Phantom menace

(Image credit: CD Projeckt RED)

I guess it's time to head back to Night City for round two; this time, Solomon Reed is along for the ride. 

The exciting news of the Cyberpunk 2077 DLC Phantom Liberty was announced at The Game Awards. Happily, we should be able to get our hands on it in 2023. But that wasn't the only surprise fans got to see. 

Recently, Cyberpunk has made a phoenix-like recovery. After a successful Netflix show and plenty of great patches, the glitchy mess we all knew when it first launched seems to be a distant memory. Looking at the trailer, it seems we're back in the same dingy, dark, and bloody city that held us through the first game. 

Hopefully, that memory stays just that, a memory, because the trailer for Phantom Liberty looks too good for glitches. The crisp quality, gruesome fight scenes and grotty pavements wet with rain and blood are exciting enough on their own. But there's one more card up CD Projekt RED's sleeve. 

There's the obvious appearance of our beloved Jonny Silverhand, played by the always charismatic Keanu Reeves, but now there may be a new fan favorite on the block. 

The addition of Solomon Reed not only looks to be an exciting step for the DLC, but it also utilizes the wonderous talents of Idris Elba, and I, for one, couldn't be more excited. 

Video games have made the jump towards using well-known actors. Just think of the cast of The Quarry or Rami Malek in Until Dawn. While this can be a risk for studios, it nails the game's narrative if you get the talent right. 

Flashback to Until Dawn, Rami Malek's performance in that was incredible. Honestly, the entire cast was great but seeing his character and the distances Malek took him is one of the reasons Until Dawn is among my favorite horror games. 

So here's hoping Idris is every bit as good as I hope he is because I am very excited to jump back into the new and improved Night City. 

• Cyberpunk 2077 isn't dead yet as CD Projekt confirms expansions

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