Cyberpunk is a science-fiction sub-genre dealing with the integration of society and technology in dystopian settings. Often referred to as “low-life and high tech,” Cyberpunk stories deal with outsiders (punks) who fight against the oppressors in society (usually mega corporations that control everything) via technological means (cyber). If the punks aren’t actively fighting against a megacorp, they’re still dealing with living in a world completely dependent on high technology.
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What was the first cyberpunk video game you played? Were you playing the point & click adventure games back on DOS? Shadowrun on SNES? Deus Ex on PC? Or did you just recently discover this thing called "cyberpunk" with Cyberpunk 2077?
I'm curious how long everyone here has been into cyberpunk.
I'm a huge scifi nerd. I've seen Bladerunner, and am well aware of Cyberpunk, but 2077 was my first game of the genre.
Shadowrun on the SNES
The only games I could think of that might be cyberpunk and that I have played are ones like BioShock or Halo 3, which are clearly not cyberpunk. So probably the earliest one I can recall playing would be Jet Set Radio Future about 2-3 years ago. Can't think of any other titles, besides maybe borderlands (specifically the first since it's the game I've played the most).
Edit: don't remember the exact entry in the series or if it counts, but Twisted Metal. Not sure if it counts, though. Also, Ratchet and Clank came into my head too, but that's probably a lot closer to sci-fi than cyberpunk. I would also probably say the same for Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.
Does Jet Set Radio Future count as cyberpunk?
Does Perfect Dark count as cyberpunk?
Nomad Soul. Sick cyberpunk detective game that also featured David Bowie. Always sticks in my brain as such a cool one
Well, Oddworld for gameboy probably doesn't count but it was my first game in this kind of dark setting, even though there's some NPC and alien town with futuristic elements, it's probably not punk enough.
Shadowrun: Returns from Hair Brained Schemes.
Tron for the Intellevision.
Syndicate. Control 4 agents doing corporate espionage missions.
I'm not really into that style of gaming, but I did try "Watch Dogs" for a couple hours. I mention this bc I thought the hacking part was the most interesting, and when I mentioned this to a friend they directed me to picoCTF: https://picoctf.org/. Basically this is a training environment aimed at high schoolers to teach them how to do hacking "capture the flag" competitions. So it's realistic in terms of teaching real hacking skills, but back when I did it they had a "game mode" where your character walked through this 2D environment and solved challenges as part of a story. I could only solve some of the challenges, but still it was pretty cool. Anyway, the web page is still up, don't know if they still have the game mode.
Deus Ex. Give me the GEP gun
"Stick with the prod."
Remember that a nonlethal takedown is always the most silent takedown.
Don't believe me? It's all in the numbers.
It's a silent takedown if no one else is alive to hear it 😎
...i was going to say flashback or mean streets, but no, it was definitely the original tron arcade game; that pre-dated even war games...
...before a certain point in the early eighties, the line between cyberpunk and science fiction gets pretty blurry, so i don't think anything i played in the seventies counts...
Shadowrun on SNES. And I'm running Shadowrun tonight for the first time in literal decades (I last GMed it when I was in middle school!), for people who haven't played before; I'm so nervous and unprepared! I hope that even if I mangle the rules I can get across the vibes.
Good luck!
Thanks chummer, I'll need it!
Don't get brain-burnt! (Am I doing it right, been too long...)
Thanks, I didn't flatline! One of my players couldn't make this week so I improvised a variant on the classic Food Fight intro scenario so that we could familiarize ourselves with the combat without going off on a run sans street samurai. In retrospect I'm not sure I handled recoil penalties correctly, and we slogged through the rulebook looking for some things like "Why does spell Force matter again?" but in the end only one of the players got mildly shot, and the mage manabolted a guy so hard that he totally fried from the inside out, so I'm calling it a success!
That sounds awesome, nice job!
This answer may be a cheat and a stretch, but hear me out...
Star Wars: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight
Specifically, the opening levels set in Nar Shaddaa, one of my favorite, underappreciated locations in the extended universe.
The whole moon was one giant, grimey, neon-lit city blanketed in night, overrun with sleazy organized criminals and jazz music. Pretty big noir vibes too.
It's the first time I remember experiencing the aesthetic, which felt so sharply different from the colorful, swashbuckling Star Wars I had known. And I knew I loved it.
... Crystal caves?
Or Beneath a steel sky?
Also Wolfenstein had that cyberdolf.
And Doom had cyberdemon.
But my memory def goes to System Shocks and Deus Ex. Love them. Actually I love all of the mentioned.
Have you tried playing Beyond a Steel Sky? I haven't played it but I can't imagine a sequel released so many years after the original would be any good. I could be wrong though, maybe it's fun.
Didn't know about the sequel, it doesn't look horrible tbh (I got past the modern-design-shock that hit me at first in 20 or 30 seconds as the trailer played).
But yeah, if I get around to play it I'll def manage my expectations.
Syndicate I have fond memories of, seems cyberpunk enough. Deus Ex was also a lot of fun, though my computer at the time could barely run it.
Plenty of anime from the 90s that fit the theme as well.
I'm ashamed to say the only Syndicate game I've played is the 2012 FPS reboot which was basically Syndicate in name only.
Although, the original Syndicate creator was so mad about the 2012 reboot that he made Satellite Reign as a spiritual successor, and I really enjoyed that one.
Neuromancer on the C64. I can still hear the theme music.
Interphase (Amiga/Atari ST, 1989).
The player moves around in virtual space of a corporate system while their partner infiltrates the actual space of the building. You have to disable electrified doors and reroute security bots etc to create a path through the offices, all while fighting off defensive programs
Unusually for the era you steer with the mouse and it’s all in vector graphics.
Had no idea there was a Neuromancer video game.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuromancer_(video_game)
Anyways, probably System Shock 2 for me.
If you want to try it out, you can play the Neuromancer game in your browser at the internet archive.
Flashback. Still one of my favorites too.
System shock 1. I loved the danger zones and safe zones and hacking the med bay to increase the safe zones.
Deus Ex. I sucked at it.
The secret is to level the swimming skill exclusively.
I never thought of that. What other skills do you recommend in combination?
/j on swimming. Realistically you can get away with any skills, though I always liked pistols since you can scope/laser sight the standard pistol and run around headshotting everything.
GEP gunning everything is also hilarious.
Neuro on c64. Don't remember much though. But deus ex on PC left a mark. One of the alltime favourites.
Shadowrun on Genesis probably, but memory that far back is pretty hazy.
For me it was Cops 2170 I had a human sized rat policing the streets and ahooting up bad guys
Would Wasteland count as cyberpunk? It has nearly all the same tropes, but instead of being in a somewhat functional corpocratic dystopia, the dystopia is because it's post-apocalyptic.
If not, then the first cyberpunk thing I've played is Crusader: No Remorse. That one is definitely cyberpunk.
