The Dog(town) Days of Summer

I've finally finished up my even more epic playthrough of CyberPunk 2077 featuring the "Phantom Liberty" DLC.  Whew!  It was quite a journey thanks to the fact that I had to delay for a week or so due to some unforeseen technical issues.  So, what's the official verdict?  Is it worth your cash to spend another $29.99 on CyberPunk?

What is it?

The one and only DLC for CyberPunk 2077.  It introduces a new area to the already large Night City as well as an action-packed story, new friends and foes, as well as a plethora of new items (weapons, cars, clothing...the whole she-bang).

How long does a playthrough last?

Depending on playstyle (sticking only with the main storyline vs. being a completionist) I would estimate between 20 and 40 hours.

Pros:

The Heavy Hearts Club is a notable Dogtown landmark.

+ Dogtown is what Pacifica really should have been--it's the rotting bones of the partially completed mega-hotels and ruined entertainment venues.  Honestly, I wish the two zones were one cohesive area (but, thanks to the lore/story in "Phatnom Liberty" that's not a possibility) because I was a bit underwhelmed by Pacifica in the core game.  Visually it has some variety--there's the swanky Heavy Hearts Club with it's Egyptian theme (and obviously Las Vegas Luxor style inspo); there's the more down-on-your lucky feeling containerville with its stacks of homes; and of course there are the huge cranes and looming bulk of the giant hotels.  There are some notable, visually unique places--Terra Cognita features multiple technology expo buildings.

+ The vibes in Dogtown are slightly different than the rest of Night City.  The area is ruled by what basically amounts to another gang, Barghest.  (*A nice nod to The Witcher that also features a similar color scheme to the legendary beast--fluorescent yellow) There aren't any police and there's a hint of anarchy (but Barghest basically act as the law).  One regular feature is drones being shot down over the area--you can audibly hear when this happens and see the downed drone crash.  The location is marked with a giant plume of red smoke and you can choose to pursue it.  If you do...better be prepared for a fight because there's usually at least one faction in the mix battling it out.  The reward--some semi-swanky loot.  (I think I went after one drone and that's it, but it is kind of fun)

Since the NCPD is not a presence in Dogtown, there aren't any scanner jobs.  (Bet you're bummed about that since there are about 500)  There are multiple gigs though as well as the introduction of a new side activity that you can choose to participate in--stealing random vehicles for Muamar "El Capitan" Reyes.  I enjoyed the gigs and I've always loved stealing cars in games.  Before I played "Phantom Liberty" I found the vehicle combat to be superfluous, but it factors into the auto theft jobs.  Typically once you've hopped into a vehicle you'll be pursued by some angry baddies and need to either lose them or fight them off.  Alternately, some missions have an optional timer that you can beat to earn a bonus.  After you've completed the first vehicle theft job they will start appearing on your map at random.  Why do them though?  They've added in several new vehicle models that can only be purchased once you've completed a certain number of vehicle theft jobs.  There are some pretty flashy cars on offer if that's your jam.

Sorry Kerry...V's the star here!

+ The story and gigs are much more combat focused.  Very early on in the story you face off in one of the tougher fights of the game.  Gigs also tend to have moments akin to cyberpsycho fights where you're facing off against one "boss" type of enemy.  If you ever felt frustrated that the core game didn't feature enough "difficult" combat opportunities, it's like "Phantom Liberty" tried to correct that.  Stealth is still an option in many scenarios, but you should fully expect that you'll be battling it out at some point.

+ Hidden opportunities in Dogtown.  There is a new set of special "Relic" talents introduced in "Phantom Liberty."  They provide upgraded abilities with a special focus on cyberware--augmenting your arm blades, launcher, or monowire.  However, you don't earn them with traditional experience points and have to locate special Militech dataterms scattered throughout Dogtown.  In order to find these terminals you have to explore--some are easy to find and others are located in special areas populated by enemies (that generally includes one of the aforementioned "boss" type of fights).  The locations do not show up on your map and you have to be in the general vicinity for them to even pop up (although the terminals themselves do make a very notable beeping noise).

+ An action-packed story with plenty of difficult choices.  Similar to the core game, there are multiple endings to choose from...and, in typical CDPR fashion, they're all a mixed bag of positive and negative outcomes for V and the other characters.  The story missions see V doing all kinds of crazy things--incorporating special face-shifting technology and attending a fancy dress party (my favorite story missions are the balls/fancy dress party ones).

+ Engaging new characters--Idris Elba is the model and actor for Solomon Reed, a veteran FIA agent (the fictional CIA equivalent); So-Mi "Songbird" is a netrunner who works for NUSA president Rosalyn Meyers (both are interesting characters); and there are many others who figure into the story as both major and minor characters.

+ Making certain story-based decisions in "Phantom Liberty" unlocks a new ending in the core game.  I won't spoil anything, but after experiencing all the other endings in previous playthroughs, it does offer a bit of a refresher on the same ol', same ol'.

The mysterious Mr. Hands.

+ Mr. Hands gets a cool makeover, a very awesome base of operations, and a less cheesy vibe.  He's the fixer for Dogtown and Pacifica (with "Phantom Liberty") and you get the chance to meet him in person.

Cons:

- Bug-tastic...even after all this time. They are no longer patching CyberPunk, and the last time I played through it I felt like it was probably in the best, least buggiest state that I had seen it.  This time though...I encountered numerous bugs.  Probably one of the most annoying bugs I encountered is one that has been known almost since release--the dreaded "unavailable" fast travel terminals.  Luckily, this issue worked itself out after at least 1 in-game day had passed, but it was obnoxious.  There's a certain vehicle called the "Blackbird" that is part of the vehicle theft missions from "El Capitan" that is notorious for bugging out.  The vehicle in question is capable of hacking and disabling enemy cars but you have to stay within proximity for a certain amount of time--basically, you're chasing down a speeding vehicle that is shooting at you.  Twice I had the hacking counter get to 60 or 70% and then it wouldn't advance any farther.  Searching this issue revealed that those missions are notoriously buggy (skip them if you have problems--you don't have to do them).  I had an issue in the core game where I couldn't talk to Judy in her apartment (once I had chosen to romance her)--she was standing at the window with the shutter closed and was basically stuck.

It's a bit frustrating that these bugs persist...especially those that have been a known quantity for several years.  Don't expect a "perfect" experience and remember to save frequently.

Additional Features:

If it has been awhile since you fired up CyberPunk you'll probably notice some other changes that were added in as bonus content in major patches that were released with/after "Phantom Liberty."  I thought I would mention a couple.

1.) "Quality over quantity." Your chosen romantic partner will reach out to V to spend some quality time together.  You can choose from any of your rented locations and invite them over.  At the location you can chat, cuddle, dance, shower, and sleep together.  It's kind of nice to have this added because many people griped that V's interactions with his/her romantic partners felt kind of short and lacking.  The downside is 1.) your partner texts to hang out fairly frequently 2.) there's very little/no new dialogue.  If you have "Phantom Liberty" installed there is a little bit about the events in it, but other than that...it's the same.

2.) They've added a few new music stations, which is nice.  They've also made it so your radio plays pretty much all the time--even when you're in the open world.  It will toggle off when there's dialogue you need to hear/participate in, but it automatically turns on.  I was a bit irritated with how often I had to turn it off (I didn't check the settings to see if there was something to toggle it) because I prefer the in-game music.  It also shares a hotkey with something else so you'll want to change that setting.

Recommendation:

I think the $29.99 price tag for "Phantom Liberty" is fair for the content you get.  The story is enjoyable with lots of cool/fun moments, there's more of a combat focus, and Dogtown offers up some variety from the rest of Night City.  If you enjoyed the core CyberPunk experience you'll like "Phantom Liberty."  Don't be surprised if you encounter some bugs though...sadly.