Is Cyberpunk 2077 an RPG?

[thesheeep]

Obviously, you don't really play any tangible roles in these games (or XCOM, for that matter) so they are not RPGs.

Wrong, your manager is quite literally your character, with his own stats, attitudes, unique responses etc etc.

Attitudes and "unique responses" are irrelevant to gameplay, that's just flavor text.

However, if there are really stats and you can actually influence these (as some sort of character building/advancement) and they do have a tangible influence on the game and you actually can give commands to that manager entity...
Then yes, such a game would at least partly be an RPG.

Even though it'd probably be a minor part, as I assume the vast majority of gameplay still revolves around typical manager gameplay and is more business sim than anything else.
But hey, I'll never go against touching more things up with RPG gameplay. Worked for Tower Defense and FPS games, too.

No, it's not merely cosmetic. These responses influence your further interactions with players and as result impact their performance, their demands etc etc. You can't really comprehend the depth of it without giving it a try. I'm not really debating anything here or taking a strong position, I'm just going to make a bold claim that Football Manager is a better RPG than Cyberpunk, in accordance to the many principles outlined by many of the people here and in accordance with my personal preferences.

Entirely possible.

Still haven't played CP2077, though I surely will at some point next year (after PC upgrade, maybe...).
I don't expect it to be a pure RPG at all (it's obviously an action game first and foremost), though I do expect at least some decent RPG parts (like character building, I hope).

 

[gurugeorge]

And the abstracted system represents what?

Whatever the designer intents to represent.
What kind of weird question is that?

And that "whatever" - is it simply a logical puzzle ("toy problem" as I said)?

So a logical puzzle represents a logical puzzle? How would that make sense? No, actually what the system represents is some aspect of a real or imagined world.

Without representing, i.e. simulating something in the real world or an imagined world, all you have is a mathematical puzzle. So go do maths.

Or to look at it another way, you're not playing Chess or Tetris or something like that, the RPG obviously has some element of simulation, some element of pretend, etc. The question is whether it's a toy puzzle clothed in a bit of simulation and pretend (and why on earth would anybody do that?), or is it a simulation that's forced into being a toy problem because it fails to be a full simulation?

 

[Ol' Willy]

By strictly applying the principles you outlined, Football Manager is indeed an RPG.

Absolutely. The main difference is the lack of story and football instead of combat. But aside from this, Football Manager and games like Jagged Alliance or some party-based RPGs share more in common than the latter and action hybrids.

 

[thesheeep]

The question is whether it's a toy puzzle clothed in a bit of simulation and pretend (and why on earth would anybody do that?)

Because it's fun.
The entire reason for doing anything not required just for survival.

You really don't know much about gaming, do you?

 

[DalekFlay]

Still haven't played CP2077, though I surely will at some point next year (after PC upgrade, maybe...).
I don't expect it to be a pure RPG at all (it's obviously an action game first and foremost), though I do expect at least some decent RPG parts (like character building, I hope).

You absolutely have to define a character role with your stat and perk choices, as the level cap only allows you to max 3 of the 5 skills, and only if you basically ignore the other two entirely. If you use those at all, you'll only max 2 of the 5. And there's a lot more perks than perk points, even within the 2-3 skills you're maxing. HOWEVER like Outer Worlds, the problem is you're too good at everything by default, and the game isn't difficult once you level up a bit, even on hard. So a lot of those role choices end up feeling unimportant. For example I am spec'd entirely into pistols, stealth and crafting, but for funsies I've run around shotgunning things a few times and had no issue destroying everything in my path, because the shotgun's damage was great and thing like "20% less shotgun recoil" and "10% more chest damage" aren't THAT critical. There are some very important perks like 40% more headshot damage for snipers or whatever, but it's rare.

 

[Readher]

Is Cyberpunk 2077 an RPG?

 

[SlamDunk]

With this game, it's the same as asking if Islam is a religion of peace.

 

[Citizen]

The Witcher 3 was not only voted GOTY 2015 but also #15 on the Codex list of all time top 101 PC RPGs, which was only a year ago. Maybe fix your broken site if you are gonna have non-RPGs become eligible for ALL TIME greatest RPG lists.

CDPR games are a diversity quota hires of the "top RPGs" lists

 

[lycanwarrior]

Cyberpunk was voted #1 RPG by gameranx viewers/subscribers for 2020 lmao (starting at 7:55):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYtLcN7J1Mw

I mean, even CDPR no longer categorizes that game as a "RPG" but as an "action-adventure" now...

That award should've went to Wastelands 3 IMHO...

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Doom Eternal is a better RPG than CP2077.

 

[Sweeper]

Asking if something is an RPG is like asking if someone is white.
There's a grey area. A very large grey area. Well, technically it's brownish if you're asking the latter.
And if you have to ask chances are they aren't.
In both cases.

 

[Silverfish]

Yes, in the sense that while hardly Fallout, it is very much Fallout 3.

 

[ultra loser]

definitely more of an rpg than first deus ex

 

[Konjad]

The problem with Cyberpunk is that's essentially western sci-fi, which is a shame because Polish sci-fi scene is actually quite great and unique (well, at least compared to western one, it's similar to other Slavic sci-fi, including Russian).

Gameplay could be shit, it was shit from the first Twitcher anyway, but if sci-fi setting was intriguing then I'd forgive it. But of course not, instead we've got western trannies and cool killing-machine dudes.

 

[Dark Souls II]

Cyberpunk is not even a video game, not to mention an RPG. Just watch the anime and goon to Rebecca like a normal person.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

The problem with Cyberpunk is that's essentially western sci-fi, which is a shame because Polish sci-fi scene is actually quite great and unique (well, at least compared to western one, it's similar to other Slavic sci-fi, including Russian).

Gameplay could be shit, it was shit from the first Twitcher anyway, but if sci-fi setting was intriguing then I'd forgive it. But of course not, instead we've got western trannies and cool killing-machine dudes.

Yes, CDPR should have made a post-apocalyptic game in the style of Fallout, so that it would have been Western SF rather than western SF (or is it the other way around?).

 

[Frozen]

It's worse than not being an RPG its, may Allah forgive me, a Bethesda game clone.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

It's worse than not being an RPG its, may Allah forgive me, a Bethesda game clone.

It is worse than a Bethesda game clone (that would be The Witcher III); it's a Grand Theft Auto looter-shooter.

 

[Gargaune]

It is worse than a Bethesda game clone (that would be The Witcher III); it's a Grand Theft Auto looter-shooter.

I wish you people would stop with this crap, TW3 is also a GTA-style game structurally, it's got nothing in common with Skyrim other than a fantasy setting. It's GTA plus some basic skill trees plus some interesting writing and art direction. And CBP2077 is just Novigrad on steroids. Bethesda games, for all their sins, have a very different approach to open worlds, physicality and systemic designs.

 

[jackofshadows]

If VtMB and Deus Ex are RPGs then so is CP2077.

 

[MerchantKing]

The problem with Cyberpunk is that's essentially western sci-fi, which is a shame because Polish sci-fi scene is actually quite great and unique (well, at least compared to western one, it's similar to other Slavic sci-fi, including Russian).

Gameplay could be shit, it was shit from the first Twitcher anyway, but if sci-fi setting was intriguing then I'd forgive it. But of course not, instead we've got western trannies and cool killing-machine dudes.

Yes, CDPR should have made a post-apocalyptic game in the style of Fallout, so that it would have been Western SF rather than western SF (or is it the other way around?).

Based on the fact that all the Fallout 2 mods are made in Eastern Europe, those Eastern Europeans sure love Western SF.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

If VtMB and Deus Ex are RPGs then so is CP2077.

They aren't.

 

[ShiningSoldier]

The problem with Cyberpunk is that's essentially western sci-fi, which is a shame because Polish sci-fi scene is actually quite great and unique (well, at least compared to western one, it's similar to other Slavic sci-fi, including Russian).

Gameplay could be shit, it was shit from the first Twitcher anyway, but if sci-fi setting was intriguing then I'd forgive it. But of course not, instead we've got western trannies and cool killing-machine dudes.

There's no such thing as "Russian sci-fi". There was a Soviet sci-fi (it was mostly stupid, but at least original), but in modern Russia they are only capable of creating shit.