Under cover of night, I sneak towards the warehouse. A quick scan of the area reveals a dozen goons of dubious intent. These are no ordinary cronies, either. The Maelstrom gang is tough and sport deadly cyberware. We’re talking massive cyborg arms and sinister laser eyes; if I provoke a fight, I’m as good as dead.
So it’s time for a different angle. I stick to the shadows, moving from cover to cover. Three goons are between me and the target. I hack a nearby vending machine, distracting my adversaries with flashing lights and loud noises. I dash towards the objective. My stealth challenge is completed, and it’s now time for me to decide whether or not the target should live or die. V, our scrappy underdog protagonist, had pulled through.
30 hours of play-time later, I find myself undertaking another gig in that part of town. By this point, I’ve got thirty levels under my belt and top-of-the-line cybernetics to boot. As I approach the gang hideout, I realize the tables have turned. I activate my advanced hacking suite and infect a nearby ganger with a cyber-psychosis virus. He turns on his friends in an instant, his spontaneous mutiny spreading fear and discord. I sneak past the brawl, though this is more a formality than a necessity.
