Daily Archives: January 21, 2021

Following news that CD Projekt Red is again facing more unfortunate news with a class-action lawsuit, Valves Gabe Newell has stepped in to express his sympathy for the battered game developer.

On top of mentioning that Cyberpunk 2077 itself is an amazing game that required a lot of talent of produce, Newell went on to say, I have a lot of sympathy with a situation that every game developer finds themselves in. There are aspects of the game that are just brilliant, and it shows a tremendous amount of work its unfair to throw stones at any other developer, because just getting something as complex and ambitious as that out the door is pretty amazing.

This news also comes just a week after CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwiski uploaded a video explaining some of the hurdles that the team faced internally before the launch. In the video, he asks for forgiveness and takes responsibility for the rough launch.

In other gaming news, PlayStation 5 scalper shows off his 2,000 pre-ordered units.

More:

Valve's Gabe Newell Weighs in On CD Projekt's Situation With 'Cyberpunk 2077' - HYPEBEAST

Cyberpunk 2077 is full of hidden choices that affect the game in unexpected ways. Players may not always learn the consequences of their choices until much later in the game, and some subtle decisions can even affect the game's ending. Players may also miss some critical choices entirely if V doesnt explore every side job Cyberpunkhas to offer.

While Cyberpunk 2077 usually makes it obvious which choices are going to have a major impact on the game, some of these decisions are hidden in optional objectives or side jobs. The main storyline alone is 30 hours long, and the dozens of side jobs, gigs, and NCPD scanner hustles extend the game's length even more. Making the wrong decision early in the game could lead to a bad outcome many hours later, or could impact Vs possible endings.

Related:Cyberpunk 2077: How To Play The GOOD Version

For V to have the best outcomes in the game, players must make some difficult decisions. Here are some of Cyberpunk 2077s hidden choices and how they affect the game.

At the end of "The Heist," Delamain asks V where to send Jackies body. It doesnt seem like that important of a decision at the time, but Vs choice does affect later quests and storylines. If V chooses to send Jackies body back to his family or asks Delamain to wait until they get back from the meet with Dex, then V will be invited to a memorial service by Mama Welles in the "Heroes" side job. If V chooses to send Jackies body to the ripperdoc, they miss out on the memorial but get additional dialogue and storylines later in the game.

In "Automatic Love," V needs to deal with Woodman, the owner of Clouds whos partially responsible for Evelyns fate. V has three options: storm into Woodmans office guns blazing and kill everyone, sneak in and interrogate Woodman before killing him, or interrogating Woodman and letting him live. If V chooses to kill Woodman, its a pretty standard boss fight, and then hes removed from the story. If V lets Woodman live, theyll have to deal with him later in Judys side job "Ex-Factor."

After "Automatic Love," V needs to talk to Fingers, a ripperdoc who worked on Evelyn. Hes a bad dude, and at several points in the conversation, V has the option to hit him, which is very tempting. Doing so doesnt cause any major consequences in the story, but it does eliminate him as an available ripperdoc in the city.

In "Gimme Danger," Takemura decides to do some reconnaissance before the parade, and V has the option to join him. Doing so gives V information about the buildings weak points, and allows them to have a deep conversation with Takemura that will cement their friendship. This has a significant impact on future dialogue choices in the game and can affect one of the endings.

Related:Cyberpunk 2077: All Free Car and Vehicle Locations

If V sent Jackies body to Vik at the end of "The Heist," Takemura will share that Jackies body was intercepted by Arasaka and that they plan to use Soulkiller on him to extract information and create an engram.

In "Play It Safe," V needs to take down Oda, Hanako Arasakas bodyguard. After V defeats Oda, Takemura calls and asks them to spare Odas life. If V chooses to shoot Oda, hes gone from the game for good, but if V spares his life then Oda can potentially show up later in one of the endings. This decision doesnt influence the story in any real way, but it can add some extra flavor to Cyberpunk 2077'sendgame.

This is a truly hidden decision, because there isnt a quest objective or dialogue option that tells V this is a possibility. After police storm the building, V gets separated from Takemura and needs to fight a bunch of enemies and escape. The quest objective leads V out of the building, but in order to save Takemura, V will need to go upstairs and rescue him first. Saving Takemura allows players to unlock The Devil trophy or achievement (if they chose the corresponding ending), and Takemura will show up during the Epilogue.

In "Happy Together," Vs neighbor Barry is going through a tough time after the death of his best friend. Barrys colleagues from NCPD ask V to check in on him. In order to get the best outcome of this quest, V must speak to Barry within an unspecified amount of time, or the quest will auto-complete and fail.

Related:When Cyberpunk 2077 is Coming Back To The PlayStation Store

After speaking to Barry, V can visit Andrews memorial, where they find out hes a tortoise. Then V needs to report back to the NCPD officers and tell them the truth about Andrew. If V leaves that part out, the officers dont realize how much danger Barry is in, and Barry ends up taking his own life.

"The Beast In Me" involves a series of street races organized by Claire, a bartender at the Afterlife. After the Santa Domingo race, Claire reveals to V that she wants help killing Sampson in revenge. V can try to convince Claire not to take revenge or to support her, which has an affect on choices made later in the questline. Regardless of what V chooses, in the last race Claire wants V to stick close to Sampson's tail so she can shoot him. If V ignores Claire and treats this like a normal Cyberpunk 2077 street race, theyll get the winnings, but Claire will act coldly towards them when they see her later in the Afterlife.

If V does what Claire asks, theyll lose the race, and be faced with another choice. If V allows Claire to take her revenge, theyll win Claires unique truck as a reward. If V tries to convince Claire to spare Sampson, the outcome depends on what V chose to do after the Santa Domingo race. If they tried to talk Claire out of revenge, Claire will spare Sampson now, and V will get both Claires truck and Sampsons unique car as rewards. If V didnt try to talk Claire out of revenge before, the attempt will fail now and Claire will kill Sampson.

In Dream On, V finds evidence that a mystery organization is performing mind control on the Peralez couple and altering their memories. Elizabeth Peralez begs V not to tell Jefferson the truth out of fear for his safety. When V meets with Jefferson at the end of the quest, they can choose to tell him the truth, or lie and point the finger in another direction. Whichever option V chooses, Jefferson thanks them and concludes the mission.

Related:What Does Choom Mean In Cyberpunk 2077

Afterwards, V receives some concerning text messages from Jefferson and Elizabeth before they block Vs number, and V doesnt hear from them for the rest of the game. If V chooses to tell Jefferson the truth, hell call during the end credits of Cyberpunk 2077 and talk in a panicked voice about how they are changing him.

In a game as long and complex as Cyberpunk 2077, it can be frustrating to face unexpected consequences hours after making an innocuous decision. Most of the hidden choices in Cyberpunk 2077 do not have a major impact on the ending, but they can add depth to the story and unlock more side quests later in the game.

Next:Cyberpunk 2077: Misty and Jackie's History, Explained

Best Animal Crossing Villagers For Adult Players

Nicole Rennolds is a gaming and technology writer, true crime fanatic, and pre-vet student from Baltimore, Maryland. She lives with her boyfriend, two cats, and an outrageous book collection. She posts a lot of pictures of her food on Instagram @rennnnn42.

See the rest here:

All Cyberpunk 2077 Hidden Choices & What They Affect - Screen Rant

A new Cyberpunk 2077 Color Grading Pack has been released which includes numerous color correction shaders to give the game a new look.

Created by modder Simjedi, the pack contains 39 Look-up Textures (also known as LUT) with different color shaders based on the color grading used in various popular movies, including Minority Report, Alien, Tron, Wonder Woman, Joker, Indiana Jones, Game of Thrones, The Book of Eli, and many more. There are also some custom shaders allowing for a Western, Winter, or 70s look. If case you want to learn more about LUTs, check out this post on the Reshade forums.

Razer Naga X MMO Gaming Mouse Out Now, Available for $79.99

Down below youll find the full list of color shaders that are included with the new Cyberpunk 2077 Color Grading Pack:

Installation isnt too hard but be sure to follow the installation instruction right here. Those interested in using this new color pack can download it via Nexusmods.

As expected, these color shaders are only available for the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077. If you're into mods, be sure to check out the other Cyberpunk 2077 mods we covered recently, including the new lighting mod, hairstyle mod, and Ray Tracing optimization mod.

See original here:

New Cyberpunk 2077 Color Grading Pack Provides That Cinematic Interstellar, Alien, Game of Thrones, Joker, and Indiana Jones-Feel - Wccftech

So much of the work that went into Cyberpunk 2077 is in world design, the sprawling city itself, and the massive buildings that make it up. How, then, does someone deeply versed in the art and craft of architecturethe creation of spaces and a student of how they're usedfeel about Night City? There's one architect who, despite the bugs, feels drawn back toward the fictional city because of the design of its spaces.

Architect Morphologis runs a video series called An Architect Reviews focused on spaces inside of digital worlds, and their latest is about the spaces of Night City. It's an interesting tour of some of the major spaces in the game, starting with V's massive housing block, which Morphologis compares to the output of the 70s Japanese Metabolism movement, which focused on huge, semi-organic structures. They also call out other architecture movements like Brutalism, 1930s Asian art-deco, business architecturesall scattered across the city.

They go back over and over to the idea of oppressive architecture, the idea that people are cogs in the Cyberpunk machine. There are a lot of interesting insights that only an architect knows, though: Morpholgois points out that as corporations take over in Cyberpunk, it's clear that building regulations have vanished, allowing buildings to overtake each other, build on top, and infringe on public space. There's also the key idea that the roads of Cyberpunk are "spaghettified" and interweaving. They say it's "an accurate depiction of what a future city ruled by corporations might look like."

Read the rest here:

What does an architect think of Cyberpunk 2077's Night City? - PC Gamer

In Cyberpunk 2077 there's almost a natural push towards a handgun build. After all, with so many amazing uniquehandguns found in the game, it's hard to resist turning every single customized V into a Johnny Silverhand-inspired gunslinger. Not to mention, handguns are extremely powerful in the game and the perk tree for handguns is full of highly useful boosts to turn you into a cowboy of the dark future.

RELATED: Cyberpunk 2077: 10 Side Jobs With Amazing Rewards To Do Immediately

However, even with such favoritism towards handguns, it's pretty overwhelming to sift through every perk and figure out what's actually worth investing into. Luckily, choosing handguns as your primary skill makes it easy to level up, and so you'll soon be able to unlock most of the perk tree without much punishment for choosing a "wrong" perk. Still, there are a few perks that do have a slight edge over the rest.

Rio Bravo is an amazing perk which becomes available very early on. In fact, you only need a level 3 in Reflexes for it to become available. The whole idea with handguns is to try and score those cheeky headshots on enemies peaking out of cover, so this perk, a headshot multiplier increase, will come in handy instantly.

The perk has three levels, each of which increases the headshot damage multiplier by 10%, starting at 10% at level 1, 20% at level 2 and 30% at level 3. This should be among the first perks to max out.

The problem with pistols is that they have limited range. In some missions, you'll have to move forward quite a bit to engage with your enemies, which can put you into serious danger. That's why this perk, Long Shot Drop Pop, is a savior for any gunslingers.

RELATED: Cyberpunk 2077: Tips For Taking On Assault In Progress

Available at level 7 of Reflexes, the perk has two levels and basically increases your damage with handguns to opponents who are more than five meters away, at first by 15% and then by 25%. This will make long-range combat a bit more bearable to handgun specialists, without having to invest in rifles.

With some pistols, recoil can be a real annoyance to deal with, especially if you find it hard to aim in the first place. To increase your accuracy, investing in a perk like Steady Hand is a good idea, even for decent and seasoned FPS players, as it removes the need for aim compensation.

Steady Hand is an easy perk to pick up since it comes in one leveland becomes available at level 9 of Reflexes. It reduces recoil for all handguns by 30%, which is a nice quality of life improvement.

Finishing off enemies that are already low and might be trying to hide or run away is key in fast-paced combat. With handguns, it's nice to get a small damage boost against enemies that are already pretty weak but who might be difficult to hit. To remedy this, it's recommended to unlock O.K. Corral at level 9 of Reflexes.

The perk only comes in one level, so it's easy to unlock. Any enemies who are below 25% of their health will take 50% more damage from your handguns, which is a staggering increase, especially at such an early level as 9 for Reflexes.

The problem with firearms is that they give you very poor mobility and you move significantly slower when aiming down sights. Handguns are no different from rifles and shotguns in that regard, which is why the Acrobat perk is another must-pick at level 12 of Reflexes.

RELATED: Cyberpunk 2077: The 10 Best Skills To Get In Assault

Once this perk is unlocked, you can actually dodge while you're locked in aiming down sights animation. It really does change your mobility quite a bit, although it can at times feel a bit buggy if you unintentionally press the keys to dodge.

One of the strongest perks towards the mid to late game at level 14 of Reflexes is Attritional Fire. The advantage this perk brings along is absolutely staggering, since it only requires you to unlock it once and it does so much for you.

Firing consecutive shots on the same target with a handgun will basically increase your damage by 10% every time. This might not seem like a lot, but at this point in the game you probably have a decent aim and can secure kills in several shots. It's a fantastic damage boost and a great for finishing pesky kills.

Following Long Shot Drop Pop, this is definitely the next perk to look forward to if you want to make your long-range combat even more bearable. Wild West is a perk that becomes available at level 14 of Reflexes and only requires you to unlock it once.

This perk is insanely powerful, given that it's granted to you at only level 14 of your primary combat skill. It entirely removes damage penalty from handguns when shooting from a distance, making it ten times easier to engage snipers or enemies you would simply rather keep away from.

This perk is also related to a previous perk mentioned on this guide, the Acrobat perk. Combine that with this one, Lead Sponge, and you won't ever have to worry about being a sitting duck as a gunslinger. Your mobility will be that of a cyberninja, or at least somewhat on par.

RELATED: 10 Cyberpunk 2077 Legendary Items You Need

Lead Sponge is definitely an end game perk with 18 Reflexes required, but it changes pistol play completely. You can finally shoot while dodging, and not just aim down sights while dodging. Combine it with Acrobat, and you're good to go.

A super late game perk, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly only becomes available when you reach level 20 of your Reflexes attribute. It's one of the few, if not the only perk, that actually provides a gunslinger with some armor. This is important, given that handgun specialists tend to be squishy.

Whenever you hit a critical strike with a handgun, your damage and armor will be increased by 30% for 5 seconds. This is pretty insane, even if it's only 5 seconds. If you're hitting multiple crits, which at this point in the game shouldn't be a problem, you'll be dealing staggering amounts of damage almost every engagement.

Another end game perk is Brainpower, available once your Reflexes are leveled up to 20. Unlocked only once, it's perfect for players who like to secure Critical Hits. Whenever you land a headshot with a handgun, your critical chance increases to 25% for 5 seconds.

With good aim and the Steady Hand perk to reduce recoil, this is a great perk to go for if you trust your aim, which at level 20 is probably already fantastic. It's a simple damage increase, but the effect can last for a while if you can secure several headshots, which don't even need to be fatal.

NEXT: Cyberpunk 2077: Every District, Ranked From Worst To Best

Next 10 Pokemon Abilities That Sound More Powerful Than They Are

Tea lover and video game obsessed writing enthusiast with her very own Overwatch team, Anastasia writes about games that leave an impression on her and make her come back time and time again.

Read the original post:

Cyberpunk 2077: The 10 Best Skills To Get In Handguns - TheGamer

Cyberpunk 2077 has had a rough month. However, I have really enjoyed my time exploring Night City on Google Stadia. Well, the team over at Speedcheck have crunched some numbers about playing Cyberpunk 2077 on Stadia and its interesting to see. For starters, they looked at how fast of a connection you need to play the game at four different resolutions. Starting at 720p, youll need 11 Mbps, 22 Mbps for 1080p, 37 Mbps for 4K, and 42 Mbps for 4K HDR. Keep in mind that these numbers are for if the game is the only thing using the internet. In addition, they limited their bandwidth to only 5 Mbps for 720p and the lag was a real problem. The team also found that the game only takes less than 45 seconds to launch on Stadia.

I think Stadia is a decent service thats worth considering, but with the way internet is in the United States, it can be hard to get a network that meets your requirements for the gaming platform.

Read the original post:

Speedcheck Crunches the Numbers of CYBERPUNK 2077 on Google Stadia - GeekTyrant

Game Rant recently had a chat with Anna Rust, an actress who finds roles not just in traditional film media but also as a voice actor in video games. As for games, Anna has had roles inStar Wars Battlefront 2,Nioh 2,Battlefield 5,Final Fantasy 14, andCyberpunk 2077, but she also recently played Fleury in Amazon'sCarnival Rowseries and has been cast in several other movies and short films.

Rust discussed her favorite games, dream roles, predictions for the future of the industry, and much more. Voice actors often share some of the most interesting anecdotes about the process of making video games, but Rust's breadth of experience lends an especially interesting perspective on both video games and more traditional forms of media. The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

RELATED:Actress Explains Why Some Major Film Actors are Moving to Video Games

GR: It's rare to mix video game and traditional acting, but you've done so- what are the major differences between the mediums?

AR: I think there are more differences than similarities, at least for me as an actor. For me, when I'm working on a game, I'm in a booth somewhere, and and nine times out of ten youre gonna be alone in that booth. In film acting you have the luxury of being able to bounce off of someone elses energy and tone. But, when youre alone, you get more individual feedback on what youre doing.

It is rare, but its becoming more common for people to do video game work. I think youll agree that the quality of video games is becoming really astounding these days, and I personally will always gravitate towards quality material. People are finally waking up to how great games can be, and actors can get really fully fleshed out characters in games now. Just because youre not physically on screen doesnt mean you cant get one of the most captivating performances out there....and hopefully it helps take away the stigma from video games that its just a time killer. It will help show people that it really can be art.

GR: With face tracking technology these days, players can really see an actor's face too. Is that helping to bridge that gap?

AR: It really is. And the more we get things like The Last of Us 2, or even The Last of Us 1, were going to see that gap between film or TV and video games narrow massively. If you play more recent games, even down to Spider-Man Miles Morales, its basically an interactive film in a way.... you get the same sense of immersion.

Recently, I played Alien: Isolation and it really gripped me. It was such a captivating experience. Obviously, it is based on a series of films, so its easy to draw the parallel to motion picture, but I felt like I was playing a horror film. It became cinematic in a terrifying way.... I think the best horror games out right now is the Outlast series. They are so f***ed up, they will leave you borderline traumatized afterwards. To think of all the work that went into making that, I have the utmost respect for that kind of creativity.

GR: Its clear youve got some serious gaming chops. What are your favorite games?

AR: If I had to say 'gun to my head' favorite, I would probably say Marvel's Spider-Man. The two that I find myself always going back to are Skyrim and GTA 5. I know its ridiculous because I just want the next ones to come out, and I feel like the longer I support the old ones the longer it will take them to come out with the new ones.... But its those two games that when Im down or lonely or sad, theyre what I will always go back to. Theyre there for me and theyre endlessly replayable.

RELATED:Skyrim is One of Few Games to Actually Last 10 Years

GR: How often do you play games that youve worked on?

AR: I play them almost every time. Not because I'm in them, but just because Ive been lucky enough to be a part of some really cool games that I wanted to play anyway. Also, having some insight a few months or years in advance really makes me want to see how they turn out. I love playing games Im a part of, but I try to ignore that Im in them.

GR: It must be interesting to be playing something and then hear your own voice.

AR: It is bizarre! Theres this game on Oculus called Arktika 1, its from the developers of Metro. I was so excited to play it because I had never done VR before, but then I realized that I play the character who guides you through the whole game. I was like I dont know if I can do this. It was just me talking to me the entire game.

GR: You worked on Cyberpunk 2077, and we'd love to hear more about what it was like. Can you describe what you did in Cyberpunk? What was your role?

AR: I dont want to spoil anything, but theres a really great scene somewhere in the game with my character, who is a sex worker. I have yet to find it myself, so I will probably leave it at that.

GR: What was it like working on that game?

AR: I thought it was brilliant. I loved the scripts to death. I know that theres been some controversy about the game coming out, but Im really confident that once the bugs are ironed out people will see how impressive the game really is. From the story to the gameplay to the visuals to the characters, every part of this game is in my opinion absolutely brilliant.... Were going to see the other end of it and be really impressed with the game.... I remember people talking about how buggy Skyrim was, but now its universally beloved.

GR: Right. And Cyberpunk really does seem to get its worldbuilding across very well.

AR: For Cyberpunk, its almost like, and I mean this in a positive way, an assault on the senses. There is just so much going on. Its incredible and every little corner is like that.

GR: Whats been your favorite role on film or in a game?

AR: I really love Fleury [from Carnival Row]. I love everything about her. As far as video games, Ive got to say Gaia in Final Fantasy 14. I'm actually a really big fan of her from an external perspective. Shes really cool and she has so many different forms that make her a joy to play as an actor. To be honest, I really ship her and Ryne. Im really hoping for something there so fingers crossed.

RELATED:10 MMORPGs That Are Still Fun In 2020

GR: What would your dream role be?

AR: My dream for film and TV is a bit far fetched, but its always been Marvels Black Cat. I loved that character from an unreasonably young age and Ive always thought she was just brilliant. Every iteration of her Ive loved, and if I played her, I could die the next day. In terms of video games, Id love to work on an Elder Scrolls game. Who knows, maybe there will be another one soon, maybe well be lucky.

GR: Would you prefer a character role, a bunch of smaller NPCs, or a main player protagonist role?

AR: I will always be drawn to interesting characters. Whether thats the protagonist or a relatively small role in either film or video games, I will always be drawn to characters that excite me. In video games, you can play multiple characters as well, unlike film and TV, so when it comes to games, I really love doing multiple characters. Of course, I enjoy doing a single character that has a really good story or interesting relationships, but I love doing those jobs where you get to do 30 characters and theyre all different so you get to do a lot of various things. Theres never too much weight on it because youll be done with the character in 40 lines. You can try anything.

GR:Like all those wacky one-off NPCs in Elder Scrolls with weird lines?

AR: Yes! And often those characters become fan favorites.

GR: So what do you think makes a good character?

AR: ...It doesnt necessarily have to be someone you align with at all. As long as it's well defined and interesting, youll love spending time with them.... Its literally any character that compels in any way. Im more interested in characters that arent an archetype that does things that just fit the character. Often when you work on something the instinct is to do something you think the character would do. Its much more interesting to do the opposite, because none of us are one dimensional in real life. What makes characters interesting is when they are unpredictable, different, unique, and havent been seen 50 times already in other games or shows. its someone who stands out as an individual.

GR: What are you most proud of?

AR: I really loved working on Carnival Row. The things I got to do on that show were really bucket list worthy. Theres...I dont know if I can talk about it. But theres an element of the show that isnt public yet that I got to work on, and I got to record a song. It was something I always wanted to do at some point. On top of already having gotten to do so many things, like stunts, prosthetics, like having wings I really loved working on that show.

GR: Whats your favorite game that youve worked on?

AR: I loved working on Final Fantasy 14. I loved the character. I also really enjoyed Battlefield 5because I usually dont get to play a physically strong soldier who barks orders and is very head in the game, front footed, doesnt give a f***, has a singular goal and is going for it. Thats really fun as an actor.

GR: To the extent you can talk about future projects, what are you looking forward to most?

AR:The future in general, just because I dont know what it holds.

[End.]

MORE:To Sleep In a Sea of Stars Interview: FemShep VA Talks Characters, New Audiobook, and More

The 15 Best Video Game Characters of 2020

Robin has a passion for games, tech, and entertainment that stretches back as far as he can remember. From big-budget shooters and RPGs to quirky casual titles, anything with focused design and engaging flow is in his wheelhouse.

Read more here:

Interview: Actress Anna Rust Talks Industry Trends, Working on Cyberpunk 2077, and More - GameRant