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"You're a WHAT!?" Nier Gestalt|Replicant |OT|

I've always wondered if Facade's language's loose basis on Japanese was supposed to mean something.

It might have just been they didn't want to construct an entirely new language, didn't want to bullshit one, or they were trying to hint at something.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
ShockingAlberto said:
I've always wondered if Facade's language's loose basis on Japanese was supposed to mean something.

It might have just been they didn't want to construct an entirely new language, didn't want to bullshit one, or they were trying to hint at something.
What makes you believe it has to mean something? Serious question, not questioning your logic.
 
Easy_D said:
What makes you believe it has to mean something? Serious question, not questioning your logic.
Like I said, I don't think it has to mean something. I am just wondering if it might.

It could just be social commentary.
It's a society where everyone is obligated to wear masks, is slowly being threatened by the outside, and they are governed by and strangled by lots of crazy rules. The one true hero the society had chose to basically say "Fuck it" to the rules and do what he thought was right.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
ShockingAlberto said:
Like I said, I don't think it has to mean something. I am just wondering if it might.

It could just be social commentary.
It's a society where everyone is obligated to wear masks, is slowly being threatened by the outside, and they are governed by and strangled by lots of crazy rules. The one true hero the society had chose to basically say "Fuck it" to the rules and do what he thought was right.
I see where you're coming from now.
 

Jackic

Member
ShockingAlberto said:
I've always wondered if Facade's language's loose basis on Japanese was supposed to mean something.

It might have just been they didn't want to construct an entirely new language, didn't want to bullshit one, or they were trying to hint at something.

I don't know if you can actually see this ingame but I'm currently working with some people on the spanish translation of Nier's script and there's an item called
Map of Tokyo
and is actually the map of the first area where
you use Grimoire Noir to dispose of some Shades
.

We also found text from a boss fight that never happens-or I haven't found- where Kainé-cursing her way around- and Emil are supposed to tell you where to hit the monster in order to defeat it.

Also, as you are possibly aware, many of the names in the game are German and French words, for example Weiss is German for white or the game title Nier es "deny" or "Denying" in French.
 

shintoki

sparkle this bitch
ShockingAlberto said:
Like I said, I don't think it has to mean something. I am just wondering if it might.

It could just be social commentary.
It's a society where everyone is obligated to wear masks, is slowly being threatened by the outside, and they are governed by and strangled by lots of crazy rules. The one true hero the society had chose to basically say "Fuck it" to the rules and do what he thought was right.
All I know is, the Farcade arc was my favorite.
 
During the scene with Kaine after the laboratory,
I definitely think it should be Young Nier that she is looking at. The way that she looks at him after waking up doesn't make sense in the context of Old Nier. It's the kind of look that you would give to someone after you haven't seen them in a long time, and they have changed. It would be more poignant with Young Nier, because it would be then that she starts to see him as an adult and not a child. Any attraction that she has to him would most likely start at that exact moment. You can see it in her eyes. As for Emil, I'm not sure when or how he started to have feelings for Nier. Then again, I don't know how much interaction they had during those five years. It would make more sense for him to have feelings for Kaine, and that's what I thought initially. Perhaps in the Japanese script it's clearer. All I know is that the director confirmed that Emil is gay.
Machado said:
quick question:

I just woke up some guy from a weird dream and had the longest conversation in the history of video games (sans plumbers don't wear ties) how far off from finishing the game am I?
You still have quite a ways to go. You haven't even reached the halfway point, so to speak.

Oh snap, I think in Grimoire Nier the writer confirms that Young Nier is canon. Fucking Square Enix. -_-
 
ShockingAlberto said:
ninj4junpei

we get it

You really, really like Young Nier
1stStrike said:
Really, really likes him...
:lol I can't help it that I want the game the way the writer and director intended it. :( And no, I don't find anything attractive about Young Nier. :p Kaine on the other hand... <3
 
Sinople said:
He is and was supposed to be even younger at first.
I heard the opposite -- old Nier was designed first, then the younger Nier was made to appeal to a Japanese audience.

i mean

support young nier all you want but that's the only reason
 
Old/young Nier are practically interchangeable anyway. Aside from obvious things such as the father/daughter relationship turning into a brother/sister one most of the differences are trivial.

Besides the author/director has a history of being...untrustworthy. It's best that I draw my own conclusions when dealing with his work because he's just that fond of pulling the rug out from under everyone. If it was left up to them the only feelings one would get from beating their games are anger, frustration, disappointment, and depression.

EDIT: Ironic that Square-Enix would be telling anyone that they can't have wussy-looking main characters in their games.
 

dili

Member
ZephyrFate said:
I heard the opposite -- old Nier was designed first, then the younger Nier was made to appeal to a Japanese audience.

i mean

support young nier all you want but that's the only reason
Where do people continue to get this idea from?

“I made the youthful version (the protagonist of Nier Replicant) first, during development Saito-san (producer) talked about considering overseas markets,” Trao Yokoo, Director at Cavia, explained in an interview with Inside Games. “At Square Enix’s Los Angeles studio we had a discussion, it was said having a fragile young character was not possible. So, I started preparing a macho protagonist for North America.”

Source

Young NieR is cannon NieR straight from Taro Yako. The end.

PepsimanVsJoe said:
EDIT: Ironic that Square-Enix would be telling anyone that they can't have wussy-looking main characters in their games.
This is Square-Enix USA though. It sounds like Cavia and Square-Enix Co. went to S-E USA for ideas on how they could make the game more appealing to the North American market, since S-E wanted to make this game their "next pillar" franchise, and ultimately Square-Enix USA decided on getting rid of Young Nier and replacing him with Kratos Nier.

They added in Young NieR in the DLC because of overwhelming fan demand so at least they realized how much of a mistake they made originally.
 
dili said:
This is Square-Enix USA though. It sounds like Cavia and Square-Enix Co. went to S-E USA for ideas on how they could make the game more appealing to the North American market, since S-E wanted to make this game their "next pillar" franchise, and ultimately Square-Enix USA decided on getting rid of Young Nier and replacing him with Kratos Nier.

They added in Young NieR in the DLC because of overwhelming fan demand so at least they realized how much of a mistake they made originally.
:lol That's a good way to put it.
PepsimanVsJoe said:
Old/young Nier are practically interchangeable anyway. Aside from obvious things such as the father/daughter relationship turning into a brother/sister one most of the differences are trivial.
I disagree, on a thematic level it definitely changes things significantly.
PepsimanVsJoe said:
EDIT: Ironic that Square-Enix would be telling anyone that they can't have wussy-looking main characters in their games.
What are you talking about? Meg Ryan Tidus was the epitome of manliness, and Final Fantasy X sold well over here. Though I guess it's more accurate to say that Gackt's many incarnations faired rather well over here. :lol
 
At Square Enix’s Los Angeles studio we had a discussion, it was said having a fragile young character was not possible.

mad props to all opposed to brother nier in said discussion.

i wish i didn't even have to play as him in the DLC.
 

john tv

Member
Gary Busey Nier is the best way to describe him IMO. Or I guess Nick Nolte Nier has the alliteration going for it. :D

I don't think it's fair to say either version of Nier is "canon" -- it's not like the creation of a game is settled on day one; it's an evolutionary process, and in the end, the game the team decided to make wound up with two different main characters, both of which got an equal amount of love from the creators. ninja4junpei can have his Nier, I can have my Nier, and we can all live on in harmony. (Until a dragon from Drakengard shows up and everything goes to hell. ;p)
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
WickedLaharl said:
mad props to all opposed to brother nier in said discussion.

i wish i didn't even have to play as him in the DLC.

Yeah, just from my angle I find being a father a lot more refreshing in an RPG. Glad they went with it.
 

shintoki

sparkle this bitch
john tv said:
Gary Busey Nier is the best way to describe him IMO. Or I guess Nick Nolte Nier has the alliteration going for it. :D

I don't think it's fair to say either version of Nier is "canon" -- it's not like the creation of a game is settled on day one; it's an evolutionary process, and in the end, the game the team decided to make wound up with two different main characters, both of which got an equal amount of love from the creators. ninja4junpei can have his Nier, I can have my Nier, and we can all live on in harmony. (Until a dragon from Drakengard shows up and everything goes to hell. ;p)
You mean you can have your right Nier.

richard-nixon6.jpg
 
john tv said:
Gary Busey Nier is the best way to describe him IMO. Or I guess Nick Nolte Nier has the alliteration going for it. :D
Holy crap, you're right! I thought he looked like someone. :lol
john tv said:
I don't think it's fair to say either version of Nier is "canon" -- it's not like the creation of a game is settled on day one; it's an evolutionary process, and in the end, the game the team decided to make wound up with two different main characters, both of which got an equal amount of love from the creators. ninja4junpei can have his Nier, I can have my Nier, and we can all live on in harmony. (Until a dragon from Drakengard shows up and everything goes to hell. ;p)
Nicely put. :) I'm all for harmony, until Nier 2 comes out and proves once and for all that Young Nier is canon. ;) Seriously, if there is a direct sequel to Nier, it will probably suffer from Final Fantasy X-2 syndrome, meaning they won't ever actually mention Nier's name. :lol
Assuming ending D is canon, it won't really matter anyway since no one will remember him.

If there is one thing to take from the Nier universe, it's that if a dragon pops in from another dimension/world/etc. don't fucking shoot it down.
 

iammeiam

Member
rdelaney said:
I just picked this up, anything I should know not to screw up in the beginning?

If you want the achievement/trophy for killing sheep, do it early in the game.

Nothing vital to actual core game itself, though.
 
I like older Nier because he adds to general sense of wrongness in the game. It's pretty obvious that the game was made at first with a younger protagonist and that the older character is a brave but bizarre attempt at pandering to the west.

He looks a lot like Nameless one from PS:T and plastering his face all over the box art and pc games magazines most of sold tens and tens of copies in the west. What an image to go for if you want to sell more games.

If you want to pander to the west then you need something like Commander Shepherd, the competent and handsome soldier who travels all over the universe just so strangers can tell him how awesome he is. Not some game about an ageing odd job man who looks like a scarecrow and is insulted and shunned wherever he goes.
 
Digging the game so I have to give thanks for those that recommended it to me when I asked for PS3 recommendations. Got a question though.

I had two incomplete quests before the mid-point and now they're listed as uncompleted. I don't really care about trophies and I have a shit-ton of gold, so I'm not worried about that, but is it worth loading an older save and finishing those last two quests before hitting the mid-point? Will it affect the storyline or ending if I don't complete them? If not, I'm just going to play on without worrying about them too much.

Also, call me a fan of the Nick Nolte Nier. I've never liked the standard androgynous heros that are popular with jrpgs so having a fugly protagonist that is quite clearly a male dude is pretty refreshing.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
The Shadow said:
Digging the game so I have to give thanks for those that recommended it to me when I asked for PS3 recommendations. Got a question though.

I had two incomplete quests before the mid-point and now they're listed as uncompleted. I don't really care about trophies and I have a shit-ton of gold, so I'm not worried about that, but is it worth loading an older save and finishing those last two quests before hitting the mid-point? Will it affect the storyline or ending if I don't complete them? If not, I'm just going to play on without worrying about them too much.

Also, call me a fan of the Nick Nolte Nier. I've never liked the standard androgynous heros that are popular with jrpgs so having a fugly protagonist that is quite clearly a male dude is pretty refreshing.

Nope, you're fine. You're never going to be able to go back and complete them, but the only quests that give anything specific(weapons) are all in the second part.
 

Syril

Member
More Fun To Compute said:
I like older Nier because he adds to general sense of wrongness in the game. It's pretty obvious that the game was made at first with a younger protagonist and that the older character is a brave but bizarre attempt at pandering to the west.

He looks a lot like Nameless one from PS:T and plastering his face all over the box art and pc games magazines most of sold tens and tens of copies in the west. What an image to go for if you want to sell more games.

If you want to pander to the west then you need something like Commander Shepherd, the competent and handsome soldier who travels all over the universe just so strangers can tell him how awesome he is. Not some game about an ageing odd job man who looks like a scarecrow and is insulted and shunned wherever he goes.

He wasn't insulted and shunned wherever he went.
Only in the Aerie.
 
Next pillar franchise? I almost choked on my cereal. Thanks much.
S-E must have been in some truly dire straits or thought Nier was the most brilliant thing ever when they came up with that idea.

Older Nier a mistake? Now I definitely choked on my cereal. Thank God it doesn't affect my typing. He's fully-realized and totally well-done, not just some texture-hack Cavia threw together at the last minute. Hell I'm damn glad he didn't turn out to be some Sheperd-punk with a shaved head whose every decision is perfect and he gets his dick sucked wherever he goes. But apparently that's not good enough because a handful of people think he should have been some pretty-boy(who ain't even pretty) because the guy who made Drakengard said that's how it was.

The guy who made Drakengard. This guy wrote FUCK YOU on a box and sold it. He tells me the main character was supposed to be a young man and I'm better off believing that he was supposed to be a snail that can stand on its hind legs. He says S-E USA wouldn't let him use the young man, I say how'd he get a pass with Drakengard 2? Nowe was a big enough whiny-loser for a dozen Final Fantasy spin-offs and somehow he got away with it. Times were different then certainly but like I said, drakengard-guy will dick everyone over without fail as long as he finds work in videogames. S-E tells him he should do something a bit more macho and he comes up a haggard dude in sandals(!) who is pushing 50 and looks like he ate shit all his life. S-E really must not have been all that concerned over their "pillar franchise".

So look you kids can believe whatever you like and cry until you bleed every night about the horrible wrong that deprived you of your magical bishonen prince but don't call Older Nier a "mistake".

Clear said:
The thing is, unless you've read a lot of the Grimoire Nier translation -which is very specifically based on the "brother" version in Replicant- you wouldn't know about any of it in the first place.

I've read those works and both Niers still strike me as interchangeable. Given the world that they live in and the things that have happened I can still buy the relationship that Older Nier would have with the other characters. Either way everything seems strange and out-of-place and that's perfect.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Well, strictly speaking Drakengard II is a bit of a strange one as I believe Yokoo had relatively little (definitely less) involvement with it - he certainly didn't direct the project.

Nier seems like *his* follow-up to Drakengard, although the main through-line is inarguably Natori Sawako's writing (she wrote all the additional stuff in NG+, and it shows!).

As to the merits of brother Nier versus Father Nier; I'm kind of on the fence about it. The more mature protagonist was definitely an imposition based on SE USA's feedback but actually works extremely well.

However any look at the setting materials (in Grimoire Nier) shows him to be very out of place with the rest of the cast who are all extremely young (at least appearance-wise), and completely at odds with a lot of the themes in the backstory which still shows a lot of influence from the original scenario concept which was based heavily on children's storybooks.

The thing is, unless you've read a lot of the Grimoire Nier translation -which is very specifically based on the "brother" version in Replicant- you wouldn't know about any of it in the first place.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive, but from what I do know about the story I'm glad I'll be playing the 'dad' version. To me Nier's plight would seem far more genuine if he's a battle hardened warrior who treasures his daughter. Its a believable contrast to his ruggered, hardened warrior personality.
 
PepsimanVsJoe said:
The guy who made Drakengard. This guy wrote FUCK YOU on a box and sold it. He tells me the main character was supposed to be a young man and I'm better off believing that he was supposed to be a snail that can stand on its hind legs. He says S-E USA wouldn't let him use the young man, I say how'd he get a pass with Drakengard 2? Nowe was a big enough whiny-loser for a dozen Final Fantasy spin-offs and somehow he got away with it. Times were different then certainly but like I said, drakengard-guy will dick everyone over without fail as long as he finds work in videogames. S-E tells him he should do something a bit more macho and he comes up a haggard dude in sandals(!) who is pushing 50 and looks like he ate shit all his life. S-E really must not have been all that concerned over their "pillar franchise".
Can you please elaborate on Drakengard? I have only played the first two hours or so and read a synopsis. You certainly seem bitter about it.

Edit: I read the review on your blog, and I kind of see where you are coming from. Also speaking of it, you read way, way too much into its design flaws. I won't say your assumptions are completely off base, but I don't think the director is as much of a troll as you think he is. Looking at Nier, he wants his fans to have an enjoyable experience. Sure Old Nier might be an attempt to troll SE, but I don't think he would include heavy design flaws that push people away from his games for some petty point to make. That would be an insult to his fans and his development team. I highly doubt he gathered the development team as like, "Okay, we are totally going to troll the fuck out of people/SE." Cavia wasn't that high profile or experienced as a developer at the time, and it was his first time directing, as far as I know. Occam's Razor applies to this situation.
 

dili

Member
Nier Replicant is the superior version of NieR to me because it is the version that remains true to the creators artistic vision and is the version the creator he himself considers the true version of NieR. Some one may prefer Nier Gestalt over Replicant, either because you find the father/daughter relationship more appealing to you and something more relateable to your life experieince, but the fact of the matter is that it is not the version the game he wanted to make, nor is it the story he wanted to tell - it's a version that came as a result of creative limitations imposed on him by the higher ups.

The outcome of Nier Gestalt is a result of pandering to a specific audiences tastes and creating a character the mainstream could more identify themselves with in Nier. It probably "worked well" for you, but then you have to wonder what they had to remove from both versions of NieR to make it "work well". I don't want developers to make games for me or anyone else, I want them to tell the story they want to tell, and make the game they want to make, with as less creative restrictions as possible.


I prefer the brother sister/angle of NieR because I think it worked much better with the world they created in NieR. A very bleak and depressing setting with life near extinction. And you have these 2 defenseless orphan characters attempting to survive in NieR's world. The main character is about to lose the only family he has left leaving him alone. I can't find myself to care anywhere near as much for Old Man Nier than I did for Young Nier as one look at him shows he could just rip off the head of any shade with his pinky. I never felt their was ever any great threat to Old Man Nier besides
Shadowlord
, unlike Young Nier where the entire game felt like the odds were stacked against him and Yonah.

Too many scenes with Old Man Nier came off as bizarre like the monster destroying the city and being locked away because
Nier couldn't kill him, 5 years later he can finally kill him even though nothing about him has really changed at all (besides an eye patch). Compare that with Young Nier fighting him as a boy and losing, then fighting him a 2nd time as a man and winning.
Makes more sense.
 
I find that if you only insist on creator's visions solely and discount what works better, you end up with George Lucas situations.

Edit: I love the idea that you can only get stronger between the ages of 16 - 21 AND THEN NEVER AGAIN.
 
dili said:
Nier Replicant is the superior version of NieR to me because it is the version that remains true to the creators artistic vision and is the version the creator he himself considers the true version of NieR. Some one may prefer Nier Gestalt over Replicant, either because you find the father/daughter relationship more appealing to you and something more relateable to your life experieince, but the fact of the matter is that it is not the version the game he wanted to make, nor is it the story he wanted to tell - it's a version that came as a result of creative limitations imposed on him by the higher ups.

The outcome of Nier replicant is a result of pandering to a specific audiences tastes and creating a character the mainstream could more identify themselves with in Nier. It probably "worked well" for you, but then you have to wonder what they had to remove from both versions of NieR to make it "work well". I don't want developers to make games for me or anyone else, I want them to tell the story they want to tell, and make the game they want to make, with as less creative restrictions as possible.


I prefer the brother sister/angle of NieR because I think it worked much better with the world they created in NieR. A very bleak and depressing setting with life near extinction. And you have these 2 defenseless orphan characters attempting to survive in NieR's world. The main character is about to lose the only family he has left leaving him alone. I can't find myself to care anywhere near as much for Old Man Nier than I did for Young Nier as one look at him shows he could just rip off the head of any shade with his pinky. I never felt their was ever any great threat to Old Man Nier besides
Shadowlord
, unlike Young Nier where the entire game felt like the odds were stacked against him and Yonah.

Too many scenes with Old Man Nier came off as bizarre like the monster destroying the city and being locked away because Nier couldn't kill him, 5 years later he can finally kill him even though nothing about him has really changed at all (besides an eye patch). Compare that with Young Nier fighting him as a boy and losing, then fighting him a 2nd time as a man and winning. Makes more sense.
Yeah, because it's impossible to grow in strength when you're older. Older Nier is better because he subverts typical Japanese anime tropes and actually looks as badass as the weapons he wields. It fits a story that more often than not is leagues beyond most videogame storytelling.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
If anything I think it means a lot more that
an older warrior still needed to take years to get even more powerful to beat his foes instead of being an unexperienced teen that was still able to handle everything up until that point.
 

dili

Member
ZephyrFate said:
Yeah, because it's impossible to grow in strength when you're older.
I think it makes far less sense when you have a character that's already as built as Old Man Nier was when he faced the monster, only to have
him suddenly lose....then win when he faced him a 2nd time, without any reason as to why he could defeat him this time. You accepted it as "oh, well I guess 2nd time's a charm then."

While in Nier Replicant when
Nier lost to the monster, it was clear he was very unmatched being a very young boy and biting off more than he could chew. Thus he waited 5 years till he grew, and trained, until he was at a point where he was physically capable of fighting said monster again and now capable of wielding weapons that would better aid him in battle.
 
Papercuts said:
If anything I think it means a lot more that an older warrior still needed to take years to get even more powerful to beat his foes instead of being an unexperienced teen that was still able to handle everything up until that point.
I always interpreted as that he didn't think he was willing to do enough.
He hesitated and let down his guard, letting himself get stabbed in the shoulder, Weiss get drunk on Noir's crazy vibes, Kaine stuck holding the monster, and Emil powerless on the floor, and Yonah got taken. After that, he became a man possessed and had nothing left to live for, so he mercilessly killed shades until that's all he was known for. His growth (or regression) was more emotional than related to puberty.
 
I've already beaten the game, but new people are coming in all the time, and it would be nice if you spoiler-tagged stuff like
DRAMATIC ENDINGS TO FIRST ACTS HOLY SHIT
 
I saw the
time skip with older Nier as, like ShockingAlberto said, a man completely broken and driven for revenge/getting his daughter back. You can grow in strength through honing and focusing on just a singular goal.
 
ShockingAlberto said:
I lost my ability to level up on my 22nd birthday

But luckily I could buy booze so it's okay!
That's too bad. There's always better weapons and armor, though. ;) Your reason for Old Nier
getting stronger during the time skip
is definitely sound, I don't disagree with that. The only thing is that
Old Nier is reckless before the time skip, and he only gets more reckless as he gets desperate during and after the time skip. What I mean by that is, I don't really see him being hesitant during the situation. He wasn't brimming with overconfidence, he was doing whatever was necessary. I can't fault him for being caught off guard by the Shadowlord materializing behind him. I don't think it's ever properly conveyed how broken he is by the end of it. Though his decision during ending D could reflect that.
 
I like old man Nier because if a game is going to directly reference
Zelda, Resident Evil, and text adventures,
I would rather the character be older just to reflect the older audience that will appreciate those things. Everything else I will admit is just my preference for an old guy who just wants to save his daughter and kill stuff, but I do think that having an outside producer help out with a story isn't going to necessarily comprimising the original vision. Writers employ editors for a reason, sometimes an outside point of view is good for the creative process.
 

dili

Member
ZephyrFate said:
I saw the
time skip with older Nier as, like ShockingAlberto said, a man completely broken and driven for revenge/getting his daughter back. You can grow in strength through honing and focusing on just a singular goal.
Yeah I don't disagree with that theory, but I think the
time skip
in this case makes it excessive and harder to swallow. Had it been a year, that'd be more understandable.
But 5 years?

This is where
the time skip
makes more sense with young nier, than it does with Old Nier to me.

Some stuff with Old Man Nier is harder to accept in comparison to Young Nier where everything makes perfect logical sense.
 
TheShampion said:
I like old man Nier because if a game is going to directly reference
Zelda, Resident Evil, and text adventures,
I would rather the character be older just to reflect the older audience that will appreciate those things. Everything else I will admit is just my preference for an old guy who just wants to save his daughter and kill stuff, but I do think that having an outside producer help out with a story isn't going to necessarily comprimising the original vision. Writers employ editors for a reason, sometimes an outside point of view is good for the creative process.
Eh, I'm only 20 and I can appreciate all of the references. Someone not too much younger than myself could appreciate them too.
 
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