Summary
- Cyberpunk 2077's nomination for Best Ongoing Game at The Game Awards may be surprising, but its many updates and expansions, including the Phantom Liberty DLC, justify its inclusion.
- Despite its initial technical issues and lack of content, Cyberpunk 2077 has undergone significant improvements over the past two years, with consistent bug fixes, a next-gen update, and the addition of crossover content and new features.
- The Phantom Liberty DLC and the 2.0 update have brought substantial changes to Cyberpunk 2077, including a new area, a single-player story, new abilities, a revamped police system, overhauled enemy AI, vehicle combat, a skill tree rework, and an armor system.
The nominees for this year's Game Awards have recently been announced, and the inclusion of Cyberpunk 2077 may have some gamers scratching their heads. The title has been nominated for the Best Ongoing Game award, which is typically reserved for live-service or MMO releases, making it something of an outlier. That said, Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty DLC, along with its many updates and expansions over the years, makes its nomination for this award appear a bit more reasonable.
There are few video game redemption stories more drastic than Cyberpunk 2077's. When the game first released in 2020, it was swiftly lambasted for its myriad technical issues, ultimately being pulled from the PlayStation Store for several months while CD Projekt Red worked to make it playable. As a result of this, many players didn't fully engage with the game until 2021, and even then it had a number of issues and was short on content. However, Cyberpunk 2077 didn't fade into obscurity, and the following two years of its life were characterized by consistent improvements, including crossover content from the Edgerunners anime, numerous bug fixes, a next-gen update, and, of course, the Phantom Liberty expansion.
Why Cyberpunk 2077 Is Considered An Ongoing Game
Cyberpunk 2077's Evolution
Although it may not be a live-service game in the traditional sense, Cyberpunk 2077 will always be remembered as a game that was massively altered since its initial release. The biggest obstacle the game had to face was its countless bugs and performance issues, which overshadowed its strengths and made it virtually unplayable for many, especially those on last-generation systems. These fixes and optimizations are significant, but only part of the story.
Cyberpunk 2077 received numerous features post-launch that expanded the game and made it more appealing to both old and new players. The new content, such as additional apartments, cars, and gear pieces, were supported by the eventual next-gen update to the game, which made significant improvements to resolution, framerate, lighting, and VFX for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players. Of course, the largest single content expansion came in the form of Phantom Liberty and the 2.0 update.
Cyberpunk 2077 didn't fade into obscurity, and the following two years of its life were characterized by consistent improvements.
Phantom Liberty & Cyberpunk 2077 2.0
Regular bug fixes and minor content drops made Cyberpunk 2077 a better game, but the biggest leap in content and quality arrived this fall. Phantom Liberty, a new single-player DLC for the game, added an entirely new area to explore, an ambitious single-player story, new abilities, and new gear. The well-received expansion was preceded by Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update, which serves as a massive overhaul to the game. Some of the most worthwhile of these changes include:
- A new police system
- An overhaul to enemy AI
- The addition of vehicle combat
- A complete reworking of V's skill trees
- A new armor system
- Several bug fixes, performance tweaks, and general enhancements
The Phantom Liberty DLC is a paid expansion, but the 2.0 update is free to all Cyberpunk 2077 owners (excluding those on PS4 or Xbox One). All these changes have had a transformative effect on the game, making it a far cry from its state back in 2020. In the eyes of many fans, Cyberpunk 2077 has redeemed itself, slowly building upon its glitchy foundations to deliver a significantly improved experience. In light of these improvements and expansions, it's not unreasonable for Cyberpunk 2077 to be a viable contender for Best Ongoing Game at The Game Awards, even if it does stand out a bit from its competition.
Cyberpunk 2077
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 76 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
- Released
- December 10, 2020
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Publisher(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Engine
- REDengine 4
- Cross-Platform Play
- ps, xbox, pc
- Cross Save
- yes
WHERE TO PLAY
Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world action-adventure from the creators of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red.
Set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification, you play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality.
Upgraded with next-gen in mind and featuring free additional content, customize your character and playstyle as you take on jobs, build a reputation, and unlock upgrades.
The relationships you forge and the choices you make will shape the story and the world around you. Legends are made here. What will yours be?
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- How Long To Beat
- 25 Hours
- Metascore
- 75
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
