Absolutely agree. During the pandemic lockdown, I spent the majority of my off time treating Night City like a tourist destination and exploring it while taking screenshots as though I was on holiday.

It really is a work of art. I was so excited for the multiplayer to launch as it felt like I knew the streets well enough to provide a virtual taxi service.

You can really tell the game is basically a map demo. 90% of the map is done but only like 10% of the original quests and gameplay have been implemented vs their initial vision.

Not that it's not a fully featured game comparable to other AAA titles at this point.

But still, for me the game plays like reading an essay where 90% of the text is missing.

Maybe with Cyberpunk 3 they'll be finally able to fully realize their vision without constraints. It sure as hell won't be true for Cyberpunk 2.

I agree 100%. The map is one of the things that really stand out in this game. It's just so detailed and fun to traverse that I end up just doing objectives by foot. You constantly discover little areas that are so far off any normal route that I really wonder why the devs even put in the work, but it's a delight every time.

Sometimes I would sit in a noodle bar and just watch NPC's come and go. It really does feel like this game got so close to a living, breathing world, but there just wasn't enough hours put into the small details of certain areas.

I played much of the game in VR using the Vorpx mod and I spent countless hours just wandering/driving around looking at the city. There's so much detail.

Dude, no kidding. I loved all the side alleys and back roads. I purposely try to go down an area if I don't recall it instantly. Love finding the detail in these off areas.

That's right! Note that despite the fact that these streets are niche and not used in the storyline - the game developers did not omit them when decorating the map.

that's why i hope they don't change the game size area much in the sequel but add more buildings to enter and more rooftops to explore.

long-term, proc-gen content will hopefully allow the entire map to be used

It's fascinating to see just how many little places there are like this one, places that just exist not for use but just to make the world feel real. Having all these empty spots that you've got no reason to visit is what makes the game feel alive.