Hammerjack

About a week ago I posted a rumor that Robert Pattinson could potentially play Case in Apple TV+'s Neuromancer series. That series is now officially announced at Apple TV+ but they only named the showrunners (no cast). I assume this means Pattinson declined the role, otherwise they would've mentioned him. Or maybe they're still in talks, who knows. I just think if Pattinson was close to signing on they would've waited to make this announcement so they could include his name.

Also, I absolutely hate linking to twitter, but William Gibson discussed his involvement in the series here. I can't read any of the replies, but someone posted it elsewhere so I assume this is accurate:

“I’m not going to be answering many questions here, about Apple TV’s adaptation of Neuromancer. I’ll have to be answering too many elsewhere, and doing my part on the production. So I thought I’d try to describe that, my part.”

“I answer showrunner’s and director’s questions about the source material. I read drafts and make suggestions. And that’s it, really, though my previous experience has been that that winds up being quite a lot of work in itself.”

"I don’t have veto power. The showrunner and director do, because the adaptation’s their creation, not mine. A novel is a solitary creation. An adaptation is a fundamentally collaborative creation, so first of all isn’t going to “be the book”.

“Particularly not the one you saw behind your forehead when you read the book, because that one is yours alone. So for now let’s leave it at that.”

I know Cowboy Bebop is typically considered to be cyberpunk but I just don't see it. Yes, they're low-lifes living in space, but is that enough to qualify as cyberpunk?

I guess yes, Jet has a cybernetic arm, and yes Radical Edward is a hacker, but it still just doesn't feel cyberpunk to me. Part of the problem may be that technology never really feels dehumanizing, and society never feels on the verge of collapse. The show is also considered to be a space western and I can see that more than the cyberpunk label, honestly. For the most part, people don't seem to be beaten down by society; they seem more like they're just kinda lazily doing their own thing. That feels more "western" to me than "cyberpunk". It's weird how a lot of the tropes (like cybernetic limbs and hackers) can be present but I just don't think the themes are there.

What do you think? Am I crazy? Would you classify Cowboy Bebop as more cyberpunk or more space western? Obviously I'm referring to the anime classic Cowboy Bebop here and not the mediocre live-action Cowboy Bebop.

I guess here's a trailer if you've never watched it. It's streaming on Tubi, Hulu, and Crunchyroll.

Remember Me is a fun 3rd-person cyberpunk beat 'em up. It takes place in Neo Paris but also, a lot of the game takes place during the day. And there isn't constant rain or clouds, it's actually sunny. It's weird how few cyberpunk games ever actually show the sun.

The gameplay itself gets pretty repetitive. You're always just performing combos against groups of bad guys followed by some platforming (no RPG elements here). It isn't bad by any means, it's just no masterpiece. The world building is really fun though. There's a megacorporation that creates brain implants which allow people to upload, share, and edit their memories. You play a Memory Hunter who can jump into other people's heads and modify their memories. She uses this ability to try bringing down the corporation behind the implant after she learns the horrifying truth.

Here's a trailer. The game is available on Steam, where it regularly goes on sale for 80% off.

If you haven't seen Space Sweepers, definitely check it out. It's a fun "cyberpunk in space" Korean movie. It's pretty light-hearted (no deep philosophical discussions here) but it really hits on all the cyberpunk tropes.

Here's a trailer. You can watch it on Netflix.

In 1993, Billy Idol discovered the cyberpunk genre. He became so enthralled by it that he named his next album Cyberpunk. The album itself isn't very good, but the music video for Shock To The System is definitely cyberpunk.

For what it's worth, the only songs on the album that I'd recommend listening to are Shock To The System and Neuromancer. You can skip the rest of the album.

The SNES version of Shadowrun doesn't really give you any idea what the game is

At least the Super Famicom version gave you an idea of what the world looked like

Goku Midnight Eye is another crazy hyper-violent cyberpunk anime from the 80s. It's about a private investigator who has a cybernetic eye which gives him god-like powers over all electronics on the planet (and off-planet, he can control satellites). And he uses that power... to solve his cases.

The entire series is just two 50-min episodes. In the first episode, he gets knocked out and wakes up on an operating table as some mysterious person is giving him the cybernetic eye. And that's never resolved or explained. I assume the manga explained why this random investigator was given god-like powers over all electronics, but the anime doesn't have time for details like that. It's too busy focusing on the violence and random nudity.

The entire series is weird like that. He also has a staff which can extend for as long as the plot demands, and it's indestructible. So that's nice.

You can watch it on Tubi, or Freevee (Amazon Prime).

The entire Batman Beyond series was cyberpunk. But of all the episodes, I think "Lost Soul" (S2E4) had the most cyberpunk premise.

The episode is about a billionaire who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Before he dies, he digitizes his consciousness so he can continue running his company after death. But instead of doing that, the other employees just power him off. 35 years later, his grandson is inheriting the family business but isn't confident he can handle it. So he brings his grandfather online for advice. Instead of helping, his grandfather convinces the grandson to give him internet access, where he promptly takes over the entire electrical grid in Gotham. Rather than running his company as a digital being, he decides to take over his grandson's body by uploading his own consciousness into it.

Of course, Batman gets involved and this is a kids show so the issue is resolved within 20 minutes. But for a kids show, that's one dark cyberpunk plot.

If it's been awhile since you've watched Batman Beyond, just listen to the intro theme one more time. Also, the whole series is streaming on HBO Max

The Ascent has so much world-building and unique characters that I'm surprised it isn't based on an existing book series, anime, or TTRPG. Yet it's the debut game from a studio with 12 people. That's crazy to me.

There are complaints about the game being buggy or the gameplay being repetitive, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially the cyberpunk visuals and the world they created. I would love to have more content from this universe (books, anime, whatever).

Just check out the official synopsis:

The Ascent takes place within an arcology in a futuristic dystopian world known as Veles, controlled by a powerful megacorporation called "The Ascent Group". Players assume control of a worker enslaved by the company. After the mysterious collapse of The Ascent Group, the arcology descends into a chaotic free-for-all pitting districts, syndicates and rival corporations against each other for control. The player's role is to stop other factions from seizing control and uncover the mystery behind the demise of The Ascent Group.

Totally cyberpunk.

The game is a top-down twin-stick shooter (not FPS) and has a lot of RPG elements. It's available on Steam, Xbox, and Playstation but not on GOG or Switch for some reason.

This video explains the history of The Net using various Cyberpunk rulebooks. So it isn't specific to Cyberpunk 2077. But as someone who never played the Cyberpunk TTRPG or read any of the rulebooks, it's nice to get some context for the things happening in Cyberpunk 2077.

Also, I think The Blackwall is one of the coolest lore ideas in the Cyberpunk TTRPG. I'm glad it featured so heavily in the Phantom Liberty DLC.

Tokyo Ghost is about a cyberpunk world where most people are addicted to the internet and reality TV. The main character's boyfriend is so addicted he can barely talk. But the two of them are offered a job that involves going to the one last nature preserve on earth, Tokyo. The main character thinks this will be a great opportunity to help her boyfriend detox. It doesn't go well.

This series is only 10-issues long and tells a cohesive story with a definitive ending. It also isn't subtle with its social commentary. It's a great cyberpunk comic and I recommend it.

If you have a US library card, you can read the entire series for free on Hoopla. Or you can read it on Comixology if you have that.