Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that may be appreciated by a handful of people, but it has a glaring potential that is ultimately unfulfilled. This isn't just to say that there are a lot of things this game could have done, but the gaming community was also shown a lot of things in the game's pre-release marketing materials, things that didn't end up being incorporated into the actual game.
There is a perfect Cyberpunk 2077 game in an alternate universe, one where it was released with minimal issues and everything that was shown in the gameplay footage was actually added in the actual game. For now, all anyone can do is hope they'll be added as features in the future.
10 A Dynamic Weather System
CD Projekt Red planned on making Cyberpunk 2077 its most dynamic world ever. They were going to incorporate a very comprehensive and dynamic weather system, one that even had deadly environmental challenges such as acid rains. It would have also taken global warming into account, apparently.
In the game, there is a sandstorm that the players experience in a particular mission, and a looming sandstorm can be occasionally spotted if the players hang around the Badlands. On top of that, there's, unfortunately, nothing more.
9 New Properties
One feature that would have added a higher degree of immersion when playing Cyberpunk 2077 is the option to purchase new properties. As V earns more eddies and climbs the societal ranks of Night City, he is still stuck living in his apartment in the Watson Megabuilding, which is apparently located in one of the poorer areas of Night City.
It would have been awesome to own several properties in Night City, especially those that look and feel just a little bit more elegant. It was also something CD Projekt Red promised earlier this year. A trailer even mentions the players owning a mansion. This is unfortunately a feature that was taken out of the game at the last minute.
8 Ghostrunner
Earlier this year, a different cyberpunk-type game got released called Ghostrunner. In this game, the players are able to run on and jump off walls. This makes for a lot of incredibly cool moments where melee combat is concerned. In a gameplay trailer for Cyberpunk 2077, V can be seen doing a similar move set.
In the actual game, this move cannot be done at all. The players can't run on walls and jump off of them whatsoever.
7 Smarter NPC AI
The world of Night City would have felt like the most realistic and most believable open-world city in the history of games. Apparently, NPCs would even have their own day-and-night routines. They'd go to work, go home, and hang out at noteworthy places. At least, that's what CD Projekt Red said would happen.
In the game, the NPCs are the most dead and lifeless anyone has ever experienced in a while. In our world today filled with multiple open-world games with comprehensive AIs, it's such a shame that Cyberpunk 2077, a supposed next-gen title, has worse open-world mechanics and NPC AIs than open-world games that came out years ago.
6 A Comprehensive Crime System
The police and crime system in Cyberpunk 2077 looks way more comprehensive and smooth in previous trailers. As a game that heavily emphasized how important it is to commit or avoid crimes in Night City and what makes someone a criminal in 2077, the actual game's crime system is far, far from comprehensive.
Instead, the police will simply spawn out of nowhere whenever V commits a crime. There doesn't have to be any eye-witness whatsoever, the police will simply know when the player is committing a crime and will spawn on the spot.
5 Customizing Vehicles
Driving around Night City is one of the things players will have to do the most when playing this game. Night City is a big place, after all. There are a ton of vehicles that the players can purchase in the game, but there is, unfortunately, no option to customize them, which a contradiction to what CD Projekt Red promised its players early on.
Descriptions of certain vehicles even indicate an option of vehicle customization, saying upgrading those vehicles will make their performance better.
4 Lifepath Specific Quests
The life path mechanic of Cyberpunk 2077 was heavily advertised before the game was released. It was meant to be this massive feature that would make a player's experience unique to their own. There would be incredible backstories that would tie in with V's life path and even life path specific quests.
In the released game, however, V's life path will only affect the game's prologue and will provide players with additional conversation options. Other than that, the chosen life path won't affect a player's gameplay in any way and it won't have any effect on how the other characters in the game treat V.
3 Riding The Subway
During a gameplay trailer that was released in 2018, V is shown riding a subway, and as the train emerges from a tunnel, Night City is then revealed in a dramatic fashion. It's a good trailer that is dramatic, exciting, and promising.
This aspect of the gameplay, however, is one of the things the developers from CD Projekt Red admitted from the get-go would not be a part of the actual game. Instead of riding trains, the game instead incorporated tourism boards as a means of fast traveling. Still, it would have been a cool addition to increase immersion.
2 Advertisements For V
In a world of proto-capitalism, the importance and prominence of advertisements are a given. Night City is one such world. In a gameplay trailer that was shown prior to the release of the game, V encounters an advertisement campaign that morphed into a personalized ad for V. A voiceover narration then explains that this would be a part of the RPG experience.
Those who played the game now know that this feature has been removed from the game, as there is no advertisement in the game that is tailored specifically for the players.
1 Companion System
One of the game's most memorable quests is the climax of the prologue. Before V and Jackie proceed to infiltrate Yorinobu's penthouse, they must first shut down the tower's security system and they do this by using a Flathead. The original plan was, after the mission, the Flathead would belong to V and it would act as a personal companion to fight alongside V, or survey the environment for him.
Hopefully, this is a feature that will be patched in the future as it can make the gameplay more exciting and give the players more options as to how to approach a certain scenario.