The movie star voiceover in a bigass RPG is not the quaint novelty of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion’s sleepy Patrick Stewart efficiency or Liam Neeson displaying up for a cheeky ten minutes in Fallout 3. Cyberpunk 2077 broke new floor by having Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand be your fixed companion all through the sport, and enlargement pack Phantom Liberty will get comparable mileage out of beloved actor Idris Elba as undercover agent Solomon Reed.
So, as enlightened critics and videogame tastemakers, we requested ourselves: which one is like, cooler although? Within the rigorous and exacting means of speaking to one another for 45 minutes and arising with a pair humorous classes, PCG on-line editor Fraser Brown and I, PCG affiliate editor Ted Litchfield have rated these two titans of the Cyber realm on seven essential classes to find out an general winner.
Badassery
It is easy, choom, is that this character badass? Can he deal with himself in a struggle and look sick as hell doing it?
Johnny: 🦾🦾
Ted: This felt unfair to Johnny at first. In spite of everything, his storming of Arasaka HQ is among the extra badass moments of the sport (full with a sick theme to go along with it). Recall, nevertheless, that everyone hates Johnny for doing this, it did not change something, and Mr. Silverhand adopted this up by being electrocuted by a geriatric grandpa who hated his guts.
They are saying a child in nice peril can have an adrenaline rush offering them with the power of ten infants, and that is our boy Johnny at Arasaka HQ—his one flash of true badassery amid a lifetime of being a vaguely punk, vaguely hair steel dude who messed lots of stuff up.
We can also’t low cost that he is likely to be an unreliable narrator with ‘Saka HQ—the place was the Cyberpunk lore’s cool man extraordinaire (the “Solo of Fortune”), Morgan Blackhand, throughout all this? If Morgan was the group’s Fighter, Johnny’s like, a high-level cyber Bard possibly?
Fraser: Yeah, Johnny nets himself a excessive physique depend with that chunky pistol of his, and blows up a complete constructing, in what’s a reasonably flashy sequence, however he additionally presumably murders a complete bunch of comparatively harmless individuals in what’s an act of home terrorism. It is much less badass and extra psychotic. And for the majority of the sport he largely simply rants at V, an indignant ghost dwelling of their head.
Reed: 🦾🦾🦾🦾🦾
Fraser: Reed’s extra of an understated badass, by no means needing to strive practically as arduous as Johnny. The primary time you meet him, he sneaks up behind you, sticks a gun in your intestine, and also you by no means even get a take a look at him. He is an expert badass, and I respect it.
It is not Johnny’s fault that he is caught in your head with no approach to work together with the world, however Reed’s potential to really lend a serving to hand throughout a struggle scores him some additional factors right here. He is in a position to get his fingers soiled and again you up, which is infinitely extra useful and badass than waxing poetic about how horrible Arasaka is.
And also you simply know Reed has seen some shit and executed some shit, however he by no means must boast about it. Granted, that is most likely since you would not need to hang around with him if you happen to knew what he’d executed, however the combination of competence, hazard and humility is a potent one and ensures he wins this spherical.
BFF
Would you exit with these guys for ramen and photographs? Who do you need to chat to once you’ve had a tough day taking pictures gonks and robbing corpos?
Johnny: 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶
Fraser: Look, Johnny is a large jerk, initially seeing you as only a vessel to permit him to get revenge on Arasaka, however from that unlucky introduction a relationship can flourish—so long as you do not gobble beta blockers and inform him to fuck off, which is properly inside your proper.
You are basically sharing a physique, so Johnny is all the time there, chiming in, arguing with you, criticising you, but in addition cracking jokes, sympathising and going via all of the shit you are going via. You’ve got acquired this extremely sturdy connection, and sure, it is actually killing you, however that ain’t Johnny’s fault.
Ted: Your friendship with Johnny is one among Cyberpunk 2077’s primary throughlines—like Kim Kitsuragi in Disco Elysium, you’ve got acquired an RPG romance stage of interactivity and back-and-forth for a platonic (no less than inside the textual content of the sport) relationship. You may by no means catch me taking the Johnny blockers, he’ll all the time be my “choomba.”
Reed: 🫶🫶
Ted: All of us need to be Reed’s good friend, however he simply will not allow us to in. He is too chilly, too dedicated to his imperial masters on the NUSA to essentially bro out and develop into our choom, ya dig? Possibly if we had extra time with Reed, he’d have the ability to open up.
Reed jogs my memory lots of the Witcher sequence’ bud extraordinaire, Vernon Roche, who equally served as an intelligence/black ops consiglieri to a majorly tousled head of state. There is no Letho of Gulet round in Phantom Liberty to sever these ties for Reed, and our company man stays too wedded to the job to attain increased on the BFF entrance.
Fraser: Roche is a good comparability. Reed’s a professional and his defences are much more impregnable than the Blackwall. I wished to be his buddy, since you certain as hell want mates in Dogtown, however he is on the job.
Cyberpunkitude
How a lot do your buddies exude the over-the-top, chromed-up, slang-riddled setting?
Johnny: 🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖
Fraser: Johnny is so cyberpunk the lad snorts steel. Every little thing about him is simply steeped in cyberpunkitude. He is an ageing rocker, an anti-capitalist poser, a chromed-up edgelord, and he is aware of all of the lingo. He is additionally a bloody digital ghost, dwelling in your mind since you slotted the Relic into your noggin throughout a heist-gone-wrong. It is merely not potential to be extra cyberpunk. Further factors for having a drink named after him in Afterlife.
Ted: Johnny simply embodies that CyberDadRock vibe of Cyberpunk 2077, this incongruous company struggle veteran who virtually has a Mick Jaggery factor happening, claims to be a DIY anarchist punk, and drives a Porsche. He is goofy and corny and everywhere however he’s unapologetically Johnny and unapologetically Cyberpunk—not the subgenre, however Mike Pondsmith’s tabletop setting.
Reed: 🤖
Ted: Pricey reader, does Solomon Reed ever name you his “choom?” Does he ever describe one thing as “nova” or “preem” through the 30-odd hour runtime of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty? Johnny Silverhand is Mr. Cyberpunk, whereas Solomon Reed is a cool undercover agent who’d be proper at dwelling in Deus Ex or perhaps a up to date thriller.
I wish to think about that Idris Elba had one thing in his rider prohibiting his character’s use of fictional slang from getting too goofy with it. The largest indictment of Reed’s lack of Cyberpunkitutde? My cyborg ninja character felt like some type of dorky Enterprise Bros. theme villain subsequent to Reed’s critical Firm Man persona.
Fraser: I believe if I ever heard Reed begin spouting Evening Metropolis slang I would wish to lie down. It is like once I had a highschool trainer name me “dude”. It is simply incorrect. His groundedness is a optimistic, although! The sport wants this juxtaposition to make sure the world is not simply crammed with caricatures. And there is one thing about Reed’s stoic perspective that simply makes me need to earn his respect.
Smoothness
We’re picturing Cyberpunk 2077’s Cool stat right here, or possibly Composure from Disco Elysium. Is that this character cool underneath stress and in a position to deal with social conditions properly?
Johnny: 😎😎😎
Ted: You may’t deny that Johnny has a sure Charismaaaeeeeee, however that is balanced out by him being such an impulsive dick. Insulting Alt throughout their final assembly collectively? Not clean. Trapping her in our on-line world and turning her into an AI assemble? Not clean. Alienating all of his followers and mates earlier than dying within the worst means possible? Brother, it is merely not clean.
Fraser: Johnny undoubtedly thinks he is clean. He is too cool for his followers, his band, his mates, however actually that simply makes him a mega arsehole. He is an outdated rocker, lifeless for 50 years, however when he goes on his rants about companies and the shite state of society, he simply kinda appears like a stoned politics pupil. He ain’t incorrect, however he simply sounds infantile.
These flaws make him an immensely attention-grabbing character, and one who completely grows throughout his keep in your head, however clean? Probably not.
Reed: 😎😎😎😎
Fraser: Reed’s stone chilly, man. You may’t be an excellent spy if you happen to aren’t fairly rattling clean. However he is additionally a bit too damaged and unhappy to get full marks right here. He is a cool buyer, however he is seen an excessive amount of and betrayed too many individuals, so he spends lots of time trying sadly off into the space.
He can undoubtedly carry out the allure when he must, although. And regardless of being fairly understated, particularly when in comparison with Johnny, he is a grasp manipulator, a lot in order that the individuals who know him finest preserve warning you about him. By no means belief the graceful ones.
Ted: Any doubts about Reed’s smoothness evaporate the second you see him pull out the shindig threads for Phantom Liberty’s occasion infiltration mission. He is cool as a cucumber, and by no means flies off the deal with the best way Johnny typically does. Like Fraser factors out although, there is a sure brittle high quality to Reed evident in his frequent extrajudicial killings and self-delusion in regards to the individuals he serves.
Musicality
Evening Metropolis is a loud place crammed with golf equipment and music, with beats filling your ears everytime you hop into your trip—however can the boys maintain a tune?
Johnny: 🎷🎷🎷🎷
Fraser: OK, I am simply gonna come proper out and say it: I get pleasure from Samurai. It is extra dad rock than the kinda punk that Johnny needs it was, however I like that shit, as arduous as it’s to confess being down with a tune referred to as Chippin’ In. And no matter whether or not or not you are a fan, there isn’t any denying that music, and extra broadly the scene, is a crucial, inherent a part of who Johnny is, which is strengthened by his aspect quests that see you speaking to followers, shopping for LPs, and visiting his outdated bandmate Kerry.
Ted: I used to be initially far more bitter about Samurai’s music earlier than Fraser received me over. It is nonetheless a few of my least favourite stuff in a soundtrack that features Well being and The Armed, but when I am to stay internally constant on my stance that Cyberpunk’s corny Dad Rockitude is sweet, then I’ve acquired to search out it in my coronary heart to just accept Samurai.
Reed: 🎷🎷🎷
Ted: How does Solomon Reed, NUSA firm man and by the ebook agent, rating so excessive on the music entrance? We gave him props for Idris Elba’s actual life musical contributions to Cyberpunk, in addition to the radio station Impulse 99.9, which is principally a curated DJ set from the actor. I wish to fake that these are precise, in-universe contributions from our man Solomon, who has a day job as a bouncer.
Fraser: We’re actually scoring Idris Elba right here, however I am cool with that. Your man has his personal Evening Metropolis radio station, so props.
Ideology
What does this character consider? Each Johnny and Reed are pushed by their convictions, however what are these convictions price?
Johnny: ⚒️⚒️
Ted: Look, I am all the time pumping my fist at Johnny’s anti company screeds, however he is proper for the incorrect causes. Johnny’s a pissed-off poser who drove a Porsche and nuked a serious American metropolis as a result of he was mad that he killed his personal girlfriend. He might have unintentionally stumbled into any variety of perception methods to make that shitshow work.
Fraser: Evening Metropolis is full of people that have been fucked over by the companies and are actively sticking it to them, however Johnny thinks he is the one one—the messiah who will take down Arasaka. With a nuke. Even taking part in as probably the most anti-corpo V, he simply needs to argue with you, as a result of even when he is proper, he is not an ideological activist, he is only a actually indignant dude.
Reed: ⚒️
Fraser: Effectively, that is a simple one. Reed’s an organization man propping up a fascist company system, which he largely does by murdering individuals. He is completely ruthless, and so are the individuals he is working for. Cyberpunk is consistently reinforcing simply how comically evil the companies are, and the politicians who do their bidding, and whereas Reed would not current himself as an over-the-top villain, he is nonetheless fully embedded in that world. And he would not even do the job for a paycheque—the person’s doing all of it without cost.
Ted: I believe there’s some juice to the truth that Colonel Kurt (get it?) Hansen and NUSA president Rosalind Myers are principally the identical individual. They’re each chilly blooded, formidable actors who cloak themselves in some type of ideology—a type of rah rah navy esprit de corps for Hansen and the faint suggestion of a legit United States authorities for Myers. When all of Reed’s cool swagger, patriotism, and charisma is, on the finish of the day, simply extra fodder for a pointless battle between two assholes, it is arduous to really feel prefer it’s price it.
Model
David Martinez’s preem jacket, Adam Smasher’s monstrous chrome—you possibly can’t be a Evening Metropolis legend with out the appropriate look.
Johnny: 🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺
Fraser: Johnny’s drip is definitely fairly low key for Evening Metropolis, probably the most garish place on Earth, however that partly is what makes him stand out, with a glance that is develop into iconic. And ever since I watched The Blues Brothers as a child, I’ve revered a dude who wears shades when it is darkish.
What I actually dig, although, is how Johnny’s model connects to his private narrative. The shades, leather-based trousers and biker boots imply you may always remember that he is the frontman of a band, whereas the ballistic vest evokes his militant aspect, each his former life as a soldier and his later stint as an anti-capitalist terrorist. His alt look, in the meantime, is 100% STD-riddled occasion boy.
Ted: Shout out to Silverhand’s titular silver (chrome, actually) hand. I really like the element and craftsmanship CDPR put right into a prosthetic that is very spectacular and futuristic to us, however in 2077’s period of discrete, flesh-tone cybernetics is definitely a museum piece. An S-tier videogame robotic arm on the order of Venom Snake’s bionic arm or the Unalloyed Gold prostheses from Elden Ring.
Reed: 🕺🕺🕺🕺
Ted: Yeah, Reed’s acquired a cool outfit, however it’s additionally the precise one my character is carrying. Come to consider it, Placide in Pacifica’s acquired a cyberguy trench coat factor going too. Oh god, so does that random NPC netrunner on the nook over there. An enormous, shapely leather-based trench coat is a well-liked fictional match for a motive, however similar to with Reed’s lack of Cyberpunk-ness, he might slot in wherever whereas Johnny is so completely 2077.
Fraser: Reed’s a spy, so he actually would not need to stand out. He is dressed for work. So yeah, not probably the most fashionable man in Evening Metropolis, however he makes it work, and it is nonetheless a cool look. He does get gussied up in a single quest, too, the place he embraces sequins, and for that we actually needed to give him a stable 4.
And the winner is…
Johnny Silverhand: 26
Solomon Reed: 20
Fraser: I had an inkling it would pan out this fashion. Reed’s an awesome character, however we spend considerably much less time with him, and as a spy he is much more understated than a rocker-turned-terrorist-turned-ghost. He matches Phantom Liberty completely, however Johnny is simply such an enormous a part of Cyberpunk 2077, and such a larger-than-life character. Anyway, I am very glad we might categorically decide who’s the very best Cyberpunk buddy with this completely goal system.
Ted: Congratulations to John Cyberpunk himself, Johnny Silverhand. I used to be legitimately shocked at this final result, however the chilly, rational, and unimpeachable system Fraser and I created can’t inform a lie. We each nonetheless love Solomon Reed to bits, and Idris Elba’s efficiency has worthily continued CDPR’s marketing campaign to redeem movie star mo-cap performances in videogames.