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.
Shadowrun on SNES. And I'm running Shadowrun tonight for the first time in literal decades (I last GMed it when I was in middle school!), for people who haven't played before; I'm so nervous and unprepared! I hope that even if I mangle the rules I can get across the vibes.
Good luck!
Thanks chummer, I'll need it!
For me it was Cops 2170 I had a human sized rat policing the streets and ahooting up bad guys
Interphase (Amiga/Atari ST, 1989).
The player moves around in virtual space of a corporate system while their partner infiltrates the actual space of the building. You have to disable electrified doors and reroute security bots etc to create a path through the offices, all while fighting off defensive programs
Unusually for the era you steer with the mouse and it’s all in vector graphics.
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
This answer may be a cheat and a stretch, but hear me out...
Star Wars: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight
Specifically, the opening levels set in Nar Shaddaa, one of my favorite, underappreciated locations in the extended universe.
The whole moon was one giant, grimey, neon-lit city blanketed in night, overrun with sleazy organized criminals and jazz music. Pretty big noir vibes too.
It's the first time I remember experiencing the aesthetic, which felt so sharply different from the colorful, swashbuckling Star Wars I had known. And I knew I loved it.
Does Duke Nukem 2D on PC count?
I never really considered Duke Nukem to be cyberpunk... but yeah, that screenshot totally looks like it came from a cyberpunk game. Weird.
Yah, maybe it's more just sci-fi.
In that case, the first Deus Ex game was my first. Great stuff back then. Hard to play now, IMO.
Shadowrun origins but I didn't get as far in it as I should have. First finished was Transistor.
System shock 1. I loved the danger zones and safe zones and hacking the med bay to increase the safe zones.
Have you tried the remake? I always liked SS2 and thought SS1 was too clunky but I'm not sure if that means I'd want to play a remake of SS1.
I haven't tried the remake.
I thought the first half of SS2 was amazing. After the bio labs the level design and story felt rushed and uninteresting. Presumably forced to release before they were done.
@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!
It really depends on what genre of games you like, can you give me any hints?
In general, if you like the first-person perspective action RPGs like Cyberpunk 2077 definitely check out Deus Ex: Human Revolution and its sequel Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. If you like 2d action RPGs, check out Dex.
If you like twin-stick shooters, check out Ruiner or The Ascent. I absolutely loved The Ascent.
If you like turn-based RPGs, check out Shadowrun: Dragonfall.
If you like point-and-click adventure games, check out VirtuaVerse or Technobabylon.
If you like walking simulators (first-person, no combat), check out Observer or maybe Nobody Wants To Die (which I haven't played yet).
If you like roguelikes, check out Akane or Black Future '88.
@Hammerjack I play The As cent, I loved the way the world is built. I played it with my brother since we like co-op games. Still didn't finish it tho, but yes I lean more to action RPGs like cyberpunk 2077, thanks for the recommendations! 🙂
Had no idea there was a Neuromancer video game.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuromancer_(video_game)
Anyways, probably System Shock 2 for me.
If you want to try it out, you can play the Neuromancer game in your browser at the internet archive.
Deus Ex. Give me the GEP gun
Remember that a nonlethal takedown is always the most silent takedown.
It's a silent takedown if no one else is alive to hear it 😎
Deus Ex. I sucked at it.
Syndicate I have fond memories of, seems cyberpunk enough. Deus Ex was also a lot of fun, though my computer at the time could barely run it.
Plenty of anime from the 90s that fit the theme as well.
If it counts, Shadowrun on Xbox 360, that remake multiplayer game.
If not, it was probably Deus Ex Human Revolution.
I didn’t really know about the cyberpunk genre until years later but DEHR was a blast.
There was a Shadowrun game on Xbox 360?? I might have to go look into that...
People hateeddddd it lol. I really enjoyed it.
It was one of those games where you could play against bots offline but it was meant to be played online. There was no campaign or real story to it. And it was a first person shooter.
But I wasn’t aware of the original so I didn’t know what to expect like others.
Shadowrun on Genesis probably, but memory that far back is pretty hazy.
I believe it was:
Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight
from 1990 for the NES.
and if that's the game I'm thinking of, it is a pretty cool game.
That game was so weird! I was always so confused why it was called Street Fighter when it was a 2d platformer in space.
I think I started playing it because it was called "the final fight" and I liked that SNES game.
I think it's supposed to be a spin-off of Street fighter, but it has nothing to do with the game obviously.
yeah, capcom made it as a spin-off of the original arcade game, but without any of the characters or plot or mechanics or set pieces or anything haha.
The main character's name is Kevin.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter_2010:_The_Final_Fight
Maybe that's the long form for Ken?
hahaha that would be the funniest!
"hi, I'm Ken, short for Kevin."
that's really great.
that probably is why they named the character Kevin.
Deus Ex, on PS2. I can’t even remember if I finished or even enjoyed it. Later, I got it on PC and it’s been one of my favourite games ever since and fully got me into both cyberpunk and the immersive sim genre!
Remember Me was probably my first. Neo Paris was gorgeous and I still listen to the soundtrack.
Remember Me deserves a remake, the game got way too little recognition.
Maybe improve the fighting and get rid of the zombie ghoul things.
Remember Me is a really interesting game.
Shadowrun on the Sega Genesis. It's the more faithful rendition of the TTRPG to video game adaptation.
Pretty sure it was the SNES Shadowrun for me. I was already familiar with Shadowrun from books and the tabletop RPG and I got a Swedish copy of it because the english version wasn't available yet. I eventually got a used copy of the English version as well.
I did play Deus Ex at some point after and I had great time with it, but I don't think I ever played the second game for some reason.
I recall trying the OG Syndicate game at some point as well, but I'm pretty sure that well after I had exhausted the first 2 X-com games, and I was looking for more strategy stuff. No idea really when that was, but definetely after Shadowrun.
Have you tried playing the Shadowrun game for Genesis? For someone with fond memories of the SNES game, I wonder how the Genesis game would compare.
No, I didn't have a Genesis/Mega Drive and the only friend who had it never got the game either. I did look into playing it with an emulator, but never had the time.
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.
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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