CD Projekt released a host of videos detailing the work it has put into the experience players will have in Night City, December 10, 2020, in its last Night City Wire showcase for Cyberpunk 2077.
Among the videos was a new gameplay trailer highlighting action, combat, and driving, a behind the scenes video with Keanu Reeves talking about his experience recording for the game, a score and soundtrack BTS video, and a BTS video showcasing Cyberpunk’s use of JALI technology for hyper-realistic facial expressions and features.
One thing Keanu Reeves took away from his experience being involved in making the game was his surprise by “What CD Projekt Red has shared with me and the way they talk about the game and what I’ve seen is that [Cyberpunk 2077] has a lot of freedom. There are so many different paths that you can play the game on. It’s just not quests of paths, it’s who are you? How are you going to play the character?” said Reeves after discussing the multiple ways he had to interpret Silverhand when recording lines for various player paths. Johnny Silverhand is no longer alive after he dies at the hands of an evil corporation seeking immortality. In a strange twist of fate, Silverhand is implanted into the chip that the corporation needs to make this dream a reality. The player has this chip put in their head at some point, putting Silverhand’s consciousness into the player character’s mind. Whether or not they follow through on Silverhand’s vengeance is up to the player. Either way the story plays out, many choices will be made along the way.
In a BTS showcasing how the developer created the facial features for the people of Night City, they touched on its use of the JOLI program. “JOLI is a suite of tools and a suite of services that result in the . . . highest quality facial performance on characters. It’s automatically generated on a face based on audio dialogue from a voice actor.” says JOLI Research Inc. “What JOLI tries to do is it tries to get to the root of what is being expressed in the vocal performance and put that on a 3D character.” says JOLI Research Inc Chris Landreth and Pif Edwards. JOLI is used on every character in the game, providing this next gen technology to the whole world of Cyberpunk, in “every language the game has been localized for.”
The gameplay showed off some of the antics players will get into while they tour Night City. Most notably, the trailer illuminated more of Johnny Silverhand’s past and how the player will experience his memories in a similar way to what CD Projekt Red has shown of how the detective and sleuthing gameplay works, taking the player into the past to experience the memory through the owner’s eyes.
Whether players choose Nomad, Corpo, or Street Kid, the videos in the latest Night City Wire reveal the host of choices available, curating an experience that is unique to the individual.
Fans will be able to see for themselves what the hype is all about December 10th, 2020, when Cyberpunk 2077 releases for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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