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NieR: Automata Review Thread

M

MisterShine

Member
I was going to wait til the PC version came out, but I decided to get the PS4 version so I have plenty of time to finish it before Mass Effect. I'll just buy it on Steam this winter sale when I want to replay it.

Listening to the forest theme music while the preload goes.. damn. Nier 1 had exceptional music, hoping for a repeat here.
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
Surfheart said:
The demo really bored me, is the full game much different?
Click to expand...
I'm definitely in the minority on this, but I actually thought the demo was kinda bleh. The combat wasn't very fun for me, and I found the melodramatic cutscene at the end to be kind of cringey. Even the music didn't wow me, given the standard Okabe had set for himself.

The full game, however, is soooo much better in every aspect.
 
J

Jiraiza

Member
KO Traveling Hobo said:
I'm definitely in the minority on this, but I actually thought the demo was kinda bleh. The combat wasn't very fun for me, and I found the melodramatic cutscene at the end to be kind of cringey. Even the music didn't wow me, given the standard Okabe had set for himself.

The full game, however, is soooo much better in every aspect.
Click to expand...

And then you became ashamed of your words and deeds.
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Hiltz said:
So is the game supposed to be fairly challenging, or is it one of Platinum's easier and more accessible action games in terms of combat and difficulty?

I was sadly immediately turned off by how hard Nioh was just based on the downloadable demo. I have not made any real progress in Bloodborne yet, but will try to get back into it some day, but I do like it! I liked the demo of what Nier had to offer, so I do plan on buying it based on that.
Click to expand...

One of the major complaints I keep seeing is sadly related to the overall game balance. Normal is supposedly way too easy, anyone can jump in mash out crazy combos(see gifs) and enjoy the story. If wanting something a bit more satisfying though, hard and v. hard are intentionally scaled way beyond fair means and conflicts with the core design of both the opposition and the tools afforded to the player to handle the punishment.

This is taken from a few sources(mostly hardcore youtubers that are well regarded for high-skill play that have video footage detailing their argument), so I can't speak first hand myself. They seem to agree that there is a lot to love about the game, but this sits well below platinum's usual standards when compared to the likes of Rising, Bayonetta, and others on their higher difficulties. Add in mandatory, non-skippable cutscenes(especially during multi-phase boss attempts) and they really are not impressed with how the gameplay portion turned out given how absurd some of the balance problems turned out on higher diffs.

They do agree that it's story and general 'experience' will win over many playing on normal though. I am just concerned now given that normal sounds too mindless, while they really make an argument that hard is poorly planned out.
 
D

Danis Saur

Member
KO Traveling Hobo said:
I'm definitely in the minority on this, but I actually thought the demo was kinda bleh. The combat wasn't very fun for me, and I found the melodramatic cutscene at the end to be kind of cringey. Even the music didn't wow me, given the standard Okabe had set for himself.

The full game, however, is soooo much better in every aspect.
Click to expand...

I mean, I want to trust you guys on this, because I felt the same way with the demo.
 
M

mollipen

Member
Resonance said:
People hate 9S? Maybe from a gameplay perceptive sure, but he's a well developed character
Click to expand...

Eh, I guess. I just don't like his personality type. I only really liked him and found him to be a compelling character when he was
having his mental breakdown
.

Otherwise, I wanted him to get out of the way so I could get back to the badasses 2B and A2.
 
J

Jiraiza

Member
Brandon F said:
One of the major complaints I keep seeing is sadly related to the overall game balance. Normal is supposedly way too easy, anyone can jump in mash out crazy combos(see gifs) and enjoy the story. If wanting something a bit more satisfying though, hard and v. hard are intentionally scaled way beyond fair means and conflicts with the core design of both the opposition and the tools afforded to the player to handle the punishment.

This is taken from a few sources(mostly hardcore youtubers that are well regarded for high-skill play that have video footage detailing their argument), so I can't speak first hand myself. They seem to agree that there is a lot to love about the game, but this sits well below platinum's usual standards when compared to the likes of Rising, Bayonetta, and others on their higher difficulties. Add in mandatory, non-skippable cutscenes(especially during multi-phase boss attempts) and they really are not impressed with how the gameplay portion turned out given how absurd some of the balance problems turned out on higher diffs.

They do agree that it's story and general 'experience' will win over many playing on normal though. I am just concerned now given that normal sounds too mindless, while they really make an argument that hard is poorly planned out.
Click to expand...

Which gifs are you referring to? I can gurantee you that the few that have been posted cannot be achieved with just "mashing" as you put it. Can't really comment on the other games, but I'll take your word for it. In the end, this game is still ultimately a RPG.
 
S

Slash76

Member
KO Traveling Hobo said:
I'm definitely in the minority on this, but I actually thought the demo was kinda bleh. The combat wasn't very fun for me, and I found the melodramatic cutscene at the end to be kind of cringey. Even the music didn't wow me, given the standard Okabe had set for himself.

The full game, however, is soooo much better in every aspect.
Click to expand...

It´s great to read this because I wasn´t interested in this game at all, but when I played the demo I loved it so much that I´ll buy it day one.
 
A

Azzanadra

Member
Can't believe I am actually exited for this game. I loved Metal Gear Rising, but other than that have been "meh" on Platinum...Never played a Taro game either. I was planning on buying one game this insane stretch, choosing from Ni Oh and Horizon, but I am going end up getting this- something that would have been inconceivable just 3 days ago.
 
L

LotusHD

Banned
KO Traveling Hobo said:
I'm definitely in the minority on this, but I actually thought the demo was kinda bleh. The combat wasn't very fun for me, and I found the melodramatic cutscene at the end to be kind of cringey. Even the music didn't wow me, given the standard Okabe had set for himself.

The full game, however, is soooo much better in every aspect.
Click to expand...

What? The music in that alone was great.
 
I

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
Azzanadra said:
Can't believe I am actually exited for this game. I loved Metal Gear Rising, but other than that have been "meh" on Platinum...Never played a Taro game either. I was planning on buying one game this insane stretch, choosing from Ni Oh and Horizon, but I am going end up getting this- something that would have been inconceivable just 3 days ago.
Click to expand...

Good. Support Yoko Taro, welcome to the Drakenier fandom
 
D

dlauv

Member
KO Traveling Hobo said:
I'm definitely in the minority on this, but I actually thought the demo was kinda bleh. The combat wasn't very fun for me, and I found the melodramatic cutscene at the end to be kind of cringey. Even the music didn't wow me, given the standard Okabe had set for himself.

The full game, however, is soooo much better in every aspect.
Click to expand...

This is great news. I like Bayo as much as anyone, but I wasn't impressed with just another's derivative.

Beyond that, I echo the thoughts on the cutscene and music.
 
U

Usobuko

Banned
If soundtrack can sell you all on a game, can I introduced you all to Fata Morgana? Still has 100% positive reviews on steam.

https://youtu.be/NaWuLJ8S0BE

I already live in a timeline where yakuza, NieR succeed and TLG, FF XV came out. It's not too greedy for another wish right?
 
A

ArkhamFantasy

Member
Grief.exe said:
Still at 90

Can't stop, won't stop
Click to expand...

Square Enix and Platinum right now

zc6xf9.gif
 
N

noise36

Member
Didn't know it existed...now I want it.

I am not sure there have been so many great games to play in such a short space of time...time not sure if I have enough.
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
LotusHD said:
What? The music in that alone was great.
Click to expand...

True Fire said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STaZoaZCnps
Click to expand...
Don't get me wrong, I didn't think the music was bad or anything, it just didn't have the impact that I've come to expect from Okabe. Especially since I still listen to Drakengard 3's best tracks on a regular basis, so they were fresh in my mind.

Part of it is definitely the lack of support from what little writing was in the demo, though. Really great music can be cheapened if it's attached to something unimpressive.
 
V

VanillaCakeIsBurning

Member
I thought the OST was definitely better once I was in the game.

Especially since the music is context-sensitive, in that it changes based on what's happening. The OST is definitely Nier tier once you've gone through it and heard the whole thing.
 
S

Sparkedglory

Member
It hit 90? Yes! I was hoping it would after being stuck at 89. Congrats to both square and platinum. Though the real winner here is gamers in general for so many great games all coming out one after the other.
 
S

Samikaze

Member
Wow, very surprised those scores are still so high! Nier was one of my favorites last gen, but was so damn niche.

Glad Square Enix took the risk on getting this made.
Doesn't quite make up for halting a Deus Ex, but it helps lol.
 
C

careksims

Member
I chose right to get Zelda and Nier for this month. I don't need anything else for a while. Can't wait for the black box to come in tomorrow.
 
O

Ocarina_117

Banned
Videogamer.TV review sold me.

Watched some Nier/Drakengard lore videos, still don't know what the fuck is going on.

Will be looking to pick this up once on offer, can't wait.

Haven't had dat platinum goodness since Bayo 2, need it all over my face. Combat system looks dope and the spectacle batshit crazy. Love it.
 
S

Squire

Banned
Ocarina_117 said:
Videogamer.TV review sold me.

Watched some Nier/Drakengard lore videos, still don't know what the fuck is going on.

Will be looking to pick this up once on offer, can't wait.

Haven't had dat platinum goodness since Bayo 2, need it all over my face. Combat system looks dope and the spectacle batshit crazy. Love it.
Click to expand...

Get ready for a bunch of replies telling you it's not like a typical Platinum game etc etc
 
C

CannonFodder52

Member
Inuhanyou said:
I wonder what EZA will say. I'm banking on them
Click to expand...

Ben was talking up Drakengard 3 a few months ago... Obviously it can go either way though.

Related note, finishing D3 for the first time tonight before I start Nier Automata. The step up in quality should be extra obvious coming from this game.
 
W

Windam

Scaley member
I was definitely not expecting that kind of MC score for a Yoko Taro game... HYPE! And Amazon.ca has just shipped my copy. :D
 
ieatzombies

ieatzombies

Member
Started the download. Now the waiting game. The psn theme is beautiful btw. It was between this and nioh. I'm happy to have chosen this one for now as a palette cleanser. I still have to finish Horizon, Yakuza 0, TLG, FFXV. Slow down games.
 
N

NightShift

Member
I don't believe all this talk of the OST being better than the first Nier. How is that even possible?

Still gotta wait 3 more days. S**t Square Enix.
 
Exentryk

Exentryk

Member
I am going to take my sweet sweet time with this game. Just running around the world exploring every nook and cranny with the Godly OST playing in the background... it's going to be bliss!
 
ieatzombies

ieatzombies

Member
Forgot to ask. What difficulty should I go for? I'm hearing conflicting stories of hard being too hard and normal being way too easy.
 
xviper

xviper

Member
i did not like the Demo

the combat was good, fast but the controller doesn't vibrate and that is a HUGE turn off for me

but these reviews are amazing, hope the game has a variety between enemies and not just the statues that do nothing but shoots balls like were in the Demo
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
ieatzombies said:
Forgot to ask. What difficulty should I go for? I'm hearing conflicting stories of hard being too hard and normal being way too easy.
Click to expand...
Hard just isn't very fun. It's not the good kind of difficult.

I think the best way to play the game is Normal with some restrictions. Don't grind, use more defense/support chips and less offensive chips, and maybe limit how many recovery items you buy.
 
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