Those Endings Tho--(Cyberpunk 2077) **Serious Spoilers**

I juuuust wrapped my first playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077 after some intensely obsessive playing and...oof, those endings!  My brain has been abuzz with way too many thoughts about the various options for wrapping up the joint adventures of V and Johnny Silverhand.  To prevent the impending brainsplosion, I feel like pouring some of those thoughts out of my brain and onto the interwebs.  **This post deals with the multiple endings of Cyberpunk 2077.  If you haven't finished the main story, please do that before reading on!**

Prior to the release of Cyberpunk, I had read an article that they had decided to make the main storyline shorter than in the Witcher games because a fairly high percentage of players never finished the entire thing.  I was a bit surprised when I went to complete a main storyline mission and got the "you can't turn back from here" warning.  I mopped up ALL the side content (I'm a sick, sick completionist who just can't stop myself from the map marker journey) and then prepared for the fateful meeting with Hanako Arasaka.  Hanako informs V that yes, she finally believes V's story about the death of her father, and now she's prepared to offer V help with the biochip that is slowly killing them.  Johnny is, of course, not a fan of any dealings with the corporate elite and knows better than to trust any of them.  V is left with the unfortunate reality--they have to deal with the chip and the solutions aren't great--if V wants to live, they will need to let Johnny take over (meaning that V ceases to exist in V's body) or they will need to find a way to free Johnny.  Things take a more serious turn when the Relic seriously malfunctions and V finds themself awakening at Viktor's ripperdoc office.  They managed to drag themselves there, but Viktor informs V that they don't have long and that it's decision time.  Misty kindly offers to take V to a quiet spot where they can sit and think about their options.  (Apparently these options can vary somewhat depending on actions that the player chooses to take throughout the game)

Option #1: The Devil

Hanako Arasaka offered V help with fixing the chip in exchange for V's assistance in dealing with her brother (the murderous Yorinobu).  During the meeting, Hanako is intentionally extremely vague about what exactly that help entails.  V can repeatedly press her about exactly what the plan is...but Hanako refuses to reveal anything other than the actions V needs to take.  It feels very shady, but since Arasaka made the chip, aren't they V's best option for fixing it?  Johnny is completely opposed to this path since he hates the corps and knows that they are a bunch of evil empires trying to grab more and more control.

I picked this option first and immediately it felt wrong.  While V is waiting for Hanako to send a car to pick them up, Misty offers to read your tarot.  After the reading, V tells Misty that they are helping Arasaka and Misty immediately expresses disgust because, after all, Arasaka killed Jackie.  Ouch...kind of forgot about that.

Night City is gorgeous.

The actual mission involves rescuing Hanako from her home where she is being held captive by her brother (the rescue part of the mission is easy).  Once V has rescued her, V and company fly to the Arasaka headquarters.  Hanako is still very cagey and will only reveal the actions she needs V to take.  After infiltrating the building Hanako reveals that Arasaka has made an engram of her father (the murdered Saburo Arasaka).  V agrees to testify before the board of the Arasaka corp but Hanako reveals that they knew that Saburo had been murdered and that they really didn't care.  Sooo, what the actual hell?  It's very obvious that there's more in play here.

V and Hanako head to the board meeting (with Hanako noticeably grabbing a device near where Saburo's engram is stored).  V gives their statement, no one is shocked and they all basically state that they knew of the murder.  Hanako decides it's time to reveal Saburo's engram to the board and they are all shocked, but weirdly deferential to...a program?  Alarms blare and a bunch of decked out Arasaka soldiers open fire on the meeting, killing many of the members.  Yorinobu's forces have made it into the building and V now has to fend them off.  After a brief gun battle, Hanako directs V to head to the CEO's office to capture Yorinobu.  There is a combat/stealth segment as V works through the building to make it to the elevator to reach the office.

Upon reaching the top floor, V is greeted by the hulking metal form of Adam Smasher--the mostly machine bodyguard of Yorinobu.  Smasher is a boss fight and has a combination of machine gun and homing missile attacks.  Overall, it's not too challenging, and after V defeats Smasher they can choose to spare or kill him.  (I spared him--he's basically a head on a pile of burning metal by that point) V can finally enter the CEO's office and capture Yorinobu.  Hanako was very specific about not harming him and V is on their last legs anyway.  V finds Yorinobu sitting on the floor in ritual robes with a gun at his side (it looks like he was giving serious thought to suicide).  V collapses, moves the gun away, and awaits the arrival of Hanako.  I fully expected Hanako to enter the room with some guards, to arrest her brother, or possibly kill him, but none of those things happen.  She weirdly comforts him and is...apologetic?  There's something fishy going on, but by this point, V isn't in any condition to piece together the puzzle.  Hanako agrees to take V to where the chip can be fixed.

V wakes up in cyberspace and gets a few last moments to talk to Johnny.  Since V opted to take the help of the corp, Johnny's not exactly friendly and basically tells V they've made a bad choice.  V attempts to say goodbye, but by this point Johnny isn't having any of it.  It feels bad--Johnny basically turns his back in anger and won't address V.  Then, V wakes up in real-life--in a sterile, medical room.  The procedure was a success, the chip was fixed and now V just needs to recover from the operation.  V is escorted to a room and walks past a bank of windows...that look out onto the stars--it's a space station!  Once V is in their room, a doctor comes in to administer some tests--there are several stages that involve simple tasks like answering questions or solving a simple cube puzzle.  V has a difficult time solving the puzzle (understandable, give the situation) and then is asked to get on a treadmill and walk.  V collapses...okay, that's kind of weird, but still understandable.  V heads to bed to get some rest and recover.

Upon waking up, V is greeted by a newscast from Night City that reveals that Saburo's engram was inserted into Yorinobu.  Saburo is back at the head of Arasaka...in the body of Yorinobu.  Wow!  The entire plan was for Saburo to take over Yorinobu's body.  The doctor enters the room again and asks V to complete the same battery of tests...and the results are just as disappointing.  The cycle of the doctor appearing, administering the tests and then V failing them continues repeatedly--finally, V gets fed up and decides that they're not doing the tests any more.  The doctor states that V can call people on Earth that they care about (if they want)--V calls up their love interest and friends and informs them that they are on the space station--weirdly, no one seems that upset by it...even the love interest.  They implore V to find a way to get back to Earth.  V is frustrated and can vent anger by wrecking the room and then goes to sleep.

The next morning a new visitor drops by--Anders Hellman (or possibly Takemura, if V rescued him).  Hellman informs V that despite removing the chip, the damage caused was too extensive...V only has six months to live.  Luckily, Arasaka is pioneering Save Your Soul technology that can save engrams of people for possible implantation into a new body.  He presents V with the option of signing a contract with Arasaka and agreeing to be made into an engram or leaving the station and returning to Earth to live out their remaining six months.  Nothing like choosing between two unsatisfactory choices (and this is what I love about CD Projekt's writing).

I opted to have V choose the upload--you see a brief cutscene of your V heading into a room with a machine and holding the pendant with the bullet that Viktor pulled out of their skull.  It's oddly emotional...but freakin' disappointing.  For some reason I was very focused on trying to find an option where V got to stay V and could be free of Johnny.  The reality of this option though is that V is completely at the whims of Arasaka--signing the contract means they control what happens--there's no guarantee that V would ever even get out of the soul prison.  It really is a deal with the devil.

It's very easy to reload an autosave prior to signing the contract and opting not to sign it.  If you opt not to have V sign the contract you will see a different cutscene of your V walking to the shuttle bay, looking out the window and seeing Earth, and then putting their hand on the glass above Earth.  Annnd...that's it.

I really hated this ending with a passion.  One of the main reasons I hated it was because of the fact V gets little closure with her close friends and love interest.  V gets one chance to make some calls, but the calls themselves are very short and unsatisfying.  There's just not any closure in this ending--you don't know V's fate at all.  It's apparent that Arasaka was using V as a guinea pig to gather data about the effects of the Relic--after all, they don't want Saburo/Yorinobu to meet the same fate.

Go figure that I would pick the absolute trash ending the first time around.

Option #2: The Star

I was feeling seriously dissatisfied after picking the horrible ending, so I decided that it was time to fire up the handy pre-choice save and make a different decision.  Luckily, this is very easy due to the fact that the game automatically creates a save at the critical juncture and it's just a matter of navigating to the point where V has to choose.  Since my number one concern was trying to keep V as V, I opted for the choice that I saw as the middle ground--asking Panam and the Aldecaldo's to help with infiltrating Arasaka.  I wasn't immediately keen on this choice because of the fact that V is asking for her friends to place themselves in a dangerous and potentially deadly situation. (*this choice might only be available if you complete all of Panam's storyline and go along with all her shenanigans)

V remembers that Panam tells them that she owes them a favor, so why not call her up and ask her to to participate in a completely bonkers mission?  The Aldecaldo's immediately agree to help...even despite all the risks and the fact that people will likely die.  Panam picks V up at Misty's and they arrive at the Aldecaldo camp--it's time to start planning for how they will penetrate the defenses of one of the most powerful corporations in Night City.  Saul and Panam cook up a plan to steal a high powered drill from a nearby mining facility (heavily guarded by Militech forces) and to use it to drill into the lower area of the Arasaka tower.  Luckily for V, they helped the Aldecaldo's steal an armored Basilisk from Militech and it's perfect for the job of decimating the defenses in the mine.  Unfortunately though, the Basilisk needed some serious tweaking to get it ready for the conflict...and, there's a chance things could go wrong.

One of the best moments in the mission comes in the camp after the plan has been agreed upon--the Aldecaldo's make V an official member of their clan and bestow them with a legendary Aldecaldo's jacket.  Step one of the plan involves V attempting to contact Alt Cunningham in cyberspace so that Alt will agree to help with Mikoshi and penetrating the Arasaka defenses.  Dealing with the AI is always weird and V can't really be sure that it is trustworthy.  After a dangerous bout of netrunning, V receives a powerful virus from Alt and the promise that the AI will help with the plan (this involves barbequeing all of Dakota's netrunning gear..something that she's not thrilled about).  It's after this point that V can wander around the camp and talk with the various members of the Aldecaldo's.  In their conversation with Mitch it is revealed that clan politics are pretty sketchy (part of what happens might hinge on the decision to get Saul and Panam to work together) and that Saul could possibly be making a power play to keep Panam away from any leadership roles.  It's an unsettling discussion and V can sort of confront Saul about it.  The meeting wraps up with a sit down and talk with Panam about the past and future of the Aldecaldo's (Cyberpunk is absolutely chocked full of people sitting in scenic locations and taking in the views).

The day of the big mission rolls around and V and Panam hop into the Basilisk and take their place in the Aldecaldo procession.  When they reach the mining facility they easily penetrate the outer defenses and everything seems like it might go well...until it doesn't.  The Basilisk suddenly loses power and the Aldecaldo's start taking heavy fire.  One of them is killed by enemy fire...it's the first loss of potentially many.  V is tasked with leading the rest of the Aldecaldo's into the main camp while Panam attempts to fix the Basilisk.  The combat isn't anything crazy.  Carol and Mitch are tasked with getting the massive drill operational...something that takes time.  V's next task is to fend off the waves of angry Militech reinforcements trying to stop the takeover.  The Aldecaldo's provide support and there's tons of shooting (and tons of dead Militech soldiers).  Unfortunately, the Aldecaldo's take more casualties--another veteran is killed while defending.

The drill finally gets fired up and Panam manages to restore power to the Basilisk.  V re-enters the Basilisk and uses it as a battering ram to smash through the entrance to the mine.  Saul joins V and Panam as they enter the mine tunnel.  It's at this point that they get an urgent distress call that the Aldecaldo's in the mining camp are being overwhelmed...they need support!  Mitch offers to take the Basilisk and return--something that is extremely risky since it's not meant to be piloted by one person and it could possibly kill him.  V's required to make another tough call--do you risk sending Mitch back or do you call the plan off?  I opted to send Mitch back...it seemed like the best and only option.  Saul also peels off to offer some support.  V and Panam enter the drill and prepare to start it up--it starts and then Panam says to crank it up...everything starts shaking and falling apart--the whole thing is going to explode!  Fortunately, it doesn't, but Panam looks to have been electrocuted.  Luckily, she is fine (after some very anguished calling her name...it gave me palpitations and, I'm guessing that if you make some different choices that she might not make it).

V and company have reached the lower levels of the Arasaka building.  The next task is finding an access point to plug in the virus from Alt.  The lower levels are sparsely defended and it's mostly a matter of sneaking around patrols.  Upon reaching the access point and installing the virus now it's time to see if Alt will keep her/its word--something that she/it does.  The virus gives the AI control of Arasaka's defenses and it immediately wipes out anything human that could pose a risk--something that Saul points out.  The Relic starts massively malfunctioning and V is barely keeping it together.  Saul, Panam, and V reach a broken door--Saul holds it open to allow V and Panam to crawl through but he suddenly gets pulled back--it's our old friend Adam Smasher...and true to his name, he smashes poor Saul.  V and Panam face off with Smasher and take him down.  The last step is V entering Mikoshi.

V jacks into Mikoshi and meets up with Alt and Johnny.  It's here that V gets stuck with essentially the same news/choices as in The Devil ending--Alt has uploaded the Soulkiller program and separated V and Johnny's personas.  The bad news is that the Relic processes have caused too much damage--V only has six months to live.  V is presented with a slightly different set of options--they can opt to enter cyberspace with Alt (meaning they retain their body/consciousness, but must exist as an AI like Alt); they can give their body to Johnny (meaning they will live since V's body is accepting of Johnny--but this means that V isn't V anymore...) and re-enter the world; of they can choose to keep V's body but accept the fact that V only has six months to live.  Unlike The Devil option, Johnny seems more willing to accept V's choices in this ending--he states that he's willing to join Alt in cyberspace if V wants to keep their body.

I opted to have V enter the well and re-enter the world knowing that their time was limited.  After making this choice, V wakes up inside of Panam's car.  Panam is sitting on the edge of the dam where she initially hung out with V (early in her storyline) and she invites V over to take a final look at Night City--the plan is that the Aldecaldo's are leaving Night City and the Badlands.  V and Panam share a moment (with a moment of unpleasant reminder when Panam tells V that their nose is bleeding--a sign of their illness) before heading to a rendezvous with the remaining Aldecaldo's.

100% team Judy.

Once they reach the rendezvous point V is informed that they have a visitor--since Judy was my LI, she is there to join V!  I was very happy that this ending included a way to tie-in V's relationship (something that might be different if you choose someone else due to the fact that Judy states that she wants to leave Night City) and V and Judy get to share some nice moments of saying goodbye to Night City.  From there, everyone loads up and heads to the Aldecaldo tunnel that will allow them to sneak out undetected by the many parties who are pursuing both V and the Aldecaldos.  The ending wraps up with a nice moment of Panam and V sitting atop the Basilisk--V takes off the bullet pendant and releases it--a signifier of a new beginning.

I enjoyed this ending and was very happy that it was so much better than The Devil ending.  It's a happier ending, but it's still bittersweet--the Aldecaldo's took heavy losses including their leader and some of their most veteran members, they have to flee from Night City, and V is dying.  On the other hand, the Aldecaldo's accept V as a full clan member in a very heartwarming way and V gets to leave with Judy (some closure that I felt was definitely lacking in The Devil).  I would be interested to see if this ending changes with a few different earlier choices in Panam's storyline. 

Option #3: The Sun/Temperance

The third option is to let Johnny take the reins and storm the Arasaka HQ.  Of course, such an impossible task would require some serious help so he recruits the help of the best fixer in Night City--Rogue.  Rogue isn't immediately on board though and requires a bit of finessing before she agrees--she and Johnny also make their feelings known, something that didn't pan out during the earlier "date" mission.

Rogue uses all her connections as the "queen of Night City" can calls in every favor to come up with a plan for how they can successfully reach Mikoshi.  The plan is insane--using a Militech bomber to blow a hole in the side of the building, enter through said hole, and then use special anti-grav jump boots to descend to the lower levels to where Mikoshi is located.  But, the biggest part of her plan hinges on her ability to blow up a satellite and knock out communications to all of NC--whoa!  The entire vibe of the mission is recreating the good ol' days of yore and storming the castle.

I felt like the mission itself had some of the easiest combat of all the ending options--you really don't face a ton of resistance.  There are some guards to take out the various levels.  Things take a turn when you reach that damn jammed gate outside of Mikoshi (since I had played through the other endings I knew that Smasher was lurking)--this time, it's Rogue that faces his metal wrath.  Smasher grabs her and stabs her right in the chest.  Rogue isn't one to go down without a fight though and manages to jam a grenade into Smasher's chassis.  It doesn't kill him, but it's her last act of defiance.  Then, Johnny fights off Smasher and gets to choose his fate (I shot him this time...seriously, screw that guy, and I firmly believe that Johnny would shoot him).

Once Johnny reaches Mikoshi and plugs in it feels like a reverse of the scene from The Stars ending.  Johnny meets V in cyberspace and they briefly converse about how weird everything is--it's weird seeing V from Johnny's perspective.  Then, Alt pops up and drops the "six months to live" bomb.  Now, as Johnny you have to make the choice, and it's strangely difficult.  Johnny can re-enter the real world through the well, but he'll be stuck in V's body or he can choose to enter cyberspace and give V back their body (with the same shitty outcome of V only having a few months left).  Another lose-lose situation.

Gotta love the random outfits.

The first time, I had Johnny stay in cyberspace and let V return to their body (keeping on trend with my V lives pattern).  V wakes up in a swanky new apartment...with Judy (or your chosen LI...but it should be Judy...just sayin') by their side.  Things seem peachy, but this is the one scenario where V's limited lifespan comes to the forefront--V hops into the shower and is coughing up blood, something that they're trying to hide from Judy.  Basically, V seems to have made it--they're top dog in Night City and living the life of a top mercenary.  Judy wants to talk though...and it's not a good talk.  Even though V is dying, Judy still wants to leave NC and states that she feels alone...that V is more invested in being the top fixer--V just got dumped.  V boards a waiting Delamain AV and heads to Afterlife--where they've apparently taken over Rogue's place.  V attends a meeting with a mysterious client who is offering an extremely dangerous job--V's got nothing to lose and accepts the job.  The next scene is on a space ship where V is preparing to storm a space casino.  The airlock opens and V floats out....you see the air leak out of the helmet and you know--this was a suicide mission.  Going out in a blaze of glory at the top of the food chain...that's what this ending is.  Being at the top felt very hollow though.

With a quick reload of an earlier save I reversed my decision and allowed Johnny to enter the well and take control of V's body.  With all these endings, this is really the only one where V gets to live (longer than 6 months)--but, it's Johnny in V's body...and, not V at all, so does that even count?  Johnny wakes up in his apartment and it's clear that he's packing up to leave town.  He gathers up Rogue's gun, a small bag, and a bus ticket.  Then, he heads down the hall to enlist the help of a neighbor kid to drive him to the bus.  Johnny and the kid have a nice relationship--Johnny is helping the kid learn to play the guitar and giving him advice about music.  It appears that Johnny has matured.  Johnny tells the kid that they have a few stops to make before the bus.

During the drive, Johnny imparts lots of musical advice on the kid and he's shockingly not an asshole about it.  The first stop is at a music store where Johnny wants to pick out a new guitar.  Johnny and the kid have some more nice moments of student/teacher vibes as they browse classic guitars.  Johnny picks out a snazzy, classic model using all his guitar expertise.  They return to the car and Johnny asks the kid to drive him to the cemetery.  Once they've arrived, Johnny searches for a niche and finds the one marked for Rogue.  He leaves Rogue's gun in the niche and says goodbye.  Then, surprisingly, he finds a different niche and it's for V.  He leaves the bullet pendant and also says his goodbye to V (which was strangely tear jerking).  Then, he boards the bus.  The kid runs after him to tell him he forgot the guitar...an intentional act.  The scene cuts away as you see V/Johnny rolling away from NC on the bus--Johnny is heading for a new beginning.  I felt weird about this ending--it's another mixed bag--V's body is alive, Johnny is alive....but it's just not right.  The worst part comes during the credits (different characters will leave V messages which can be different depending on the ending)--Judy calls V and is very distraught--wanting to know why V hasn't called and if they're still alive--it really tugs at the heartstrings.

Option #4: Forget it all.

I don't think I could ever choose it, but Viktor gives V a pistol along with the pills...there's always the option to just end it all.  I guess that the upside is that the only person who gets hurt in this scenario is V/Johnny.

So, what's the best ending?

In true CD Projekt Red story writing fashion...there aren't really any happy endings to be found.  If your true goal is for V to stay V...well, V's lifespan is going to be exceptionally short in any of them.  With that in mind, my ultimate goal for my V was that she would spend the last part of her life being happy.  The ending that I felt the most positive about was The Star--V is accepted into the Aldecaldo's and she and Judy get to ride off into the sunset--granted, they do have to leave Night City, but Judy's message during the credits is very positive.  The other ending I felt somewhat positive about was the one where Johnny takes over V's body...but...it also just felt weird because it's not V.

I guess the moral of the entire story boils down to the question Dexter DeShawn asks V early in the game--does he/she want a quiet life or do they want to go out in a blaze of glory?   V gets to rise to the top as a legend but pays the price.  The quiet life involves getting uploaded into the soul prison or staying in cyberspace--does that even count as being alive?

Thanks to CD Projekt for making my head and heart hurt.  Even though players don't get a happy ending, I enjoyed the pain of making the tough choices.  I'm in love with Night City and can't wait to feel the pain all over again. 

Hot Pants and a Cowboy Hat--My Cyberpunk 2077 Adventures (Thus Far...)

One of two magical times of year recently rolled around--the Steam Summer Sale--and I had some difficult decisions to make.  Do I go with a few of the cheaper titles on my list or do I opt for one of the big dogs?  Do I really need another roguelike deckbuilder?  How about a mediocre simulation game?  One big name title had been sitting on my list for a very long time though...Cyberpunk 2077.  After the disastrous release late last year (a regular circus-like affair that is still generating controversy) I was hesitant to pull the trigger.  Was it stable?  Were the many reported bugs and glitches fixes?  I am a big CD Projekt fan, so I decided to take the chance.  I've been obsessively slaying my way through the cyberpunk metropolis of Night City for the last week and I'm having a great time.

The first daunting step in any monumental RPG is designing your character and choosing talents/specs.  In designing my character I decided to break from my general boringness (I will generally avoid the more over-the-top character design--things like flamboyantly colored hair, multiple piercings, tattoos/facial tattoos) and made my V into a tattooed, blue/green haired denizen of Night City.  The character creator has many options, but I was a bit surprised to find that it didn't include many of the RPG-staple sliders that allow for very specific tweaks.  I'm not someone who has the patience to spend hours trying to make a nose look perfect, so I just played with the options a bit until I found a look I liked.  Interestingly there are also options for nipples and genitals...and, I'm not really sure why they needed to be included.  (*Serious question for game developers--why?  I'm not offended by it, but am I going to be seeing/interacting with those parts of my character frequently?  If the answer is no, then why?  I suppose that it does add another layer of personalization, but it just seems pointless).

My V looking very sporty.

Once I had crafted the external appearance of my V I had to decide on background and talent specs.  You have a few options for background story (and, I'm not exactly sure how it impacts the early part of the game)--you can choose from Nomad (a group of wandering desert dwellers), Street Kid (a native to the streets of Night City), or Corpo (a product of the many large, powerful corporations that rule the dystopian world).  I opted for Nomad--it has kind of a Mad Max vibe that is fun.  Other than possibly impacting the very early part of the game, the background you choose for your V also unlocks special dialogue options in certain conversations.

As for talents, I decided to stick with my favorite spec--namely the stealthier ones.  What can I say, I like to sneak.  There are some fairly standard talents--body (if you wanted to go with a more melee/heavy weapons focus) and intelligence (if you wanted to be a streetwise smarty pants)--but there's also a tech category.  I also plopped some points in reflexes (which is focused on smaller guns), intelligence (which, oddly, is tied to hacking skills), and a bit in tech (which is more centered around crafting).  My V is a wiz with pistols, has decent tech smarts, and a master at stealth (*I mean, as much as I can be good at sneaking).

The neon skyline of Night City.

One of the most fun options to check out is the ability to add tech to your character.  Special street doctors (called ripperdocs) sell all types of cyberpunk body modifications--one of the earliest missions fits out your character with optical implants that allow you to scan and remotely hack enemies and random electronics in the environment.  Once you've earned some cash you can really deck V out (although, many tech modifications are dependent on how many points you have in the physically oriented "body" category--one that I haven't invested many points in)--we're talking blades that can pop out of your arms or special leg implants that let you leap to high ledges.

V rollin' on a motorcycle.

Night City is amazing--a sprawling megacity filled with various districts controlled by various gangs or corporations.  It's also filled with my ultimate open-world nemesis--a bajillion side quests and random encounters.  Fixers will contact you with "gigs" which are paid side missions to complete certain tasks, but there are also markers from the police to break up criminal activity.  Completing these activities will earn you "street cred" which can unlock the ability to buy powerful items.  I've already spent way too much time trying to clear the map and I feel like I've barely made a dent!

So far I'm really enjoying the main storyline (which, I feel like I haven't progressed too far), many of the larger side missions, and meeting the various colorful characters in Night City.  CD Projekt definitely plays into its strength of creating memorable, flawed characters.  So far I haven't encountered too many glitches or bugs (but, there have been a few--I was unable to complete a gig because it glitched out due to another activity in the area; at one point my gun was briefly invisible; and occasionally NPC's are a bit glitchy).  I know that the early versions of the game had many problems, but for the most part things seem stable.  There are certain parts of the game that I'm feeling a bit less enthused with--many of the open world activities feel a bit bloaty (I've already reached max street cred and I have only completed a fraction of the map markers) and repetitive.  The vehicles have a very cool look, but it's no Grand Theft Auto kind of situation--there are no high-stakes car activities like chases or gun battles (there are a few mission related sequences with shooting).

Cyberpunk has excited me about gaming in a way that I haven't felt in a long time and I'm very much looking forward to spending many more hours unraveling the story of V.

An XCOM Side Story--Chimera Squad

Before I write this review, it's best to preface it with a dose of reality--I'm not very good at strategy games.  I really wish that I was some kind of tactical genius, but I'm not.  That doesn't mean that I don't mostly enjoy them--it's just a strange type of enjoyment--let's call it "stress enjoyment."  My lack of skill combined with the general challenge of the games usually makes for oodles of swearing at the screen and also laughing at myself when I make a particularly dumb move (like trying to click a message off the screen and instead moving a squad member to the place where I accidentally clicked).

Chimera Squad is a diverse group of individuals.

So, what exactly is Chimera Squad?  It's best to think of it as an XCOM side story--it's not a full-on prequel/sequel and it focuses on one particular setting--City 31, an urban center that exemplifies the post-alien invasion struggles on Earth.  City 31 is filled with a diverse population of aliens, humans, and hybrids (human/alien genetic amalgamations that were the result of part of the failed invasion plan).  Not everything is peachy in City 31 and not everyone gets along (imagine that, right?).  That's where Chimera Squad comes in--it's part of a special XCOM adjacent program designed to keep the peace.  The squad is made up members that represent the diverse population of City 31--humans, aliens, and hybrids working together for the common good.

Gameplay consists of a couple of different parts--the first part is completing combat missions.  The combat during the missions is largely like the previous games with one notable exception--they take place in smaller, set environments (say...a couple of rooms) as opposed to a larger map layout like in the full games.  Each mission opens with a "breach" sequence that involves analyzing the entrances into the main combat area (sometimes there's only one door and your entire squad enters at one point; other times there are 2 or more points of entry and you can choose where squad members will enter).  There's strategy in choosing how to breach--each option offers a set of buffs and/or debuffs which impact combat during that portion of the mission.  There are various objectives within the missions, sometimes you will need to escort a VIP to an extraction point, or destroy a particular piece of equipment, eliminate waves of resistance, or just simply eliminate the enemy presence.  There are missions which are directly tied to the main story and then others that you can choose to complete.

The other part of gameplay is utilizing the city map in your home "base."  You don't get a snazzy, cool ship like in the other games, but you do get a place where you can outfit your squad, provide training, design new equipment, and keep an eye on the activity in the many zones of the city.  There's even more strategizing in this aspect.

Chimera Squad's main task is to investigate the murder of the mayor of City 31.  There are three different oddball groups active in the city who could possibly be behind the heinous act--Grey Phoenix (a group of mixed mercenaries), the Progeny (a human group of psionics), and Talon Squad (a group of former ADVENT soldiers).  Once you pick a group to pursue, missions appear of the city map and you can choose how and when you want to go after them--the main story missions will appear with a time frame for when they will open up.  Prior to that you have to deal with other missions related to the activities of the group in question.  Each mission offers up a specific set of resource (and sometimes gear) rewards.  One of the challenging parts of choosing missions is something called "unrest."  If you don't complete certain missions (and you have to choose between two every time) the unrest meter rises by a certain amount.  If the meter reaches the highest level it contributes to city "anarchy" and you can lose the game if the "anarchy" meter gets too high.  Basically, it's a balancing act of trying to pick rewards you need and also keep unrest under control (fortunately, you can unlock some tools that help).  It took me about 26 hours to complete the entire campaign.

Pros:

+ Chimera Squad attempts to do something that the regular XCOM games do not--to give the squad some personality and make them more than just movable chess pieces.  There's some banter between squadmates when you return to your base which reveals some of their backstories.  The writing in the game isn't particularly memorable, but I think trying to do this is a step in the right direction for the series.

+ Squad member abilities help give each character their own strengths and makes them more than just the default classes from the original games.  You start off the game with a base squad of four members that make up a balanced squad--there's Godmother who wields a shotgun and is good for up close and personal blasting abilities; Cherub wields a kinetic shield and has an ability to place a shield around himself or any squad member--if the shielded individual takes damage, the shield absorbs it and increases the charge of Cherub's own shield.  Cherub can store charges and then unleash them in a powerful melee attack that can hit in a wide cone.  Terminal fills the medic role and can use her Gremlin to heal a squad member for 4 points of damage every turn.  Verge is a sectoid with psionic abilities who has a couple of different skills which can be very useful--he can stun an enemy for 1-2 turns or he can make them berserk which will force them to attack an allied target.

As you progress through the story you can also unlock 4 additional squad members.  Each time you are given the option of pick new squad members you choose from a selection of three.  This means that you won't be able to pick ALL of the potential options and because of that....

+ There is replayability in the fact that you don't choose some squad members and if you want to see the full menu of options, you'll need to play through the campaign multiple times.

+ Tons of equipment options.  Each squad member is equipped with a different weapon type but also has slots for a weapon mod, an armor mod, a breach item (*items that are used to breach specific doors or walls or special grenades that can be tossed in during a breach), and a utility item.  Completing assembly projects to improve armor and weapons will also unlock additional item slots as well as new items.  Progressing the story and defeating certain factions unlocks special projects to create gear inspired by that faction--for example, defeating the psionically abled Progeny unlocked special psi items like the mind shield and a psi grenade.  Mixing and matching gear for the best results is a lot of fun.  

+ Special "epic" weapons can be purchased on the scavenger market or possibly offered as a reward for certain missions and offer up powerful bonuses.  These bonuses can only be used once per mission, but the weapons themselves are great--I found a shotgun that allowed for automatic reloads at the end of every turn.

Cons:

- There is some variety in the goals on missions, but the gameplay does get repetitive.  It basically follows a pattern of breach, clear, breach...rinse, repeat.  Each faction is made up of certain types of enemies and you'll see them over and over....and over.

- One of the most irritating parts of the breach-style gameplay is that you are forced to maneuver within a very limited area--maybe a couple of rooms at most.  The most irritating thing is that you do not get to pick the initial position of your squad members (*you do get to pick where they breach and in what order).  There's just not a ton of room to work and that limits your tactical options.

- The main story and faction leaders (AKA bosses) aren't memorable.  The faction bosses have a very cartoon villain vibe.  The main story is basically picking one faction, trying to thwart their evil activities, and then picking another and doing the same thing.

Recommendation:

Chimera Squad is an effort to bring more personality to the XCOM series and it somewhat manages to do that.  I got it on sale for $10 and feel like that price was appropriate (it's a definite "buy on sale" type of title).  If you're a fan of XCOM strategy, you will probably enjoy the ability system and variety of gear--just be prepared for some repetition.

The Games of 2022

I enjoy gaming, but I'm not the kind of person who wants to spend a bunch of time watching all the uber-announcement megashows (your E3's or Nintendo Direct or whatevergamerconthing)--just point me to the trailers and I will decide from there.  There has been a recent spate of gaming related announcements from these events and there are several upcoming titles that I'm going to be keeping my eye on.  Fingers crossed that 2022 shapes up to be a great year in gaming!

The game that has most piqued my attention is Starfield, a Bethesda title that was described as "Skyrim in space."  I like Skyrim and I like space...so those two factors lumped together are enough to get my blood pumping.  It's going to be interesting to see how the acquisition of Bethesda by Microsoft impacts the game, the release, or various other factors.  Unshockingly it will be an XBOX exclusive (sorry Playstation peeps).  Will Starfield contain the numerous hilarious bugs and general weirdness of the classic Bethesda title?  Will I have a space-equivalent Lydia to haul around all of my space dragon bones?  I'm watching you Starfield, so don't disappoint!  

Since I'm not hugely into triple A titles, the other announcements that were noteworthy were for games that skew more toward indie status.  Most notably, the adorable Slime Rancher is getting a sequel!  Slime Rancher 2 looks to include tons of everything that I love--cute slimes to interbreed (seriously, bunny slimes? Slimes with little anglerfish-like lures?  Bunny-Anglerfish slimes!), sucking up tons o' plorts, and a bright, sparkly world to explore.  If you want a cute, relaxing game to chill out to...do check out the original Slime Rancher.  

As a big fan of the whacky and comedic hospital management sim Two Point Hospital, I was floored to see that Two Point is releasing a whole new world to meticulously manage...the world of the university campus!  Of course, this isn't your typical university and the courses look like a mishmash of goofiness (which I'm completely here for).  Excitingly, the trailer also promises that there will be even more freedom in designing and managing your campus.  AWESOME!  

A couple of other indie titles also caught my eye--Terra Nil offers a compelling twist on the traditional city builder--what if instead of destroying nature to build a city you were tasked with restoring nature?  The trailer features several of my favorite features--namely relaxing music and the promise of a chillaxin' good time.  (There's actually already a demo on Steam of you want to check it out)  

I was also intrigued by the animation in a game called Planet of Lana.  It is tagged on Steam as a sidescroller/platformer but also "story rich."  Color me curious!  Plus, I'm a sucker for any game that includes interactions with cute critters (and I'm getting some Ori-esque vibes from the little black creature).  I've already wishlisted it and can't wait to see what shakes out.  

So many trailers and so much promise!  Let's hope that nothing crazy happens (like more pandemic delays) and that 2022 shapes up to be a wonderful year filled with great games.

The Legendary Question

I'm about 85-90% of the way through my complete playthrough of Mass Effect's brand, spankin' new Legendary Edition.  My Shep has a few story missions and the highly enjoyable "Citadel" DLC left before I wrap things up.  Since I am mostly done I thought I would weigh in on the $59.99 question--should you buy the Legendary Edition?  Especially, should you buy it if you already own the original trilogy?

Pros:

+ The first game has received a sizeable makeover.  This was my main point of interest as I have traditionally found the first game to be one of the most difficult to re-play.  The graphics have been updated and overhauled to give it a more modern look--it definitely looks better than the 2007 version.  For me, one of the major strengths of the first game was always the space themed exploration and getting to visit beautiful worlds.  The legendary edition makes those worlds even better.  The graphical upgrades in all three games look great.

ME1 looks great!  Photo mode is great for snapping pics.

+The obnoxious Peak 15 graphical bug for AMD CPU's has been fixed.  No more having to play through the entire sequence as a giant, block of black cubes.

+ ME1 combat has been improved.  The enemy AI is somewhat better and you don't spend the majority of your time getting rushed by every enemy in an area.  Weapons seem to have a longer period of firing before they overheat and need a cooldown period.  It's still not as good as it is in the third game, but it's not as excruciatingly horrible as it used to be.

+ The character creator has been updated to include more options to make your Commander Shepard unique.  This includes more consistency when importing your custom Shep into the other games in the series.  I only had one weird issue with my Shep's eyebrows being the wrong color in the second game, but for the most part it is much improved over the original games.

+ Comes with ALL content, even pre-order and special promotional items (like the Dragon Age themed armor set).  Before EA consolidated all the content for the trilogy together on Origin it could be a pain to download and install all the DLC.  You don't have to worry about finding and installing the DLC's or trying to manage importing your character from game to game.  It's really nice to everything in one place.

+ The new photo mode is a great way to capture epic screenshots of all of the Commander's adventures.  I've spent more time than I care to admit snapping pics of nice looking environments or my favorite squadmates.

+ There are a few minor bugs, but for the most part, it has run well.

Garrus just can't stop calibrating.

Cons:

- Even with the upgrades, the first game is still a bit of a slog.  You're still going to experience most of the issues that plague the original game--enemy AI is improved, but many combat areas are designed in a way that naturally funnels enemies toward you, so there's still some level of rushing.  The first game re-used many of the same zones/maps over and over.  Driving the Mako is still a bit of a chore (even with the option to toggle the new controls--which I turned off because it makes you fire and drive in the same direction...which I don't like).  It's important to remember that it's a REMASTER and not a REMAKE.  In a magical, perfect world they would redesign the first game with combat like the third game (I think that would be amazing...but is totally unrealistic).

-Graphics settings are lacking.  I'm not a graphics expert of someone who understand many of the high falutin' graphics terms but, according to the people who are more into that sort of thing, there just aren't many settings that you can tweak.  There was a bit of agonizing over the fact that there isn't an FOV slider in the legendary edition (but something that apparently has been modded).

- Some bugs.  I had one weird launching issue and a few gameplay bugs.  There have been several large patches to fix issues, so it seems like issues are being addressed.  If you're hoping for a PERFECT experience, it's not quite there (but getting closer).

+- Gameplay difficulty seems to be easier than in the OT.  I always struggled to finish ME1 on insanity and decided to give it a try in the LE.  I had no problems and have found insanity difficulty to be easier than in the OT (**not bragging.  I will always stand by the fact that ME is not a series about leet combat skills, so I don't think playing it on insanity is really anything worth bragging about--I just like combat to be challenging, but I know that some people just want to experience the story).  There have been a few sequences that are slightly different and maybe a bit more challenging.

-Pinnacle Station (ME1) and the multiplayer from ME3 are not included.  As someone who has never been a big fan of either, this wasn't particularly heartbreaking to me.  It's looking like they might bring back the multiplayer in ME3 (hopefully not the same way that it was tied into the original game with having it impact the singleplayer story).

Recommendation:

If you are someone new to Mass Effect, the $59.99 price tag is definitely worth it--you're getting three awesome games that include a boatload of DLC that add hours of gameplay and numerous fun items.  It's a bargain compared to the cost of purchasing the base games and all DLC.

If you're someone who already owns the trilogy (and all the DLC's)...that's a bit of a tougher call.  I'm a huge ME fan, but generally not a fan of remasters, so I broke my own rule about buying remasters.  The improvements to the first game are nice and the graphics in all the games do look good, but it's largely the same.  If you can grab it on sale, I would try to do that. 

Mass Effect 2 Retrospective

It has been interesting hearing about the experiences of players new to Mass Effect or hearing people who are re-experiencing the series through the Legendary Edition.  I just recently finished Mass Effect 2 and have rolled directly into the third game.  Good news, when my character imported into the third game her eyebrows returned to their normal color and she looks the way I wanted her to (minus the facial scars that are still MIA).  In finishing the second game, which has always been my favorite, I was trying to decide if I felt any differently about it this time around.

Mass Effect 2 frequently shows up on many top games lists and is loved by many people (including myself).  I've always felt lukewarm about certain main story elements and I still feel that way.  Why does Shepard need to wind up working for Cerberus?  That part has always bugged me to no end (especially as someone who plays paragon)--why would Shepard ever consider working for them after he/she spend all that time in the first game learning about how it's essentially an evil organization? And why did they need to kill Shepard off only to bring him/her back?  I get that they were trying to create some friction and add in some villain types...but I still hate it.

One of the nicer views in ME2.

For me, the real success of storytelling in the second games comes in the form of your crew and their character specific missions.  BioWare did a great job of filling Shep's crew with great characters (and there's tons of debate about who's great and who sucks) with a wide range of complicated issues.  One of my only character related gripes in the second game is the fact that if you're trying to avoid losing your extraneous crew members (to Collector abduction), you will only be able to have Legion in your crew for a very short period of time.  It'd be nice if you could grab him earlier and still be able to save the crew.

Samara....always with the meditating.

I didn't notice a ton of changes in the LE, but there were a few nice ones.  If you're someone who's an avid armor hoarder, all the various armors that were part of outfit pack DLC's or special promotions are now available.  If you want your Shep to have a nice, laidback feeling when just chilling on the Normandy, the highly coveted N7 hoody casual look is available.  The LE features several weapons that I don't remember that are nice additions--my favorite being the Mattock assault rifle--and there are multiple heavy weapons to choose from.

One thing I've noticed in the LE is that the combat does seem easier.  I've been playing on insanity and there haven't been very many challenging sequences.  The one place that did feel a bit different was the derelict reaper; I feel like they decided to really just go crazy with the number of husks that you encounter.  I was very surprised at how easy the final boss fight was compared to in the past--its health seemed to just melt away...and, I'm not gonna lie, it was a bit underwhelming.  But hey, we all know that ME isn't a game about being leet at combat--it's about making friends and boning aliens.

There are still a few lingering bugs, but nothing worth freaking out about.  I snapped fewer pics of the second game, but it does look good (the upgrade's just not as noticeable as in the first game).  I'm still sticking with my plan of staying romance-free until Traynor time.

If your weekend plans include slaying some Collectors or dealing with your crewmembers daddy issues...have fun!

Some Familiar Faces....and Kelly

It should come as no surprised that I'm still playing through the Legendary Edition of Mass Effect.  I managed to finish my ME1 adventure and have moved onto my series favorite second game.  It's always interesting to go back and re-experience games that you haven't played in awhile and to realize that there are things that you didn't appreciate enough and other things that now make you cringe.

One of the nice added features to the Legendary Edition is the fact that you can carry over more of your funds from the first game (although sadly, not your entire fortune).  My Shepard started off the second game with a padded account and it was a nice feeling to have enough credits to buy up all the items on Omega.  Unfortunately, something that wasn't so nice was the fact that my Shep didn't transfer over looking exactly the same from the first game.  It was immediately noticeable that her eyebrows were a different color and that her scars were missing.  If I had been adamant about fixing this, I could've tried to re-create my Shep with the customizer, but I knew it would be difficult to re-create it.  It's not a big deal, but I do think it makes my Shep look a little weird.

The very model of a scientist Salarian!

Mass Effect 2 is a game that's all about the diverse characters who make up the crew of the Normandy SR2.  I don't even know how many times I've played through the series, but it's always enjoyable to re-experience all the different personalities.  I've realized that I actually like Mordin as a character a lot more than I thought--sure, he's unapologetic about his role in spreading the improved genophage onto the Krogans, but he's someone whose motives do seem mostly for the greater good.  I love his high energy and how he is the embodiment of a Salarian (dare I say...a scientist Salarian?).

Funnily enough, I've seen quite a bit of discussion around how femShep and Jacob interact.  Playing through the dialogue with Jacob is actually quite cringey.  Let's just say Shep comes off as a little...thirsty.  Okay, A LOT thirsty for a big glass of Jacob.  It's something I noticed in the past, but now that everyone is talking about it, it's that much more noticeable.  As a character Jacob seems to get a lot of hate (for being too boring), but I actually think he's another that I like.  With a bit more backstory and some more options for interaction I think Jacob could be more interesting.

Jack...unraveling those Cerberus secrets.

Another interesting reaction I've seen mentioned is to something that originally people complained about...scanning planets for minerals.  I've seen numerous people posting about how much they enjoy it, which is a complete reversal.  What changed?  I still find it to be a bit of a chore and try to knock out a bunch of scanning at the beginning and then only if I need minerals for upgrades.

An unfortunate victim of the facial upgrades in the Legendary Edition is poor Kelly Chambers.  Original Kelly had a perky haircut to match her upbeat personality.  New Kelly (who my Shep is shamelessly flirting with in an effort to obtain free fish care) just isn't the same.  I want old Kelly back!

I've also encountered a few bugs and glitches.  The first happened on Illium upon going to Liara's office--the cutscene didn't trigger and instead Liara was stuck and it was almost like the game had locked up (but it hadn't because my Shep was still going through her idle motions).  I had to re-load (but fortunately had just had an autosave) and then it worked.  While doing Miranda's loyalty mission I also had an odd bug during the final part of the mission--the health bars and targeting reticule for Enyala and a random Eclipse Operative wouldn't show up.  This made using abilities on them difficult, but it was still possible to kill them.  A minor annoyance.

I wish Kasumi Goto was a main NPC and not just one with limited interactions.  Kasumi's loyalty mission is one of my favorites and I find her personality and backstory to be one of my favorites.  More Kasumi, please.

Old Kelly and New Kelly.

Playing through Mass Effect 2 has always been an enjoyable experience for me and I'm looking forward to spending much more time fighting the Collectors and hanging out with the crew.  Even Kelly...with her weird face, which I am willing to accept in exchange for her professional fish feeding services.