Cyberpunk 2077

Please don't play Cyberpunk 2077 on a base Xbox One or PS4. It is a shockingly bad way to experience what is a fantastic RPG on better hardware.

Cyberpunk 2077 has standout side quests and strong main characters, though its buggy, superficial world and lack of purpose bring it down.

Exceptional characters, heartfelt storytelling and enjoyable action threaten to be engulfed by endless bugs and hasty, uneven design.

Some nice characters and stories nested in an astounding open world, undercut by jarring bugs at every turn.

But it is impossible for me to play the game after this patch and not think about how so many other games, with so many more interesting ideas and takes on the genre, are not going to get the second swing that Cyberpunk 2077 is going to get over the next year. Years of dev time to produce a standard and familiar 1980s dystopia in a pretty good frame. Just another day in Night City.

What Cyberpunk 2077 lacks in core campaign length, it makes up for with depth and soul, offering a world of intrigue and violence unlike any other.

Conversing with Night City's ensemble cast is fun, but outdated combat mechanics and faulty enemy AI might convince you to play stealthily more than you'd like

Blade Runner meets Grand Theft Auto in this sprawling hellscape of a role-playing game, which is extraordinarily immersive but let down by misogyny and xenophobia

But don’t expect an open-world worth devoting countless hours to exploring. Because once you look away, once you break free of the frame CD Projekt Red forces you into, the world of “Cyberpunk 2077” can feel totally empty. City blocks whiz on by as you drive aimlessly through Night City. In those moments, with nothing to do, I wasn’t really sure why I was still playing.

An immersive and stunningly crafted RPG, which has raised the bar for cinematic quality in open-world games. Just be aware of the bug issues at release.