(Last Updated On: June 3, 2017)

Some rumors have surfaced regarding Cyberpunk 2077 that just might hint at something far bigger than what gamers were expecting. The information also coincides with recent information released by CD Projekt Red. This info that sits on the rumor side comes from various forum boards that relates to E3 and Mike Pondsmith himself.

I should note that all of this information may or may not be valid about the much anticipated game Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red, but there is a high chance, if true, that this info regarding the game hints at something far bigger, given that it comes from Mike Pondsmith.

Firstly, on the Cyberpunk 2077 Reddit page, a user by the name of Xenolith234 caught a comment that Mike Pondsmith posted, who goes by the screen name of Therealmaxmike, and noted that

Mike Pondsmith commented last night on a thread and said that CDPR is pulling out all the stops. Curious.

If you dont know what that means, the devs are planning to go all out with whatever information there is about Cyberpunk 2077, meaning that it will be grander when news drops.

In addition to the above, this information links into what CD Projekt Reds CEO of the studio, Marcin Kicinski, announced during an investor call as noted below.

The promotional campaign (for Cyberpunk 2077) is already planned. Its main element is the surprise, so I cannot even say when it will begin. Simply because it has to come as a surprise.

Now I know what you are thinking, E3 is right around the corner, arent they going to show the game off there? Although it seems likely, but Im not ruling it out, according to E3s Exhibitors page (by Alpha), the devs dont appear to be showing up at the event. The information about CDPR not showing up can be seen below.

The above links into CDPRs 2016 financial results that contained the information about how 2017 is the year of GWENT. Again, Im not saying that the team may not do a secret appearance, but dont be shocked if nothing Cyberpunk 2077 related appears at this years E3.

Looking past the semi-heart breaking news and on to some heart warming news about Cyberpunk 2077. A certain user on the Cyberpunk 2077 forum board, Darthraver8686, noted something rather interesting. The comment lies below.

Yo im trying to keep my composure but something is def going on. Theyve hired marketing managers now and people to change the website.not too mention that on the subreddit cyberpunkgame mike pondsmith himself posts alot and in his last comment from the other day he said its his last comment on the boards for a while cuz hes going radio silent. He said that some projects are ramping up and life is getting busy. Not sure if hes talking about cp2077 but it sure sounded like it. I think somethings gonna happen soon. N im not saying E3 but wouldnt that be crazy if that was the surprise?

I already know what youre thinking, Thats not real. Well, youre wrong, because it is real. Upon doing research regarding Darthraver8686s findings lead me to a Reddit user named Zirfeld, who had asked a question recently and Mike Pondsmith himself actually answered the user. Zirfelds comment sits below for those interested:

Roleplaying games have become a very popuplar content on the web lately on twitch, youtube and other services. I am talking about channels like Geek & Sundry with Titanquest, Critical Role, Foreververse (and the occiasional game on Tabletop) or HarmonTown HarmonQuest on the more comical side of it. Shows with a relatively high prodcution value and recognizable players. Im not saying not so recognizable players cant be fun, too. But having a bunch of entertainment professionals sure helps the flow of the game (that and editing of course).

Is there any chance we are going to see something like this with Cyberpunk 2020? Maybe even the creator of the game as GM? I think a show like this would fit perfectly in the phase before the real marketing campaign starts to gain some momentum, and I sure would watch it.

Mike, I hope you find the time to answer, seeing that you have been very active here lately.

And here are all Pondsmiths replies to said user, which is rather surprising to me that he actually answered an everyday persons random comment.

Nothing planned that I know of (RTG media overlord Kirin handles that part of my life), but we will be doing Cyberpunk games at GenCon. I just got back from doing a live broadcast CP game onstage at Pyrkon in Poland and it was pretty awesome, so Im definitely up for a streamcast. Will let you all know if Kirin comes up with something.

Also, Ill probably be going dark on reddit for a bit, as Production is ramping up on several projects and life is getting busy.

Notice how he capitalizes the p in production when talking about these several projects ramping up. Its likely that hes talking about the Cyberpunk 2020 board game here, which is set to release exactly around the same time as the video game that CD Projekt Red is currently developing. Also, notice in the post that he mentions his appearance over in Poland, this information links into the most recent talk about the game in that he went to said country and was pleased with CDPRs progress on Cyberpunk.

So what does this all mean? Well, it means that when the game appears the devs will go all out and show everything there is to show in a surprising and breathtaking way or better put pulling out all the stops. This also means that the game may not show up to this years E3, but will more than likely appear during next years lineup of big game conventions in a flashy way. And lastly, it also means that Pondsmith is heavily involved with the board/video game and that both will be close to his envision of the original work.

You can learn more about Cyberpunk 2077 by hitting up cyberpunk.net.

Go here to read the rest:

Here's The Latest Rumors Regarding Cyberpunk 2077 And Its E3 Appearance - One Angry Gamer (blog)

Reviews

VA-11 Hall-A is a funny, thought-provoking, and sometimes tragic work of art, with truly original gameplay and a beautiful aesthetic unlike anything else on the market. 10/10 CG Magazine

VA-11 HALL-A is a damn fine video game, and thats the bottom line. 9/10 Destructoid

VA-11 Hall-A is a stunning adventure that manages to deliver one of gaming's greatest stories. 9.5/10 TechRaptor

In this world, corporations reign supreme, all human life is infected with nanomachines designed to oppress them, and the terrifying White Knights ensure that everyone obeys the laws.

But, this is not about those people.

You are a bartender at VA-11 HALL-A, affectionately nicknamed "Valhalla." Although it is just a small bar downtown, it attracts the most fascinating people this side of dystopia. Keep your clients lubricated and you will be made privy to the most interesting stories.

---

"Although there aren't dialogue options, VA-11 HALL-A creates a storytelling experience that's grippingly personal. If, like many game theorists argue, story should always act as a supporter to mechanics, then VA-11 HALL-A is the exception that makes the rule." - Kill Screen

"Never falls into the trap of simply alternating gameplay and story as so many narrative-based games do; rather, everything you do feels relevant to what is unfolding in front of you." - Moe Gamer

"It's through these brief, unguarded conversations that the cyberpunk bartending sim slowly unfolds its story; not of a dystopian world, but of the people living in it." - PC Gamer

---

2014-2017 SUKEBAN GAMES LLC

See the rest here:

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action on Steam

Beyond the gunplay and set pieces, the Ghost in the Shell anime also set itself apart by throwing you into the deep end of a world where technology is completely integrated with humans. Most people have cyberbrains -- metal cases for their organic brains that allow them to "jack in" to computers and networks. The film doesn't slow down much to explain the concept of a cyberbrain to you, but you eventually grasp it by how characters use them. At one point, you see an official's hands expand into a multitude of robotic digits, which is clearly a big help for typing faster. While the remake echoes this imagery, it doesn't do anything thoughtful with it.

Take the character of Togusa, for example. In the anime, he's established as the least augmented member of Section 9, the intelligence group led by Major Kusanagi. He uses a traditional revolver, and his lack of cybernetic implants seems like a detriment when he's surrounded by literal supersoldiers. But as he starts to question why he's even on the team, Kusanagi makes an intriguing point: A system with standardized components will inevitably fail. If every member of her team was cybernetically enhanced in the same way, that leaves them open to an attack that could take them all out.

Togusa's mere presence is a check against that design flaw. The entire exchange is something we see often in cyberpunk: Technology doesn't always mean progress. In the remake, they point out that Togusa uses an old gun and that's it.

Perhaps the biggest failure of the American version of Ghost in the Shell is that it simply doesn't do anything new. Whereas the original brought plenty of innovative ideas to the table -- it was one of the few science fiction films to actually build on the Blade Runner aesthetic -- the adaptation is perfectly content with copying surface-level style while dumbing down deeper concepts. While the film has been praised for its style, ultimately it's basically just the original Ghost in the Shell aesthetic mashed together with Blade Runner and a boatload of CGI. The remake's vision of New Port City is also oddly sterile. There's none of the lived-in sense of grit you'd find in most cyberpunk stories.

Even the villain is far less interesting. In the remake, it ends up being yet another evil corporate plot. But in the anime, the "Puppet Master" is a completely synthetic life form "born out of the sea of information." He's not inherently evil, he's just trying to figure out who he is.

"It can also be argued that DNA is nothing more than a program designed to preserve itself," the Puppet Master says when someone claims he's just a computer program. "Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information. And life, when organized into species, relies upon genes to be its memory system. So, man is an individual only because of his intangible memory... and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind. The advent of computers, and the subsequent accumulation of incalculable data has given rise to a new system of memory and thought parallel to your own. Humanity has underestimated the consequences of computerization."

Cyberpunk stories have rarely been about easy answers, and that's yet another concept the Ghost in the Shell adaptation fails to grasp. Every conflict ends up having a distinct conclusion, be it the villain or Major's place in the world. At the end of the anime however, Major Kusanagi doesn't defeat the antagonist in the traditional sense. She joins with him to create an entirely new being -- a union of a human soul and brain together with a purely cybernetic being.

After being transplanted into a new body, she looks out over the cityscape and simply asks: "And where do I go from here? The network is vast and infinite."

Read more from the original source:

'Ghost in the Shell' is more cyberposeur than cyberpunk - Engadget

Scarlett Johansson Ghost in the Shell. Photograph: Jasin Boland/AP

Code streams across a computer screen; hackers bark at each other in techno-jargon and hammer at keyboards; the real world seamlessly shifts into the virtual, and back again. This is the sort of scene that is instantly recognisable as a cyberpunk film, the subgenre of sci-fi that meshes together technology and counterculture of which Ghost in the Shell, the live-action remake of the Japanese anime classic, is the latest high-profile example.

It is little surprise that cyberpunk has proved irresistible for many film-makers over the decades since the term was coined, by the author Bruce Bethke, in the early 1980s. With its visions of postapocalyptic futures, advanced technologies and virtual realms, they get to pack their films with visual effects to sweeten the (red) pill, while wrestling with weighty existential themes.

Yet, for all its enduring popularity which owes so much to Ridley Scotts 1982 classic Blade Runner cyberpunk has often proved a tough nut to crack on the big screen. Even the author William Gibson, a founding father of the genre on the page, struggled to bring its dystopian charms to the cinema. Gibsons first significant foray into film came in 1995 with Johnny Mnemonic an adaptation of his short story about a data courier with a chip implanted in his head and was an confused and poorly received flop, even if it did feature psychic dolphins. Gibson described the film as two animals in one skin constantly pulling in multiple directions.

He had identified a problem that would plague many cyberpunk films thereafter. A decade before Johnny Mnemonic was released, Gibson had written Neuromancer, a genre-defining novel that thrust readers into a noirish dystopia. Neuromancer, published in 1984, came at a time of change. Computers were yet to become ubiquitous, and a strange subculture of phreaks and hackers was brewing. Slowly, governments were realising that the kids tinkering in their bedrooms with soldering irons and motherboards could be capable of disrupting the status quo. Technology was becoming threatening, and even political. In short, great material for screenplays.

However, the resulting films over the last two decades have varied in quality, to say the least. The biggest hit at the box office has been the Wachowskis Matrix trilogy for which a controversial reboot is being planned. Then there are curios, like Abel Ferraras New Rose Hotel (based on another Gibson novel), which starred Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe and Asia Argento. Theres Wim Wenders postapocalyptic odyssey Until the End of the World (five hours, if you manage to see out the directors cut), and Kathryn Bigelows Strange Days, a critically divisive film that explored the impact of virtual reality. More recently, weve had Carleton Ranneys lo-fi slow-burner Jackrabbit and David Cronenbergs unsettling short, The Nest. Cyberpunk has come to the small screen, too: Mr Robot is a modern incarnation, as was the TV show Orphan Black.

In truth, cyberpunk themes existed in film long before the phrase did. Fritz Langs 1927 film Metropolis envisaged wealthy elites, oppressed masses and a unnerving fusion of woman and machine all themes explored in the remake of Ghost in the Shell. That lineage can be traced through to Blade Runner, based on Philip K Dicks 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which was set in a smog-filled futuristic LA, dominated by the Tyrell Corporation, where Harrison Fords retired cop hunts replicant cyborgs while musing on humanitys metaphysical quandaries.

A turning point for cyberpunk in film came from an in 1988, with Katsuhiro tomos landmark anime Akira. A fusion of rebellious youth culture and groundbreaking animation, its story of teenage biker gangs in a postapocalyptic Tokyo became an international cult hit. The film paved the way for a wave of animations for adults that peaked in 1998 with Ghost in the Shell. That films arresting visuals, existential questions and a pared back, cat-and-mouse narrative was unlike anything audiences had seen before.

Crucial to cyberpunk is a countercultural take on social issues, albeit often viewed though a Hollywood lens. As Iain Softley, the director of the tongue-in-cheek 1995 thriller Hackers, says: As far a cyber culture is concerned, it is this mixture of technological culture with underground movements. That appeals to younger audiences and that is also the appeal for film-makers.

Hackers, he says, was never about the technology. It was about the popular culture that it generated.

But how do film-makers ensure that the genre remains cutting edge? The remake of Ghost in the Shell, directed by Rupert Sanders, will be the first big-budget outing for cyberpunk since the Matrix films. Guillaume Rocheron, who worked on the film as a visual effects supervisor, says that while the original animation was a key source, the makers took a lot of inspiration from glitch art, various art installations inspired the architecture.

Rocheron explains that the films solograms (Solid volumetric projections of people and advertisements you see in our city shots) required them to develop a new camera system. This is a common feature of cyberpunk films: the pioneering of visual effects technologies to create new worlds, such as the bullet-time technique that was developed for The Matrix.

In todays increasingly technology-driven world where our work depends on connectivity, our leisure on social networks, our economy on digital information cyberpunk remains more pertinent than ever. News headlines are dominated by email hacks, the growing clout of mega-corporations, and rapid developments in AI and virtual reality. Cyberpunk remains a genre that pushes the boundaries, opening audiences eyes to the intersection of technology and humanity and the blurring lines between artificial and organic intelligence. The questions about what makes something real and who exactly is in control are left to us to work out.

Originally posted here:

Digital love: why cinema can't get enough of cyberpunk - The Guardian (blog)

Tuesday, 4 April 2017 10:20 GMT By Matt Martin

Devolvers latest will take you down hard.

Ruiner really nails the cyberpunk aesthetic, the cold inhumanity of technology, stylised oppression and brutal violence.

So I said to the dude at Devolver show me your most violent games and he did exactly that. I sat down and smashed heads in with a steel pipe.

In Ruiner, your job is to kill the boss of Heaven. Heaven seems to be a steel-cold, clinical, neon industrial escape from the trash city of Rengkok below. And really theres only one thing to do here: kill.

So I turn heads into lunch meat. And then I graduate to increasingly devastating firepower, although crucially the pipe remains shockingly effective long after the bullets have ran dry.

Ruiners hero is faceless, concealed inside a helmet that flashes single bite-size mission statements. Someones giving him orders but theres someone else trying to hack into his perception, to subvert commands. While you keep killing the cyberpunk story begins to unroll; a missing brother, manipulation by The Man, a mysterious girl. But really during the early stages of the game the point is to just keep killing. I like a game that gets on with things.

The violence is chained together as you combo deceptively simple moves. Although the first level feels big, its really just about moving from one area to another, pausing to kill before moving on again. Confrontations consist of linking a dash, shield and brutal attack as pre-emptive strikes or risk being overwhelmed. The shield and dash use energy, so the combos cant be infinite. But chain them together quickly and you can devastate multiple enemies before theyve fired off a shot. Then you try to avoid more goons as you pick the rest off. Rinse and repeat.

Confrontation is quick and almost clinically effective in its violence, triggering an adrenaline rush of relief and revulsion.

Its tough to begin with, but once you make the shift from single actions to timing combos together youre an effective killing machine. You zip across the screen leaving clouds of blood drifting in the air. Confrontation is quick and almost clinically effective in its violence, triggering an adrenaline rush of relief and revulsion. I took them all down, they didnt get back up again, and Im a heartbeat away from collapsing. Overwhelming odds are shattered if you keep moving and make every action count.

There are comparisons to Hotline Miami, but only in the swift violence. Hotline is more tactical, giving you options when it comes to tackling enemies and approaching rooms differently. In Ruiner in the first large level Ive played, at least theres only ever one way to go, and the goons approach you, boxing you in. Youll have to beat them down before moving on.

The first level ends with a mini-boss fight but with added pressure. A timer counts down to zero and death. The only way to keep alive is to execute enemies, adding vital seconds back to the clock. So you need to balance time as you whittle down the boss but also quickly crush his goons to keep the clock in a safe zone. Dont get carried away pummeling the villain or youll aide your own death.

With the opening level finished, bathed in blood, youre introduced to Rengkok, a kind of hub where you can interact with a bunch of darkly comic citizens. Its like a snapshot of Mega City One or Geof Darrows Hard Boiled, used as a way of pushing you to the next level. If thats all it does then its a welcome break from the ultraviolence, but maybe itll offer more as the game opens up.

Ruiner really nails the cyberpunk aesthetic; the cold inhumanity of technology, stylised oppression and brutal violence all set to a heavy electro soundtrack. The action is quick and unforgiving and you can kill or be killed in a heartbeat. Every weapon picked up is bittersweet it will tear apart but only for a limited time so you need to tactically drop back and calculate your next victim before the last body even hits the floor. Its encourages you to play with confidence, ruthless efficiency and to not hesitate. Because to hesitate is to die.

Ruiner is out for PC this spring.

Read more here:

Cyberpunk thriller Ruiner is here to smash you in the face - VG247

(Last Updated On: April 3, 2017)

A lot of people are interested in CD Projekt Reds upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 and want to know more about the gameplay aspects. And speaking of gameplay, what will the game have players doing and how will it let folks go about completing objectives? Well, given that many gamers are combing over every morsel and bit of detail surrounding the game, another piece of info thats not official yet regarding the games rating recently caught the eye of gamers offering a glimpse into what the game could sport.

Upon doing some more research on Cyberpunk 2077, Ive recently stumbled across a new thread talking about the title and how one particular user is concerned about the game. Upon reading the discussion it lead me to the bottom of the post where theres an ESRB listing for all of CD Projekt Reds titles: the ESRB rating at the bottom of the screen carries an M for Mature label, listing off each of the things contained within CD Projekt Reds games.

As of now, we might have an understanding as to what the game may contain when it does come around to fruition.

Although other rating sites like the ESRB do not list the game with its rating just yet, youll notice that on the official website the Mature label is listed for all of CD Projekts games. The first image comes from cdprojektred.com/forum (very bottom of the site) and details the following content.

Yes, on the official website the label lists all of the content that theyve notified the ESRB about for each of their games, this contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs.

Looking over to official Witcher store page (at the bottom of the site), youll see the ESRB rating where it rattles off what the game is rated for.

The image clearly reveals: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Alcohol.

The difference between the two is that the former label sports Use of Drugs, while the latter contains Use of Alcohol. This is because in The Witcher 2s ESRB rating does contain Use of Drugs, but its interesting that its not featured on the official shop page for The Witcher . So clearly theyre compacting all of their ESRB labels into one label and have it slapped on their official website at the bottom.

Whats interesting, however, is that the only other websites showing Cyberpunk 2077s rating is a summary over on IGN and MetaCritic that both still show RP. Again, its interesting that Cyberbunk 2077s official site used to show RP, but now it just has the Mature label that seems to represent all of CD Projekt Reds games. It would seem like they would have both a Mature label and a Rating Pending label to represent The Witcher games and Cyberpunk 2077, since the latter game hasnt been rated yet.

Its almost as if they already expect the game to get an M rating for all of the things listed at the bottom of the site, so they just have the label there as a placeholder, or it could be that theyre expecting ample amounts of gore, nudity, strong sexual content, language and violence, and are giving people a heads-up before the game actually gets rated. Theres also a pretty high expectancy from those on the CDPR forums that the game will get the M for Mature rating based on the aforementioned adult subject matter.

Itll be interesting to see if the above is all true and how the game will be on release seeing that CD Projekt Reds visual effects artist, Jose Teixeira, revealed that

Cyberpunk is far bigger than anything else that CD Projekt Red has done before. Far, far bigger. Were really stepping into the unknown in terms of complexity and size and problems we encounter.

Cyberpunk 2077 is said to come out when its ready.

Read more:

Here's Why Cyberpunk 2077 Could Feature Gore And Nudity - One Angry Gamer (blog)

Archiact today announced that Darknet, a cyberpunk hacking game, is now available on PlayStation VR (PSVR) for $14.99 USD. In celebration of its launch, COGconnected is giving away codes on Twitter. Just retweet and follow us on Twitter for a chance to win.

Check out the launch trailer below:

Darknet is an incredibly deep strategy/puzzle game that was built from the ground-up for virtual reality. In Darknet gamers become elite hackers, contracted to retrieve data from the worlds most secure networks. Players dive into the net, install viruses, inject code, and hack their way through cybersecurity in an experience inspired by a classic cyberpunk vision of the future.

Darknet for PSVR gives players a virtual window to a hidden digital world. The title received incredible industry accolades when it was previously released on Oculus Rift and Gear VR, and has been refined and tailored for PSVR boasting several new improvements. This includes full audio integration added to the PlayStation 4 Dualshock controller, art enhancements to the UI and main menu, as well as all-new PlayStation trophies for players to earn.

Source: Press Release

Read more:

Cyberpunk Hacking Game "Darknet" For PlayStation VR Arrives ... - COGconnected (press release)

Nicki Minaj has clearly not been in the studio working on a response to Remy Ma following the release of two highly controversial diss tracks and attacks on social media earlier this week, but she's certainly been putting in time with a skilled stylist. At Paris Fashion Week, Nicki shocked and delighted audiences with a futuristic take on a classic hip-hop look: With one exposed breast, Minaj paid homage to rap legend Lil' Kim's most iconic red carpet outfit. But Nicki's putting her own spin on this throwback and has us wondering: Is this advanced cyberpunk aestheic a step forward in Minaj's evolution?

Check out the look, below:

Giving credit where credit is due, the jacket is by Mugler, the shorts are by Givenchy, the pastie is by Agent Provocateur, and the shades are by Veronique Leroy. Those who remember the scandal that broke out when Minaj's predecessor wore a rather similar outfit on MTV's red carpet in 1999 at the VMAs will surely draw conclusions about how much this outfit is (or is not) a sartorial tribute:

Notably, Lil' Kim herself has been trying to stay far away from Minaj and her current feud. "We all know the situation that's going on with Remy and ol' girl," said Kim to Billboard just a few days ago. "That's their situation and I have nothing to do with that."

Instagram connoisseurs will note that Nicki's been amping up the whole cybernetic future-bitch thing for a hot minute (most notably with oversized sunglasses, her current accessory of choice), and we're all just catching on:

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Nicki Minaj Served A Cyberpunk Lil' Kim Look At Paris Fashion Week - NYLON

Take the ID@Xbox showcase for example. Of the 20 games on display, at least half are set in sci-fi worlds or feature dystopian themes (or both), including Tacoma, Tokyo 42, Tower 57, Songbringer and Aven Colony. However, two titles in particular encapsulate the raw, gritty future that's a staple of the cyberpunk genre: Ruiner by Polish studio Reikon and >observer_ by Bloober Team.

Ruiner is basically Hotline Miami in a 3D, Ghost in the Shell-style world. It's the year 2091; corrupt corporations and government officials rule a cold, technologically advanced society. In the introductory tutorial, the screen glitches out at odd intervals as instructions flood the environment, instructing players to "Kill Boss" while they run down metal hallways filled with hostile security forces. It's heart-pounding, rapid-fire gameplay in a distinctly cyberpunk setting, with incredibly satisfying shooting mechanics.

Meanwhile, >observer_ takes a more psychological approach to the sci-fi genre, throwing players in a horrific world where corporations control everything and advanced technology is reserved only for the elite. Ordinary citizens live in squalor, while government agents patrol the streets, able to hack people's minds as they see fit. This is full-on dystopian cyberpunk.

The Indie Megabooth also showcased a disproportionate amount of sci-fi. Six of the 12 games feature cosmic or cyberpunk-inspired settings, including _transfer, a dark, text-based adventure where players type commands into a program as they attempt to figure out why the world is ending, and Rogue Process, a sci-fi platformer about a hacker on the hunt for corporate secrets.

The video game industry's renewed push for cyberpunk is not only exciting -- it makes sense. The past few years of mainstream gaming have been dominated by fantasy franchises including Skyrim, Diablo, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Dragon Age and The Witcher, and it's about time the pendulum swung in the other, more futuristic direction. Recent big-name games like Halo Wars 2, Horizon Zero Dawn and the coming release of Mass Effect: Andromeda signal the beginning of this new sci-fi, cyberpunk cycle.

Plus, the world's eyes are on the video game industry as virtual reality hardware enters the homes of everyday consumers worldwide. For decades, VR has represented "the future" of video games -- and the vision of a technologically advanced society in general -- and, suddenly, it's here. The future is now. It isn't surprising that developers across the globe are thinking about "the future" within games themselves, inspired by the virtual environments now at our fingertips.

Advances in technology feed the video game creation process just as innovative games fuel the production of new hardware. The shift toward a more gritty, cyberpunk trend in the video game industry makes perfect sense given the current political, social and technological climate in the world today. These themes of corporate cruelty and tense class disparities reflect conversations happening in cities and towns everywhere, every day. Cyberpunk is a reflection of society's deepest fears and its greatest hopes for the future; in a time of rapid technological advancement and political upheaval, people -- including game developers -- are looking for the best way forward while imagining the dire consequences of choosing the wrong path.

Cyberpunk is back, baby.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from GDC 2017!

Read the original:

The cyberpunk revolution begins with video games - Engadget

To celebrate the release of The Ghost in the Shell movie, Tumblr and Paramount Pictures are collaborating for an event to explore the future relationship between technology, fashion, and humans.

Prototype will take place on March 7th during Paris Fashion Week, where the latest wearable technology will be showcased. The exhibition will feature creations from designers using technological advances to innovate the world of fashion, with garments that react to adrenaline, display video content, adjust the temperature of the wearer or change shape when they sense different sounds.

Curated by Tumblr, the event will also feature a headline performance from Viktoria Modesta, the Bionic Pop Star and face of Channel 4s Born Risky disability initiative. Following the event, Tumblr will showcase highlights and original content from the it online.

Featuring creations from designers using technological advances to innovate the world of fashion, the exhibition features garments that react to adrenaline, display video content, adjust the temperature of the wearer or change shape when they sense different sounds. Tumblr will showcase highlights and original content from the event online from March 10th.

The event will feature a headline performance from Viktoria Modesta, the Bionic Pop Star whos single Prototype inspired elements of this event through its exploration of fashion, art and technology. Modesta, who is also the face of Channel 4s Born Risky disability initiative will be performing live to some the industrys biggest opinion formers.

The Latvian born singer and model wears an extensive range of alternative prosthetic legs, regarding them as fashion items. Her approach to her disability makes her perfectly placed to explore the intersection of wearable technology and humanity prevalent themes of Ghost in the Shell.

Hollywood costume designers, Chromat will also be at the event to exhibit their Adrenaline Dress. Powered by Intel the piece is composed of printed panels interlinked into an expandable carbon fibre framework which mimics the bodys fight or flight reaction and changes shape to empower the wearer.

Other exhibitors include:

Wise Wear

WiseWear, is an award winning boutique engineering and design firm that develops innovative products from end-to-end. WiseWear fuses fashion with threads of technology by seamlessly integrating proprietary biosensing and wireless communication technologies into everyday items. The industry refers to WiseWear as the first FASHION-FUSIONISTS which strive to make electronics invisible a balanced blend of fashion, form and function. Fashion icon Iris Apfel is an avid spokesperson for the Socialite Collection.

Cutecircuit

The internationally renowned fashion house has been attracting fans to its interactive designs since its launch in 2004. With celebrity advocates including Katy Perry, Nicole Sherzinger and Sarah Brightman, the brand innovates through the use of smart textiles and micro-electronics to create both ready to wear and haute couture collections. Pieces include a Kinetic Dress which reacts to the wearers surroundings and mood to a dress which can receive and display tweets in real time.

EMEL+ARIS

Creators of the Smart Coat, which uses Far Infrared technology to warm the muscles of the wearer, improving circulation to allow the wearers whole body to feel warm. The luxury jacket for men and women is designed to bridge the gap between fashion and function with six of the garments available to trial at the event.

Silvia Fado

Shoe designer Silvia Fados work explores the relationship between the movement of the body and fashion footwear design on the one hand, and high performance Sports footwear and body movement on the other. Her Kinetic Traces collection of Hydraulic Heels brings Sports footwear fundamentals to high-end fashion to create an arresting anthology which uses springs, rubber balls and pneumatic hydraulics to absorb shock. To download a collection of images, click here: https://we.tl/0CRlGHS6Dq

Ying Gao

Designer Ying Gao will present her project Incertitudes, two interactive garments which use dress makers pins to create motion. The pins are activated by the wearers partner in conversation and create an engaging display to the spectator.

The event will be held during Paris Fashion Week on March 7, 2017 from 6-9pm at Le Dme, Elphant Paname. The restored Napoleonic mansion fuses history with innovation to create a unique space which will bring the themes of the event to life.

Ghost in the Shell opens in UK cinemas on March 31st 2017. Ghost in the Shell opens in France on March 29th 2017.

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Ghost in the Shell: Tumblr and Paramount sponsor cyberpunk ... - Netimperative

SAN FRANCISCO - If you want to make a video game that demands attention, simply do something thats never been done before.

Augmented Empire as far as I am aware is the very first cyberpunk tactical RPG released for a VR system, and that alone makes it worth noticing. Whats even better is that Augmented Empire has the potential to be a ton of fun, combining an intuitive control scheme with an unorthodox premise and an attractive art style.

I went hands-on with Augmented Empire for the Samsung Gear VR at GDC 2017, and while VR generally makes me a little queasy, I would gladly risk it to play more of the game when it comes out. You play as yourself, more or less, sitting at a desk with an augmented reality diorama setup. In the diorama, you can control Ashley, a futuristic operative, and her offbeat party members as they undertake action-packed missions in a near-future dystopia.

MORE: Most Anticipated Games

The full release of the game will have two distinct styles of gameplay: a simulation where you can sit at your desk, correspond with non-player characters by phone, observe your environment and so forth. Since this part of the game wasnt available in the demo, I stuck to the more traditional half of gameplay. Ashleys adventures in the diorama play out as an isometric turn-based RPG.

If youve played X-COM or Final Fantasy Tactics, you know the drill: Ashley and her party members get two actions each turn, and youll generally use one to move, and one to attack. You can also take advantage of terrain to make yourself harder to hit, or activate special abilities that can damage enemies, affect movement or restore health. Of course, your enemies can do the same, making each level a fine balance between keeping Ashley alive and taking your foes down.

Gameplay has one unique twist, however. Rather than simply ordering Ashley to attack or letting her take damage when baddies return the favor, players have to play a timing minigame. Tapping the touchpad at just the right time will determine whether Ashley hits, misses, or scores a critical hit, or whether she dodges, takes reduced damage, or takes full damage.

The difficulty of the timing depends on how far away you are from your enemy, and what kind of cover is available. The system is simple, but the tactical applications could be very deep, especially in later stages.

The demo itself was fairly short and straightforward: Ashley took out one foe on her own, then three foes along with the help of a party member. Since Ashley and friends didnt have many skills available yet, the battles were a straightforward war of attrition, but the gameplay felt fluid, and the art style was easy on the eyes. Despite the dark setting, the characters are colorful and cartoony, lending an agreeable air of fantasy to the whole thing. Neuromancer this is not, although its very much a love letter to the cyberpunk genre.

With so many VR simulations dedicated to sports, racing, and shooting, I was glad to see one of my favorite genres get the immersive treatment. Although I didnt see too much of Augmented Empire, what I saw was more than enough to put the game on my radar. The game should be out this summer, and while theres no hard cost, it will be one of the more expensive games on the Gear VR platform. (Currently, that would put in the $10 range, but well see what happens.)

British TV fans should also take note: If all goes according to plan, both Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Doctor Who) and Sean Pertwee (Equilibrium, Gotham) will lend their voice talents to the title.

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Augmented Empire for Gear VR Is a Cyberpunk Gem - Tom's Guide

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Itll be interesting to see how Ghost in the Shell plays out at the box office when it arrives in theater on March 31, 2017. The live-action adaptation has been fraught with controversy ever since Scarlett Johansson was cast in the lead role back in 2015. But while manga/anime purists like myself see Johansson as wrong for the character one the film has at least tacitly acknowledged by changing her name* from Major Motoko Kusanagi to simply The Major theres no way of knowing if the whitewashing controversy penetrated the movie-goer bubble or if its simply too inside baseball for the masses to care. *Of course, with Japanese actress Kaori Momoi playing Johanssons mother, its possible theyre going with another terrible trope popularized by Marvels Psylocke of putting a brain/psyche of a minority into the body of a white person.

So, will folks turn out to see Scarlet Johansson in a cyberpunk action movie? Her turn in Lucy proves ScarJo can carry a sci-fi film. But Lucy only had a budget of $40 million compared to what will no doubt be a higher production cost of GITS, based simply on the special effects budget seen in the trailers. A higher risk comes with the potential for a higher reward, but also a bigger marketing budget to whet audiences appetites. The double-edged sword there is each new piece of marketing also reminds fans (and potentially the core demographic) of the controversy surrounding the casting of the main character. With all that in mind, do these motion posters for GITS make you more excited to see the film or not?

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These Glitchy New 'Ghost In The Shell' Motion Posters Introduce The Cyberpunk Cast - UPROXX

The last time we had heard from Odd Tales cyberpunk adventure game The Last Night was over two years ago, after it had finished winning a cyberpunk-themed game jam and when the developers decided to expand their Flashback/Oddworld-inspired creation into an even bigger game. As you may have expected, things have gone a bit silent for a while, but a now a major development has occurred again with the announcement that Raw Fury Games will help publish the title. In a post on their site, Raw Fury were absolutely ecstatic to be working with Odd Tales, with several staff members being fans before Raw Fury was even founded.

The initial teaser seen below only provides a mere seconds-long glimpse of things, but Odd Tales have promised a variety of gameplay with several different types of action, a huge world full of complex characters with branching dialogue and multiple-choice events and approaches, and of course, some ridiculously amazing pixel art and animation. No word on a release window yet, though the game is aiming for a release on both PC and consoles. Indeed, heres hoping The Last Night can deliver on the intrigue and deep gameplay that initial impressions suggest, and we at Hardcore Gamer will make sure to keep you updated on any notable progress concerning it as well.

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Raw Fury Games to Publish Cyberpunk Adventure The Last Night ... - Hardcore Gamer

(Last Updated On: February 25, 2017)

Im a real sucker when it comes to futuristic and cyberpunk stuff and it should come as no surprise that I find CD Projekt Reds take on Mike Pondsmiths Cyberpunk 2020 to be interesting. Well, it seems that others find it to be just as interesting too, and according to a new video, it features an interview with Pondsmith giving details about the upcoming project and get to learn some stuff about Cyberpunk 2077.

According to a new video that just dropped not too long ago, by YouTuber TuphSteel, we learn that the game will feature the city Night City a place located in California, positioned near San Fransisco and Los Angeles. As we know, the game will sport a Blade Runner-inspired look, so theres no doubt that this city will look sleek with a side of neo-noir sci-fi aesthetics.

Seeing that in the trailer that there are flying vehicles in the city, its likely that folks will be able to take one or more for a spin in Night City, or others, according to the devs posting up a job listing some time back on their official site, which reads:

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a talented Gameplay Programmer to join our outstanding team in Warsaw. The person in this position will cooperate with Gameplay & Level Designers teams to create the whole architecture of vehicle related code, and the physics of driving / flying in those vehicles. It will involve C++ coding as well scripting skills. If you are ready to take up this challenge, send us your application!

Furthermore, the game is also set to be an RPG, so this means that there will be paths branching off to better your character. According to a recent interview that (shudders) Glixel had with Mike Pondsmith reveals this:

The Cyberpunk sourcebook literally lays out the Humanity Cost associated with each bodily upgrade: Say I add four new cybernetic devices for a total Humanity Cost of 36. I will lose 3 points of Empathy. When your Empathy score hits zero, you enter a state called cyberpsychosis. At that point, players no longer control their character the referee takes over, and describes their descent into fits of rage, split personality, kleptomania, even cannibalism. Someone suffering from cyberpsychosis needs to be subdued by a Psycho Squad and undergo weeks of aversion therapy and braindance simulation before they rediscover the vestiges of their humanity.

I know that youre probably thinking well, what does that have to do with anything? Well, if you recall from the Witcher games, if Geralt takes one too many combat boosting potions hell slowdown or face death upon using more than one. So we could see augmentation and other properties play a huge role in the RPG spectrum of the game, which could offer up multiple choices depending on how a player approaches said upgrade/augmentation.

Moreover, in the role-playing version of the game there are twelve classes that can do different things. Its possible to become a corporate raider, med tech, media manipulator and a net-runner just to name a few. Some of these classes can craft machine parts into flesh, control crowds of people and steal data, with that said its likely that we can see some of these skills in the game due to Mike Pondsmith saying that he wanted the game to be as close to the tabletop version as possible. We even learn that he said that the closest we got was a mobile game, and later went on to say that but they wanted to change it way, way, way too much.

In addition to the above, he notes that CD Projekt Red is the only one to take the project and see it through to be like the original. So its likely that we will see a lot of the stuff from the tabletop version in the game in some form that will please Pondsmith.

With that said you can now watch the new video, although it kinda dabbles into rumors here and there, it comes in by TuphSteel.

Lastly, it is said that Pondsmith is working on a new tabletop version of the game that will release alongside CD Projekt Reds Cyberpunk 2077. So look out for any news regarding the tabletop version if you want a sneak peek of the game.

Cyberpunk 2077 is set to come out when its ready, according to the devs.

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Here's What Could Be In CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 - One Angry Gamer (blog)

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Ruiner will bring gritty cyberpunk action to Xbox One and PC with Xbox Play Anywhere Windows Central Basically, it's a top-down action shooter created in the spirit of cult-cyberpunk anime. Our fourfecta is exciting gameplay, compelling storyline, amazing graphics, and sound that immerses you in the experience. We picked our music very carefully and ... Gorgeous Cyberpunk Action Game Ruiner Launches Summer 2017Niche Gamer Cool Looking Cyberpunk Shooter Ruiner Steps Onto PS4 This ...Push Square all 7 news articles »

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Ruiner will bring gritty cyberpunk action to Xbox One and PC with Xbox Play Anywhere - Windows Central

Cyberpunk is a niche science fiction sub-genre that every so often jumps into the mainstream. Perhaps the most prominent example of is, of course, The Matrix, but now the upcoming Ghost in the Shell movie starring Scarlett Johansson will once again bring it into the spotlight. The pillars of the sub-genre are urban settings, social upheaval, dystopian futures with advanced technology and powerful corporations, and gritty underworlds filled with illicit trade. Hacker characters and shadowy corporations abound.

The popular HBO show Westworld cant be called cyberpunk because Season 1 didnt present enough information about the world outside the park to discern if it fits that structure, but the more niche Syfy show Incorporated is. The genre is always kicking; its simply a matter of how many people are paying attention to it at any given moment.

Even though the new Ghost in the Shell movie has its problems, if it can bring renewed attention to this intriguing strand of science fiction, that might be its greatest success. If its trailers have made you curious about the genre as a whole, here are some novels to start with, aside from the Ghost in the Shell manga, of course.

##. 1. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Snow Crash is a modern classic set in a future version of Los Angeles in which private organizations hold most of the government power, mercenary armies compete for control, and of course, the protagonist is a hacker with access to all the underground facets of this world. Its a must-read if youre exploring the genre.

Another classic, this was the novel that spawned the film Blade Runner. As the book has several key differences, even if youve seen the movie many times, its worth a read.

This sprawling, ambitious novel is set in a 23rd century in which megacorporations dominate, plagues are frequent, and people are engineered to satisfy the whims of the rich.

This is a Young Adult book, which goes to show how the cyberpunk sub-genre transcends categories. The protagonist is a cyborg living in a dystopian version of Beijing.

You cant dive into cyberpunk without taking a spin in the world of Neuromancer, the father of the genre. The Matrix would not exist if Neuromancer had not established a world with hacker characters and a virtual reality space called The Matrix. Like most of the other works in the genre, its set in the East, specifically Japan. If you read just one cyberpunk novel in your curiosity, read this one.

Ghost in the Shell hits theaters on February 28, 2017.

Photos via Paramount Pictures

Lauren's writing has appeared on The Huffington Post, Page Views at The New York Daily News, and 20SomethingReads at The Book Report Network. She has also interned at The Overlook Press and Cosmopolitan. A Dartmouth grad, she lives in Brooklyn.

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5 Cyberpunk Books to Read Before Watching 'Ghost in the Shell' - Inverse

The Cyberpunk 2077 trailer that first revealed the game to the public several years ago has been remade in Star Marine, the first-person shooter component of the still-in-development space sim Star Citizen, and with the games Lumberyard engine it still looks pretty good, even in a different game.

See Also: CDPR Pulling Out All The Stops For Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay, City

The trailer that the Star Citizen remake is lampooning is the first that many people heard about the Cyberpunk game, depicting a group of heavily armored policemen shooting at a woman.

At the time, the trailer got accusations of misogyny from various critics, who apparently conveniently ignored the fact that the woman in question was a psychotic cyborg that had murdered around a dozen people in a bloody rage.

The Cyberpunk 2077 trailer cant be perfectly mimicked in Star Marine, but the game does do its best; it is in-engine, after all, instead of being a pre-rendered cutscene that can mimic every single thing in the original trailer, ranging from bullets skating off of an androids synthetic skin to the blood that her arm-blades are soaked in.

And, while I doubt you can do all the sorts of stuff that Cyberpunk 2077 promises in Star Citizen, its not like you wont be able to a whole bunch of other stuff in either game.

The two games, while different, have shown off two different visions of the future: one, in Star Citizen, being optimistic and bright (despite the games backstory of humanity being embroiled in an interstellar war) while the other is dark and gritty (where humanity has begun to improve itself with cybernetics and more).

Which one proves the more popular on release remains to be seen, though considering one is the most ambitious (and most-funded) Kickstarters around and the other is by the same series that developed the Witcher games (CD Projekt RED), the competition will likely be fierce.

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Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Remade In Star Citizen's FPS Component - SegmentNext

The newest "Star Marine" trailer showed a recreation of the "Cyberpunk 2077" CG clip. ( Cyberpunk 2077/YouTube Screenshot )

"Star Marine" may have done something that can be compared to the upcoming CD Projekt RED title "Cyberpunk 2077." While both games are popular in their own right, fans can apparently see the similarities between them.

According toDark Side of Gaming,"Star Marine" launched a new video that showed the recreation of CD Projekt RED's pending IP, with its own bits and pieces added. "Star Marine" is a first-person version of "Star Citizen," one of the more recognized space exploration titles to date. The said game is powered by Amazon's Lumberyard Engine.

The two clips retained the slow motion context. However, instead of showing a female android from "Cyberpunk 2077," "Star Marine" showed an armored soldier. The focused gun shots traveling from the weapon and into the target is also notably similar, with almost the same arrangement of the firing squad seen from both clips. Also noticeable is the use of the same music for the videos, from beginning to end.

CD Projekt RED is known for its successful "The Witcher" title, especially "The Witcher 3" which was declared Game of the Year. As for "Cyberpunk 2077," the technological marvel announced over four years ago has yet to reveal more about itself.

As of the moment, it only implies a futuristic setting where cybernetic sentient beings are a potential threat to humanity. It takes the same role-playing approach as its predecessor. "Star Marine" is a first-person shooter module inspired by the "Star Citizen" franchise, with the video "Bullets" as the official promo for itself.

"Star Marine" features two maps: the OP Station Demien and Echo Eleven. The original space game "Star Citizen"is considered the most successful crowd-funded game of all time, going past $113 million in sales.

2017 - 2017Mobile & Apps, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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'Star Marine' Trailer Shows Version Of 'Cyberpunk 2077' Clip [Watch] - Mobile & Apps

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The upcoming cyberpunk shooter Static Sky calls out for alpha and beta testers - Pocket Gamer

At the start of the 1988 adventure game based on William Gibson's genre-defining cyberpunk novel Neuromancer, you wake up face down in a plate of spaghetti. Well, it's synth-spaghetti because this is the future, but that doesn't make it any more comfortable. Like the book's protagonist Case you're a down-and-out former console cowboy who has lost the ability to hack, though in your case it's not due to traumatic surgery but simple poverty. You can't afford a new computer. Hell, you can't even afford to pay for the spaghetti.

Author Bruce Sterling summed up the cyberpunk genre as a combination of low-life and high-tech, and that's a perfect description of both versions of Neuromancer. Later in the game you have the option to sell your internal organs for cash, and hack a computer at Cheap Hotelits actual nameto pay the rent. Your life is about as low as they get.

In 1993 Syndicate went in the opposite direction, casting you as the CEO in charge of a corporation bent on global domination. In Syndicate you're the villain at the top of the dystopian food chain.

While most of the games in the genre that followed explored spaces somewhere in between those two extremes, there's been a tendency for them to focus on the high-tech and not the low-life. They get the cyber, but not the punk.

Cyberpunk games are rarely about cool losers. They're usually about cool cops.

Take the heroes of the Deus Ex series. JC Denton is an augmented agent who works for a UN anti-terrorist organization. Alex D is an augmented agent-in-training at the Tarsus Academy with a bright future in the WTO, and Adam Jensen is the augmented chief of security for a biotech corporation. All of these characters go through learning experiences that show their employers are untrustworthy and their world is more complex than they thought it was, but they all start on the privileged side of the fence.

When low-life characters do show up, they're pushed to the periphery. Adam Jensen walks past some punks gathered around a bin-fire in the streets of Detroit so he can overhear a conversation about getting a dog cybernetically enhanced to take part in a pitfight.

In the Lower Seattle of Deus Ex: Invisible War, Alex D also meets two people huddled around a burning bin, one of whom is Lo-town Lucya pierced punk who provides some basic info on the area while reprimanding you for being an Upper Seattle tourist. She points out how out of your element you are in the poor part of town, but in doing so makes it clear you're out of place in the genre as well.

That's not to say that there are no cyborg badasses who learn the law isn't always right in cyberpunk outside of games. Robocop and Ghost in the Shell are both classic examples of this kind of story, but in video games characters like Murphy and Kusanagi aren't rarities. They're the norm.

The heroes of Crusader: No Remorse, Hard Reset, Final Fantasy VII, Binary Domainall are tough guys who learn the rebels and terrorists have a point. They're Armitage from Neuromancer, rather than that story's actual main characters: Case and Molly, the misfits.

Binary Domain is an on-the-nose example of a sidelined punk: a teen hacker with multicolored hair named Yuki who lives in the slums of Tokyo and works as a courier for the resistance. Because it's a video game the hero of the story is a white American with a big gun instead of her.

A rare counter-example is Remember Me from Life is Strange developer Dontnot, in which you do get to play the terroristwell, Errorist because it's the future.

Influential as it is, Neuromancer's not the only flavor of cyberpunk. Blade Runner gave us the archetype of the futuristic investigator forced to see a bigger, more troubling world beyond the next case. Since then, whether detectives like in Psycho-Pass or crusading journalists like in Max Headroom, plenty of cyberpunk stories have been about characters who attempt to solve crimes but stumble into more philosophical questions. Games like the Tex Murphy series, Technobabylon, Anachranox, Westwood's Blade Runner, and more recently Read Only Memories all fit into this category.

But even here, with shabby heroes who live in cramped apartments the order of the day, the low-lifes often get a raw deal. In Read Only Memories you see two punks named Starfucker and Olli and immediately accuse them of an unrelated act of vandalism and chase them down, after which you're given the option to call the police like some kind of tool of The Man.

If you dont you get to know them better and learn theyre not bad guys, but then they transition to comedy sidekicksthose two wacky guys!instead. They feel like a token inclusion, cast aside by the climax, when they deserve to be central.

Over time these tropes have been distilled into the core of the genre: all the imagery, with none of the messages.

In the end it turns out Starfucker and Olli are guilty of the vandalism you accuse them of. But still, it's rough to see the characters with mohawks and shades treated so roughly in a game that's all about evoking the classic retro cyberpunk feel. Like so many games Read Only Memories borrows visuals from Akira, but in Akira the biker gang are the heroes.

Recycling is an essential part of cyberpunk fiction, its cities full of repurposed junk given new life. The initial wave that followed iconic works like Neuromancer, Blade Runner, and Akira recycled too, using their conceits and visuals in new ways. Over time these tropes have been distilled into the core of the genre: all the imagery, with none of the messages.

One game where the malcontents and outsiders get to star is Shadowrun: Dragonfall. The Shadowrun series is an unlikely mash-up of fantasy and cyberpunk that exaggerates the cliches of each, where the dragon who demands tribute and the TV personality admired by millions are one and the same, Smaug cast as Max Headroom. Perhaps it's that exaggeration of the basic tropes that makes Shadowrun feel true to cyberpunk fiction, in spite of the elves.

Shadowrunners are hackers and spies who can be hired online, like Uber but for corporate espionage, and in Dragonfall your band of runners have a secret base under a market in the anarchist free state of Berlin. It's as much about protecting the societal dregs who are your neighbours, drug addicts and shifty coffee dealers, as it is about making money. Also, one of the party members is an actual punk, the former lead singer of a band with the wonderful name MESSERKAMPF!

Shadowrun: Dragonfall gets the heart of cyberpunk right. Quality punks.

Cyberpunk-adjacent games like this weirdly seem more likely to feature the most cyberpunk protagonists. Sci-fi horror games Bloodnet and Magrunner: Dark Pulse are perfect examples, even though they add vampires and the Cthulhu Mythos. The hacker heroes of Watch Dogs 2, Quadrilateral Cowboy, and Else Heart.Break() would all feel at home in glowing near-future cities even though their games are set in the modern day, the 1980s, and a fictional town in Sweden respectively.

As in movies like Sneakers, Hackers, and Inception, they're telling cyberpunk stories about how information wants to be free and unchecked power is real bad, just without the chromed-up settings.

Right now CD Projekt Red is working on Cyberpunk 2077, a game that promises to be so chromed-up we'll be able to see our reflections in it. Like Shadowrun it's based on a tabletop RPG, but this time one with a more purist visionMike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk 2020, in which players are cast as anti-corporate Edgerunners and where getting too many implants can cause cyberpsychosis.

The trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 features a member of MAX-TACcops who hunt those cyberpsychosarresting and recruiting a cyborg killer. But while the tabletop game has cops among its playable roles, it also features Netrunners, biker Nomads, and Rockerboys and Rockergirls who use the power of music to spread their political messages. It lets players emulate the gang members of Marc Laidlaw's '400 Boys' or the rockstars of Norman Spinrad's Little Heroes as well as Judge Dredd.

There's reason to hope the video game adaptation will follow suit and in doing so, get closer to the under-represented elements of the genre. In a promotional video for Cyberpunk 2077, Pondsmithwho is working with CD Projekt Red on adapting his gametalks about what he considers to be important in cyberpunk. It's not the technology, he says, it's the feel. It's getting that dark, gritty, rain-wet street feeling but at the same time getting that rock & roll, lost, desperate-and-dangerous quality.

Pondsmith goes on to quote one of Gibson's famous lines from the short story Burning Chrome: the street finds its own uses for things. Cyberpunk isn't just about the alienation that comes with future shock, or the questions about humanity raised by cybernetic enhancement and artificial intelligence. It's also about the way powerless people find strength and solace by repurposing the future for their own ends.

Gibson wrote that the street finds its own uses for things, not people who work for security agencies find their own uses for things.

The streets and their inhabitants are central to cyberpunk. It's the powerless who suffer most in the kind of authoritarian regimes cyberpunk fiction depicts, and games could do with getting back to the idea that the rebels, misfits, vandals, and people who can't afford a plate of spaghetti matter.

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It's time for cyberpunk games to remember how to be punk - PC Gamer