Cyberpunk 2077 is one of those games that has “the future” presented as…something more advanced than we’ll probably see during the dates involved. In 2077 in the game we already have loads of off-planet colonies and flying cars and talking smart pistols. I very much doubt any of that will be true 54 years from now. (Actually maybe AI guns probably will be a thing in America with the way things are going)
But Cyberpunk 2077 also has roots in its “past,” which is our present. And fans are now celebrating a very important date in Cyberpunk history. August 20, 2023 is when Johnny Silverhand stormed Arasaka Tower and blew it up, resulting in his death. As we know, his consciousness was shoved in an engram, which was then subsequently shoved into V’s head, and the rest is history.
Silverhand was killed by Adam Smasher, and (spoilers) V was able to get revenge on Smasher by the end of the storyline. Or Johnny was in V’s body, depending on the ending you choose.
Silverhand, famously played by Keanu Reeves, not just in voice, but his actual face, was the co-star of the game, a rockstar who had previously served in the military, losing his arm and causing him to hate both the government and corporations. That escalated from protest songs to…blowing up Arasaka Tower, which players get to act out in the game in a flashback mission where you are a temporarily immortal Johnny with a very cool pistol, running the mission with a young Rogue.
It’s unclear if CDPR is going to actually do anything to mark this day. They haven’t so far, and there are not plans to show more footage from the Phantom Liberty expansion until Gamescom’s Opening Night Live with Geoff Keighley two days from now on August 22. The expansion releases September 26, and is supposed to be the most money and manpower CDPR has invested in an expansion to date, which is saying a lot, given The Witcher 3’s Blood and Wine and Hearts of Stone. Johnny Silverhand will return, and Keanu is joined by another famous face/voice combo, Idris Elba, this time around.
While I usually recommend Cyberpunk 2077 to everyone, now that CDPR spent more than two years fixing it, I am going to say in this case, you should not play it until the expansion is released, as that is also coming with a sweeping overhaul of systems in the game from police AI to skills, so I would definitely wait to experience the new version.
Anyway, Happy Arasaka Tower Got Blown Up Day. This is really the only time we can fully celebrate it.
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