I Refunded Cyberpunk 2077 In 2020, Now It's My Favorite Game Of 2024

Summary CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 has finally reached a "Very Positive" rating on Steam after a rocky start in 2020.

Four years later, the game offers a refined, immersive experience with rich lore and impressive visuals.

From exploring Night City to engaging in cyberware & fun combat, Cyberpunk 2077 offers a fun, customizable gameplay experience.

It's always been a dream of mine to be some no-nonsense street punk roaming some future dystopia where tech has reached an advanced stage — basically, the world of Cyberpunk 2077. After all, I'm a kid of the 90s, and movies like Blade Runner, Terminator, and even the oft-panned Stephen Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence (though that was released in 2001) made my childhood, instilling memories of a not-too-distant future where I could have a really cool robot arm to smash things apart with. Sadly, my aspirations to be a part man, part robot failed to materialize in any meaningful way in real life or via a good video game.

That was until 2020 when CD Projekt Red released Cyberpunk 2077 — or at least that's what I could have said had I been actually able to run the bug-ridden mess of a game. Cyberpunk, while now generally acclaimed and beloved by the masses, was actually a pretty terrible product at launch. Riddled with bugs and a severe lack of optimization for hardware most people possessed in 2020; the game was virtually unplayable for me at the time. As a result, I ended up initiating a Steam refund, relegating it to the dusty bin of the myriad of unplayed Steam games I've purchased, promptly forgetting about it — until recently.

Related Cyberpunk 2077 Has Officially Redeemed Itself 4 Years After Disastrous Launch Four years after its abysmal launch, CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 has finally earned the coveted description of "Overwhelmingly Positive."

I Picked Up Cyberpunk 2077 For The First (Technically Second) Time In 2024

Completely Different Experience

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Though my first experience with Cyberpunk was underwhelming, to say the least (I didn't make it out of the first sequence because of a recurring crash), having been a game journalist and editor for the past few years, I was more than tempted to pick up the game again and give it another shot. As luck would have it, I didn't actually have to do that myself, as my wife ended up getting the Ultimate Edition with the Phantom Liberty DLC included for the holidays (yes, she is the best).

I had read about and watched a lot of clips of Cyberpunk 2077 and also watched Edgerunners on Netflix, so I knew the IP at this point was preem, but what I didn't anticipate was just how much fun I would have playing it. To give a frame of reference, after my time with Cyberpunk, I have spent almost 90 hours alone on a single playthrough, only having beaten the game a single time. To say that I went off the beaten path to complete random side quests or gigs for any random gonk off the street would be an understatement; I thoroughly explored what Night City has to offer.

Cyberpunk 2077 Was Perfect In Almost Every Way

A Street Kid With A Dream To Become A Living Legend

Jumping into the world of Cyberpunk 2077 in 2024 for what was ostensibly my first time is truly like being transported to the closest and most realistic depiction of what a future cybernetic dystopia would look and feel like (at least in my head). CD Projekt Red has really refined the title over time, but what they started with was a solid cybernetic exoskeleton with rich narrative lore, filled with a well-thought-out world packed with its own terminology, characters, and social structures.

It probably helped that I've now upgraded to an RTX 3070 Ti, so along with a fleshed-out world that could rival major movie franchises, the game's vivid visuals also impress, arguably even more than they did back in 2020 when it was originally released. Small details that set the overall tone, like the first time you take a ride with Dex DeShawn, are a really nice introduction to the game world and Night City, and arguably one of the most well-executed I've seen in a game, possibly ever. It certainly beats the ox-cart ride in Skyrim.

I watched the show and wanted to be like David Martinez.

The gameplay itself feels smooth, and this is coming from someone who grew up playing first-person shooters like Counter-Strike and Team Fortress 2. Slowing down time and landing headshots feels satisfying, and the melee combat doesn't disappoint, either. Single-player shooters run the risk of feeling boring to me unless there is a strong narrative element or some aspect of gameplay that's truly innovative, but Cyberpunk 2077 managed to keep my interest piqued until the last act due to the upgraded Cyberware options and fairly complex and customizable skill tree included in the game.

Maybe I'll Go Netrunner Next Time

Throwing Knives & Silencers

As a self-professed anti-hero in any game where I get to create my own character, combined with the fact I live in a major U.S. city, Street Kid felt the most appropriate for my first run-through. I opted for a stealth build, using silenced pistols, throwing knives, and sniper rifles as my go-to weapons of choice, and had a thorough blast the entire time. I chose the stealth camo and Sandevistan, mainly because I watched the show and wanted to be like David Martinez, but also just because manipulating time and going invisible is always cool.

Eventually, I played around with Gorilla Arms and Monowire, and of course, I had to respec into katanas just so that I could be the terrifying, packed-to-the-gills-with-cyberware freak that I've always wanted to be. I was an absolute terror to Night City — a veritable Jack the Ripper Android, but of course, in the world of Cyberpunk, that just increases your fame, infamy, and status in the universe. Which is precisely the kind of game I want to play.

If you're wondering who my favorite fixer was, it's hands down Mr. Hands (pun somewhat intended). That cool swagger is unmatched, and I generally found missions in Liberty City to be the most fun ones. Something about the complete lawlessness of the place brought me back to those media properties like Mad Max that I loved as a kid.

Can Johnny & I Just Live In The Same Body Forever?

The Ending Was Kind Of Weird

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I enjoyed just about every aspect of my time with Cyberpunk 2077. I could probably go on and on about the nuanced narrative, social commentary, or other things that have already been repeated numerous times in other retrospectives of the game. But overall, the game is just a really fun, well-thought-out game, and it includes (spoiler — it is a four-year game, after all) probably one of the most endearing actors as the guy in your head throughout the playthrough, Keanu Reeves.

The fact I gave Hellblade 2 4.5/5 stars and also enjoyed every time Johnny Silverhand popped up on the screen in 2077 probably says more about me than it does the games' developers, but I genuinely wished there was some outcome where he and I could go around like an old married couple and become two-time living legends together in the same body. That's to say, I wish Cyberpunk didn't have to end even after 90 hours, and I delayed the inevitable "point of no return" as long as I could to stay alive in the world.

The only thing that kind of got me down was the ending. I know now there are variable endings in Cyberpunk, but I got one of the weird ones where you go into space, ready to take on a casino to finally fix the issue that's been plaguing V the entire game. I thought maybe there would be some sort of epilogue or some sort of extra mission, because I truly wanted to go down in complete flames like Johnny, sacrificing my body and mind to become the most memorable living legend in Night City. Being left on what felt like a cliffhanger was underwhelming.

Although self-destruction isn't probably everyone's cup of tea for an ending, in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, it's a fitting destiny for such a great experience overall. That in itself, though, isn't enough to even put a slight dent into my overall experience. I'll certainly be going back to the game in a few months to play it again, but maybe this time, I'll cozy up to Meredith.