Somewhat Damaged is a game changer

[Halfcut_Clarkey]

But not in a good way. For me, it changed the game in the following way: I'll be reloading a save before Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, and finishing my playthrough with a vanilla ending. Given the high quality of much of the rest of the Phantom Liberty content, it's such a disappointment.

I've seen a lot of people compare the level to Alien: Isolation. If I wanted to play Alien: Isolation, I would buy it and play it. I haven't, because I don't. I want to play Cyberpunk 2077. Yes, stealth is a thing and difficult enemies are a thing. That's all fine. But not this invincible death machine hide-and-seek BS.

I realise this post is a rant, but I am angry. What a waste of time.

[Sardukhar]

I like the other one better. It's quite good and much more like the rest of the game.

[Blackout]

Originally posted by Halfcut_Clarkey:

But not in a good way. For me, it changed the game in the following way: I'll be reloading a save before Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos, and finishing my playthrough with a vanilla ending. Given the high quality of much of the rest of the Phantom Liberty content, it's such a disappointment.

I've seen a lot of people compare the level to Alien: Isolation. If I wanted to play Alien: Isolation, I would buy it and play it. I haven't, because I don't. I want to play Cyberpunk 2077. Yes, stealth is a thing and difficult enemies are a thing. That's all fine. But not this invincible death machine hide-and-seek BS.

I realise this post is a rant, but I am angry. What a waste of time.

I hated that mission. It was a massive disappointment, as we could of had a somi boss fight instead. However. the developers were lazy, and tried to shoehorn something that has no place in cyberpunk 2077.

Like you said, if I wanted to play Alien:Isolation; I would've bought that instead.

[Bishop-Six]

Aweful mission, easily the worst in the whole game.

Played it once and will never choose that path again alone because of this mission.

[Blackout]

Originally posted by Bishop-Six:

Aweful mission, easily the worst in the whole game.

Played it once and will never choose that path again alone because of this mission.

Yep, Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos was great, but the final mission sucked. The only saving grace, was that Somi got what she deserved.

[Alex_x86]

I hate the games like Alien: Isolation and hated that mission with passion. Completely stupid scripted crap. Sadly the proper ending for the DLC is behind that stupid mission. And you also get more insight on what a spoiled brat that So Mi was and that she's got what she deserved. Sadly authors try to manipulate you in the ending to feel bad and V becomes a total wimp but really that is the best ending in the game.

[Omen3608]

I'm also not into games like Alien: Isolation at all, but having said that I must say that I really like the 'Somewhat Damaged' mission. The pacing is great and it has just the right length to not feel overdone for me. On the contrary I totally dislike the mission path you get when choosing the other outcome, even though I have to admit that I might be biased because siding with So-Mi goes against all my instincts.

So, as all things it comes down to a matter of taste.

[Single Player]

I just played this mission earlier to complete 100% achievements. Dude, my V could destroy Kurt Hansen or Adam Smasher single-handedly, annihilated a squad of Max-Tac goons to save So-Mi, and even destroyed a chimera on his way to Dog Town, which is a way bigger robot, and still for some reason he runs away from a smaller robot with his tails between his legs.

This ain't making sense. Worst mission ever.

[Alex_x86]

Originally posted by Omen3608:

I might be biased because siding with So-Mi goes against all my instincts

B/c no matter how writers try to make her "misunderstood villain" (god I am sick of this heavily abused in the recent years trope already, can we get a proper villain for a change?) she really written as a spoiled brat that betrays everyone in without a second thought (and what is more funny is when she is like "OMG I did not thought that things would turn that way, I am so naïve" and in addition to that in her last mission you go full cyberpsycho and making a slaughterhouse out of spaceport.

[Nar!]

Originally posted by Alex_x86:

Originally posted by Omen3608:

I might be biased because siding with So-Mi goes against all my instincts

B/c no matter how writers try to make her "misunderstood villain" (god I am sick of this heavily abused in the recent years trope already, can we get a proper villain for a change?) she really written as a spoiled brat that betrays everyone in without a second thought (and what is more funny is when she is like "OMG I did not thought that things would turn that way, I am so naïve" and in addition to that in her last mission you go full cyberpsycho and making a slaughterhouse out of spaceport.

What's a proper villain to you? Keep in mind the "misunderstood villain trope" started when people were getting sick of simplistic one dimensional stone cold villains years ago.
I don't disagree that it's become all too common place now but in regards to So Mi.. I just don't see her that way, considering all the complicated factors involved in the situation.

Wouldn't Kurt Hansen fit the bill of a vile tyrannical character without the misunderstood complexity? How about Myers, since it was her hand that forced Songbird to orchestrate Reed's execution, after Myers herself made a deal with the Arasaka, in order to achieve a cease fire agreement against the NSUA? Myers literally okay'd their request to kill Reed and told Songbird, Reed's own protege, to carry out that execution. Isn't that totally f-cked up?

Is it really fair to call Songbird a villain at all when she was the one being used by Myers to do her dirty work against her will (and against Reed of all people)?

So she finally decides to bail out, but is now struck with a similar fate as you and finds out you might be able to help her get the cure (not yours). Yes, this part is messed up but I suppose if you dig enough to understand her position, she doesn't know you.
She doesn't have any actual feelings about you except she saw an opportunity to manipulate your feelings in order to agree to help her. Much in similar ways Myers manipulated her. But later on in the game, she saw you for who you really were and regretted lying to you.

She opened up to you and shared things she hasn't shared with anyone else, like her favorite place that made her feel like home.
She's been practically screwed with all her life. She became more closed off and lying about certain important matters seems to make sense by the end of the game. She couldn't trust anyone. She just wanted to break free and live.

She did her best to keep you alive through that journey, before it was revealed she lied about the cure. Maybe it simply didn't connect with you at all. It's more black and white for you like "nah f-ck that, she lied to me. IDGAF.", which is fair. That's why you have a choice to turn her overl.

She was shaped to be a proud NSUA agent with great purpose, only to find out later she was nothing but a tool of death and deception to a stone cold president. I mean... you really can't trust anyone in Night City.

I don't think she's a villain at all personally. I get why she did it.
The president orders you to carry out a mission and you're stuck in between two hard places. She admitted she made a mistake and even Reed forgave her for it.

He understood the weight of her decisions because he too was loyal to the NUSA.
Both to a fault. Myers (the real b-tch in this story) was using them as pawns, with 0% f-cks given because to Myers, the bottom line was the most important thing, no matter the cost.

I took her to the moon and I hated having to turn against Reed. I didn't outright pull my gun out on him. I waited hoping he'd change his mind. But he didn't So I reached.

It was a crushing conclusion. But I didn't feel any regret. Just heart break. I had to keep my promise to So Mi despite it all. Because I was in the same predicament and I also did bad things in Night City throughout my stay. Who am I to judge when I killed countless of NCPD and some innocent bystanders (on accident)?

I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I handed her back to Myers. She sort of reminded me of Evelyn, who I'm still sad about not being able to help.

But hey. That's the beauty of this game!!! haha.
You get to choose your path based on your personality and your feelings on these matters and got the conclusion you wanted.

[Omnicide]

I dunno I was pretty mad when Reed folded to a single bullet in the other ending as well, but yeah this sucked for me too.

I died a couple times to the cerberus to find out what I could get away with (not much) and then cleared it as the devs intended without much of an issue, but I wasn't happy about it, nor do I want to do it again.

[a quality meme]

Not gonna lie, I have to disagree with all of this.

This is the one mission in a game where you are ordinarily an unstoppable powerhouse no matter how you choose to play that pits you against something you can't simply fight against. It's an amazing change of pace in my opinion, and this is the only time where forcing the player into a certain play style works for one simple reason: this is a creature beyond your understanding that you are meant to be afraid of. If you could simply fight it or use your cybernetics to outrun and avoid the problem entirely, the gravity of Cerberus' existence would be completely null and void.

This isn't a hide and seek stealth mission just for the sake of it, this is a segment that is fully focused on and succeeds in humbling the player. You are literally getting a small taste at what would happen to humanity if the rogue AIs breached the Blackwall, the sheer hopelessness and futility of that situation, manifested in physical form. I can't speak for other people, but when I'm desperately trying to figure out where the ♥♥♥♥ I need to go and the screen glitches to tell me "It's here" my heart would skip a beat every time as I rush to find ANYWHERE to hide. Being wide open in a hallway with no where to go but book it and pray it doesn't see me as I go is a feeling I wish on no one. In no other moment in this entire power fantasy "I'm dead anyway if I don't do something" game did I get anywhere CLOSE to that feeling. The cherry on top is that, to me, it's also doing a show not tell to communicate your mistake: that you chose the wrong path, vindicated the victim (So Mi) for your own interests, and now here are your just desserts.

If they didn't turn Cyberpunk into Alien Isolation for the briefest of segments in this moment, it wouldn't have remotely hit, and I would have forgotten about it an hour later. Instead, this has stuck with me long after I finished that playthrough, and will continue to stick with me while I consider my future runs.

End point, I just don't agree with your outlook as a whole. It's not "invincible death machine hide-and-seek BS," it's you desperately clinging to survival against a being that supersedes and denies your very existence. Somewhat Damaged is a game changer in the best possible way that could have been pulled off in a game like Cyberpunk.

[Zoid13]

Originally posted by Bishop-Six:

Aweful mission, easily the worst in the whole game.

Played it once and will never choose that path again alone because of this mission.

meh i thought it was fantastic. one of my fave missions in the entire game lol

that being said my 450hours of play time in 3 full play-through's have ALL been with a undetected stealth take-down approach along with knives blades hammers fists. i find stealth to be by far the most fun way to play the game. (dont really use the guns cept a sniper now and then)

to each their own.

[dot]

Each to their own thing xD

[Omen3608]

Originally posted by Alex_x86:

Originally posted by Omen3608:

I might be biased because siding with So-Mi goes against all my instincts

B/c no matter how writers try to make her "misunderstood villain" (god I am sick of this heavily abused in the recent years trope already, can we get a proper villain for a change?) she really written as a spoiled brat that betrays everyone in without a second thought (and what is more funny is when she is like "OMG I did not thought that things would turn that way, I am so naïve" and in addition to that in her last mission you go full cyberpsycho and making a slaughterhouse out of spaceport.

As Nar! I don't actually agree that So-Mi is the villain in the story, she's an egocentric, notorious liar and she's actually bad at it. Phantom Liberty is about having to choose one evil over the other and as you can see by the general reception they absolutely succeeded to drive people into So-Mi's arms, even defending her playing V from the start. It's actually incredibly good writing achieving that even though they straight out tell you that she's not plaing fair(basically), but I am a person who doesn't like getting punked and when I find out someone does it, I react with a certain... let's call it disdain. I felt something was off about her story from the get go and my wariness grew by the minute.

I usually don't play my V's the way Nar! seems to, so while they've killed dozens and dozens of people, they could always justify that little detail as being part of the job, they've got a large target painted on their back and if V won't take the job, someone else would. I never engage police or even random gangoons just for the fun of eliminating them. That's just not me.

[Irinka]

I like both final missions but the one with Songbird is definetly more my speed. Specially the final part where V hold off the entire Myers army. Gave me "Don't fear the reaper" ending vibes