…and that’s a good thing.
Comparison is a powerful, if not stubborn, influence over our thinking. It’s a force that can manipulate our perception of a subject whether we’d like it to or not. Although this can prove to be detrimental to making unbiased judgments, there are scenarios where attributing qualities from the familiar to the unknown can help us make informed decisions.
I purchased Cyberpunk 2077 on PC last month. Before doing so, I followed my routine of reading Steam reviews to figure out what people enjoyed about the game, identify any common shortcomings, and quite honestly, see if there were any witty comments. There are some hilariously unexpected moments in Steam’s review section.
One reviewer made a comparison that I still can’t shake from the front of my mind. Their comments included the notion that if you like Fallout: New Vegas, you’ll love Cyberpunk. This isn’t overly surprising given the dystopian nature of each game, but it got me thinking: what if New Vegas was given a sequel? As I work my way through Cyberpunk, I can’t help but view it as a spiritual successor to New Vegas and make note of the qualities they share.
Below, I’ve listed three concepts that Cyberpunk and New Vegas have in common, despite being released over a decade apart. I’ll admit, the points I’ve identified are broad themes that can make a detailed analysis seem sloppy, but I promise there’s something special shared between these games, and here’s why:
1. Conflict Design
The overwhelming amount of struggle in New Vegas has always been one of its most intriguing aspects. One of the main factions, the New California Republic or “NCR”, represents a warped interpretation of democracy, and appeals to those who yearn for a return of the old world values that existed before the nuclear fallout. On the other edge of the sword is Caesar’s Legion, who seek forceful domination, breaking free of the shackles of traditional society and implementing a “only the strong survive” law. To further complicate matters, there are smaller groups throughout the game that align with either the NCR or the Legion to varying degrees. The player has the power to decide exactly where they fit in this struggle, and where to place their efforts in turning the tide of battle.
While Cyberpunk doesn’t exactly share the archetype of two opposing factions duking it out for control, the common factor here is an emphasis on freedom. Cyberpunk implements this by forcing the player to choose what freedom looks like to them. This is achieved by setting the stage with a complex backstory, where the ultimate goal is reimagining the game world’s current state. It just so happens that freedom looks a lot different depending on how you play and who you align yourself with, as is the case with New Vegas.
In short, setting up tension is a powerful tool. Having the player influence that tension and affect the state of the world is an even greater thing. Cyberpunk and New Vegas are socio-political battlefields that the player has an active hand in, and both achieve this with excellence.
2. Worlds With Personality
If you’ve played New Vegas, or really any of the modern Fallout games, you know just how much the franchise offers in terms of exploration and side quests. The same can be said for Cyberpunk, but more importantly is that these features have personality. They’re engaging, unique, and typically well-written. It’s one thing to fluff up a game with one-dimensional content, it’s another to fill it with stories that add life and depth to the world – something Cyberpunk and New Vegas share.
Let’s take Cyberpunk’s Aldecados for example, one of the two Nomad groups occupying the Badlands outside of Night City. The Aldecados don’t operate entirely within the law, but they’re a hearty group that can’t help but be sympathized with in their quest to maintain independence and freedom (remember my earlier comparison!). The Aldecados aren’t alone in the desert, though. A group of rogue and outcast Nomads, called the Wraiths, actively seek the destruction of the Aldecados, performing raids, kidnappings, and overall making life miserable for the more disciplined of the two groups.
Let’s switch gears to New Vegas. The game’s second DLC, “Honest Hearts”, adds a new playable area by allowing us to venture into Zion Canyon. By extension, we’re introduced to several groups that maintain a tribal lifestyle within the awe-inspiring national park. One of those groups being the Dead Horses, a tribe that values strength and warriorship. The player has the ability to protect the Dead Horses from a much more fierce and aggressive tribe, called the White Legs.
Firstly, there are obvious parallels between the Nomads and the tribes of Zion Canyon. A power imbalance exists between groups that live outside of the futuristic societies they were born into. This struggle creates an interesting dynamic that exists independently of the main plot. Secondly, both games are brimming with situations just like this. I would love to create a more focused and detailed piece on these particular questlines, but the bigger point is that the existence of stories like the ones I’ve described is exactly why the two games’ universes are so memorable, so unique, and so worth revisiting time and time again.
3. A Story That Sticks
So, we’ve covered background and setting. The final comparison I have to make is with plot. The story. The bread and butter of any RPG. Truthfully, I don’t have any concrete resemblances that I want to outline. Half of the reason is that I haven’t completed Cyberpunk yet, and the other half is there’s no need to conflate the simple fact that a good story is a good story, no matter how it’s told. A strong narrative is quintessential to a successful open-world game. It gives the player focus, direction, and a reason to keep playing.
It’s not a well-kept secret that Cyberpunk had its share of criticism when it was first released. Performance issues, visual glitches, and hilariously frustrating bugs that rival those from Fallout’s very own Bethesda Studios. But I can’t recall anyone claiming that Cyberpunk’s characters are shallow, or that its plot is subpar. At the core of it all, that’s what a good RPG is, an expertly told story.
As I’ve said, the comparisons we make can change the way we view something. In other words, I couldn’t help but have my love for New Vegas bleed into Cyberpunk, and I have a single sentence uploaded by a random reviewer on the Internet to thank for that. The connection between these two games is probably not one I would have made on my own, but I’m grateful for stumbling upon it. It opened up a unique conversation on what each game achieved exceptionally well, and if Fallout: New Vegas is one day selected for a sequel or spin-off, I’ll have Cyberpunk 2077 to use as a benchmark.