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.
Deus Ex. Give me the GEP gun
Remember that a nonlethal takedown is always the most silent takedown.
It's a silent takedown if no one else is alive to hear it 😎
"Stick with the prod."
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.
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.
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.
System shock 1. I loved the danger zones and safe zones and hacking the med bay to increase the safe zones.
Have you tried the remake? I always liked SS2 and thought SS1 was too clunky but I'm not sure if that means I'd want to play a remake of SS1.
I haven't tried the remake.
I thought the first half of SS2 was amazing. After the bio labs the level design and story felt rushed and uninteresting. Presumably forced to release before they were done.
Syndicate. Control 4 agents doing corporate espionage missions.
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.
Shadowrun on Genesis probably, but memory that far back is pretty hazy.
...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...
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.
Deus Ex, on PS2. I can’t even remember if I finished or even enjoyed it. Later, I got it on PC and it’s been one of my favourite games ever since and fully got me into both cyberpunk and the immersive sim genre!
Shadowrun: Returns from Hair Brained Schemes.
Syndicate wars. I think they was cyberpunk.
For me it was the original Syndicate. Quite an awesome game.
For me it was Cops 2170 I had a human sized rat policing the streets and ahooting up bad guys
If it counts, Shadowrun on Xbox 360, that remake multiplayer game.
If not, it was probably Deus Ex Human Revolution.
I didn’t really know about the cyberpunk genre until years later but DEHR was a blast.
Pretty sure it was the SNES Shadowrun for me. I was already familiar with Shadowrun from books and the tabletop RPG and I got a Swedish copy of it because the english version wasn't available yet. I eventually got a used copy of the English version as well.
I did play Deus Ex at some point after and I had great time with it, but I don't think I ever played the second game for some reason.
I recall trying the OG Syndicate game at some point as well, but I'm pretty sure that well after I had exhausted the first 2 X-com games, and I was looking for more strategy stuff. No idea really when that was, but definetely after Shadowrun.
Flashback. Still one of my favorites too.
... 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.
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.
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.
Tron for the Intellevision.
Remember Me was probably my first. Neo Paris was gorgeous and I still listen to the soundtrack.
Remember Me deserves a remake, the game got way too little recognition.
Pen and paper Shadowrun was my first and still main cyberpunk game. And I really haven't played it much.
I'm a fan of the genre in general but cyberpunk games tend to be expansive dialogue-driven RPGs that my middle-aged ass ain't got time for. It's a shame, I'd probably love the writing for Disco Elysium and Cyberpunk 2077, but if I've only got so many gaming hours in a week, imma likely spend it on a roguelite or action game instead for the excitement and dopamine. Just being real.
I did go on a nice Philip K Dick spree for a while and enjoy his stories. William Gibson was difficult when I first gave Neuromancer a read and I didn't look into him farther, but I'm probably due. Another backlog for the fire.
Deus ex invisible war. On PS2.
I still liked it.
