Cyberpunk is a science-fiction sub-genre dealing with the integration of society and technology in dystopian settings. Often referred to as “low-life and high tech,” Cyberpunk stories deal with outsiders (punks) who fight against the oppressors in society (usually mega corporations that control everything) via technological means (cyber). If the punks aren’t actively fighting against a megacorp, they’re still dealing with living in a world completely dependent on high technology.
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What was the first cyberpunk video game you played? Were you playing the point & click adventure games back on DOS? Shadowrun on SNES? Deus Ex on PC? Or did you just recently discover this thing called "cyberpunk" with Cyberpunk 2077?
I'm curious how long everyone here has been into cyberpunk.
G-Police, 1997, PC.
I absolutely love and played the shit out of Deus Ex, but, technically, I played G Police first.
G-Police Lore / Setting
The year is 2097.
Following the exhaustion of all natural resources on Earth, an ensuing rapid militarization and colonization of the solar system's planets and moons, and a further devastating extra planetary war between large multi national coalitions...
... large megacorporations assumed outright control of most of these colonies, abolished the construction of capital class space vessels, and have forced the demilitarization of Earth's remaning nation states.
What remains of them is a collaborative police force, largely focused on localized peacekeeping, anti piracy and anti terrorist operations.
The G-Police.
...
You are brooding male noir protagonist, a veteran pilot of the the earlier interplanetary wars.
Flying for the G-Police is basically the only semi-lucrative job option you've got left.
But for you... there's also a personal motive.
Your sister flew for the G-Police too, a promising rookie with idealized notions of justice. She was rising fast, earning accomodations, even spoke of a potential lover.
But then she 'committed suicide', was apparently quite depressed and overstressed.
You don't buy that for a minute.
Somebody killed her, went to the trouble of covering it up, and you want to know who and why.
Now you've managed to obscure your identity while keeping your flying record intact, landing you a post in the G-Police, in the same unit your sister was in, determined to find the truth.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Vbm6RICA8_4&pp=ygUOZyBwb2xpY2UgaW50cm8%3D
... Crystal caves?
Or Beneath a steel sky?
Also Wolfenstein had that cyberdolf.
And Doom had cyberdemon.
But my memory def goes to System Shocks and Deus Ex. Love them. Actually I love all of the mentioned.
Have you tried playing Beyond a Steel Sky? I haven't played it but I can't imagine a sequel released so many years after the original would be any good. I could be wrong though, maybe it's fun.
Didn't know about the sequel, it doesn't look horrible tbh (I got past the modern-design-shock that hit me at first in 20 or 30 seconds as the trailer played).
But yeah, if I get around to play it I'll def manage my expectations.
Neuromancer on the C64. I can still hear the theme music.
Tron for the Intellevision.
Nomad Soul. Sick cyberpunk detective game that also featured David Bowie. Always sticks in my brain as such a cool one
The only games I could think of that might be cyberpunk and that I have played are ones like BioShock or Halo 3, which are clearly not cyberpunk. So probably the earliest one I can recall playing would be Jet Set Radio Future about 2-3 years ago. Can't think of any other titles, besides maybe borderlands (specifically the first since it's the game I've played the most).
Edit: don't remember the exact entry in the series or if it counts, but Twisted Metal. Not sure if it counts, though. Also, Ratchet and Clank came into my head too, but that's probably a lot closer to sci-fi than cyberpunk. I would also probably say the same for Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.
I'm a huge scifi nerd. I've seen Bladerunner, and am well aware of Cyberpunk, but 2077 was my first game of the genre.
Neuro on c64. Don't remember much though. But deus ex on PC left a mark. One of the alltime favourites.
Flashback. Still one of my favorites too.
So far? Cloud Punk.
Most games that claim to be cyberpunk don't really delve too much into the politics or do it in a really bad way.
Cyberpunk 2077 is based on a very ableist TTRPG, for example that claims that the more modifications you make to your body, the less 'human' you are and thus the more likely you are to get 'cyberpsychosis'. However, that isn't necessarily true and if it is those folks that get it should be taken care of in a medical sense. Also, 'humanness' is not synonymous with ethical or moral etc as much as folks like to believe it is.
@Hammerjack sadly didn't have to play any of those, but I played cyberpunk 2077. do you have any recommendations? since I'm getting to like the cyberpunk genre of games!
Shadowrun on the Sega Genesis. It's the more faithful rendition of the TTRPG to video game adaptation.
I haven't actually played either, but the Shadowrun game for Genesis does look more fun than the Shadowrun game for SNES. It's also crazy to me that they're two completely unrelated games when it was so common to just port the same game between those two systems at the time.
The Sega Genesis version is fun and all, but it's very linear. Like, there's only one secular path you can take in the story. The only thing that sort-of makes it fun is how overpowered or underpowered you want your team to be, but the line is still straightforward. It's a very sandbox way of playing it.
The SNES Shadowrun had a lot more going for it and while some of the execution like how it handles the Matrix pales in comparison to the Genesis version, it still had that depth in it's story and pathway.
Shadowrun origins but I didn't get as far in it as I should have. First finished was Transistor.
Probably SS2, but I feel like there might be something earlier
Pen and paper Shadowrun was my first and still main cyberpunk game. And I really haven't played it much.
I'm a fan of the genre in general but cyberpunk games tend to be expansive dialogue-driven RPGs that my middle-aged ass ain't got time for. It's a shame, I'd probably love the writing for Disco Elysium and Cyberpunk 2077, but if I've only got so many gaming hours in a week, imma likely spend it on a roguelite or action game instead for the excitement and dopamine. Just being real.
I did go on a nice Philip K Dick spree for a while and enjoy his stories. William Gibson was difficult when I first gave Neuromancer a read and I didn't look into him farther, but I'm probably due. Another backlog for the fire.
Crazy, I'm the exact opposite. My middle-aged ass doesn't have time for repetitive roguelite games with no sense of accomplishment. I actually prefer the linear gameplay where no matter how much (or little) I play in one sitting, I'm still further in the game than when I started. Although, I still prefer games with ~10-15 hours of gameplay. I don't have the time/patience for a 40+ hour epic RPG.
As for William Gibson, if you're willing to get back into it, I recommend The Peripheral. It's a more recent book (so Gibson has grown as an author) and it's a more modern take on the cyberpunk genre. Also, Amazon turned it into a tv series that lasted one season. They renewed it for a second but then decided it was too expensive and cancelled it.
My problem is I forget half of what was going on and lose all momentum. At least with like Darkest Dungeon or Vampire Survivors I get some progression between runs.
But yeah I'll check that out, thanks!
About 18 years ago I played a Cyberpunk video game which was essentially a Diablo 2 clone. But for the life of me, I can't remember the name of it.
I've been playing the Cyberpunk 2020 pen & paper rpg for about 19 years and been running it as a GM for about 14 years.
Then came the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, which I loved, and shortly afterwards I started GMing the Cyberpunk:Red p&p rpg (still running it since on a weekly basis).
I also got into video games like Detroit: Become Human, Nobody wants to die and Observer: System Redux after Cyberpunk 2077.
I've had Nobody Wants To Die on my wishlist for awhile but can't decide if it's worth it. What'd you think of the game?
I enjoyed it quite a lot. The storytelling was great and so were the visuals. In case you'd love a Cyberpunk meets Batman: The animated series crossover, I'd say go for it! Plus there's different endings depending on some key choices.
Would Wasteland count as cyberpunk? It has nearly all the same tropes, but instead of being in a somewhat functional corpocratic dystopia, the dystopia is because it's post-apocalyptic.
If not, then the first cyberpunk thing I've played is Crusader: No Remorse. That one is definitely cyberpunk.