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By Harrison Abbott
Gaming Reporter
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After months of radio silence on the topic, CD Projekt RED have finally released PS5 and Xbox Series X upgrades for Cyberpunk 2077.
When the divisive Role-Playing Game (RPG) launched back in 2020, it was embroiled in several controversies. The title was lambasted for incorporating mechanics that could trigger epileptic seizures, for lacking certain expected features and for being plagued with technical issues. Some even found that it was borderline unplayable on a base PS4, thanks to all the frequent crashes.
The situation became so dire that Sony eventually took the unprecedent step of recalling the game from its digital PlayStation Storefront, while the likes of Xbox and GameStop both started issuing refunds to dissatisfied customers.
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In the intervening months since this tumultuous release, Cyberpunk 2077 has been gradually salvaged with a number of patches. While these incremental updates did fix some of the worst bugs and balancing problems, they were hardly worth getting excited over given that they didn't really add any new content.
However, CD Projekt RED are evidently keen to restore their tarnished reputation, because they have just rolled out some major changes that make this a fundamentally different game.
After over a year of waiting, Cyberpunk 2077 has finally been optimized for next-gen consoles. Here are all of the highlights from the official 1.5 patch notes.
PS5 and Xbox Series X Features
Before we get to the new content, it's worth looking over how the latest Cyberpunk 2077 update better optimizes the game for next-gen consoles.
A pair of different graphics modes have been added, one of which is focused on delivering a smoother performance while the other is for better visuals. A similar option was given to players of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and, as was the case with that game, you can't really go wrong no matter what you pick.
The presentation mode will prioritize maintaining 60 frames per second but will still look suitably next-gen. Meanwhile, the presentation mode will feature ray-traced local shadows, balanced high-dynamic-range (HDR) and various other visual improvements. Not to mention, it will also support spatial audio for 3D enabled headphones and built-in TV speakers.
In addition to the new graphics modes, the PS5 version of Cyberpunk 2077 now makes use of the DualSense controller. The patch notes indicate that haptic feedback will reflect in-game activity, meaning that you will feel things like the patter of rainfall manifesting in tiny vibrations in your hands, and that you will encounter resistance when trying to pull the triggers of certain guns. Plus, the controller's in-built speakers will be used for holocalls and various other in-game notifications.
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General Tweaks
In general, there have been hundreds of smaller enhancements to Cyberpunk 2077, with the vast majority of bugs being addressed (including that really annoying one that caused Johnny Silverhand's captioned dialogue to stay printed on the screen, even when it overlapped with other subtitles).
There have also been some minor adjustments for things like A.I. behavior, crowd animations and weather effects. There is an overwhelming amount of these tweaks, so we've condensed the list for you below:
- There have been dozens of combat alterations that improve things like enemy behaviors, A.I. logic when it comes to positioning and the balancing of certain quick hacks.
- Your own followers have also been overhauled and can now contribute more directly in firefights. They can also be defeated and temporarily disabled if they receive enough punishment.
- Improved crowd reactions, pathfinding and despawning.
- The Night City community is now more diverse during the day and at night. Increased occurrences and added more variety of conversations in all districts.
- More realistic traffic simulations, with cars that believably react to danger, move around obstacles, and respond to fender benders.
- Driving has been significantly improved, with various tuning updates, more realistic gearstick and engine simulations, responsive breaks, and the ability to perform burnouts.
- A reworking of the in-game economy means that you earn money at a faster rate and need to spend less on prohibitively expensive vehicles.
- The "Easy" game difficulty has been adjusted so that it is not too much of a cakewalk.
- Various stats and perks have been rebalanced based on player feedback.
- The boxing mini-bosses have been nerfed ever-so-slightly so that they don't take as long to knockout.
- The player is now able to vault through glass that has been fractured.
- Song names now display when you are cycling through radio stations.
- Map icons have been resized to improve readability.
- Water graphics have been improved, with realistic rainfall, rippling puddles and splash effects.
- Neon rims have been added to motorcycles, which you can manually activate and deactivate.
- Loot is now more evenly distributed around, so that environments are less cluttered and you can spend more time focussing on the story.
- Multiple fixes have been implemented to stop crashes, progress-hindering quest bugs and visual glitches.
New Content (Including Extra Romance)
While the above improvements result in a much smoother user-experience, the most exciting aspect of the version 1.5 update is that it's introduced brand-new content to Cyberpunk 2077.
Extra quests and weapons have been added and you can even purchase customizable apartments around Night City. Meanwhile, Johnny is now posable in the photo mode, you can develop business relationships with individual fixers, and there's a stealthy option for evading the NCPD.
Another much-requested feature is that you can now finally change aspects of your physical appearance. For instance, you can switch your hairstyle in the bathroom mirror, apply different nail varnish options, put on makeup and get piercings. These options were all previously locked-in after you left the character creation screen at the beginning of the game, but you can now play around with them whenever you want.
Last but not least, the romance mechanics have been given a lot more depth. There are extra dialogue options with Panam, Kerry, River and Judy (new voice lines have been added too) and you can also exchange more text messages with them.
Not to mention the ability to physically interact with your chosen partner is no longer abruptly cut short after finishing their questline. Even when you have completed all of the missions associated with a lover, you can still go to bed with them, wake up together and have a few other cute interactions over at their place.
At the time of writing, there are still only four possible romance options in the game (as well as the one-night stand with Meredith) and you cannot court anybody else yet. However, at least the existing relationships have been given a little more substance with this update.
The version 1.5. update to Cyberpunk 2077 is live now. The comprehensive patch notes document is available on CD Projekt Red's website.
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