Warning: Though I cover up the goods in this discussion of Cyberpunk 2077, there are minor spoilers and frank discussions!
I’m writing this on the eve of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’s release. I had two equally valid editorial ideas. One was to complain about the horrendous writing of the base game, which no amount of patching will fix. The second was to complain about utterly pointless inclusion of genitals in Cyberpunk 2077. I decided upon the latter as a flip-side to last week’s editorial, which had to do with ugly video game women. Go read that if you haven’t already. Now let’s begin:
I’m replaying the game for Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty, I also played the game in 2021. In both runs, I play as a woman. I did it the first time just cause I usually play women in RPGs(though not always). The second time I played a woman because I utterly detest Panam and find her an annoying bitch and in no way will I romance her. In fact, I wrote a lengthy tweet on the subject:
But in this play through of Cyberpunk 2077, I really noticed something. The genitals are pointless. Utterly and completely pointless. You only see them in the character modification and inventory screens(with no clothes on). Men can choose the size of their dick. Women can have dicks(if that’s you thing, more power to you!). But it was not game play relevant. Even further, they’ll go out of their way to hide the genitals in game play. For example, in the first main mission, you and Jackie rescue a nude woman from gangsters. You fish her out of an ice bath and carry her outside. The interesting thing is, at no point do you see her vagina. Even when carrying her you cannot adjust your look too see. Later, during a shower scene, I can see boob, but you’re wearing panties. Also you can see them if you look down while wearing nothing.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Reasoning, or lack thereof.
I read several articles on the subject, and one said the reason for the genitalia is:
Either Cyberpunk 2077 gives player the ability to do whatever they want with character customization, whether it’s to make their characters more relatable to themselves or simply because they want to.
ScreenRant
My concern isn’t about the reliability to trans people(you do you), but more of why they even are there to begin with. CDPR put in genitalia cause they could, but they were chicken about it. If you’re going to put them in, put them in. Obviously the ratings board don’t care if you show genitals(Cyberpunk 2077 isn’t AO). Now if they were to show penis in vagina action, that’s different, But don’t allow me to customize my genitals to my exact liking, and then have them have absolutely no bearing on anything, or even shown outside a menu. To me, they could’ve just left them out, and nothing would’ve changed at all.
A common theme that comes up in my review of lewd Switch titles is the point of the bare boobs. In half the titles, the bare boobs are pointless, could be cut out and nothing would change. In the other half, without the bare boobs, there’s no point in playing at all. Obviously, Cyberpunk 2077 falls into the former category in regards to the genitalia. Plus its worth nothing that this is not the only game with that problem, Conan Exiles has utterly pointless nudity too, though its Conan, so it makes sense why its there. I guess what I’m saying is either go all in, or don’t do it at all. At least Conan lets me run from one end to the other, balls hanging free(on pc anyway). Cyberpunk 2077 takes us part way there, then chickens out. Disappointing.
