Cyberpunk 2077 and loving a world that hates you.

My name is Thane Bishop, and I need to talk about Night City.
In this video I mispronounce a number of words and spoil a whole heckin' lot of my current favorite game. If you somehow fall into the rare category of not having played Cyberpunk, but want to, but want to also watch a video essay about Cyberpunk, I recommend just playing it first.
Patreon: / thanebishop
Song: Let You Down by Dawid Podsiadło - • Cyberpunk: Edgerunners...

[@ThaneBishop]

Wanna help me make more of these video, get special access to bonus content, and see yourself in the credits for them? www.patreon.com/ThaneBishop

[@kingalexanderiofyugoslavia1390]

Hey man what’s the song that you play around the 2:30 mark?

[@ThaneBishop]

Let You Down by Dawid Podsiadło - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ_Rk4Ntpah8rLM I'm fuming that I forgot to put this in the description, always get annoyed with creators that don't list their songs. Sorry! Description is getting updated.

[@kingalexanderiofyugoslavia1390]

@@ThaneBishop thanks bro!

[@MadKat197]

Dude you understood the assignment you gave yourself and laid out your cards and damn dude you just understood the assignment and the world of nightcity and the nuances of it all... I can get behind that im not done with the video yet but from where im at which is nearing 7 minutes props. Take my follow and have a good day if and when you read this.

[@MadKat197]

Oh and i chose jackies earnest hemmingways book. Jackie Like Earnest both were absolute fucking units and it fits for what i felt and what gave me the most impact of Jackie his death the loss his loved ones feel and that he wore his heart on his sleeve. I mean the man takes you in as all three lifepaths of V doesnt matter who or what you are Jackie saw V for who they were. Didnt mean to make this second comment so long. But yeah

[@2m7b5]

The strange thing about cyberpunk as a genre is the fact that so many people yearn for it. I think it says something about the world we live in. It's like we have all of the dystopia, but none of the flashiness.

[@ThaneBishop]

If the world is going to be this rough, why can't it just be this rough in a walkable, neon-lit city?

[@JoniniTheChickenNugget]

I agree, we live in a sort of cyberpunk right now, with ads going crazy online and corporations (statistically) controlling congressional decisions etc. The only difference is, instead of beautiful neon and futuristic cityscapes, we get massive parking lots, dead strip malls, and boring brutalist architecture.

[@Nietzsches-Disciple]

@@ThaneBishop y i live in vegas bruh

[@str4in]

@@ThaneBishop as walkable as tenderloin san francisco u mean

[@chalk1415]

I think this is a semi look into the future tbh. The way I see the world going there's 2 outcomes, Either mass government rule and surveillance, Or capitalism going too far and we get a Cyberpunk looking future, both are pretty grim. But with the way people act now I think this is very likely.

[@breaux2806]

On my second playthrough I unlocked the cool ending with the big house on the rooftop and when I was looking through the glass in the living room I felt sad. I thought, "Man, Jackie would have loved this." and decided to pull out my phone to say goodbye to him again. Imagine my surprise when I hit the call button and V actually talks to Jackie's voicemail, with the same emotion in his voice that I was currently feeling in that moment. That moment stayed with me for a really long time.

[@daffty8483]

I actually did the same but after his death, I think it only happens once cause I tried again and the interaction didnt pop up. I gotta say you were really lucky you never had the curiosity to try to call him, I bet it was pretty amazing and disheartening when you heard V speak

[@chrispekel5709]

I don't know if that was a cool ending to be honest - I don't think any of them really are

[@cortlong]

moments like this are things ive only experienced in this game, and its a shame so many people avoided this game. because it hits so hard in these little details that nothing else has.

[@horrorvictim]

​​​​@@daffty8483 It happens a couple of times and there are a few changes (if I remember correctly) V literally updating Jackie but towards the end there is a final message where V says it'd be his/her/their last time calling, I think that's pretty much after you meet Hanako for the point of no return.

[@NocoTheWitcher]

​​@@cortlong I lost my big brother when I was 5 and it stuck to me to this day. I still carry a picture of him around wherever I go... Oh and I always do the side mission with Barry the ex police officer and his dead friend because it reminds me of my brother.

[@BasicShapes]

I clocked in over a hundred hours and 2 playthroughs before discovering that Arasaka had built a memorial for the tower Johnny blew up. I wandered into it completely by accident, and was just like "woah."

[@HonoredOne4]

Woah

[@gotd4m]

See what you did there.

[@j05hb3an7]

Fun fact, there's an easter egg at that memorial. If you look around for a bit you can find a door with a keypad. If you enter "2023" (the year the tower fell) the door opens revealing some displays with a list of names (I'm assuming developers or contributors to the game)

[@_NoodlesMedia_]

I got a few hundred hours total and didn't see that. Where is it? (I assume at the tower but I guess i didn't explore as much as I thought)

[@CallMeVidd]

@@_NoodlesMedia_it’s right next to the current Arasaka tower

[@Psionic_Dragon]

Never before has someone so succinctly described what I love about Cyberpunk settings - I know it's a terrible place; I know it's a depiction of despair and hopelessness; I know it's a warning of sorts; but the way it looks, the way it *feels* is unmatched. You hit the nail on the head and beyond. This video gets me.

[@MelAnimated]

Its so validating

[@kevinwillems8720]

I think the purpose of cyberpunk has changed somewhat. Because, we live in a cyberpunk dystopia. The warning failed. But we don't have a lot of the more fantastical elements.

[@kevinwillems8720]

So now, cyberpunk needs to stop just showing the dark world, or needs to show people in this world properly fighting against it, and maybe creating a new world with the good aspects of technology, without the negative (capitalism).

[@KevinJohnson-cv2no]

@@kevinwillems8720 We don't live in a cyberpunk dystopia; don't let the distraught fantasies of impoverished, socially awkward dweebs tell you otherwise lmao. Corporations are no where near Mega-Corp status.

[@janfungusamon4926]

​@@KevinJohnson-cv2no HAH

[@elydix3455]

This feels like a love letter to night city

[@1ial20]

It is.

[@itsjustme6018]

One thing I love about Night City is to compare it during the day. During the night it looks beautiful, flashy, colorful, cool. But during the day when the hot sun shines on the city in the afternoon it looks dirty, you see the smoke, and the pollution. It’s like a drug that looks flashy and beautiful at night, but during the day when you come down from your high, you see how shitty the city really is.

[@STOPPEDINCOLORADO]

nah it’s called night city cause that was the creator’s last name lmao

[@Lin_Eileen]

just like living in the city in our world now. During the day it looks drab & depressing but at night it comes alive with colorful light & life looking so beautiful. I have always preferred night to day immensely

[@Lin_Eileen]

This is also something CDPR brought up in their marketing abt how they are trying to show how Cyberpunk isn't just a genre supposed to be happening at night in the rain... yes it's beautiful but there is a sense of rawness and grimy feelings u get from seeing the cities during the day, seeing the waviness in the air from the heat & the light shining on all the filthiness piling up from unchecked pollution from greedy humans... this genre has always come from such a place of reflection on our own state of being

[@EnclaveSgt]

I like the idea but as the other dude said the founder was Richard Night. It's a good comparison though and does make sense

[@ViniciusFigueiredo19]

@@STOPPEDINCOLORADO This ain't real life tho, if the author choose this name maybe he had this intention in mind or maybe CDprojekt considered when they were depicting it

[@DavidRodriguez-zo1zk]

This game may have the most accurate depiction of humans struggling with mental health and suicide I have ever seen depicted anywhere. I remember the horrible situations and the consequences, the tolls it took on their psyches. It just seemed so real. The the way the characters process survivors guilt. If you choose the secret ending with V committing suicide, My god the phone calls are scary realistic. I rememeber actually tearing up when I saw Judy’s face stained with mascara that had been cried away who knows how long ago and the way the sadness hung off every word she said. And just going back to V. That ending, it seems so… real. A person who has been fighting tooth and nail to stay alive, and fight to go on maybe get revenge. And in the end, they’re just tired and want it to be over. No sadness, no fear, they want their own terms, under their control. It sent chills down my body. Like I said. It felt real. Same with Ev, you didn everything to help her and did your best and in the end you save her. Only for her to end it. Trauma is very real and this game handles it masterfully. Okay rant over

[@Sorain1]

There's something interesting to be said in that particular ending existing _along with_ (Don't) Fear The Reaper. DFTR has very similar results if you are killed during it as 'The Path of Least Resistance', yet as you pointed out, V's reason to take this instead of DFTR is about control. It's the one thing totally in their power, V's and no one else's. Given just how much V is stuck bouncing from thing to thing, reacting and dealing with what Night City throws at them? It is profoundly sad, but I can see the reasoning for it. It takes a lot of work for a narrative to make that seem as anything but a writing cop out.

[@xtaltheo170]

Good thoughts, thanks

[@kurojima]

The characters stellar voice acting and sometimes very subtle but effective facial animations in combination with CP2077s soundtrack just hits different than normal. I loved the cast.

[@josswhelan293]

Well said, guess that's why I'm so drawn back to this game/place like no other..

[@m00nrac00n]

Cyberpunk's World is the definition of "If it hits, it hits". Its the japanese influence, the Tech, design in all aspects - from people to places. Whether a district is supposed to look run down or futuristic & polished, there is always a cohesive aesthetic to it, which is often missing from the real world, it all looks intentional. Its a Video Game so you are not in any real danger, so the vibrant, overly stimulating, action-filled, buzzing city of diverse characters is just exciting. It taps into your desires of exploring a foreign area and freedom of doing whatever you want in that area - its honestly has a similar feeling to going on vacation to a place with an entirely different culture. A part of us lowkey wants that experience of being lost in a vivid, urban, colorful, overwhelming place with that kick of slight energizing volatility and mystery for once - as long as we are not in ACTUAL danger, the immersive world of a video game is perfect for this. Our current futuristic mega cities are sad, bland, being stuck at office jobs, libertarian ideology, everyone looks boring and the same, filled with crime and artifical networking bs, but we dont have the vibrance, the aesthetic...Its like our version of Cyberpunk is worse than the actual genre. Our real life Cyberpunk has the same issues, but without the style, excitment and stimulation.

[@aljazslemc9569]

Funny enough, if you think about it, the people living in the world of Cyberpunk 2077 probably think about their life the same way. To them, it's just reality, nothing exciting about it.

[@m00nrac00n]

@@aljazslemc9569 Yup. That is the kicker. The excitment wears off once you are ACTUALLY there, in real danger, under pressure, just trying to survive and stay afloat another day. All that shiny exterior only distracts you for so long...Thats why the medium of a video game is perfect for this genre in my opinion. You have all the style and implications, but no one is grabbing through the screen to actually hurt you. Its like the light for a moth, without being able to get burned. Same goes for people who decided to move to a country they previously went to for vacation...Actually having to survive in those areas destroys the illusion and charme, a few failed buisness ventures later and a lot of people move back home, filled with disillusionment.

[@aljazslemc9569]

@@m00nrac00n many of us thought ourselves warlords in an apocalyptic future when we were young. A fantasy of a world that's a lot less complicated. If everyone is out to get you, your life might be tense and scary, Every day a fight, but we make ourselves believe we'd be good at it. That's really the only lie. That we'd avoid getting bitten, that we'd be the best mercenary or outlaw, that we'd survive a nuclear holocaust somehow and roam the wastelands. All of these timelines are terrible and dreadful, but the day to day seems so idealic and easy. What i love about cyberpunk is that night city is built on the fact everyone thinks that way. More meat for the meat grinder.

[@cabnbeeschurgr6440]

A very big aspect of cyberpunk, and why the dystopia works so well, is that it *is* our world. Our modern world, with the capitalism, the tech, the drama, the cynicism, all turned up to 11. Look for parallels within the game to our real world. It can be depressingly accurate.

[@NachozMan]

@@cabnbeeschurgr6440 Shovel down your bland rations, slurp down your coffee flavored sludge, sure it sucks. But that's being human.

[@ScoutSarge]

I'm nearly 150 hours playing and I think I've used Fast Travel maybe 3 or 4 times. I'm always enthralled by the atmosphere and vision of Night City that we're given, and I have been a fan of Night City since I played the TTRPG of Cyberpunk 2020 back in the 80's. I just love everything they have done to make the city feel alive.

[@ThaneBishop]

Would you recommend the TTRPG? I've played D&D 5e for a few years now, and some of the WH40K stuff before that, and my group and I have been looking for a new system to try out.

[@ScoutSarge]

@@ThaneBishop I have not played the new version (Cyberpunk RED) but from what I have been told Cyberpunk RED fits the CP2020 rules into 2077 and streamlines what I found to be an already pretty smooth set of game mechanics. If you like the Cyberpunk genre as well and can just remember "style over substance" when it really comes to anything, you'll have a blast playing it. I would definitely recommend giving CP2020 a try (if you can find it) and CPRED should be just as good.

[@ThaneBishop]

@@ScoutSarge I'll take a look! Thanks!

[@mike04574]

This is the opposite for me lol, the game looked broken and it was glitchy so fast travel was convenient

[@paulleach3612]

@@ScoutSarge If you're not playing it wearing mirrorshades and with a red light bulb screwed in then is it even a game of CP2020?

[@jwoellhof]

I'm a 50 year old dude, so I didn't think much about it the first bunch of times I jumped into a car in Cyberpunk, or there was a radio on close by, heard a song I liked, and just stayed in the car or close to the radio, until the song was over. Just today it occurred to me that there may be a couple of generations of kids that have all their music downloaded, have never listened to the radio, and have never experienced the little joy of hearing a good song on the radio, and being excited that they happened to be listening at the moment that song was playing. Cyberpunk may be the first or only time for a whole lot of people to have that experience.

[@Kotai-Matrix69]

Too bad the radio sucks nowadays

[@brainwashalpha5495]

@@Kotai-Matrix69 college radio, npr, pirate stations, etc. its fairly niche but still there

[@Duck_Praise]

same principle as to why I still watch TV, way more fullfilling than just watching an entire season online in one go.

[@LocalDiscordCatgirl]

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas was this in my childhood.

[@skulldozer2259]

idk man im 30 years your minor and when those edgerunners songs start on the radio im stayin in the car

[@AssassinsFear]

Jackie's death really hit for me too. I knew it was coming but he was such a likeable character and they didn't just snuff the lights from nowhere. We saw him shit, bleeding out and 5 minutes later he finally succumbed to the wounds right as we made it. I feel like it's hard to build a connection with a virtual character but after Jackie's death I swore to myself I'd use his bike for everything to keep Jackie close.

[@ThaneBishop]

One of the thing I felt made Jackie's death work is that we can see him use healing items during the quest. A lot of times I feel like games will script a character death, and just hope we agree to accept it. But with Jackie, I saw him try. He used items to push through. And eventually, even that failed him.

[@berkjoga]

​@@SergiusXXIVbruh it's been 3 years and it's also on the game's trailers

[@thesleeplessone6971]

​@@SergiusXXIVit literally happens in the game's cinematic trailer that came out years ago...

[@MrJOJ]

@@SergiusXXIV Judging by your comment you were never interested in the game in the first place if you haven't even seen the trailer for it.

[@vincer7824]

Using his pistols is a good way to memorialize him also. "Ladies and gentlemen, Jackie Welles!"

[@thegoddessofbread6535]

I think, inevitably, the overall story of Cyberpunk 2077 is more about finding your community, your family, and realizing that you can always find the people who will love and support you where you're at. Jackie and his mom didn't have to open up their home to you. You don't have to befriend Judy, or Panam, or River, or any of the other questlines in that vein, you chose to seek out community in those moments. It's looking at the environment and going "This sucks, but at least I found what matters." At the beginning, you're chasing glory and wanting to leave a mark on the world. In the end, you realize you make your mark on the world in the community you end up forging. The ending that makes this the most clear to me is if you take the easy way out. How many people call your voicemail to grieve? And even if the world sucks, there's always something to look forward to, and that you inevitably do matter, whether or not the game makes you believe otherwise.

[@satrian]

I consider myself a "completionist". I feel compelled to get every achievement, explore every quest and get every item in games. During my first Cyberpunk playthrough, when the floor collapses under V and Johnny pushes you to get the F out of the building after meeting Arasaka Hanako, I did just that. Never even thought about the possibility of going back and saving Takemura. After finishing my first playthrough I realized that the death of Takemura can be avoided. That I was so into the story, so invested in what was happening at that moment that it activated my "fight or fly" response... and I fled. I'm still a completionist. I'm still playing the game trying to get everything the game has to offer me. But with every playthrough, I realize I'm more and more involved with Night City and its inhabitants. That I honestly could care less about my own (V's) destiny as long as I at least try to help the characters in my life. And I realize that the moments that I enjoy the most are the moments that involve Panam, Judy, River, Kerry or any other character. I just love the way the game values human connection in a world that is designed to chew you and spit you out without a second thought. Anyway... I clearly loved your video. Thank you for posting it.

[@emmadaley313]

I feel exactly the same. It’s a fun first person shooter but the parts I really care about are the human connection aspects. How beautiful

[@GordonWrigley]

First play through I unlocked all the endings and then without really realizing it took the "worst" one, because I didn't want to let V die and I didn't want to get any more of the friends killed.

[@CheshireTheMaid]

​@@GordonWrigley that was my reasoning for going with Hanako's deal the first time around. I didn't want to sacrifice another friend, but I didn't want to die. Panam's ending is my favourite though.

[@L4sgalenobixaomemo]

Actually, i think that is the whole point of cyberpunk dystopias for me (aside from social critics and fiction in general). Valuing humam conections, probably the only not artificial feeling you can get, in a world full of neon lights, meds, overinformation, overestimulation, disgrace, poverty, social inequality. Loving someone and being loved by who you really are in this world full of plastic apperences. What i most love about cyberpunk universe is that people kinda accept that the world is doomed to ruin due it´s currently state, and try to live the most out of it.

[@Duck_Praise]

Being with Judy or any of our friends does make me feel better, but at the same time i can't shake the feeling that it holds me down, since I do not get to for example rule the Afterlife or else I lose them. I guess in real life it works the same

[@figsthereal]

Your commentary on Night City and the duality of the love and hate for it is spot-on, and it perfectly captures the feeling that I have with the environment in particular. I am currently ~100 hours into the game and I am obsessed with the noir that the game encapsulates, but it also feels like how Night City is advertised to be; a place of opportunity, money, success, connections, and hope. And maybe it feels like that's how I *want* Night City to be, but then I see the gang wars, the XBD's, the rampant crime, the corrupt NCPD, the Megacorps, the twisted Ripperdocs, and the individual fixers that pull me out of the idea of what it is and pull me into the reality of Night City; it's just another place that chews you up and spits you out.

[@ThaneBishop]

I think the most rewarding part of this video project is just seeing other people feel the same way about Night City that I do. I sometimes feel there's a level of almost guilt that comes with it, with enjoying this world so much, only to turn around and find a Cyberphychosis victim that was kidnapped off the street and forcibly implanted with chrome until they snapped.

[@chregig7967]

400+ hours played, and I consciously have to stop myself from starting my 6th playthrough since I just can't wait to get back into the game

[@KevinJohnson-cv2no]

Wouldn't the Mega-Corps feed the culture of money, success & power? The entire point of the Corporate class in the original Cyberpunk was access to immense power & resources (a level 10 Corpo could literally martial together a small army with a phone call). I don't think anyone who's actually playing the game of power in Night City is doing it on any other level than the Corporate level tbh.

[@georgewilliamson5667]

I live in NYC myself, and so often as I play 2077 it gives me the exact same feeling as living where I live does. New York of course is not nearly is horrifying as Night City is, but it has the same sense of place, the same hustle and the same sense of "make it or die." And the fact I was able to get the same feelings I get in real life from a video game is wild to me. It gives me that same sense of manic, almost intoxicating, yet also incredibly draining energy is truly a testament to its design. Like New York it's cramped, it's dirty, it's cruel, but when the lights glitter at night and you're washed in neon at the bar planning your next moves, the promise of potential greatness really makes it feel all worth it.

[@CovriDoge]

I truly appreciate that you didn’t put any music in the background. I’ve gotten subconsciously tired of video essays with snarky, half-backed jokes and lo-fi tracks, or whatever playing behind the VO. No music gave my brain a rest and it’s easier to concentrate and actually remember what you’re saying. And for that reason alone, I now subbed to your channel. Thank you.

[@tashibalampkin8555]

I agree. I like videos with the creator's voice and no unneeded music. It's calming.

[@platinum4]

Ironically, the game's critics are the ones who use fast-paced music and videos to distract viewers. While those who do not, like its aesthetics and want to immerse themselves in this heartless capitalist world.

[@burn650]

They always hit you with the “I really wanna stay at your house” song to tug on those heart strings

[@gothe_ee2460]

So many people I've watched complained or commented on the different life plan,, saying something along the lines of "A Cheap Trick, Lazy planning/game design etc" But your the first person I've heard actually make it sound like a positive and not a negative,, and it makes perfect sense.. .no matter how different these individual characters past lives are,, in Night City it'll all end the same And wow,, thanks for that

[@Orpheus063]

Rian Johnson levels of subversion.

[@TheDennys21]

The life paths would have been more fleshed out if the devs had time to, you know, actually finish the game.

[@Orpheus063]

@@TheDennys21 9 years of development not long enough. Also remember dragon age origins had a unique start for every race/class in the game? That came out 15 years ago and was developed for about 5 years.

[@TheDennys21]

@@Orpheus063 it wasn't 9 years, development started in 2016 after they finished Blood and Wine.

[@platinum4]

Hating a game because of it performance issue is like hating a book because of its material

[@Emil_Stoltz]

I can't form words that describe how much I love this game and this video perfectly captures what makes Cyberpunk and Night City so fucking impactful and amazing.

[@johnroberts838]

Same 👍👍👍

[@ToDaXi]

This game sucks, having 110 hours just to justify 60 bucks I wasted

[@Emil_Stoltz]

@@ToDaXi Bruh. Why are you on this video?

[@elonmusk_5394]

@@ToDaXi yes only circle jerking morons are allowed here xD don’t worry bro these people aren’t real they can’r hurt you

[@thememeilator2633]

@Sparks damn... That's genuinely heartwarming to hear your story. You know both sides of the community coin. You have hated and loved. I respect that.

[@exaq]

fun fact: most (if not every) night city legends are player-made characters from mike pondsmith's (the creator of the cyberpunk universe) old group that he used to play the og cyberpunk tabletop rpg in the 80s with, morgan blackhand being his own character and the reason he isn't mentioned much in 2077

[@himbourbanist]

man the phone system and the text messages in this game REALLY hit. On a first playthrough especially it's just SO close to feeling real, really well done and adds a lot of humanity and life to the side characters

[@mrPurplexedYT]

Lmao it doesn't take much to satisfy you

[@himbourbanist]

@@mrPurplexedYT man I know what I like

[@mrPurplexedYT]

@@himbourbanist respect

[@hyperthalamus]

"Maybe they named it Night City as a lampshade about how dark the world can be, but sitting out here on this bluff somehow this places looks like every star in the sky to me." You sir, are a goddamn poet.

[@ThaneBishop]

Thank you so much! This is one of my favorite lines from the video, so I'm happy to see it having an impact.

[@mimidaim6943]

They named night city after the assassination of it's founder richard night

[@ZeallustImmortal]

​@@mimidaim6943Yeah, in universe they did. In reality the actual meaning could be different. By your logic The Relic cant be called Relic because its brand new

[@homeydiscus5895]

@@mimidaim6943durrrrrr

[@paulleach3612]

Dude, I loved Night City from the instant I read the last sections of CP2020 back in the very early '90s. I explained it to friends and they fell in love with roaming Nightcity just looking for that next big score. I literally squealed in joy on hearing CDPR were making the game with Max Mike on board. Even with all the bugs and on a base PS4 at launch I played it - to discover that despite needing more time to code things they had nailed the mood/vibe/feel of the City. Not much makes a 40+ yo, army veteran manifest moistness behind the MK-I eyeball, but walking into the Afterlife for the first time (or even Totentanz, as the irony of naming a death metal club after Liszt's Dance of Death still makes me smile to this day) almost made them malfunction. ...and no, I don't fast travel. I also only ever drive in first person. Keep the content coming.

[@ThaneBishop]

Man, it's such a joy to hear that the video is resonating with veterans of the Cyberpunk genre. Thanks for much for this comment.

[@paulleach3612]

@@ThaneBishop Choom, we're just stoked you love NC and the genre as much as we do.

[@ajdez8871]

Night City isn't just a world to play in. Night City is it's own character... like an unbeatable antagonist in the background. Faceless and unknown, yet all around at all times. It's truly amazing

[@GergelyGyurics]

I'm so happy that someone did this video. I often bump into people dissing the game's world because "there is not much to do in it", i.e. there are no random card minigames and stuff. I think people are missing the point with the city design and the dialogue system. They want the dialogues to give you some sort of points for given answers, as a pat on your identity. Like, yeah choom, you managed to click on the A-hole response, here's a nice little evil point for you, to reinforce your playstyle and to completely misinterpret our core story theme. But really, what both of those gameplay elements strive to do is to immerse you into the feeling of being V in Night City. And we have gorgeous views, architecturally distinct districts, lifepath dialogue options and hidden checks that provide just enough roleplay to make this V completely different from your previous ones. (I sometimes feel like they are too seemless to notice and most of the players don't even realize how many of those conversations depend on hidden variables. After close to 600 hours of gameplay I still find new ones.) I really like how immersive this game is from a purely roleplaying perspective.

[@ThaneBishop]

Honestly I love everything you've said here. I feel like gameplay really gives different potential for roleplay. My 1st V was a street samurai in the realest sense, but my second V was a quiet, careful, hyper-intelligent netrunner, and it felt like playing two totally different games.

[@JohnnyBoy-wi4kn]

Night City is a dream that you're scared that you want. Something terrible and dark but...there's a promise, or a very good lie, of freedom.

[@Ultraninetyeight]

Welcome to modern America

[@IKNC1123]

Beautifully written. Night City brought me back 13 years to the same feeling I had seeing the lights of New Vegas in the distance from the cemetery in Goodsprings. It's incredible how some games just have that power to evoke such feeling.

[@dzikripratama3776]

New Vegas is a masterpiece!

[@thecactusman17]

I use fast travel under certain circumstances. For example I refuse to drive and walk to V's apartment because the process of getting to the space itself is so laborious. Otherwise I largely really love the process of driving around the city.

[@user-fs9mv8px1y]

Yeah that elevator is so slow sometimes

[@malapertfourohfour2112]

@@user-fs9mv8px1y it's a great spot to reload a bowl to smoke tho

[@tiamia2370]

​@user-fs9mv8px1y just park across the street in the public garage parking spot and use the door and it takes you right to the apartment floor.

[@emmadaley313]

There’s a 9 hour night city ambience video on here and I listen to it all the time while studying or sleeping. Such a wonderful world

[@somewierdoonline2402]

I had a kind of surreal experience with the ghost town bar, when I turned on the power and was about to leave I heard something from the bar and I was like "what? No one should be here I just killed almost everyone here." I walked in and found out that there was no one there but it felt so lively it looked like something crazy happened and then everyone just left all of a sudden.

[@MissBits_]

One of, if not my favorite games of all time. Been playing it for a while now, well over 200 hours, and likely to at least double it. Im glad people are still getting into and loving this game, even after it's launch

[@ThaneBishop]

I don't know if I ever would have picked it up post launch in not for Edgerunners, and I can't help but think about what an overall loss that would have been for me.

[@Ari-ne2yb]

Same

[@Roesguard]

We both started the same -- fresh from ER, expecting a lot of bugs (granted, I encountered my fair share), and having prior knowledge of story beats and launch state. We both ended the same -- in a toxic, yet satisfying relationship with a city that simultaneously gives you every reason to love her, whilst giving you every reason you probably should drop her like a hot rock. It's telling that I retreated to NC after stressful days at work. Where my job as a merc (or whatever I was roleplaying as at the time) was leagues more dangerous than my RL job. Where I'd seen a corpse everyday, despite never having seen one in reality. Where Corpos are overt about their dealings, rather than trying to cover them up like in our world (or using legalese/corpobabble). Where realistically a joytoy gives me more lovin' than my romance partner (in-game). Where I can play a post-apocalypse in Santo Domingo and Pacifica, visit New York in Heywood and City Center, take a short vacation in the Southwest through the Badlands, and return to a new normal in Westbrook and Watson. It's easy enough to say that NC doesn't cause misery...the people who live there do, but NC is the container for the bugs, both literal and metaphorical. She keeps trying to kill me, repulse me, warn me, rob me, and yet...I love it...I thrive on it. The characters I've played so far are a merc -constantly on the verge of cyberpsychosis - who realizes she's addicted to near-death experiences, and an ex-cop, ex-corpo private investigator/vigilante who - the more he tries to justify his actions - realizes he just loves delving into the murk. NC, in trying to strip me bare of all faith and hope, ends up giving me joy and making me feel alive.

[@shawn6970]

this was a joy to read, thank you

[@jackthorton10]

The City of Dreams

[@KhapriSun]

I have over 200hrs played, completed everything possible in the game at launch and recently started a second play through. It's just such an amazing game and despite it's troubles with a rocky launch, it has easily gone down as one of the most special experiences I've had with a game in my life. You can tell how much hard work and passion went into it to create such a captivating world and stories.

[@jillian5394]

Regardless of how screwed up night city is, everyone is accepted. Race, gender, sexuality. It doesn't matter, you're a person in their eyes unless you have a big name like Adam Smasher or something. Then you're like a God amongst people, but that's the beauty of it. Everyone is just trying to live in a city that is so beautiful on the outside, but so scary on the inside. One moment, you could be enjoying a breezy walk on the side of the road, or in the desert, watching as the lights dance before your eyes, the next could be gunshots towards, or at you. Flying by your face until inevitably, you seem to stop functioning. The reason why night city is so beautiful, and why it's people are beautiful, Is because any moment could be your last. By taking it in, you're living in the moment, until it's gone. That's why everyone is accepted, because they could be gone the next day, so why put them further down into the ground, if they'll be put into it tomorrow? Cyberpunk 2077, Is a beautiful game. I hope it continues getting love and support that it deserves

[@willr3d]

I'm nearing 600 hours on cyberpunk and have been in love with the world and atmosphere since release date. Even though the unfinished nature and countless bugs persisted throughout my experience, the world drew me in again and again regardless. There hasn't been a game that immersed me as much as cyberpunk and I'm glad to see others feel the exact same way.

[@flipflopperson4493]

This video should be titled “A love letter to night city.” It’s beautiful and describes to a tee how I also feel about this game in a way I never could. Thank you

[@parkerhuff9995]

I love hearing what other people lay at Jackie’s funeral, it shows how well they managed to flesh out Jackie in a relatively short amount of time because each little item shows a different aspect of his complex character. I always choose the book, I think it shows off that jackie had a deeper introspective side that he hid behind his tough goofball exterior.

[@geke7381]

Out of both the game and the anime Lucy is by far my favorite character however I feel like Rebeccas life and death represents best how little value human life has in Nightcity. One of the most fun and likeable personalities dies as a collateral damage like she was worth nothing. In other stories and fictional worlds where even main characters can die they usually get meaningful, symbolic and larger than life types of death scenes but in Night City you get gunned down next to some trash bins or goomba stomped by a psychopath and end up forgotten. Such a beautiful but cruel place

[@prod.a.b.i.l1930]

I honestly fell in love with Cyberpunk 2077 because of the ending with Panam (especially if you play the nomad path), V, in my opinion, after Jackie's death was back to being alone. After leaving his own clan at the start of the game, he is alone, no family, no friends, nothing to his name, only a dream to be someone in Night City, until Jackie comes into his life. Jackie, or rather his death, is the catatlyst for V realizing how pointless his dream actually his, what's the point in achieving your dream when you don't have anyone to share in the happiness with. That, coupled with the fact that the job that killed Jackie, was the same job responsible for V, having a chip in his brain that is killing him makes it all the more tragic. Panam and the Aldecaldos represent the hope for a better future, Night City is a very toxic enviroment, it corrupts, it can take anything and everything from you in an instant and thats what it's doing to V, Johnny in the later half of the game realizes how V must be feeling and the fact that they both can't stop the inevatible from happening. But again, that's where Panam comes in, Panam and her ending with V represent what V actually wants in life, a family, and hope for the future. V is still very much sick even at the end of the game, but Panam doesn't give up on him, Night City constantly takes and takes from our characters but the Panam ending feels like our characters reclaiming their lives from this nightmarish city, V taking his life back so he can be with the person he cares about and his new family, and Panam not giving up on V and letting Night City take someone else she cares about by helping V find a cure to his illness Cyberpunk isn't a nihlistic story, it's a tragic story about someone who is stuck in a terrible situation but there are moments of beauty in this terrible world. I hope that CDPROJEKT RED keeps putting more content into this game and doesn't stop after the Phantom Liberty DLC

[@ripHalo0002]

I also really liked the Panam ending. Really feels like driving off into the sunset

[@chrispekel5709]

I thought the Panam ending fitted much better with the street kid. He found a family

[@metalsmithnick8714]

Agreed I can count my fast travel in Cyberpunk in one hand. Great love letter to a great game

[@ThaneBishop]

I really appreciate that!

[@yeti4269]

The Columbarium also holds my favorite Easter egg, where you can find Roy Batty’s ending line from Bladerunner “All these memories will be lost to time, like tears in rain.” And that line fits Night City perfectly

[@coriolass]

Yes! I absolutely loved it when I found that and yeah it fits NC and V's story perfectly.

[@tiamia2370]

Yes...they even play the music!

[@apIthletIcc]

lol dude I feel you on the discovery of the fast travel beacon, I straight up still never use them. I found out after 200 hours "I love this world but Idk If I was supposed to" is so deep dude damn

[@mattasoEu]

Yup my thoughts exactly, not listening to the popular opinion and actually buying the game was one of the best decisions I've made, amazing world

[@jamzee_]

I’ve always loved the cyberpunk genre. Not just the Cyberpunk trademark, the Genre. The first ever music i ever made was cyberpunk, my own world I make my art of is a cyberpunk dystopian New Orleans, and the genre has had so much more affect on my life than i would like to admit. You wrote it well. The world doesn’t like you. You’re alone in the world. The game exemplifies this. The world really doesn’t care about you. There’s stories that go on even without you. If you bail on Pan Am, her story still goes on. Takemura’s story continues if you ditch him. It all goes on and on. And there’s no happy endings in the cyberpunk genre. Just like life, is no happy ending, and we all know it. Death, is certain. And thats what I love about cyberpunk. The world will keep going even if these characters die.

[@zynthio]

totally get your love for the world, as I've been obsessed with it ever since the first trailer for this game came out and I learned about it. Idk what their plans are after Phantom Liberty but I hope they don't stop creating content and games for this world because it's so cool. I can't think of many games that I have been immersed as deeply in as I was when 2077 came out. That's part due to the disturbingly uncanny similarities to the modern world and the projections of the future, but also in the love and care that went into the details of the game map itself. Granted, it didn't turn out to be as fleshed out as they made it seem it would be in the years leading up - Partly because it might have been too ambitious of an undertaking, and because they were rushed by investors to finally put it out. I think many, including myself, expected or hoped for a much more expansive and branching RPG experience, akin to the ttrpg it's based on. Instead we got a more focused narrative on rails. Yes there are a few different endings, but not that many and not that greatly different from each other. Yes there are tons of side quests and choices and branches that lead off the main narrative, which are all great. But to be fair, I don't think it's possible to build a truly open RPG video game that has enough content to support such open ended exploration and story, like a TTRPG can - at least not under any reasonable time and budget constraints. By that I mean - Imagine yourself as you were following along the story of 2077 and you ended up in the Pacifica district, and just found the area and the factions and the stories there just particularly interesting. You could stay with the Voodoo Boys and work for them, earning their trust, until eventually joining them, and your main quest adapts into them helping V do some crazy netrunner stuff to save him from the Relic. Or getting involved in the war between Voodoo Boys and Netwatch, and searching for hidden corpo blacksites from the time of the Red to dig up powerful old tech. Or joining the Animals. Just imagine if instead of a "journal" of quests that just sit there until you decide to go pick them back up later, the story adapts to your choices and where you decide to focus your time. You start doing tons of jobs with the Voodoo Boys? Then story adapts to lead in that direction, and the main story changes to no longer have Takemura's quests expire or not become available anymore. Anyway, just going off about cyberpunk at 3am. I just love this world and genre, and really hope it keeps growing and gets the attention it deserves.

[@putrikania6196]

I finally gave this game a chance 3 years after its release and... Its breath taking. I fell in love with this world, the same as I fell in love with Skyrim and Witcher 3. I can loose myself walking everywhere. Checking every nook and crannies. Explore. Roleplay. Pretending to be an urban explorer. Help the NCPD. Pick up gigs. Night City just felt so... alive. It is so big, so intricate, so beautiful, so sad, and yet...its also the closest to reality a game could ever be. Reality sucks. Politics sucks. Capitalism sucks. All of V's ending sucks. In real life, we rarely get the chance to choose where are we born or the situation we're in. Plato or Aristoteles (I forgot) once said, "In life, we choose the best option among the many worst available consequences. Because perfect happiness is a dream that Man relentlessly pursue and holds only in their heart, but rarely held within their hands" and THIS is why Cyberpunk 2077 story telling shines. Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't have a good ending. V is dying. That's it. Johnny is parasite in V's brain. Sacrifices must be made. I chose Johnny's ending once because I'm a bleeding heart like that and I ABSOLUTELY regret it after Johnny ghosted Vic (and everyone else) its so heart wrenching I cried. In the end I made V did what David did in Edgerunner. Went out with a bang. I can't help but love Night City... because of its the people, the connectiom V made, the logs V found in dead bodies. I realize not only I fell in love with the city, but that love also comes from the fact that there are still good people even though NC is a shitty place. That's why we're introduced to Padre Sebastian first in street kid. Jackie second. T-Bug We have Vic as the reliable father-doctor figure. Misty, Regina, Wakako, Judy, Panam, Kerry, River. Everyone. Heck, I think V is a very, very, very lucky person. They found reliable friends and family in a city so cruel and shitty....its why we, as player, love night city because ultimately V, IS us inside the game. These character were programmes to care for V and in turn, they care for us. I totally get you man. I totally get you. I won't ever survive if I were suddenly dumped in Night City...but I'll still love it anyway. Just like humans were naturally programmed to notice bright colors whilst in animal kingdom, bright colors are synonymous with poison, toxic, dangerous. Bright colors, just like the Neon Lights of Night City.

[@mordor1779]

I feel you, it breaks my heart this game will probably always a horrible reputation because it made me live such an immersive and impactful experience, the city and it's insane art direction and atmosphere, the dark and very depressing setting, this world feels so unique and has so much identity, all the characters feel so real and with emotions, even the side quests are so amazing and well written. It literally makes me depressed to think that a game that made me live an experience I'll still remember in 30 years has such a horrible reputation and will never be considered as one of the best of its generation, it was such a beautiful game man the artists and writers who worked on this game reached such a level of quality I've almost never seen before in a video game

[@lucaspapadopoulos3063]

As many issues as cyberpunk had from its release, the one thing that kept me invested was the amount of detail the world had. Everything from the streets and back alleys all the way to the inside areas of the city. So much detail that told its own story about the state of the city. I refuse to believe that the game was a blatant cash grab from the actual developers because the amount of passion they had to have to make this world so detailed speaks volumes.

[@PBRatLord]

I'm so glad someone else gets the wonderful appeal of this game. It's easily my favorite comfort game when I can't sleep, I love just wandering about the map, truly immersing myself into the game more than I ever have in a RPG. So many people to this day just shrug Cyberpunk off as just being a meme or some bug-ridden disaster, but it's one of the most underrated gems of the past few years. You earned my sub, very thoughtful analysis. :)

[@pewq4691]

I’ve been waiting a looooong time for someone to come out and say this. This game has one of the most immersive and intricate environments I’ve ever seen as an avid open-world gamer.

[@my0866]

Good for you, I never fast travel in night city, I prefer to drive around because it makes you feel alot more immersed in the city . Plus there is no rush.

[@jamesbarclay7951]

I feel you have explained Night City beautifully. The way the hustle and bustle (when it decides to render in properly on my base Xbox One) just shallows you up is brilliant. Then we have the contrast of the sheer emptiness of the Badlands where people are few and far between but there is community that it sometimes felt to be missing in the city. Overall the game just pleases me so much that like someone else has commented on here I only fast travel to Vs apartment due to how long it takes just to get to it regardless of what route you take

[@Gersh_Binglander]

I spent about 2 hours taking pictures in the lobby of the fancy hotel that the big mission with Jackie is in. I find myself wandering around and exploring all the little alleys and shopping areas and desert towns and so on. Slick video, I look forward to your next one.

[@negative6442]

I find that cyberpunk, both the game and the wider genre, is largely about people finding their place in a world that wants to do nothing but grind them into meat. Ghost in the Shell with Kusanagi trying to understand what she is as someone whos entirely given up her flesh, Akira and Tetsubo letting himself be overtaken by power to try and prove himself, Bladerunner 2049 and Kay wanting to be someone. The examples go on and on and on. I think what really draws people to these worlds isn't just the flashing lights and the cool tech and big buildings, but the idea of finding purpose in a machine that hates you, especially in a time like now where so many of us find ourselves without purpose.

[@ThaneBishop]

This is so great, and also really serves to show that I still could expand my views on the genre so much more. Thanks!

[@trigger7ff6]

as a commentary on the world around us, it would be really boring if all cyberpunk stories ended like real life stories are said to end- without any pomp or circumstance, and going out with a whimper. but it isn't always that way in real life and i think a lot of cyberpunk revolves around (ironically) hope that the world could even in darkness be a little nicer than it is right now then again, i'm a chronic cyberpunk addict so :p

[@heatherbelletete7980]

Beautiful video. It perfectly sums up everything I feel about the game. I rarely use fast travel. I just hop on my motorcycle and tour the city; it never gets old.

[@notfish]

i think you managed to express in words how i have felt about cyberpunk and its world since the game released, this is seriously an incredible video

[@Liam07Leo]

I've never been able to describe what I love about Cyberpunk 2077 exactly, there's just so many parts that draw you in and won't let you go that make you fall in love with it because it isn't like any other game. So this video feels like the perfect embodiment of Cyberpunk to me, awesome work Thane!

[@stizzle-o1245]

It is insane how much I relate to you. Apart from using fast travel regularly, I also often drive to missions and discover more stuff I didn’t notice in my first hundred hours of playing. As much as you and I thank CDPR for not giving up on the game, I thank you for making this video.

[@trevalyan006]

You may be unsatisfied with the view count, but the quality of this is sublime. One great thing about Cyberpunk is the hidden agendas. Most "conspiracy theories" about the game rely on examining situations and seeing past the surface. The more you explore, the more you can determine the character and true goals of the people you thought you understood. For instance, Wakako Okada is notoriously ruthless and won't hesitate to cast aside anyone who becomes a liability. So why would she risk the wrath of Arasaka for you? She doesn't.

[@ThaneBishop]

To be totally transparent, for it being my first video, I was prepared to find success with the 150 view range, if it got to that. The overall response from viewers like you have totally blown me away. Thank you so much!

[@Larisiahott]

I loved this game from the beginning. And I'm glad cdpr stuck with it in the end that the anime helped introduce fans like you. You really get it. Great video!!

[@titouanlormeau3200]

I'm happy to see all those comments who describe exactly how I feel. I'm not a guy in real life that has a lot of luck. I'm just adding more and more illnesses as years goes by (I'm 17) and the feeling of V dying really helped me to fight through these difficult times. It helped me feel less lonely and I felt like I was able to explain to panam and others what I was feeling in reel life. I'm trying to make my friend and member of my family to watch edgerunners to show them a bit of my pain. And how I feel everyday. This feeling we all had at the end of edgerunners. This game added a real spark of hope and joy in me and I can't express how much this game means to me. ( Sorry for the bad English)

[@ellieauroraroseling3805]

Gotta say thank you for putting into words something that was vexing me. I'm also a late arrival to Cyberpunk 2077 and expected a train wreck but got a game I play more than all of my other games. And I am an abuse victim who's life was hell until recently. From birth to long after adulthood I found myself abused by my parents, sibling and even lovers. And now I'm in therapy and have a chosen family who loves me and I pick up Cyberpunk and it puts me through my own traumas again as well as...I'm not sure. It just keeps me in the game. And gives me hope. And I'm never sure if that's a good thing. And I think that's might be why I always choose the Star ending. I mean I also always romance Julie and let's face it that is the best ending a couple of sapphics can have in Night City...and I think it reflects my own experiences of having to survive a hell and getting away from it. I mean I was even raised in North Carolina and what is that acronym but NC and boy did that fucking state hated my queer ass guts. And all I wanted to do was get away. And here I am unable to put down a game that re-stimulates all that trauma and heartache and let down. I'm not sure why this world of toxic influence works so well, maybe it is that final moment driving off into the sunset with the Nomads but...Night City and Cyberpunk 2077 somehow make a horrible dark cruel place so much fun to explore and interact with and eventually escape. And I'm grateful I can play it. And really grateful I got to miss the worst of the bugs.

[@adasunuejtohkai1645]

I’m addicted two years later after taking a year break they added a lot of good content , Kudos for the perseverance 🔥

[@toluabisola]

Really nice video. I really enjoyed listening to your take on Night City, agreed with much of what you had to say.

[@AXEWAVE_]

I keep coming back to this and I think this is one of my favorite video essays on the world building in gaming that I’ve seen.

[@stoogel]

This made me realize I never thought to fast travel either. First playthrough was Jan 2023 (waited until I knew it was relatively stable) and it lasted a little over 100 hours. Remember seeing the skyline from some vantage in the Badlands and realizing I really loved this world and would miss it when I finished the game (despite all the technical flaws that I still encountered). Remarkable because I don't feel that in a lot of games, and for the reasons you stated- it's a dystopian world full of violence, desperation, and people trying to screw you over... it's supposed to be alienating, but as you meet the characters and find the humanity underneath you feel a connection to it. Also blasting through the city on the Akira bike never gets old.

[@jakkard5026]

What really got me from the lore it's that Night city feels like a living entity on it's own right. A creature that will always offer you a chance to throw yourself against the meat grinder and find out who you are. No matter if you are the lowest bum or the highest corpo, this city (it's people) will always put you to the test and surprise you with something new (or old ;) ). And if you try to tame the beast it will devour you whole, no matter who you are. Really good video mate, very well produced, the edits are on spot and capture the atmosphere perfectly... if this is your first video you absolutely nailed it!

[@ODMA2112]

I really resonate. I always find myself purposefully driving or even walking/parkouring around the city, just for fun. It is the most immersive game world I have ever seen, often times feeling like it bleeds into real life and vice versa. Incredible aesthetics, characters that were brought to life and felt like real friends, and endings that made me ponder the meaning of life.

[@jdpls]

a lot of my friends asked me why i enjoyed cyberpunk so much and i never really managed to explain why and now i can send them this video because it explains it all so well

[@samuelbletas9949]

Man I love coming back to this video from time to time, really helps me recognise and appreciate the little things in Night City. Thank you for creating this

[@thelastjerkbender2505]

That was really impressive. You describe Night City's ineffable, melancholic beauty like no one I know has been able to. This toxic relation the residents have with the City, of course it hurts them, crushes their dreams, breaks their spirits but there is beauty, for those who can see it, ephemeral and inexplicable as it is. This City is all you ever were, all you've ever aspired to be, the person you were shaped to be cannot fit into any other mold. For when hurt, crushed and broken is all you are, are you not going to love this place? Why would you ever miss the night sky? This labyrinthine monument to corporate greed isn't too bad, after all.

[@kalabars_revenge]

I haven’t even played the game more than maybe and hour, but just hearing you describe Jackie’s funeral made me cry. It hit very close to home. Descansa en paz Jackie.

[@gamerh264]

This is first video essay I have seen on this game that exactly describes what I feel about this game as well. It's so great how you were able to put it into words. I really agreed with your point on a vr port, cus I absolutely want to immerse myself in this world more too. It is such a unique feeling.

[@lazersarecool6197]

You put into words what I’ve been thinking perfectly! I love just walking around Night City and just exploring or even just watching at all the NPCs walk around. Night City is one of my favorite settings in video games. Great video!

[@ageeau]

Totally feel the same way. It's interesting for me to see that there are a lot of people who feel the same way. Thanks for posting!

[@ageeau]

One of the things that excited me so much about this game is I played the original paper based rpg back in the very late 80's. The stories were great and the character creation was awesome and the whole thing just worked really well. I didn't care about the bugs when it was released and it was just awesome to see such an immersive interpretation of the original rpg. Can't wait for the DLC and I think I'll play it for as long as I can.

[@ThaneBishop]

I so thrilled to see people who enjoyed the TTRPG from its original time enjoying and resonating with the video. It feels like getting approval from the old guard.

[@vesstig]

I didnt play 2077 much my first run through when it launched but after the patches I wound up with over 130 hours as I grew to love the city's back routes or creating my own, they really made adventure in this game feel amazing.

[@eamonm771]

Just a perfect encapsulation of all the feelings I had after playing through Cyberpunk - excellent, excellent video!

[@professorkittyhawk]

Excellent video. Nice to see someone who played it some time after launch who was surprised at how nice this game is. I, personally, got it and played it at release... on the PS4, quite literally one of the worst ways one could have played it back then. It had issues, crashing, bugs, the works. But even in that terrible initial launch state, the game, the world, its characters and stories, it lulled me in and hasn't let go. And it's only gotten better as they've fixed and improved it. Can't wait for the DLC and to play it on my PC once I finish upgrading it. And can't wait to see more videos from you.

[@ThaneBishop]

I really appreciate the kind words. In truth, I bought the game day one, and refunded it through Steam before it even finished downloading. I don't know how my experience would have changed if I'd played through it in the early days as opposed to now, but I'm so, so glad I picked it back up.

[@sannyassi73]

This is the ONLY game I've ever played that I just plain forgot about Fast Travel. I used it once pretty early on when I was wondering about the Purple Box things on the map. It took me a while to even realize that I had only used it that one time when I first discovered it. Such a neat game, I wish it was a little less repetitive and it's way too easy to get overpowered but it's still a game I come back to at least once a Year, so it's not really even a huge complaint! I SOOO want a VR version of this game- lol, I was typing this right as you said the same thing in the video!

[@Hexer1358]

I’ve fully played Cyberpunk thrice - once at launch, once after 1.5 in February, and lastly, after Edgerunners. Seeing this game improve has been amazing, as has seeing people realize what I saw since launch - just how good this game was despite the performance issues. And each time I’ve played, I’ve found something new to love about this game. Some new quest, or item, or some of the features they added. When they added wheel glow to the bikes, I stopped using cars. When I found a sick new sword, I changed my build. When I found a new quest, I stopped and thought about the world of Night City. Cyberpunk is amazing, and I really wanna play it again before Phantom Liberty. I might not with all the other games on my plate, but god damn is this game addicting.

[@burdchrome3993]

Just wanted to say, keep up what you're doing, loved the video and looking forward to everything to come

[@hannahs.7297]

i love this video. it’s literally what i thought about cyberpunk all this time and i love how you talk about it.

[@ThaneBishop]

Thanks! I appreciate the kind words!

[@triggeredlegs]

while playing for the first time, that scene where yorinobu chokes out saburo? it's so weird to say, but i was so immersed into the game and the current story my immersion was actively *broken* i've genuinely found a love for this world and its environments so seeing someone else just talk about the beauty of it in the way i feel is just so neat

[@ThaneBishop]

It's always nice to see you're not alone in appreciating something, especially something that might not have the best reputation like Cyberpunk 2077. I definitely get people's frustration(I refunded the game day 1 and only tried it again after Edgerunner's), but it bums me out that some people might miss an experience they'd really like based due to lasting image that I don't think applies so much anymore.

[@trevalyan006]

If you're a Cyberpunk fan, the death of Saburo Arasaka was a damned Keyser Soze moment. Its inclusion radically changes the nature of everything else that has happened.

[@smudge26]

I've never thought about it like this but I really think you summed up everything I love about the game and genre. Great video!

[@thifmaster1466]

This is a very good summary of night city I hope your channel will not fade away

[@TheRealRa-P]

This is such a beautiful video. Spoke to my soul.

[@TheZampa]

I feel like what makes Cyberpunk so alluring is the parallels but also the differences that are so apparent to us. We can say from where we are now "this is dystopian and bad, BUT I KNOW HOW" and I think most people would prefer the ability to know for sure that the world is a certain way, even if it means its relatively worse than what we have today.

[@SabNik]

Wow, what a beautiful video. I can't agree more with what you said! All those details add to so much pulling you into this city, this immersion. Thanks for making this video, it was really good to watch and just listen to.

[@ThaneBishop]

I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it, thank you!

[@oriori7859]

Oh boy, glad this was recommended, i just love video essays. Subscribed and curious what‘s more to come.

[@rubikmonat6589]

Thanks for this, it was really interesting to hear your thoughts and analysis. I went in blind recently, Jackie dying hit me hard, what they did with the offrenda was masterful making you feel personally involved. This is good art. Then after that part, I lost a dear old friend to depression IRL, he was basically an Aldecado involved in desert racing. Their camp felt like home. I had no idea what was coming with the endings. Arasaka offered some slim hope so I went that way. Man that ending shook me. I'm changed.

[@michasledzinski8895]

HOLY F DUDE HOW ARE YOU ON 1K SUBS HOWWWWW Edit: Quality of this video and amount of effoert you put into it is just insane, although i payed cp77 for more than 250hrs now i don't think i've seen any better cp video, what you've done right here made me purely speechless for real... Damn, thank you.

[@ashagrant6146]

I really enjoyed your take on the duality of night city, I also have been enamoured with Cyberpunk and it’s world,from my first play through to my latest. Love your style and I’m looking forward to seeing more from you

[@PhotoChoDotCom]

Man.. your commentary on this. Top notch. Got me feeling the same way and am too excited for the dlc. Looking forward to it and your next video

[@valkirje]

You captured the essence of Night City and the cyberpunk genre perfectly here. For someone who worked on this game, this video and the comments here... priceless.

[@Eebyjeeby]

I have an embarrassing amount of hours put into this game (260 over 2 years 😅) and this is the first video I've seen that expresses what interests me so much. I feel all garbled, you speak about it so well! I love finding all the nooks and crannies, I'm still stumbling over hidden notes and easter eggs. (Has anyone else seen the, uhhhhh, suggestive, gas cap on the AV hidden up the side of the Dynalar building?)

[@jar.n0]

great video. completely agree too. the worldbuilding, the characters, the way i feel immersed in this game is immaculate.

[@dpoisonedburritos]

One of the most beautiful takes I've heard on this game so far. You have an incredible way with words.

[@iLLya_]

I don't fast travel either and I cry about it when a game doesn't have fast travel There is something odd about crossing a bridge knowing I'm leaving Watson seeing the buildings change or seeing life disappear as I get close to Pacifica I sometimes find myself just going around driving with no end goal and just enjoying my expensive ass car I did a shit ton of missions to get

[@astrojeet]

I have never ever used fast travel in both Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, there's so much detail CDPR puts in their games, that I never felt like I need to use it. And then the atmosphere in the Witcher games and Cyberpunk is just some of the best you can get in a game.

[@niginaslan8848]

You captured a lot of my own thoughts beautifully. Night City is alluring and mesmerising, like a sirens song. And it fits weirdly well with how denizens of the world can’t escape Night City either, just like us, players. I keep coming back to this game even after replaying it few times. And without fail, every time I lose myself in it.

[@josswhelan293]

Couldn't of put it better myself, top video..ps I'm loving just riding the metro listening to tunes and enjoying the view

[@kitsqui5829]

I love this video, I started playing Cyberpunk recently regardless of the past difficulties it had. I have just fallen in love with the gameplay, atmosphere, setting, and characters. Perfect summary of the ontological idea of Night City.