Cyberpunk 2077 E3 2019 Preview

July 1, 2019 at 5:53pm
By Jason Stettner

Cyberpunk 2077 really did steal the show at E3 2019, even before floor hours started. With that mighty presentation of Keanu Reeves that made everyone got nuts, they really did get all eyes on this game. It’s no surprise, and certainly well deserved as this will definitely be a generation defining gaming experience.

That aside, I’ll also mention that Reeves showing up at the Xbox Conference was the first time I’ve seen a standing ovation at any of these events, it was kind of crazy. It’s a bit odd honestly, wasn’t sure why everyone was jumping up as it made it hard to get pictures or video, but it was cool to be there for. Going onto the actual show, I luckily got into a behind closed doors presentation of the game. Very nice of CD Projekt Red to fit me in.

They had a sleek cyberpunk bar area that you could only dream of. It didn’t have fun beverages while I was there, but I did snag a Sprite I believe, might have been 7up. Whatever the case, it was really cool to queue up in this area and chill prior to the showcase. Once that was finished I was given a golden ticket for a sweet jacket and then sent to watch.

The presentation was focused on a regular core mission of the game to set the stage for a greater aspect of the narrative. You got to see glimpses of Reeves as your best reality distorting AI pal and then other characters. You’re sent in as whatever customized person you make to deal with this gang. You want to meet their leader and are sent to find out what a rival gang is doing. This then split to showcase us the multiple ways a challenge could be handled. There was a stealthy approach, and a more direct one. There’s freedom to how you deliver the carnage and I was blown away by how much it changed. The game not only looks stellar in terms of the impressive world they’ve created, but also really cool to play.

There were some graphic deaths, really neat mechanics for futuristic gadgets and just enticing combat. There’s a glowing snare, it was straight up badass. I got to get a sense of the open world environment, and the driving mechanics. The game seems to be full of life, it’s a fully realistic feeling futuristic society. There are people doing various things and it looks expansive. This felt like it was directly focused on showing us the elements of choice, and the combative portions of play. This makes sense as it’s the E3 prior to release and they’ll want to get more information like this across. It’s usually a tease the first year for games at the show, and then a full blown deep dive into features they want to highlight.

It seems like this game has the potential to go really trippy after a whole ice bath segment and it seems like this could be one epic tale. I love the aesthetic and style of Cyberpunk, so this is essentially a dream game for me. Coming off of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which I consider to probably be the best game this generation, there’s a lot of expectations. I’m sure others are feeling the same way and I believe they’ll deliver.

I gave this title our best of show award for the event, as it was stunning. I can’t wait to see what they do with the full game, this could be amazing. That’s all for Cyberpunk 2077, at least for now. Check out our E3 2019 hub for additional coverage from the event.

Read our Dying Light 2 Preview
View our E3 2019 Hub