Editor's Note: We've replaced the video version of this review with one that uses gameplay footage recorded on the PC build of Cyberpunk 2077, instead of the trailers we had to use previously due to CD Projekt Red's pre-release restrictions. The content of the review itself is identical, but the gameplay now more closely represents the experience we had while playing.

Editor's Note 2:Due to the dramatic difference in performance, we've given a separate review score to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of Cyberpunk 2077. We do not recommend it on those platforms at this time.

In my experience, great open-world RPGs like The Witcher 3 or Skyrim aren't defined by the strength of their main story, but that of the side missions around it. With Cyberpunk 2077, developer CD Projekt Red has taken that philosophy and built an entire game out of it. Apart from the surprisingly short but still utterly compelling central questline that draws you through its diverse near-future cityscape, the vast majority of what you can do in Night City is entirely optional but often still extremely impactful on your journey. This more freeform structure isn’t without its faults, including loads of distracting bugs, but the strength of the missions themselves – optional or not – and the choice you have within them make Cyberpunk 2077 one of the most exciting, emotional, and just plain fun RPGs I’ve played in recent years.

You’re thrust into the shoes of V, a mercenary in Night City who (avoiding spoilers as much as I can) ends up with the psyche of long-dead rockstar and anti-corporate terrorist Johnny Silverhand trapped in their head. Johnny, played by the instantly recognizable Keanu Reeves, is a wonderfully dislikable jackass – even if, to be blunt, Reeves’ stiff performance is easily the weakest of an otherwise extremely impressive cast. Even still, Johnny’s confrontational relationship with V and the eventual growth between them is the anchor of this story as they fight to find a solution to the shared mess they find themselves in.