Cyberpunk 2077 Review (PS4) - The PS4 Console Lifepath

[This review is only based on the PS4 versionof Cyberpunk 2077 that focuses on technical performance and the score represents this version of the game only. The full review of Cyberpunk 2077 was based on the PC version and you can read my full thoughts here. ]

I’ve played the PS4 version of Cyberpunk 2077 in order to compare my experience with the PC release to the-now infamous previous console generation version of the game, which is currently getting most of the beating right now in various communities. The verdict? It’s rough, to say the least. I’m running a standard PS4 unit bought in 2014, which ran Red Dead Redemption 2, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, and witnessed the shocking plot twists that unfold in The Last of Us Part 2, all demanding games that would push any unit to its limits. What's more, this is the only game that reminded me of Fallout: New Vegas, the RPG that felt unplayable and frustrating at launch.

All of the issues I have with Cyberpunk 2077, together with the good things I liked about the game, are present in the PS4 version. You already need a lot of patience and tolerance to go through the series of issues found in the PC iteration, and the console version asks even more from you, as it features more technical issues that will affect your playthrough.

I reached up to Act 1 and roamed around Night City on the PS4, and for the most part the main missions worked fine. It's only when you explore Night City that you see the difference in quality between the two versions. On the PS4, certain assets take longer to render, and the game barely maintains a frame rate of 30FPS during combat. I’ve also experienced gunshots desyncing at times, which lock up the software for a few seconds, then resume the action as if nothing happened. Character models are also blurry as compared to the PC version, suggesting weird resolution issues.

Even driving around Night City shows the game struggling to render assets fast enough to make them recognizable, as improperly rendered assets result in blocky blurred objects that stick out like a sore thumb. This includes the NPCs walking around, which are sadly less in numbers on the console (but perhaps a blessing in disguise) as I fear to imagine how the game would perform if it had the PC version's NPC density. This also gave the impression of a ghost town in some areas.

The problem with this version of Cyberpunk 2077 is that it asks too much from the player to allow them to really enjoy it. It is tiring to play. Text is also hard to read on bigger TVs like a 52”, with no option to enlarge text in the UI. I had to move closer from my usual position, an adjustment I've never had to make with other games.

The PS4 version is also demanding in terms of hard disk space. The PC version only requires over 70 GB to download, but eventually installs and sits at 60 GB in your system. The PS4 version, on the other hand, after all patches installed and ready to go, makes Cyberpunk 2077 playable with over 100GB of space used.  

It’s a technical mess overall and the sudden pull out of the game digitally in PlayStation’s online store felt justified based on what I played. The quality is different and I can’t recommend this version of the game at this moment. 

What do I think about Cyberpunk 2077 as a game? You can read my full review of the game that goes into details about the good and bad of CD Projekt Red’s latest RPG epic. 

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5/10

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What I’ve Played

• Played the game up until Act 1 in the corpo lifepath on the PS4

• The PS4 playthrough was only used to test the technical aspects of Cyberpunk 2077 on console. The full review of Cyberpunk 2077 is based on my PC playthrough with a game time of over 50 hours at level 31, and maxing the Street Level Cred to 50.

[This review is based on the PS4 review copy provided by Epicsoft at launch day. ]

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