Summary
Gamescom is set to kick off on August 22, and amid a modest offering of game reveals and teaser trailers is a confirmed look into Phantom Liberty, touted as a massive rejuvenating addition toCyberpunk 2077. In its final marketing push forthe game’s lone planned expansion, CD Projekt Red will be bringing the heat to Gamescom, drumming up hype for an expansion that could elevateCyberpunk 2077to the level of quality fans had anticipated ahead of its original 2020 release.
In the years since its unsavory launch, CD Projekt Red has made a valiant effort toright the wrongs ofCyberpunk 2077with a series of bug-squashing patches, updates to balance, and some oft-requested quality-of-life features. The quest to iron out its many wrinkles will hopefully reach fruition on September 26, when Phantom Liberty is unleashed on the public. Though it is best not to count the contraband chickens before they hatch, everything is aligned for Phantom Liberty to be one of the most significant and course-correcting game expansions in recent history.
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With Its Release Nigh, Phantom Liberty Will Look to Impress
Geoff Keighley announced that Gamescom would host a gameplay reveal for Phantom Liberty on its opening night. So close to the expansion’s release, the gameplay will more than likely be a robust glimpse into the revamped systems of the games, highlighting the numerous improvements for which the studio has been hard at work. Combat with new weapons, skills from redesigned talent trees, and more dynamic enemies with improved AI will hopefully be shown. It is also likely that fans will get a look into the all-new Dogtown district added to the game, showing off the work that has been put into the largeaddition toCyberpunk 2077’splayable space.
What remains unclear is how much of the story CD Projekt Red will look to unveil at Gamescom. The high-stakes corporate espionage narrative will culminate in rescuing the president of the NUS, and how story newcomerIdris Elba as Solomon Reed factors inis one of the largest questions fans still have following the expansion’s previous promotional material. Whatever is shown will look to avoid spoilers, but some added context into how V gets tangled up in the plot to rescue the leader of the free world might help ramp up excitement before launch.
CD Projekt Red Will Emphasize the Points of Prior Contention
Despite the effort put in toaddress player feedback sinceCyberpunk 2077landed in late 2020, some still feel like CD Projekt Red is in damage-control mode. To that end, it would be likely that the gameplay reveal for Phantom Liberty will hammer down on redesigned elements of the game that were weak at launch. Some footage of the way law-enforcement response has been fixed is likely and preferable, for example, along with more fleshed-out underwater gameplay and drive-by shooting, both aspects that were severely lacking at launch.
Though Phantom Liberty isCyberpunk 2077’sonly planned expansion, its release will not punctuate the game’s growth. From further balance patches and the modding community to the chance of the studio surprising fans with another expansion down the line, its future is full of possibilities. Nothing is certain until it releases, but between the studio’s previous pedigree, the earnest assessment of its former errors, and the expressed commitment to set things right, there is optimism that Phantom Liberty could be a high point in a year that is already shaping up to be one of gaming’s best, and Gamescom needs to represent that.
Cyberpunk 2077is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.Phantom Libertylaunches on September 26.
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