(ThyBlackMan.com) CD Projekt Red will be releasing Cyberpunk 2077 in April. It’s been a long wait for this one to drop. I mean, they announced the game in 2012 but the studio does quality work. It’s forgivable. So, it’s still another season before we’ll get our hands on it. In the meantime, let’s look at five cyberpunk games to play while waiting for Cyberpunk 2077.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC/PS3/360/Wii U – Eidos Montreal, 2011)
Of the two Deus Ex games on this list, this is the one you’ll really want to play. The gameplay is the same between the two games but I just preferred the settings and story in Human Revolution. There’s just a lot more storytelling and world building going on here.
That’s important if you didn’t play the first two Deus Ex games on PC. I will say that the games were released out of chronological order and there’s a continuing story through each game. That aside, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is an all-around great cyberpunk game.
There is a noticeable issue with the voice acting of some accents in the game that got a big “Oof…that’s…that’s pretty damn racist, right there.” out of me when I first heard them. This game is lucky that the gameplay, story, and missions are all tight in this game so it wasn’t like “This game is mediocre and I’m hit with stereotypes? Wow!”
That’s just a special level of not caring to put out a strong game. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is definitely the best example of cyberpunk on this list.
Cyber Knights RPG (Mobile – Trese Brothers, 2015)
The best games the Trese Brothers released: Cyber Knights RPG. Of the games on this list, this is probably the most accessible since the free version can be found in the App Store and on Goggle Play. In Cyber Knights, you basically take control of a runner—or a freelancer in cyberpunk parlance. You’ll make your own adventures by doing missions for one of ten factions in the game in a 22nd century version of Boston.
These missions range from simple deliver X to Y to assassinations, raids, and escort missions. Along the way, you can form a team with characters you save or hire. Your character and those who join you can be upgraded with cybernetics or train their combat and tech skills up. Working closely with one faction can put you in danger with others if a mission puts you in their turf.
For a mobile 2D game, Cyber Knights RPG offers a lot of freedom for the player since you’re not tied to a linear storyline. That is, unless you play what is basically a short tutorial mode which then let’s you into the world with the most flexible of characters. A Kickstarter for the second game in the series is set to start next month.
Shadowrun Returns (PC/Mobile – Harebrained Schemes, 2013)
This one was a hard pick between Returns and Hong Kong. Both are awesome but not to the point of putting two on here like Deus Ex. Shadowrun Returns is the…return of the Shadowrun tabletop RPG as a video game. The first go around for this was the early 90s games on Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo.
They were the same game but it was different kind of RPG than the tons and tons of JRPGs available on Super NES at the time. Shadowrun Returns takes the isometric approach of those games, slaps on some slick 2010s artwork and design, and gives us a skill and character creation approach that modernizes what that 90s game did.
On top of that, Harebrained Schemes kept with the tactical RPG combat focus. Wonderful. Another studio did a Shadowrun game prior to this as a first-person shooter. While it wasn’t bad at all, it didn’t feel like a Shadowrun game. Honestly, it could’ve been named anything else.
You can find this one on GOG or Steam and it’s playable even on non-gaming PCs.
Mirror’s Edge (PC/PS3/360 – EA DICE, 2008)
Of the games on this list, Mirror’s Edge was the most gorgeous. EA DICE really put their foot in it for this one. It’s the late 2000s, parkour is hot, people are digging parkour. Why not put it in all the games? Mirror’s Edge initially got an eyeroll from me for including parkour. I played Assassin’s Creed almost a year earlier, do I need more parkour?
Mirror’s Edge pulls this together with a strong story about fighting against an oppressive utopian society using awesome visuals and music as well as some groundbreaking camera work. Before, I barely paid attention to camerawork in a game unless the camera was just being unruly and unhelpful.
Mirror’s Edge made me take notice of that and more thanks to some tight, well-paced gameplay with the right difficulty. The open-world reboot for PS4 and Xbox One is solid, not as loved as this one but it’s a pretty good game.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PC/PS4/Xbox One – Eidos Montreal, 2016)
If you enjoyed Deus Ex: Human Revolution and want more cyberpunk in that vein, you’re in luck! There’s a sequel that takes place two years after the events of the first. While the first game took place in Detroit, Montreal (for a moment), and Shanghai, this one takes place in Prague.
The gameplay is almost identical but you’ve got a few new moves and you’re starting from scratch as far as getting your abilities and the like. Now, I’m partial to Human Revolution. It scratches most of the cyberpunk inches for me. What I did like about Mankind Divided is that it didn’t attempt to completely reinvent the wheel.
Combat is still good, stealth is just as enjoyable in Human Revolution, and there’s a story. I’m not saying the story is the most engaging thing and Adam Jensen is still as wooden and bland as he was the first game. There is enough to keep you engaged in playing through the game.
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.
