It's been a far from smooth experience getting Cyberpunk 2077 to the point where the game starts to deliver on the promises made prior to launch. There's a fair argument to be made that CD Projekt Red might never reach those goals and the game is doomed to be remembered for its poor launch window alone.
Regardless, the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are now available and they come with more than just graphical improvements. Over the last five major patches so many issues with the game have been fixed but where does the game now sit in the grand scheme of things?
Pretty as a picture
One of the biggest improvements from the original console version of Cyberpunk 2077 is the graphical fidelity and general performance of the game. For pretty much every improvement I'll mention here, PC players have had next to no issue with since launch.
How the game looks, runs and loads is a massive improvement and contributes massively to the overall enjoyment of Cyberpunk 2077. There were never any doubts about CD Projekt Red's ability to build a world and tell a story but the way it was presented was the primary issue. With these issues fixed - for the most part - we're already well on the road to fulfilling promises from launch.
As is the story of Cyberpunk 2077's life so far, don't expect perfection. Despite all of the massive improvements that have been made, there are still outlying issues like characters clipping environments in cutscenes or during conversations. We have, however, reached a point where this is very rare rather than guaranteed.
The added customisation features, including the ability to buy new apartments and decorate them, all further add to the immersion within Cyberpunk 2077. While they might seem minor in the overall game, it's features like this that give you a reason to keep coming back and exploring every inch of Night City.
Next-Gen feel
The next update is only relevant to the PS5 version of Cyberpunk 2077. The game now makes use of the DualSense controller and all of its features to help truly immerse you in Night City.
While most of the haptics feel natural when compared to other games that use them, there is one issue I have with the car controls. When first accelerating or braking, the triggers are so stiff that it feels uncomfortable to use them. The sheer force required feels counterintuitive. You may be better off disabling the feedback altogether because of how poorly it's implemented.
What a wonderful world
Some of the biggest improvements that have been made to Cyberpunk 2077 - since its launch - are to the game world. They've taken Night City from this lifeless and boring landscape into a thriving, living environment. While it is an achievement worth boasting about, there's always going to be the question about how this wasn't a priority to have in place from the start.
Night City now feels like an extra character within the game as it becomes this unpredictable setting where anything can happen. Game worlds are supposed to be just like this, especially when you look at other successful open-world RPG games like Skyrim or The Witcher 3. You feel like even when you shut the game off, the world keeps moving and you're just playing a small part in the experience.
Big fixes have also been made to various questlines, the policing system and more meaning it's now entirely possible to 100% complete Cyberpunk 2077 without running into any soft or hard reset moments. It all contributes to an overall smoother ride from start to finish.
Verdict
With the state that Cyberpunk 2077 finds itself in now, had it released like this, it would have been an easy 4/5 or 9/10 type rating and the discourse would be non-existent. I can honestly say that right now, Cyberpunk 2077 find itself being an unmissable experience that everyone should play.
If you invested in the game at launch and have stayed clear ever since, now is the time to return and get the experience you were promised the first time around. You won't regret it.
RealSport Rating: 4.5 Stars (out of 5)