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.
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.
Syndicate wars. I think they was cyberpunk.
For me it was the original Syndicate. Quite an awesome game.
Well, Oddworld for gameboy probably doesn’t count but it was my first game in this kind of dark setting, even though there’s some NPC and alien town with futuristic elements, it’s probably not punk enough.
Shadowrun: Returns from Hair Brained Schemes.
Shadowrun on the SNES
Tron for the Intellevision.
Does Perfect Dark count as cyberpunk?
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.
Does Jet Set Radio Future count as cyberpunk?
I’d say it does. Have you seen the new-ish game Bomb Rush Cyberfunk? It looks just like JSRF to me.
It’s amazing and well worth the price.
Deus Ex. Give me the GEP gun
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.
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.
Sounds like a fun challenge! Could it have been Cybermercs: The Soldiers of the 22nd Century? Or maybe Restricted Area? I actually don’t know, I just tried searching for cyberpunk-like diablo clones from ~2002. That’s a tough one.
It actually was Restricted Area, lol. Thank you!