It seems like not too long ago that CD Projekt Red had the gaming community in an uproar over its disastrous Cyberpunk 2077 launch. Released on December 10, 2020, the open-world sci-fi RPG was riddled with bugs, glitches, and many other indicators of unfinished production. In response, CD Projekt Red saw waves of refunds and even temporary removals of the game from the PlayStation Store.
Since then, the development studio has been working overtime to get back into the good graces of fans. These efforts have included several patches to fix bugs and glitches, and expansion packs to add quality-of-life improvements. Within these three years, the game has had continued engagement from faithful fans of the Cyberpunk genre. However, the population has even seen a return from some players who are playing the game for the first time since its launch.
Thanks to CD Projekt Red’s willingness to continue supporting a title that had such a rocky start, Cyberpunk 2077 has finally evolved into the game that it should’ve been upon release. That said, players can expect an exciting early Christmas gift on December 5 in the form of patch 2.1, which will be available on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. This patch continues to build on the base game changes made by the Phantom Liberty expansion pack, and adds many neat features that fans have long since requested.
Patch 2.1: What to Expect?
During CD Projekt Red’s livestream today, Producer Monika Janowska and Quest Director Paweł Sasko, alongside Senior Community Managers Amelia Kołat and Alicja Kozera, revealed the following new features that players can expect with the upcoming patch:
- Fully functional metro systems — Feature allows players to fast travel to different locations or sit through the whole ride.
- Replayable races — Originally limited to finite missions, races can now be replayed for Autofixer rewards and discounts on vehicles.
- Radioport — Lets players listen to the radio outside of the vehicle, and shuts off once a quest begins.
- Boss fight improvements — Adam Smasher’s boss fight has been redesigned to be more challenging and visually appealing.
- New vehicle options — Players can expect to see a Porsche 911 Cabriolet, along with several new motorcycle options.
- Improved motorcycle physics and mechanics — Motorcycle handling has been improved to allow for wheelies, acrobatics, and the usage of projectile weapons.
- New HUD improvements — Improved visual effects, accessibility settings, and other minimap utilities.
- Improved romance capabilities — Players can now spend time with romanced characters at V’s apartment, along with having other various hangout spots.
Players can expect more information in the forthcoming patch notes after the update goes live. That said, I’m particularly excited for the changes to Adam Smasher’s boss fight. I mean, just look at this:
If anyone here has watched Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, you’ll immediately recognize the signature Sandevistan animation from the series. On a brand new playthrough, you’ll definitely experience how intimidating and imposing Adam Smasher must’ve felt for the series’ main character, David Martinez.
Conclusion
Even though it’s taken quite some time for Cyberpunk 2077 to grow into the game we all knew it could be, it seems that CD Projekt Red’s hard work has finally paid off. Personally, as someone returning to the game after a slight hiatus myself, it’ll be nice to explore a newly developed and revamped Night City with my techie-themed Nomad. After all, I’m a sucker for collecting parts and crafting gear. In my fantasies, that’s how I imagine myself at least. Don’t pretend you haven’t thought about what your life would be like in a cyberpunk dystopia!
Anyway, please feel free to let me know your thoughts on this. What has your experience playing Cyberpunk 2077 been like? What lifepath did you choose? Are you enjoying the Phantom Liberty expansion? What’s your favorite gear piece? If you‘d like to keep the conversation going, comment on this article. Alternatively, you can subscribe to me at ‘Keith Price’ to get my takes on everything related to Gaming, Tech, and DCU comics!
References
CD Projekt Red. (December 1, 2023). Discover New Content Coming To Cyberpunk 2077 With The Free Update 2.1 This December!. Retrieved from https://press.cdprojektred.com/en/news/1498/discover-new-content-coming-to-cyberpunk-2077-with-the-free-update-2-1-this-december
CD Projekt Red. (September 26, 2023). Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty launches today!. Retrieved from https://press.cdprojektred.com/en/news/1426/cyberpunk-2077-phantom-liberty-launches-today
Liam Croft. (December 11, 2020). Cyberpunk 2077 Update 1.04 Available to Download Now, Here Are the Patch Notes. Retrieved from https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/12/cyberpunk_2077_update_1_04_available_to_download_now_here_are_the_patch_notes
Michael McWhertor. (December 17, 2020). Sony offering Cyberpunk 2077 refunds, pulls game from PlayStation Store. Retrieved from https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/17/22188013/cyberpunk-2077-ps4-refunds-playstation-store
Nicole Carpenter. (December 18, 2020). Microsoft will also offer full Cyberpunk 2077 refunds. Retrieved from https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/18/22188069/cyberpunk-2077-refunds-xbox-one-store-microsoft
Twitch. (December 1, 2023). REDstreams — Update 2.1 Overview with Paweł Sasko and Monika Janowska. Retrieved from https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1992109701
