC does happen, I hope it adds in new characters and stories to try to flesh out some of that emptiness.  Night City desperately needs an injection of personality--more corpo intrigue, more morally grey decision making--and fewer map marker/checklist tasks.

Recently, I've been replaying Red Dead Redemption 2 (and I have seen a lot of people make comparisons between the two) and thinking about what makes the open-world work well in that game.  I think it comes down to variety--players can choose from a menu of different activities which help fill  the massive world with engaging activities.  You can hunt or fish, you can gamble, you can explore, there are collectibles to find, there are random encounters...there's tons to do!  Cyberpunk could benefit from having a greater menu of options for players to choose from--simply completing gigs and scanner hustles gets dry quickly--Night City needs more life and more options for player activities to make the world feel more...alive.

2.) I waited to play Cyberpunk until I had read that the game was stable and that the majority of the bugs/glitches had been fixed.  There are still bugs and glitches (fortunately, the ones I encountered were all minor annoyances and nothing game breaking or progress blocking) that detract from the ultimate experience.  An example of some bugs--a legendary/iconic weapon plan I was after didn't drop due to a bug (I didn't know about this bug at the time or else I would've re-loaded--by the time I found out about it...way too late to do anything), certain characters don't do what they're supposed to do during a mission (like enter a car), I had a weird phone call bug in Watson where missions would overlap (that one was obnoxious).  (UPDATE: I wrote this pre-patch 1.3 and a large portion of the patch deals with bug fixes.  I haven't played since 1.3, but know that the bug issue is probably still going to need to be stamped out) 

3.) Weird AI/enemy behavior.  For example--one of my favorite quickhacks is system reset, a non-lethal quickhack that allows you to remotely disable enemies from a distance.  At higher rarities (and with the correct, legendary OS installed) it will jump between enemies within a certain distance.  I am a big fan of using it to disable two closely grouped enemies (that would be impossible to stealthily take down--usually it's two enemies who are facing each other).  My problem isn't with the hack itself (I love it), but with the way enemies react to the hack.  Two of their compadres just got the bejeezus zapped out of them and they don't immediately freak out--eventually someone might see the bodies and enter an alarmed state, but that's it.  The hack makes a loud electrical sound when applied.  The behavior should be more frenzied.

I want to say that I want more danger--more risk of getting attacked, more risk of police encounters, more gangs attacking (because I've greatly thinned their ranks....).  Not constant combat, but higher risk.

I think I've squeezed every ounce out of Cyberpunk for now and will be giving it a break until some new content drops (fingers crossed about that happening somewhat soon).  It's my sincere hope that fleshing out the world gets a lot of focus.   

Holy Patch Notes! 1.3 is Nigh-ish (Cyberpunk 2077)

The full 1.3 patch notes for Cyberpunk 2077 have been revealed...and woo boy are they lengthy.  (View them here)  I saw somewhere that the patch size was 38 gigs (*this is from a forum post, so not anything official)...it's a biggun.  So, what are the highs and lows of this crazy list?

The good news is that some of that sweet, sweet free DLC is happening--mostly in the form of new items.

Johnny is getting a new look!

1.) Johnny Silverhand will be getting an alternative outfit that can be toggled on/off.  Cool, I guess?

2.) V will get access to two new jacket types in his/her stash after progressing through a specific mission.  It appears that these items are rare/iconic and can be upgraded.  I love the jackets and have been hoping for more rare/iconic items, so I'm excited for this.

3.) A new vehicle type that is tied to a mission in the Badlands (Archer Quartz "Bandit"--I'm going to assume that it's a nomad version of a Quartz).  According to the notes, players will either receive the vehicle as a reward or can purchase it (it's dependent on choices made during a certain mission).  I'm always down for more vehicles (*this, despite the fact that I usually find one that I really like and then only use it).

The rest of the very sizeable list is dedicated to improvements and fixes.  Here are a few that I found notable and some thoughts:

• Fixers will now message V less with offers to purchase a vehicle.  (Poor V's phone needs a break from all those messages.  No Wako, V doesn't want to buy your weird, little clown car!)
• It's now possible to upgrade crafting components in bulk. (Now I don't have to click 5483758 times to create legendary components.  Praise baby Jesus.)
• Detection time of enemies now depends on game difficulty. Enemies on Easy and Normal difficulties will now detect the player slower. Enemies on Very Hard difficulty will now detect the player faster. (Sneaky, sneaky times are going to be harder on higher difficulties--I'm curious about how much harder it will be...)
• Enemies on Very Hard difficulty (and only that difficulty alone) will now be more aggressive when searching around when they are in the "Alerted" state. (I'm not sure what this means--more running around?  Maybe some aggressive, random shooting?)
• Added more crafting specs for cyberware mods. (I didn't realize that ripperdocs sold cyberware mods until my third playthrough--it's very poorly explained.  Being able to craft your own is awesome)
• Optical Camo cyberware will now be available for purchase from Ripperdocs. (Sneaky, sneaky times just got sneaky-sneakier--I'm sure this will offer a brief window of total invisibility)
• Fixed an issue where crafting specs from clothing stores were available only during the first visit to a vendor. (Pretty sure I had this problem because I rarely encountered new plans.  Crafting clothing is a bit of a mixed bag, but I love cosmetic items, so bring on more plans.)
• Fixed various unlootable items.  (There's nothing more irritating that not being able to loot every useless piece of junk in the game.  I will loot all the ashtrays and stress balls.  I hope this also includes issues where dropped weapons would sometimes be unlootable in the Badlands)
• Fixed appearance of a junk item. (I'm guessing this is a sex item because this description if very vague)
• Traffic vehicles will now honk after hitting V. (Yep, getting honked at AFTER being hit is important.  I would much rather have better pathing for NPC vehicles, but honking is a step in...a direction)
• Fixed an issue where V could be launched into the air when attempting to jump through or climb various terrains throughout Night City. (I encountered this several times and it's one bug that I'm very glad is being smashed.  It was annoying finding yourself suddenly flung a sizeable distance from your location)
• Improved framerate consistency, resulting in fewer hitches and spikes, especially during combat. (Optimization is always welcome)
• Fixed an issue where interrupted holocall would resume along with another call, which could make the NPC appear in other calls and break the next holocall from that NPC. (I also encountered this bug and it completely messed up a sequence of missions in Watson--glad it's being fixed)
• A gift from Judy can now be found in V's apartment after player receives a text about it after completing her romance side quests. (Finally!  Ya'll know how I feel about Judy--there's not enough Judy--and I was bummed that her "gift" never appears in V's apartment.  Now, what about the promised "stills" from her text messages, huh?)

I'm trying to avoid reading comments, but my guess is that people will be upset that the DLC isn't more substantial.  I don't remember the free DLC from The Witcher 3 being anything too big--I think there was a new quest added (the one with the cursed pig villagers) and mostly smaller cosmetic types of changes (alternate outfits for Triss and Yennefer; improved Gwent artwork).  The rest of the list is sorely needed bug/glitch fixes (which should hopefully alleviate some griping).

UPDATE (8/18/21):

Patch 1.3 is live!  Get to downloading!

Some Cyber-News Drops!

In my continuing Cyberpunk 2077 coverage, there has been a piece of exciting news dropped today!  Players have been anxiously (or aggressively...depending on where you look) awaiting any news from CD Projekt about the future path of the game.  Many have pointed out the fact that the timeline on the published "roadmap" of development is definitely behind.  Sadly, if you were expecting some of that sweet, sweet, free DLC...well, you're going to be disappointed (although sources I had seen had pointed out that any new content was likely to be more hotfixes/patches).

Those gorgeous neons!

According to the "What's New in Night City?" post from CD Projekt on the official Cyberpunk 2077 page, patch 1.3 will be happening...at some point in the future (noticeably, there is no date, although I have seen speculation that it would land by the end of August from other sources).  The post is meant to give an overview of the major changes in the upcoming patch (but not full patch notes).  If you don't feel like wading through the creatively written post, here's what I gleaned from it:

1.) The GPS/navigation system and minimap are going to be improved.  I never had any problems with navigation and my only minimap gripe would be the fact that I wished it showed a slighly larger area--mostly because I drive like a maniac and it's easy to miss turns when you're buzzing along at breakneck speeds.

2.) During the main story mission in Clouds, player options between Angel and Skye will be made more clear.  Basically, people were miffed that they were accidentally choosing the wrong doll because the order they appear in is different from the video to the player UI.  This seems like a very, minor random thing to add, but apparently was the source of many salty internet tears because people inadvertently chose the "gay" option (*spoilers here, but V doesn't actually have sex with anyone at Clouds, so the gayness is pretty non-existant).

3.) The system for resetting/re-aligning perks is changing.  Rather than using the Tabula E-Rasa shards which completely resets V's talents, players can seek out "coaches" who can help players change perks without a complete reset.  This part is very unclear, but the intent seems to be to better allow players to experiment with different builds without needing to purchase the expensive shards (they are 25,000 Eurodollars a pop...which is cheaper than the 100,000 that I think they were in the beginning).

So, while it's not the DLC news that players were hoping for, it's still news (something that has been frustratingly scarce).  Undoubtedly there will be some salty peeps because:  1.) it's not DLC, 2.) they are behind on their development roadmap, 3.) these changes/improvements seem fairly minor.  The full patch notes are supposed to be released "soon."  Hopefully there are more bug/glitch fixes (I'm sure there will be) included in the patch.

If you're more curious about patch 1.3, there will be a stream on August 17th on the CD Projekt Red Twitch channel (the time is 18:00 CEST...you might want to Google what that means for your timezone).  There is promise of more juicy patch details (because the three detailed above apparently aren't the major changes and just an appetizer).

Hot V is Hot--Damn I'm Good

Even though the character creation tool in Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't include sliders, I've found a strange amount of success in creating V's that, quite frankly, have turned out smokin' hot.  Something nerdy that I find enjoyable is having photomode funtimes with all my various versions of V.  Initially I was a bit frustrated by the photomode, but after spending a bit of time playing with it, I've discovered that it's quite fun--there are stickers, backgrounds, frames, and filters to help create some memorable moments of your V (who, you don't get to directly "see" much due to the game being in first person).  I would highly recommend being a shameless hoarder of any clothing articles that you find to be remotely interesting--as far as I know, there are no limits on the number of items you can put in the stash, so stash away!  I've got a few future challenges for photomode funtimes running through my head (#1: hot bro V needs to happen--maybe for a future playthrough, #2 find good background locations).

Obligatory Samurai/Johnny gear shot.  Just look at my V!

Let me introduce V #4--AKA my hottest V yet (maybe my true masterpiece is still out there, just waiting for some character creation clicks....).  I've made up a bunch of dumb character creation rules in my head for each lifepath (such as no crazy hair/tattoos for corpo V piercings/tattoos are fine for the other paths).  One of the frustrations I found with V #4 is hair length and hats.  Notice how V #4 has nice, short-ish hair--if I throw on a baseball style hat all of a sudden V has bangs, and hair that is shoulder length; a bandana results in a long, high braid; a trilby results in short, curly hair--dammit, I just want V's hair to stay the same length!  The only hat I found that would keep V's hair the same was the military style side cap.  The result--no hats in photomode (the hat selection is pretty blech anyway).

V stole these clothes from Yorinobu Arasaka.

One of my ultimate goals for V #4 was to completely fill up the stash slots in V's apartment.  In each of my previous playthroughs I was somehow missing a single katana.  The katana in question is extremely easy to miss as it makes its appearance in the beginning of the game and involves taking a path that seems totally counterintuitive (rather than taking the indicated exit during the portion of the heist mission in Yorinobu's penthouse, instead, head to the roof and you'll find Saburo's AV and the katana--and some guards, so be careful).  During V's jaunt onto the roof you'll come across a rolling suitcase that contains the above outfit (sans shoes--gotta provide your own).  Snazzy!  (**Also, I failed in my goal to complete the stash.  A single plan didn't drop due to a bug--so, it's a goal for the future)

For V's cyberware weapon of choice, I opted for the projectile launcher.  I still haven't found a cyberware option that I am crazy about--the monowire is weird, mantis blades are good for a blade build, but why use them when you can bust out a katana; and I haven't used the gorilla knuckles yet.

Panam's rifle (Overwatch) is an absolute beast.

Trying out different abilities and weapons is another of my goals for each playthrough.  I decided that V #4 would take talents geared toward sniping--I maxed out reflex with the majority of points going into assault/rifles and was sure to pay close attention to the few talents geared toward sniping.  The beginning of the game was a little bit rough (I'm playing on hard), but I have greatly enjoyed the pleasure of headshots in the latter part.  Boss fights can be a little sketchy, but that's when V can pop out the assault rifle.  Panam rewards you with a rare/iconic sniper rifle for completing part of her storyline and it's truly a head-popping wonder.  10/10, would recommend--can shoot through cover, one-shot kills...it's magical. (**Do be aware that there is a bug with Overwatch that means it will disappear from your inventory during the Arasaka assault if you choose the nomad ending--it's there if you reload prior to the turning point after you finish...kind of annoying and hopefully gets patched...whenever a patch happens)

Neon style.

Action shot with gold accents.

You can't go wrong with V on a motorcyle.

Did I make different story choices for V #4?  Nope, not really.  I have future plans of trying out the River romance (even though I find him a bland option when you can choose Judy...).  I'm already cooking up my next, even hotter V in my head (male, body/melee/shotguns build...that's what I've got so far).

My Big Fat Cyberpunk Wishlist v2.0

Welp, I'm still firmly ensconced in Cyberpunk 2077 and my brain still wants to ponder ideas about improvements or additions that (in my addled head) I think would make it better.  Will these things ever happen?  Nope, but I can indulge myself in even more wishful thinking about an imperfect world.

1.) More Jackie & T-Bug

We need more Jackie!

I think the beginning of the game would be much more interesting if rather than seeing a montage of Jackie and V's early exploits in Night City (which look like a damn good time) there were playable missions.  Jackie is such a fun character and players only get a very brief time to get to know him.  Rather than the brief datashard tutorial, why couldn't it have been tutorial-style story missions to establish the Jackie & V relationship?

I also wish that T-Bug got more attention.  She's an interesting character who gets very little screen time and doesn't even get a proper goodbye.  The "squad" vibes with Jackie and T-Bug are also a fun route that I wish was explored some more.  Your best bro backing you up and a badass netrunner for support?  Yes, please!

2.) Consequences for choosing the lethal/non-lethal route

It's still a bit puzzling to me why the lethal/non-lethal option is in the game.  I'm certain it's largely there for Regina's  cyberpsycho hunting mission, but it feels pretty pointless outside of that context.  It would be cool if the missions you received differed based on your playstyle--if V is a killer, they receive more hit-style missions or, alternately, if V chooses not to kill, more missions about capturing a target alive.  

3.) More corporate intrigue/more moral decision making around the concept of the corps.

The corps run everything in Night City, but I would love more storylines built around the concept of playing along with the corps or actively working against them.  I felt like it was a part of the game and world that was lacking.  Johnny hates the corps, so there's some automatic internal conflict.  There are a few gigs that hint at a deeper story and the potential for an impending corp war between Arasaka and Militech.  There's an entirely untapped moral conflict around this concept--do you sell out to the corps or stay independent?

4.) A few storylines get fleshed out--namely Rogue and Evelyn Parker.

In the case of Evelyn, it's hinted at that there might be more to her story.  This could simply be nudging you toward the story mission to figure out who was behind the plot to steal the Relic, or it could be more.  When V first meets Evelyn in Lizzie's Bar, he/she remarks on the fact that it's not the type of place where they would expect to meet someone like Evelyn.  Takemura also pointedly asks V if he/she thinks Evelyn works for a corp (at that point in the story V has no idea or way of actually knowing).  Evelyn's storyline does have closure (completely depressing closure), but I can't help but wonder if her character was meant to have a deeper plot.

Hints are also dropped in Rogue's story and then left unclear.  During the mission to track down Grayson (and potentially, but disappointingly NOT Smasher) there seems to be some sort of shared past between Grayson and Rogue.  He mentions "not playing for the same team" any more and also brings up Rogue's rise to the top of the fixer pile in Night City.  It's very suspicious that she avoided the violent fate of most of the others who participated in the 2023 Arasaka raid.  Unfortunately, Rogue ain't havin' any part of this conversation and knocks Grayson unconscious before V can probe any more details from him.  It seems like Rogue isn't exactly the anti-corp rebel that Johnny thinks she is...  I get the impression that Rogue knows how to play the game in Night City...and that game involves working with corps.  It would be fun to learn more about her story and to know more about her journey to becoming the top fixer.  

5.) Dialogue options that make it clear--V's just not into you.

These options do eventually happen, but I wish that they 1.) happened earlier and 2.) included an option if V has already entered into a relationship.  It feels weird when you're in the middle of a storyline and the person (who might not even be a romantic option for your V) is still angling toward the romantic (i.e. playing as femV and having Panam question why V is helping her).  River in particular drops some awkward bombs that I wish V could have the option to gently, but definitively make it clear that it ain't happening.

6.) Day/Night Cycle

I wish there was a discernible course of daytime vs. nighttime activities for NPC's.  It would be cool to see streets filled with people heading to work in the morning or busy clubs at night.  I like to go visit Judy in her apartment (post-relationship sealing) and she's always just standing by the window.  She needs some variety--(also gotta admit that I wish she had more dialogue since her romance takes place so early in the game).

The Sinnerman Dilemma

Of all the side missions in Cyberpunk 2077 (and there are many), there is one in particular that still makes me feel squirmy about the outcome.  It all begins with a phone call from Wakako about a gig--V is highly skeptical because if she's directly calling with this job, it must be a doozy.  A client wants V to carry out a hit, something that I always make my V reluctant to do (and something that Wako throws back in V's face every time).  The target is a sentenced murderer (Wako won't divulge any details), so he's not some innocent who got tied up in a corporate scheme or gang politics or any of the other myriad reasons why someone would hire a hit man in Night City.  It's a job, so why not?

V meets with the client, a guy with real blue collar worker vibes who reveals the truth about the hit--his wife was brutally murdered by the target and he's out to get revenge.  Then things get weird--V tries to begin laying out a plan (because just shooting someone in the middle of the street in broad daylight isn't a good idea) but the client explains that he is the one who wants to do the shooting.  Fortunately, the target is currently being transported and it's the perfect opportunity to catch him out in the open.  V's job is to drive the truck and keep up with the police transport (oh, awesome, so there's police involved).  There's a short chase with lots of obnoxious vehicles getting in the way, and then the transport is stopped by a stalled semi that is blocking the street.  It's the perfect opportunity for the client to do the shooting!  So, of course, the idiot pops out of the truck (imploring V to follow as support) and starts making his way toward the police transport.  The client pulls his gun to fire...but the cop who was driving the transport sees him and after warning the idiot to drop his gun, he pops the client.  Uhhh, not how things were supposed to go down.

By this point two other figures have emerged from the police vehicle--one, a heavily tattooed figure in a prison jumpsuit (the target of the failed hit) and a woman with a very corpo vibe.  There's a brief exchange as the situation is revealed and weirdly, the prisoner wants V to join them in the transport (corpo chick is crabbily prodding everyone to get moving because they have a schedule to keep).  Why would V go with them?  What is actually going on?  It's all very strange.  Johnny appears to share his wisdom and implores V to participate in whatever nonsense is happening (he's actually weirdly chipper about it).  So, why not?  Why wouldn't the person who was hired to kill a guy join him for random unclear activities?

Once in the vehicle, the prisoner reveals himself to be Joshua Stephenson, an accused and tried murderer who is sentenced to die.  All he wants is for V to join him for the day--he'll pay the same amount as V was supposed to get for the hit (well, the corpo chick will.  She's apparently connected to some sort of studio)  V can question him about the murders (Yep, he did them.  Nope, he doesn't have a good reason why--he killed them because he didn't like the way they looked at him--so a real psycho) and try to get a handle on the situation, but everything is still extremely unclear.  Joshua apparently found religion in jail and is interested in V's take on forgiveness.  The cop who is driving announces that they have reached the stop that Joshua requested.  Joshua asks V to accompany him as they enter a small house in the working class section of Rancho Coronado.  They are greeted at the door by a woman who clearly knows Joshua and she invites them in.  Sooo, what the hell is this all about?

Things start to get slightly clearer as Joshua conversates with the woman--she's the sister of one of his victims, he was writing her letters while he was incarcerated, and both of them are strongly religious.  V gets pulled into a the middle of the religious discussion and it becomes clear that Joshua is on a mission to seek forgiveness for his actions.  It's at this point that V can press the sister to reveal exactly what Joshua is planning...and it's bonkers!  The entire reason why Joshua is out of prison is because he has struck a deal between the NCPD and a BD studio to record his execution.  Oh, and the best (...worst) part is that he's going to be crucified.  Just as this fact bomb is dropped another woman enters the house and she's none too thrilled to see Joshua (and V)--she's the mother of the man who was murdered.  She immediately tells them to leave--she has no interest in forgiving Joshua.

V and Joshua head back to the vehicle and it's here that V can press Joshua more about his whacky plan.  He firmly believes in what he's doing and sees it as the ultimate act of contrition.  The entire time, Rachel (the corpo woman who is from the BD studio) is listening to the conversation.  There are multiple dialogue choices--you can support Joshua in his idea or question the entire thing (I always question it...because it's insane)  She announces that it's time to grab a bite to eat and directs the cop to drive them to a nearby restaurant.  Once they arrive at the restaurant, Rachel stops V to have a word--she's pissed that V is "confusing" Joshua and wants to strike a deal--V can walk away from this entire crazy scenario with double the amount he/she was offered for the hit (or triple if V is a corpo).  Johhny pops up and implores V to turn it down and continue his/her participation in this entire charade.

Rachel and Joshua--An uncomfortable last meal.

Everyone heads into the restaurant and sits down together--Rachel's not thrilled that V is still hanging around.  V tries to swerve the conversation onto other topics to distract Joshua (and can try to pull Rachel into the discussion) but Rachel is determined that Joshua stay focused.  Things get tense and eventually Rachel, Joshua, and their police escort leave.  Johnny appears to offer his two cents on the entire scenario and he and V can have a nice exchange about religion and Johnny's current state as a construct.  It's oddly deep.

It initially appears that this very bizarre encounter has ended, but about 24 hours later V receives a phone call from Rachel (surprisingly).  Joshua's at the studio and it's go-time, but he is reluctant to go forward with the plan and is asking for V.  Rachel wants V to come to the studio and meet with Joshua (solely to get him to go ahead with the crucifixion...because Rachel is a soulless banshee).

The scene at the studio is chaotic as the police are guarding the gates against a large throng of protesters who are unhappy with this particular studio production.  Once V has found Joshua, he asks if V will pray with him (you can choose to do it or not).  V can still continue to press him about not going forward with it...but his mind is made up.  His next request is...oof though, he wants V to be the one to nail him to the cross (you are presented with three options at this point--you can do it, you can choose not to do it but to stay and watch--in a supportive manner--or to say that you won't even watch and leave).

I've chosen all three of the possible options and they all feel unsatisfactory.  There's a lot to consider during this morally dubious mission:

1.) Is Joshua being genuine in his beliefs?  He seems to truly believe and is constantly quoting scripture and discussing religious ideas.  He claims that he wants to reach the masses with his act of contrition and sees his actions as the best way to draw people in.

2.) The fact that the act is being commercially produced and marketed as a BD is a fabulous example of the complete and total corporate exploitation that is the core of Night City.  Rachel doesn't care about Joshua at all and only sees his act as a product that will help her further the studio's interests and her own career.  My initial reaction was for V to say no and walk away from the entire thing.  That feels unsatisfactory because Joshua has become weirdly attached to V and it feels like leaving him to suffer through it alone.

3.) Joshua's mental state--he seems unstable and the plan is completely nuts.  V can bring this fact up to Rachel (who agrees that he's unstable), but her only concern is that he will go forward with the crucifixion.  It doesn't feel right to participate in a decision made by a person who is mentally unstable.

There are no good feeling outcomes for this mission and it's one that Johnny is strangely interested in--he pops up throughout to implore V to do something or to just share his thoughts.  He also expresses a strange combination of respect and disgust for Joshua and the entire ludicrous situation.  He and V do get the chance to approach a somewhat deep topic that pops up at several points throughout the game--are constructs (like Johnny or any other psyche/engram) really alive?  Are they really "people" or just data that represents people?  It's a deeply philosophical topic with serious implications given Arasaka's plan for Relic.

Sinnerman is one of the more memorable side missions and one that left me feeling conflicted.  Participating in the actual crucifixion felt wrong--the corporate exploitation of a religious act for profit is disgusting (and typical of corporations in the world of Cyberpunk) but there's a human factor that's hard to deny--someone who is seeking forgiveness for their sins.