Elke Merritt

Video game marketing is already tricky for consumers to navigate. They, and even I, sometimes have to parse out what is true and what is too good to be true. There are very few AAA games that keep all their promises and live up to their marketing materials. Figuring out where the scripted trailer ends and the real gameplay begins is key to being an informed consumer in the gaming indus Brick is the supposed leader of the Maelstrom gang who was overtaken by Royce. Brick is held captive in the Maelstrom hideout when the player goes to meet Royce. If the player decides to go against Maelstrom there will be an option to find and free Brick. If Brick is freed he’ll say that he’ll return the favor if they ever meet again. There is an opportunity to see Brick again in a side mission, but he doesn’t seem to return the favor. If Brick was made a romance option, that favor could perhaps be a one-night stand with V, similar to the one players can have with Meredith Stout . It could also be interesting to have a full romantic relationship with Brick that includes an alliance with the Maelstrom gang. Given the potential ending outcomes that come with befriending certain people, a Brick romance could also lead to an ending that involves Maelst The secret ending to Cyberpunk 2077 involves Johnny Silverhand going on a solo mission in V's body to tear Arasaka Tower to the ground. It's a difficult ending to earn and has specific prerequisites. Likewise, this mission is the most difficult version because Johnny will be completely alone, so it exists simply as a fun challenge for players. Additionally, if Johnny dies during this mission, the game will end immediately rather than let the player have another In short, solarpunk worlds are both colorful and alive - more down to earth than the sleek futures seen in Star Trek , but less grimy and commercialism-saturated than games like Cyberpunk 2077 . In an industry where eye-catching graphics are vital to marketing, the visuals of a solarpunk video game would stand out among its less colorful and gloomier competitors. Hints of what a solarpunk game could look like can be seen in Pokémon games like Pokémon Sun and Moon , where urban communities fueled by renewable energy (and Pokémon ) are surrounded by shires, parks, and wild places (and wild Pokémon ). A few gritty dieselpunk games, like Final Fantasy 7 or The Outer Worlds , also betray elements of solarpunk when examined more closely. In the lawless places outside the control of corporations like Shinra or Spacer's Choice, ecological-minded visionaries are building new societies in places like Cosmo Canyon or the Botanical Labs that are based not just around sustainable technology but sustainable ways of l It is possible that CD Projekt Red will add additional romance options as part of paid DLC content. This wouldn’t be the first time it’s been done, as both the Blood and Wine and Heart of Stone DLCs for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt added more romance options for protagonist Geralt. It is also possible that more options can be added with free DLCs. While some fans may be satisfied with the romance options already available in **Cyberpunk 2077 ** , one can never have too many opti **Cyberpunk 2077 ** has a vast world with a variety of interesting characters. While V can be an interesting character based on choices made by the player, certain development choices - like Lifepath-specific tutorials - could’ve added to the character’s uniqueness. Unfortunately, a rushed released hindered what could’ve made Cyberpunk 's V like T he Witcher 's Geralt : an iconic CD Projekt Red protagon I was guilty of wanting more information after hearing more and more about the game. Every time I reported on another delay , I’d go and watch one of its lengthy gameplay trailers. When a Night City Wire episode wrapped up, I would go back and watch the one or two prior. I was totally hooked on everything Cyberpunk 2077 , and even when the studio didn’t share any new information, I kept going back to what was th The video game industry has always had a love affair with the cyberpunk genre and its aesthetics, as illustrated by games such as System Shock, Deus Ex , Shadowrun Returns , and most recently, open-world action-RPG **Cyberpunk 2077 ** . There's potential, however, for game developers to introduce a new genre into their repertoire: solarpunk, a literary and artistic movement that defies the dystopian leanings of cyberpunk 2077 story Guide and other "punk" settings in favor of depicting decentralized, eco-friendly, and beautiful societies of the future. Designers looking to build games around the solarpunk genre have a rich array of visuals to draw from - communities with colorful, retro architecture, advanced technology co-mingling with greenery, and plausibly utopian-leaning social syst Released in December of 2020, Cyberpunk remained one of the most anticipated titles of the year through its entire production cycle. Cyberpunk 2077 's initial announcement came in 2012, when it was revealed to be in production. Development for the title began in 2016 after The Witcher 3 's Blood and Wine DLC launched as a proper farewell to the story of Geralt of Rivia. With the Witcher 's tale concluded in the realm of video games, CD Projekt Red got to work on its next title, culminating in four years of development and a total of eight years of product

Video game marketing is already tricky for consumers to navigate. They, and even I, sometimes have to parse out what is true and what is too good to be true. There are very few AAA games that keep all their promises and live up to their marketing materials. Figuring out where the scripted trailer ends and the real gameplay begins is key to being an informed consumer in the gaming indus Brick is the supposed leader of the Maelstrom gang who was overtaken by Royce. Brick is held captive in the Maelstrom hideout when the player goes to meet Royce. If the player decides to go against Maelstrom there will be an option to find and free Brick. If Brick is freed he’ll say that he’ll return the favor if they ever meet again. There is an opportunity to see Brick again in a side mission, but he doesn’t seem to return the favor. If Brick was made a romance option, that favor could perhaps be a one-night stand with V, similar to the one players can have with Meredith Stout . It could also be interesting to have a full romantic relationship with Brick that includes an alliance with the Maelstrom gang. Given the potential ending outcomes that come with befriending certain people, a Brick romance could also lead to an ending that involves Maelst The secret ending to Cyberpunk 2077 involves Johnny Silverhand going on a solo mission in V's body to tear Arasaka Tower to the ground. It's a difficult ending to earn and has specific prerequisites. Likewise, this mission is the most difficult version because Johnny will be completely alone, so it exists simply as a fun challenge for players. Additionally, if Johnny dies during this mission, the game will end immediately rather than let the player have another In short, solarpunk worlds are both colorful and alive - more down to earth than the sleek futures seen in Star Trek , but less grimy and commercialism-saturated than games like cyberpunk 2077 story Guide 2077 . In an industry where eye-catching graphics are vital to marketing, the visuals of a solarpunk video game would stand out among its less colorful and gloomier competitors. Hints of what a solarpunk game could look like can be seen in Pokémon games like Pokémon Sun and Moon , where urban communities fueled by renewable energy (and Pokémon ) are surrounded by shires, parks, and wild places (and wild Pokémon ). A few gritty dieselpunk games, like Final Fantasy 7 or The Outer Worlds , also betray elements of solarpunk when examined more closely. In the lawless places outside the control of corporations like Shinra or Spacer's Choice, ecological-minded visionaries are building new societies in places like Cosmo Canyon or the Botanical Labs that are based not just around sustainable technology but sustainable ways of l It is possible that CD Projekt Red will add additional romance options as part of paid DLC content. This wouldn’t be the first time it’s been done, as both the Blood and Wine and Heart of Stone DLCs for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt added more romance options for protagonist Geralt. It is also possible that more options can be added with free DLCs. While some fans may be satisfied with the romance options already available in **Cyberpunk 2077 ** , one can never have too many opti **Cyberpunk 2077 ** has a vast world with a variety of interesting characters. While V can be an interesting character based on choices made by the player, certain development choices - like Lifepath-specific tutorials - could’ve added to the character’s uniqueness. Unfortunately, a rushed released hindered what could’ve made Cyberpunk 's V like T he Witcher 's Geralt : an iconic CD Projekt Red protagon I was guilty of wanting more information after hearing more and more about the game. Every time I reported on another delay , I’d go and watch one of its lengthy gameplay trailers. When a Night City Wire episode wrapped up, I would go back and watch the one or two prior. I was totally hooked on everything Cyberpunk 2077 , and even when the studio didn’t share any new information, I kept going back to what was th The video game industry has always had a love affair with the cyberpunk genre and its aesthetics, as illustrated by games such as System Shock, Deus Ex , Shadowrun Returns , and most recently, open-world action-RPG **Cyberpunk 2077 ** . There's potential, however, for game developers to introduce a new genre into their repertoire: solarpunk, a literary and artistic movement that defies the dystopian leanings of cyberpunk and other "punk" settings in favor of depicting decentralized, eco-friendly, and beautiful societies of the future. Designers looking to build games around the solarpunk genre have a rich array of visuals to draw from - communities with colorful, retro architecture, advanced technology co-mingling with greenery, and plausibly utopian-leaning social syst Released in December of 2020, Cyberpunk remained one of the most anticipated titles of the year through its entire production cycle. Cyberpunk 2077 's initial announcement came in 2012, when it was revealed to be in production. Development for the title began in 2016 after The Witcher 3 's Blood and Wine DLC launched as a proper farewell to the story of Geralt of Rivia. With the Witcher 's tale concluded in the realm of video games, CD Projekt Red got to work on its next title, culminating in four years of development and a total of eight years of product