Leading up tot the release of the much-anticipated (and much-maligned) Cyberpunk 2077, I was faced with a choice: Either purchase a digital copy, my usual preferred method, or get the physical copy complete with an assortment of goodies. I opted for the latter, and now that I have the actual physical content in front of me, I guess I’m more lukewarm than overly joyed.
The three postcards are probably the highlight of the booty. Although they are the size of the game case, which any self-respecting postcard enthusiast will tell you is a faux pas, they pop with color and detail and feel quite authentic.
The five stickers are of high quality, as far as stickers are concerned, which is a nice touch. But they don’t really create the desire to actually stick them anywhere. Maybe if a I had a 1980s skateboard or was a teenaged Hesher with an anarchist notebook, I’d be singing a different song.
The World Compendium is a nice addition, filled with surface-level info about the gangs, districts, and denizens of Night City and the general surrounding area. There’s not much new as far as the actual info is concerned, but the recap of the last several decades and the backstory of how this world got to this point is a nice albeit brief read. I am a little disappointed that the booklet is in grayscale, but I suppose color was too much to ask. There is a typo on page 13, though.
This all leads us to what should have been the coup de grâce, the physical map.
I say “should’ve been,” because — and perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise at this point — it is pretty lackluster. Again, most of the map is in grayscale, although the streets and thoroughfares are highlighted in the aggressive-yellow Cyberpunk 2077 aesthetic, with a few blotches of red here and there. Ultimately, it just lacks the sense of care and craftsmanship that I expect from the darling CD Projekt Red, who knocked it out of the park with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s physical goodies.
All in all, I suppose this is a fitting cache of crap that will no doubt complement the rest of the bug-filled mess that is Cyberpunk 2077, if early reports are any indication of what to expect from the performance of the game itself.
Unfortunately, at the time of writing this, I still have an eternity for the game to install, so any included digital content still awaits my scrutiny.
