Just finished Nier Automata on XSX, with 100% achievements w/o buying the achievements. I did the E route the last & finished it / deleted the save file to help others and got that black title screen. All endings, 100% weapons, 100% pods, 100% quests, 100% endings, 100% intel/novel etc... except fishing. (just 60%) The save file shows me about 85 hours to complete - if I played this on PS4 or X1X, due to the loading, I think it may have went over 100 hours easily.
Quite an experience, but a lot of mixed feelings. I guess that comes from the games by Yoko Taro style of games. That surreal/nostalgic color palette with ethereal music combo really left me some impression. Obviously enjoyed very much - but I think this is more acquired taste to truly love his works. In my case, the ambiguous and sometimes cruel story telling, it felt little harsh or at times sadistic... but then again, it is the charm of his games. A lot of quests, sometimes felt like I'm playing Yakuza games for some strange reason. Maybe it's the translation or cultural thing - can't really nail it down but some of those "unexpected" outcomes from these little quest shared similar feeling from Yakuza sometimes - that those sometimes add a bit more flare/spice to the regular "fetch" or "escort" types, or find someone at certain certain places type of standard quests you get. For example, the differing outcome of delivering 11B's escape plan to the client or whatnot. Asks a lot of moral questions here and there - and things are pretty ambiguous in this game on that one, that even with great/kind intention didn't work out.
3rd play thru was something of a surprise (almost felt like the reverse castle on SOTN) - that I really went in blindly into this game, and only looked at some hints of getting specific endings after beating C ending. (did get some bad endings unintentionally) - that multi ending game overs sometimes caught me by surprise when I activated by mistake. (like eating the Makerel thing lol, or being killed on the prologue first mission with no save allowed.. etc) - it managed to make me feel uncomfortable in any situation, knowing something unexpected may happen - and I think that was part of the charm.
But the best part for me, it was the music, which fit the game so quite nicely. I'm contemplating to get the OST, for some rainy/gray afternoons. Sheer variation of each score modified to fit to the theme/situation - it must have been such a challenge. Graphic wise, I was pretty impressed by the "atmosphere" but details or some texture felt quite lacking. Something like the metal crates right by the Resistance save terminal, which always shows up close up when transporting there - or the sea texture by the Factory area, reminded me old PS2 textures sometimes.
After 13 Sentinels & Nier Automata, decided something more wholesome/straightforward to go easy - so started Dragon Quest XIS on Game Pass. Quite fast loading time (not sure what it was like on PS4 Pro) - and just about to leave town after clearing the first trial.
It's my first Dragon Quest since 9 on DS, skipped 7 and 8 (wanting to play them when I get a chance) - so it's been a while. Still trying to get used to the camera angle, that I'm more comfortable with more birds eye view for DQ... but I guess I will get used to it - and the weird physics falling from the higher places or whatnot, just reminds me that this really is just a Dragon Quest game in 3d perspective.
Looking forward to move out of town now and get onto the main adventure now. But for some reason, I am totally hooked on the storyline of any DQ game, but tend to easily forget them what it was all about! I hardly remember any of the side characters of any DQ games too... and while I expect it more of the same thing to happen, but maybe not this time?
