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Preview: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is the PS5 RPG you’ve always wanted
It may have taken CD Projekt RED another two and a half years after release to get there, but the Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Phantom Liberty PS5 is such a significant addition to the PS4 RPG that it finally feels like it’s living up to those big 2020 expectations. can complete It’s more than just an expansion with a new story, quests, and characters — it’s a big piece of content that has implications for the base game as well. The actual endings are different, the UI has been updated once again, the perks and skill trees have been rebuilt, and the police system has finally been updated. You can think of it as a re-introduction of Cyberpunk 2077 because boy is it throwing a coming out party.
Our hands-on demo at Summer Game Fest Play Days spanned about 45 minutes and documented several discoveries in detail. We started with the opening scene, where Rosalind Myers, the new President of the United States, is shot out of the sky aboard a plane. A section heavy on combat, it provides the perfect opportunity to show off what Polish team CD Projekt RED has been working on behind the scenes. An updated UI allows you to access more items and abilities at any time while shooting and melee action have both received a facelift. An army of thugs stands between you and a downed ship, so these improved mechanics and features come into play immediately. There has been a clear and noticeable upgrade, making you forget the mistakes of the past.
After successfully arriving on the ship, our PS5 demo takes place for the first time. We’ve teamed up with President Myers and we’re on the run, looking for somewhere to live. The sequence is heavy on dialogue, but it got it right at launch in Cyberpunk 2077: its dialogue system is a neat reminder. After ditching the static camera angles of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that tracked back and forth between speaking characters, that dynamic, free-form movement during conversations with NPCs returns. It works well in this particular scene, with lots of objects to interact with and optional dialogue that fleshes out Night City. Finally, some guards stumble upon you and the president, and you’ll need to handle the situation carefully to get the best outcome after accepting your new role as a government secret agent.
CD Projekt RED got us going again when a new area of Phantom Liberty was unlocked for exploration called Dogtown. It is a sandy, dusty place with a considerable amount of verticality. Our mission is to finally meet Idris Elba’s new character, Reid. The approach we took involved turning off the power in a building, heading to a basketball court, and then meeting the famous face in a car parked on the sidewalk. Our time was unfortunately limited to a handful of sentences in conversation, but Elba’s smooth voice boomed through Reed, ensuring another memorable performance for the RPG.
Our limited time with the Phantom Liberty meant we weren’t able to see too much of what Dogtown has to offer, but we quickly realized that it’s a much quieter place on the streets, with fewer cars hitting the streets when That robots minimize sidewalks. Beat the living dead there. It might seem like more Cyberpunk 2077 without playing it for yourself, but this introduction is what will make you appreciate the tweaks and additions made under the hood for the full experience.
With some story spoilers removed by the time skips, Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Phantom Liberty’s spectacular performance gives PS5 players more than enough reasons to return to Night City whether you haven’t played since launch or every since. The update has continued. You’ll need to ignore other RPG heavyweights (Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield) to make time for it this September, but Phantom Liberty looks to offer the ultimate cyberpunk 2077 experience. This is an expansion designed to carry all the excitement of Justice from two and a half years ago.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty releases on 26 September 2023 for PS5 for £24.99 / $29.99. Are you coming back to Night City in a few months time? Prepare in the comments below.
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