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NieR: Automata |OT| "I wouldn't expect too much from this game if I were you."
- Thread starter BRSxIgnition
- Start date
How About No
Member
So I just played the prologue section with my dad. He said if he had the opportunity he'd like to play it some time. Probably won't happen but uhh cool lol?
I honestly thought it was a crapshoot if he'd be interested in it or not, but he loves sci-fi like Arthur C Clarke and Star Trek, and I told him about the easy mode that practically plays itself (I don't have a PS4 and If have to haul my PC over to his place if he wanted to play it, so likely not happening lol)
I honestly thought it was a crapshoot if he'd be interested in it or not, but he loves sci-fi like Arthur C Clarke and Star Trek, and I told him about the easy mode that practically plays itself (I don't have a PS4 and If have to haul my PC over to his place if he wanted to play it, so likely not happening lol)
So, something I didnt get /late route C spoilers
just read the Devola and Popola short story. So the thing about one of their models being defective, is just a lie that got introduced to them when they were reprogramed? or does the game consider their behaviour in Nier 1 defective? they still didn't explain it properly or Im dumb lol
It's about their actions in the first game. Their sympathy for Nier and reluctance to forcibly redirect his path until it was far too late led to the death of the Original Gestalt and humanity's final extinction.
Jaded dads owe it to themselves to play NieR: Automata
yeah but at the same time Gestalt Nier wanted all of that. There's a scene for the Route B where he says to sleeping Gestalt Yonah that his body is coming (or something like that) and that soon they'll be reunited. Kinda hints that Gestalt Nier was onto something, and was not just about the androids. In that case, the androids are programmed to obey him.
Of course it's never explicity said what are the true intentions of Gestalt Nier so anything can work I guess.
Of course it's never explicity said what are the true intentions of Gestalt Nier so anything can work I guess.
Anyways right now I'm in a certain room... damn!
I worry too much about missable stuff, or making mistakes. I read somewhere that I shouldn't kill non-hostiles at this (really early game)
. And I'm anal about exploring everywhere so every area is taking me twenty times longer than it should and it's dragging down the pacing too much.
Do you guys recommend just blazing through the game to keep the pace up and see the story?
theme park
Do you guys recommend just blazing through the game to keep the pace up and see the story?
Nothing but a short moment regarding Ending Y (which is a very late game thing) is missable.
killatopak
Gold Member
Just go at it on your own pace. The only time I would worry about missing anything is very late into the game and even then you had to have found and maxed out every weapon.
Itchy//Tasty
Member
I've jumped in, GAF. Three hours in and loving it! My only question is there specific stuff I can definitely sell? I'm hoarding because I don't know if the pod upgrades etc will need those resources. Did the same thing in Horizon.
killatopak
Gold Member
There are item with descriptions that says "can be sold for money".
Yup, anything you didn't finish gets reset. You do get some new exclusive sidequest for this route, and it isn't completely a repeat (Remember the times 9S disappears),as well as new cutscenes.
DarkChronic
Member
Bleh. So disappointed with myself for not liking this game as much as I thought I would.
30 hours in, currently making my way through Route C. I can't play for more than 10-15 minutes before getting bored and putting it down, at this point. Weak story and weak characters are bringing me down, but it's mostly the boring world and repetition that is killing me. I didn't play the first Nier, so I didn't realize just how much backtracking there was going to be. It's literally just fetch quests and combat quests in the same handful of areas over and over. I LOVED the demo, and thought the experience was going to be more streamlined like that first level. I think I would have preferred a more tight, 8-12 hour game, than this.
I'll see through it to the end, and I didn't HATE my time with it, but boy, am I bummed that I didn't love it as much as the rest of you guys here.
30 hours in, currently making my way through Route C. I can't play for more than 10-15 minutes before getting bored and putting it down, at this point. Weak story and weak characters are bringing me down, but it's mostly the boring world and repetition that is killing me. I didn't play the first Nier, so I didn't realize just how much backtracking there was going to be. It's literally just fetch quests and combat quests in the same handful of areas over and over. I LOVED the demo, and thought the experience was going to be more streamlined like that first level. I think I would have preferred a more tight, 8-12 hour game, than this.
I'll see through it to the end, and I didn't HATE my time with it, but boy, am I bummed that I didn't love it as much as the rest of you guys here.
The original Nier handled consecutive playthroughs better than this.
Cuz it skipped a large portion of the game. And I'm not sure the huge world of this game is conductive to this mechanic. Running around the same places is annoying to be honest. Then there's 9S himself, I don't care about his moveset AT ALL nor am I a fan of the hacking thing. I'm also not a fan how near the end of Route A suddenly some of your sidequests disappear, because 9S is gone, without any warning. I was really close to finishing Emil's (I just had to visit him at the mall) and the photographs one, which are the most annoying really. But it's the repeition that bothers me the most. For some reason I enjoyed going through the original Nier again more than I'm enjoying this.
Oh and Ending A was really unsatisfying, which I imagine might get fixed with further routes, but it didn't leave me with the best taste in my mouth.
You know, overall, that game is a heck of a lot like the first one, heh. It's aight.
Remembrance
Member
But with the smaller world, you were just going back to the same places repeatedly within the same playthrough!
I just finished Nier 1 while beating Ending A in Automata, and I would rather run around Automata's world doing random fights and picking up items for half an hour than run from the village to the junk heap in Nier one more time. Being able to run fast constantly with no loading screens beats spear-rolling everywhere and loading screens every two minutes, any day.
Made some decent progress today. I went into the
and met
, who seemed neat.
Also, two side quests really stuck with me. The one where you find out that robots are
and the other, the one where you try to find a treasure only to realize
.
Good stuff.
Also, did my boy (character spoiler, maybe mid game?)
Forest Kingdom
A2
Also, two side quests really stuck with me. The one where you find out that robots are
committing suicide by tossing themselves in the canyon in order to reach heaven
that at the end the quest giver just wanted you to murder everyone in the castle
Good stuff.
Also, did my boy (character spoiler, maybe mid game?)
Emil just make a cameo appearance? Sounded like him. Thought he sacrificed himself though at the end of the first Nier.
It actually gives you a very subtle warning, but yea, I can see why that'd suck.
At the very least, know that nothing is permanently missable.
And yes, it is fine to come out of Route A feeling unsatisfied.
At the very least, know that nothing is permanently missable.
And yes, it is fine to come out of Route A feeling unsatisfied.
Isaac Otherworld
Member
My thoughts exactly.
Dr_Boris_Goltz
Banned
Wait that menu gibberish isn't intentional? I figured it was some flavor thing that would change after I progressed a little.
Should I not play until it's fixed? I only did the intro mission.
Should I not play until it's fixed? I only did the intro mission.
DieAntwoord
Banned
I'm not really feeling this game. I'm sure the story is amazing; but I'm not really into gaming for the stories. I haven't really felt like Platinums made a great game since Bayo 2 and this is on the list and growing. It just feels like Transformers Devestation all over again. Darting from point A to B, simplified combat not even remotely nearing other character action games, down the chip/upgrade system. This is just so meh
If you have a physical copy simply delete the patch and play the earlier version without the bug. If you're digital then, well, sorry
Dr_Boris_Goltz
Banned
If you have a physical copy simply delete the patch and play the earlier version without the bug. If you're digital then, well, sorry
I have the physical version so I'll do that.
Oddly the menus were fixed on my second play session.
Aaaand finished! Enjoyed it overall but I liked the first one better, especially in story and characters.
Gameplay was better but
Off to read the Spoiler thread with some coffee.
Gameplay was better but
too much time was spent playing as 9S, which has a gimped combat, it does a disservice to the gameplay IMO. There should have been more A2.
Off to read the Spoiler thread with some coffee.
While I don't think any of his sections were unnecessary, A2 did desperately need more screentime, both from a narrative and gameplay perspective - there's so much they could have done with her story, and compressing character development that could have spanned an entire game into 40 minutes led to the result being kind of shallow - they didn't even touch on the idea of her generation living with false memories of human lives, which doesn't appear to be the case for later YoRHa models. If they do manage to include a DLC chapter, she'd be an obvious candidate to focus on.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
I feel like the original nier and automata are going for it different things story wise. OG nier Sienna more time with the ensemble cast whole automata was Sienna more time on the world and themes.
Sure, didn't mean 9S paths where unnecesary, all of his gameplay in Route C was needed to show his descent into madness. But A2, as you say, needed more character development. Hell all about his character is basically a text dump.
I feel both games are very centric on being a character story. It's true that Automata explains a little more things about what's going on in this world rather than Nier, but that's more on how Nier handles Route B and what the story is about.
At the end I guess it's about how much you resonate with the characters. Gotta say to me Nier 1 launched in a moment that may have resonated with me more
I remember more or less it launched while the European Debt Crisis hit hard here, and it was common to see a lot of examples on TV or even here where I live (I mean, here we had +25% unemployement rate, around 50% for young people) about parents struggin to find work to take care about their kids, so seeing Nier was basically the same at the start of the game inmediately hit on me.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
That's what I meant about OG Nier being more character driven, because we have a really clear objective throughout most of the game, and the character motivation that drives it, whereas I'd say that if I were to stop at route A I would find the game's story pretty meandering in all honesty and would have struggled to understand its purpose
until you learn that its another loop in 2B's and 9S's cursed relationship cycle
C.
In contrast,
most of A & B is mostly about exploring the societies the machines form, and while they are crude and honestly naive imitations or humans long gone, holds a mirror to how and why we ourselves form societies. Only for everything to come crumbling down, and then we learn both the joys and pain of having and losing a societal connection.
Though I'd argue that A&B holds a lot more meaning when you playthrough them again with the context of the whole story in mind, which I guess could be construed as another way taro tells stories in cycles.
Though I'd argue that A&B holds a lot more meaning when you playthrough them again with the context of the whole story in mind, which I guess could be construed as another way taro tells stories in cycles.
But yeah, Automata does resonate with me more because
at this time I'm super interested in existential stories and questions.
Isaac Otherworld
Member
Nier and Nier Automata's stories have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Nier's biggest strength is also it's own weakness. The story is laser focused on Nier's (the character's) desperate struggle to cure Yonah's illness. This is great because it gives this central goal you're always working towards. But it does end up feeling very video-gamey and arbitrary in a way I'm not sure I ever felt 100% comfortable with from a storytelling perspective. It's ultimately structured very similar to Legend of Zelda games. Go to each of the areas and get the Sealed Verse. Plot twist! Not go to each of the areas and get the Key Fragments. This might be intentional and you can chock it up to Yoko Taro trying to lull players into a false sense of security.
Nier 1's biggest strength was it's unique, strong characters and their dynamic together. Nier's party is definitely one of my favorites in gaming. Between the characters, their own personal struggles, and how they all bounce off one another it makes everything about the game feel more rich. It's other biggest strength was just how hard it subverted protagonist morality, despite how much you loved the main characters.
Most games that try to make a statement on how both sides of a conflict are morally grey usually make it really ham fisted and it's usually you caught up in the middle of two sides. Nier was a story about how two sides of a conflict can both feel absolutely justified and righteous in their action and it makes that point by pulling the rug out from under you and kicking you in the stomach while you're down. I bet most players probably went through the entire game hardly realizing there were more than one perspective to the whole conflict.
Automata's characters are all mostly great, though they don't bounce off each other in anywhere near as interesting of a way as Nier 1's party. That said, aside from
who was ultimately underdeveloped and underutilized, the game mostly makes up for it in terms of their own individual character developments, either through learning more and more
or 9S's
.
Nier Automata's strengths are it's much stronger world building and it's use of the machine lifeforms to hold a mirror towards humanity. The story is really unfocused compared to Nier 1's, especially path A+B. You go on a standard recon job, only for the unexpected to happen. And while that leads to some unforgettable
moments
I can't help but feel that the lack of cohesion in the first part of the game is ultimately an issue with it's story. Maybe if
were more interesting and fleshed out antagonists and tied into everything more effectively it could have all felt more cohesive.
Nier 1's world never felt 100% cohesive to me. It was a ruined post-apocalypse, but also beautiful idyllic medieval fantasy setting and also had steampunk technology way more impressive than anything we have in modern day. And it had magic. This all makes sense with Grimoire Nier taken into account but it did leave me scratching my head as I played it.
Automata's world ultimately feels much more cohesive. While I have some issues with a few things aesthetically, it really sells the overall presentation of two factions of hyperadvanced robotic lifeforms engaged in an endless on an Earth where humanity has completely receded. In addition, its focus on using those factions to explore the nature of humanity and reflect that back to us, often in immensely uncomfortable and disturbing ways, were extremely fantastic. Almost all of the side-quests have interesting bits of story that all add to the overall theme of exploring humanity by watching machines emulate humanity, if the quests don't carry serious implications for the main plot directly.
Anyway this has been a long rambling late night post responding to what you guys have been saying. I'm also being deliberately nitpicky about two stories I really loved.
Nier's biggest strength is also it's own weakness. The story is laser focused on Nier's (the character's) desperate struggle to cure Yonah's illness. This is great because it gives this central goal you're always working towards. But it does end up feeling very video-gamey and arbitrary in a way I'm not sure I ever felt 100% comfortable with from a storytelling perspective. It's ultimately structured very similar to Legend of Zelda games. Go to each of the areas and get the Sealed Verse. Plot twist! Not go to each of the areas and get the Key Fragments. This might be intentional and you can chock it up to Yoko Taro trying to lull players into a false sense of security.
Nier 1's biggest strength was it's unique, strong characters and their dynamic together. Nier's party is definitely one of my favorites in gaming. Between the characters, their own personal struggles, and how they all bounce off one another it makes everything about the game feel more rich. It's other biggest strength was just how hard it subverted protagonist morality, despite how much you loved the main characters.
Most games that try to make a statement on how both sides of a conflict are morally grey usually make it really ham fisted and it's usually you caught up in the middle of two sides. Nier was a story about how two sides of a conflict can both feel absolutely justified and righteous in their action and it makes that point by pulling the rug out from under you and kicking you in the stomach while you're down. I bet most players probably went through the entire game hardly realizing there were more than one perspective to the whole conflict.
Automata's characters are all mostly great, though they don't bounce off each other in anywhere near as interesting of a way as Nier 1's party. That said, aside from
A2
about 2B retroactively and seeing all of her mysterious actions and statements tie together
legendary emotional and mental breakdown as Route C progresses
Nier Automata's strengths are it's much stronger world building and it's use of the machine lifeforms to hold a mirror towards humanity. The story is really unfocused compared to Nier 1's, especially path A+B. You go on a standard recon job, only for the unexpected to happen. And while that leads to some unforgettable
(THIS CANNOT CONTINUE}
(BECOME AS GODS)
Adam and Eve
Nier 1's world never felt 100% cohesive to me. It was a ruined post-apocalypse, but also beautiful idyllic medieval fantasy setting and also had steampunk technology way more impressive than anything we have in modern day. And it had magic. This all makes sense with Grimoire Nier taken into account but it did leave me scratching my head as I played it.
Automata's world ultimately feels much more cohesive. While I have some issues with a few things aesthetically, it really sells the overall presentation of two factions of hyperadvanced robotic lifeforms engaged in an endless on an Earth where humanity has completely receded. In addition, its focus on using those factions to explore the nature of humanity and reflect that back to us, often in immensely uncomfortable and disturbing ways, were extremely fantastic. Almost all of the side-quests have interesting bits of story that all add to the overall theme of exploring humanity by watching machines emulate humanity, if the quests don't carry serious implications for the main plot directly.
Anyway this has been a long rambling late night post responding to what you guys have been saying. I'm also being deliberately nitpicky about two stories I really loved.
Yeah TD has better combat. Kinda disappointed with this game there a bit.
I guess I'll have to do dem fetch quests again. Maybe I'll bump up the difficulty to hard mode to spice shit up, but I hope that doesn't simply make me constantly use health items.
You might be right, but at the time I played Nier I was more enthused about going through the game again. I've never really liked traversing Automata's world to be honest.
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
Agreed. Nier's world was much cozier, and there was a sense of mystery and life to it. It's like the areas themselves went through character development.
However, I really love the movement in Automata. It's something that I value a lot more than the combat changes.
Veritigo_X
Member
Do you know about Pod kick/throw? I found these moves made traversal way more enjoyable for me and I didn't figure this out until the end of my second playthrough.
Pod Kick - While gliding with Pod, press the attack button
Pod Throw - Jump + Shoot
The momentum that basic movement has in Automata does feel great, but it makes the amount of invisible walls in the environments very blatant. I don't necessarily need the game to have a huge open world, but it'd have been nice if they were able to make the obstacles to traversal within their current style of level design less arbitrary.
xmajinjoshx
Member
The opening moments of route C are intense, and easily the best moments in recent gaming.
It's the length of their combo string when equipped to either the light or heavy slots.
You can easily play the entire game with just default weapons - the difference between them comes out more when they've been upgraded to level 4, when unique bonuses are applied to each set. For example, some weapons stun enemies, others have increased attack when you're at high HP, one has a chance of converting enemies to your side.
This was never trying to be the next Bayonetta to begin with.
Yeah controls is something that PG always nails.
I know about the first, but I can't say I understand what is it good for.
Don't know what pod throw is, I have to press jump+shoot at the same time? Guess I'll try it out, thanks.
Yeah that's a huge pet peeve I have with the game. It has the worst case I've seen of invisible walls in recent memory. Clearly they threw their arms up in the air like they don't care. It reflects poorly on the presentation, makes it look low budget. Which may be for all I know.
Spirit of Jazz
Banned
I came off Automata not really liking the whole package but now I'm getting a desire to play through the game 3 times again and repeat all of the sidequests. It's a really inefficient piece of media but it's really unique. Where as Nier motivated you to play through it over and over because of what was revealed in the main plot Automata doesn't really have much in regards to cohesive plot or meaningful character motivation until you've finished everything and are able to piece things together.
I'm tempted to say the game would be better if it wasn't built around the Nier/Drakengard series though. A lot of things that aren't much more than fan service end up playing way too large a role on the narrative and I feel it leans into the anime trope of technology being another word for magic when it doesn't need to.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Does it? I didn't really know much of nier lore before playing automata though I'm pretty familiar with drakengard, and coming away from it i feel like the ties are tangible but not exactly necessary for the overall theme.
If anything reading impressions here it feels like some people who played nier beforehand had some baggage of expectations to what it should be?
Like the world of automata works incredibly well for what it's trying to convey but people prefer the cozy nature of the original.
If anything reading impressions here it feels like some people who played nier beforehand had some baggage of expectations to what it should be?
Like the world of automata works incredibly well for what it's trying to convey but people prefer the cozy nature of the original.
Nier is leans much more in the technology is magic angle than Automata.
Veritigo_X
Member
I know about the first, but I can't say I understand what is it good for.
Don't know what pod throw is, I have to press jump+shoot at the same time? Guess I'll try it out, thanks.
It just makes it easier to stay on building tops. My frustration with traversal was mostly falling in alleyways and having to navigate around buildings on the ground. Staying in the air as long as possible helps avoid that.
Spirit of Jazz
Banned
I just feel it makes some elements of the game needlessly convoluted though I suppose a lot of it comes down to me not really liking how technology means magic because the themes could be told without it where as they were key components of the original Nier. For example (endgame spoilers)
I don't think Emil's needed in the story at all. It makes sense that he's a super weapon given that's what he was in Nier but it muddies things when it could have just been war between machines/aliens battling androids/humans. A lot of the more supernatural elements detract from the themes for me, I think the clearest example of it is in the desert building when you witness the machines desperately trying to procreate and it's weird, unsettling, and makes sense as the plot unfolds. Then you have Adam magic himself into existence and it just feels weird for the sake of being weird. It even comes down down to things like the need for YorHa black boxes to be machine core in order to establish that their motivation/failures are the same, which just came across as over-explaining the similar nature of their AI to me and it doesn't mean much when they don't really establish how the other androids AI are different.
Given the nature of how the stories told though there's every chance some things just flew over my head.
Given the nature of how the stories told though there's every chance some things just flew over my head.