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NieR: Automata |OT| "I wouldn't expect too much from this game if I were you."

Kssio_Aug

Member
What do you guys think it's better to choose? PC version with F.A.R mod or the PS4 version? I mean, with the mod, the PC version runs as it should?
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
F.A.R PC is better than PS4 yeah, but I dunno, I'm replaying it on PS4 Pro after double dipping and the PS4 pro seems to run it pretty well.
 

Kssio_Aug

Member
F.A.R PC is better than PS4 yeah, but I dunno, I'm replaying it on PS4 Pro after double dipping and the PS4 pro seems to run it pretty well.

Thanks!! I ask because my PC is humble, but I think it can run it fine in 900p with some mixed settings if the game performs as it should with F.A.R. Thing is that, where I live, the Steam version is considerably cheaper than the PS4 version.
 
DRHfzX7.gif
 

Meccs

Member
I am close to the end of Path C and I am so ready for this game to be over. They should have scrapped Path B and included 9S parts into the main game and added Path C to the end of the game. Not this multiple playthrough nonsense. Imho the combat is too shallow and locations and enemies too repetitive. Game would be better as a 8-ish hour game in my opinion. Or maybe only Path A and C. Path B was totally unnecessary.
 
Loved the game but it still kind of nags at me that after (stupidly, on my part) not taking the baiting questions seriously at the end of
Route E and having my saves obliterated
, I don't feel a super strong urge to return to the game for the DLC/mopping up side quests. Or at least, not in the same way I did for Nier on PS3.

Might just be situational - I'm a lot more time-poor than I was when I played Nier so the idea of
sinking another ~60 hours into something just to get back to where I was
is a lot more of a big deal than it used to be.

Still love NieR: Automata, still my GOTY so far, still so glad that they made it. But yeah, still a minor nagging feeling that it hasn't quite hooked me in the total way I assumed it would. I currently feel I like I "should" go back and do it all over again but I don't strongly want to.
 
Finished Route C last night - picked
A2
in the end. Went to the chapter select to pick the
9S
ending and then when I got to the credits and there is a choice I hit the PS4 home button to frantically look up what it actually did if I said yes and unbeknownst to me if you leave it like that it times out and just ends. I heard a Trophy Pop and when I went back the choice and credits were gone. Oops.

I shut down the game then lol freaking out to see if it had done anything. No all was well and I can do that ending again if I want to see it through lol Got some trophies to mop up if I want to - not sure how I feel about it really. Little confused with what Chapter Select is telling me in regards to Quests and Shared Quests but I'm sure it will make sense if I dive back in to finish up some stuff.

All in all a good game. I felt glad I hadn't gotten the looking up 2B's skirt Trophy by myself! Had to look that one up as I thought it was holding down the scanner and looking for secrets lol
 
Hmm Chapter Select says I have 3 side quests to do. 1 I totally missed by not going back to the Bunker and getting it from the Commander. 1 I know I left as my Intel Data is at 90% and not the required 95%. 1 though I am positive I did and after tracking down where it is the Chapter Select says that A2's quests in that chapter are 3/3 - so I am confused to say the least. Maybe if I replay that chapter and do it again it will register??

Also I ah got to the Resistance Woman where you can straight up buy Trophies lol I have like 7 to get and I can buy 6 of them - and they are cheap lol I am yeah not sure what to do there!

And how the fudge can my Intel Data not be at 100% after doing Endings A, B and C? Where are the last 10 percent of enemies? In Ending D and E? Nier and its multiple playthroughs and playable characters and side quests from previous playthroughs and buying Trophy's and unlocking a wig for A2 and and and boy I need to play something nice and straightforward.
 

Moaradin

Member
Hmm Chapter Select says I have 3 side quests to do. 1 I totally missed by not going back to the Bunker and getting it from the Commander. 1 I know I left as my Intel Data is at 90% and not the required 95%. 1 though I am positive I did and after tracking down where it is the Chapter Select says that A2's quests in that chapter are 3/3 - so I am confused to say the least. Maybe if I replay that chapter and do it again it will register??

Also I ah got to the Resistance Woman where you can straight up buy Trophies lol I have like 7 to get and I can buy 6 of them - and they are cheap lol I am yeah not sure what to do there!

And how the fudge can my Intel Data not be at 100% after doing Endings A, B and C? Where are the last 10 percent of enemies? In Ending D and E? Nier and its multiple playthroughs and playable characters and side quests from previous playthroughs and buying Trophy's and unlocking a wig for A2 and and and boy I need to play something nice and straightforward.

The last quest is most likely
Emil's Determination, which you can't do unless you find his home and get all the weapons upgraded.
 
The last quest is most likely
Emil's Determination, which you can't do unless you find his home and get all the weapons upgraded.

I did a side by side side quest run down and the one I mention is listed on the wiki but not my quest log. I know I did it so if one quest involves
Emil
then yeah I have not done that yet.
 

Kyuur

Member
Alright, impressions time for CDE:

Everything from the
God Box
to the end was hype as fuck. I kind of wish the game had followed a similar format earlier
(switching between characters)
but then again that might have reduced the impact of it for the end.

I feel it would have been better if
Devola and Popola had been around from the start of the game. I realize they connect with the previous game and lore but as this is my first game in the universe they felt a bit shallow for their involvement in the main plot, even with the short story. Was there any explanation for why they weren't around the camp to begin with? The project gestalt stuff was also super confusing, like what is a replicant even? How do they relate to the androids? (Don't actually answer those queries, see note at the end of my post)

Ko-Shi and Ro-Shi
was an excellent boss fight, the best one in the game for sure. I definitely consider it to be
the final boss of the game in a traditional sense, the credits as the 'true ending' boss.
. The ensuing fight
between A2 and 9S was well done but can hardly be construed as an actual fight (one-combo-finish with A2 berserk). I wonder if anyone actually did Ending D first -- A2 seems the logical "right" choice and the ending order and content seems to reinforce that. Both were great though.

Immediately after unlocking
chapter select
I went right back and
did Ending D, which quickly spiraled into Ending E. The way they played up the pods starting from route B was really impressive and I'm glad it paid off. I made it to the first Square Enix section without help and struggled up to Marketing Division before ultimately accepting help. Decided to pay it forward in the end despite not being done with the game, given I wouldn't have beat it without the help of others. I missed a ton (particularly Emil's ending, going back to choose a different option for Pascal, talking to the strange resistance lady again, various side quests) but I don't regret it. I see a lot of people drawing parallels to Undertale and I definitely get that; a lot of the same feeling in those final moments.

I won't be returning to the game immediately
for obvious reasons
. Plan to pick up Nier (why isn't it available digitally! :/) and give that shot -- I hope gameplay-wise it isn't too much of a step back. I'll report back how it feels doing a reverse order but I will say that I think there is too much in the game that appears to reference to avoid playing the original, regardless of order.

Be sure to
hack
as you go for ending D to see something cool.

What does this mean? I
hacked A2 during the fight and didn't notice anything.
 

LotusHD

Banned
Fix your spoilers Kyuur.

Alright, impressions time for CDE:

Everything from the
God Box
to the end was hype as fuck. I kind of wish the game had followed a similar format earlier
(switching between characters)
but then again that might have reduced the impact of it for the end.

I feel it would have been better if
Devola and Popola had been around from the start of the game. I realize they connect with the previous game and lore but as this is my first game in the universe they felt a bit shallow for their involvement in the main plot, even with the short story. Was there any explanation for why they weren't around the camp to begin with? The project gestalt stuff was also super confusing, like what is a replicant even? How do they relate to the androids? (Don't actually answer those queries, see note at the end of my post)

I always tell people that D & P is literally the one big thing that makes me hesitate just a little when people ask if they should be familiar with the first game before diving into this one. You can still easily feel for them, but all the same, it obviously hits you more if you're aware of their role in the first game. As someone who knew what they did in the first game, I was heavily suspicious of them... So yea, I looked real stupid once I realized what they had been through. That being said, other than them,
I don't feel like you need to know every little thing that happened in the first game. But regardless, I do like to recommend to people that they quickly familiarize themselves with the first game before playing this, because it does enrich their experience.

Ko-Shi and Ro-Shi
was an excellent boss fight, the best one in the game for sure. I definitely consider it to be
the final boss of the game in a traditional sense, the credits as the 'true ending' boss.
. The ensuing fight
between A2 and 9S was well done but can hardly be construed as an actual fight (one-combo-finish with A2 berserk). I wonder if anyone actually did Ending D first -- A2 seems the logical "right" choice and the ending order and content seems to reinforce that. Both were great though.

The majority go for Ending C first. I assume that like me, they look at 9S being all deranged and shit, and can't fathom siding with someone who has so obviously gone insane. Not to mention that at that precise moment, you're not thinking about the possibility of getting to replay this section as A2 instead, so you gotta make your decision count.

Immediately after unlocking
chapter select
I went right back and
did Ending D, which quickly spiraled into Ending E. The way they played up the pods starting from route B was really impressive and I'm glad it paid off. I made it to the first Square Enix section without help and struggled up to Marketing Division before ultimately accepting help. Decided to pay it forward in the end despite not being done with the game, given I wouldn't have beat it without the help of others. I missed a ton (particularly Emil's ending, going back to choose a different option for Pascal, talking to the strange resistance lady again, various side quests) but I don't regret it. I see a lot of people drawing parallels to Undertale and I definitely get that; a lot of the same feeling in those final moments.

Yea same, initially I was like why I am I seeing these random ass conversations between the pods, but by the time Ending E is happening, you finally get why did that. I for one did not delete my save at first, as I wanted to buy the trophies real quick, and considered doing the Emil quests. But then I eventually did delete it.
Then I did a 2nd playthrough and did basically all of the sidequests except for the last Emil one, which I may eventually do later.

What does this mean? I
hacked A2 during the fight and didn't notice anything.

(Massive Ending D spoilers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UW0sXZx53Q
 
I feel it would have been better if
Devola and Popola had been around from the start of the game. I realize they connect with the previous game and lore but as this is my first game in the universe they felt a bit shallow for their involvement in the main plot, even with the short story. Was there any explanation for why they weren't around the camp to begin with? The project gestalt stuff was also super confusing, like what is a replicant even? How do they relate to the androids? (Don't actually answer those queries, see note at the end of my post)

They were
in the background in the back of the camp the whole time. For most of route A this was a huge tease for people who played the first game.

What does this mean? I
hacked A2 during the fight and didn't notice anything.

It's not obvious what's happening at first, but
on the fourth time you hack A2 the camera will eventually pan out to reveal that you were actually hacking on the pause menu.

I never got the chance to see this due to being too high level.
 

duckroll

Member
Nier Automata is by far the most nuanced and human scifi RPG story I've ever played. It's a kaleidoscope of emotions, and a rollercoaster ride of strong feelings. Yet at the very end, there's is this gentle cascading wave of uncertain hope that warms the heart. I think Yoko Taro is someone who really understands human suffering, but takes positive things from it while having a strong opinion that we should not avert our eyes from the pain. Yet there's something about the guiding hand of the narrative which is so modest it gives the entire message a true sense of authenticity which is rare in auteur works. Metal Gear and Bioshock games are very similar in concept, and I love them, but they always have this feeling at the end that the creator wanted you to experience all this because they had a brilliant idea. Nier Automata feels like something the creator wanted to share with everyone but he almost feels shy to say that. I dig it.
 
Nier Automata is by far the most nuanced and human scifi RPG story I've ever played. It's a kaleidoscope of emotions, and a rollercoaster ride of strong feelings. Yet at the very end, there's is this gentle cascading wave of uncertain hope that warms the heart. I think Yoko Taro is someone who really understands human suffering, but takes positive things from it while having a strong opinion that we should not avert our eyes from the pain. Yet there's something about the guiding hand of the narrative which is so modest it gives the entire message a true sense of authenticity which is rare in auteur works. Metal Gear and Bioshock games are very similar in concept, and I love them, but they always have this feeling at the end that the creator wanted you to experience all this because they had a brilliant idea. Nier Automata feels like something the creator wanted to share with everyone but he almost feels shy to say that. I dig it.

The review by Skill Up compared Yoko Taro's work on this game to that of a street performer, which explains exactly how his work is different. Always hustling, never taking it for granted that you have a captive audience.

The Nier games are never long-winded and never preoccupied with their own high concepts or the creator's obsessions. They would rather fill in story beats and settings with common, generic ideas if it helps get the message across better.

The line at the very end about
life being constant embarrassment
was genius.
It's an aphorism, but the comedic timing and the universal relatability are crucial to sell you on an ending that's just a few minutes long.
Every playthrough I've watched, that line got a reaction out of people.
 

RIP Grun

Nier Automata is by far the most nuanced and human scifi RPG story I've ever played. It's a kaleidoscope of emotions, and a rollercoaster ride of strong feelings. Yet at the very end, there's is this gentle cascading wave of uncertain hope that warms the heart. I think Yoko Taro is someone who really understands human suffering, but takes positive things from it while having a strong opinion that we should not avert our eyes from the pain. Yet there's something about the guiding hand of the narrative which is so modest it gives the entire message a true sense of authenticity which is rare in auteur works. Metal Gear and Bioshock games are very similar in concept, and I love them, but they always have this feeling at the end that the creator wanted you to experience all this because they had a brilliant idea. Nier Automata feels like something the creator wanted to share with everyone but he almost feels shy to say that. I dig it.

You hit the nail on the head. I read this article a while back and they mentioned that Yoko Taro's games extend to the player "a rare kind of trust", and that's what helps makes his games so compelling in spite of their flaws. For games full of angst and gratuity, they also have a lot of heart. I admire plenty of gaming auteurs, but what sets Yoko Taro apart imo is this sense of humble sincerity running underneath his absurd or lurid scenarios.

The review by Skill Up compared Yoko Taro's work on this game to that of a street performer, which explains exactly how his work is different. Always hustling, never taking it for granted that you have a captive audience.

The Nier games are never long-winded and never preoccupied with their own high concepts or the creator's obsessions. They would rather fill in story beats and settings with common, generic ideas if it helps get the message across better.

The line at the very end about
life being constant embarrassment
was genius.
It's an aphorism, but the comedic timing and the universal relatability are crucial to sell you on an ending that's just a few minutes long.
Every playthrough I've watched, that line got a reaction out of people.

Now that you mention it, how he uses tropes and cliches is probably what I admire most about Automata. Some players will zero in on the presence of a tired, old trope or theme and say the writing's bad because of it, but I think the way he plays with these elements, or frames them shows that it's not about the presence of certain story beats or ideas, but how you use them. Everything manages to weave together to form a context that surprisingly keeps the game from feeling unbearably pretentious.

I think a big point in it's favour is that it doesn't really navel gaze. Even though it's taking on big themes like existentialism, the narrative doesn't feel self absorbed. I think the game's sense of humour really helps. Not only do you get to watch the characters clown around, the game does its share of picking on the player with the joke endings and what not. The human moments keep things grounded.
 

Kyuur

Member
I'm super curious regarding ending E:
For the first people to reach that part of the game, did they have to git gud and become a bullet hell savant? Does each person who sacrifices a save file only get to save one person? It's amazing to think that I might only have accomplished that because of a chain of people sacrificing their save data and the few who may have been good enough to beat it without help.

I always tell people that D & P is literally the one big thing that makes me hesitate just a little when people ask if they should be familiar with the first game before diving into this one. You can still easily feel for them, but all the same, it obviously hits you more if you're aware of their role in the first game. As someone who knew what they did in the first game, I was heavily suspicious of them... So yea, I looked real stupid once I realized what they had been through.

It'll be interesting going backwards knowing what I know. I watched a trailer for the original after beating the game and saw what I must assume are the "evil" pair they talk about in this game.

Thinking a bit more about it, I don't think that D&P were the only ones lacking a bit of characterization and familiarity. The Commander is another character quite involved that was a bit lacking in comparison with the likes of Pascal, 21O and 6O. Anemone too.

The majority go for Ending C first. I assume that like me, they look at 9S being all deranged and shit, and can't fathom siding with someone who has so obviously gone insane. Not to mention that at that precise moment, you're not thinking about the possibility of getting to replay this section as A2 instead, so you gotta make your decision count.

Yeah this was basically my exact thought process as well! I'd love to hear thoughts from someone who actually chose 9S instead and why they did.


It's not obvious what's happening at first, but
on the fourth time you hack A2 the camera will eventually pan out to reveal that you were actually hacking on the pause menu.

I never got the chance to see this due to being too high level.

Ah.
I only hacked once or twice and then did combat for the rest.
 

SHarris78

Member
Finished my first play through a few days ago and am a couple of hours in the second. Don't know if I fancy going through it all again, it was pretty good on first run through but not good enough to put much more time into for me.

On a more positive note, received the soundtrack today, utterly spectacular.
 

LotusHD

Banned
It'll be interesting going backwards knowing what I know. I watched a trailer for the original after beating the game and saw what I must assume are the "evil" pair they talk about in this game.

Well I think you'll still be surprised concerning the original twins, so long as no one spoils it for you.

Thinking a bit more about it, I don't think that D&P were the only ones lacking a bit of characterization and familiarity. The Commander is another character quite involved that was a bit lacking in comparison with the likes of Pascal, 21O and 6O. Anemone too.

I dunno, this was one of the few games where there's a good number of characters where I genuinely felt like we did not need to know every little thing about them. The Commander was one of them for me. As we saw, she's not even aware of the actual point of Project YoRHa, so clearly she isn't as important as we were initially led to believe. Now yea, obviously it'd be nice to know more about her (Her name is White btw), but her history isn't really important to the story being told here. We got the gist of it, she barks orders, and is aware that humanity is dead, but doesn't say shit because she's fully aware that the androids need something to fight for.

The only ones that truly would have benefited from being expanded on were the twins and A2 imo. Maybe Adam & Eve too.

Finished my first play through a few days ago and am a couple of hours in the second. Don't know if I fancy going through it all again, it was pretty good on first run through but not good enough to put much more time into for me.

It's definitely worth going through it again. Actually, it's not so much "going through it all again", but more the fact that you literally aren't done with the story. Think of it as routes or chapters of a book. You're not done, to put it simply.
 
My buddies a massive cunt and wont play anything platinum.

I pleaded him to play this (he played the demo). (im watching him play) He gets to the end of the demo part and skips the cutscene. THEN HE SKIPS THE CUTSCENES IN THE BUNKER. fucking cunt bucket.

anyways, I took the game back because he isnt going to play it but he said he might be interested in a lets play of it.

Anyone got any suggestions? Hes big on chuggas xenoblade lets play so stuff like that
 

Savantcore

Unconfirmed Member
Finished Route B and my god it's amazing. Holy shit when
it turns out humans have been extinct the entire time, even before the invasion
. I spent more time in my second playthrough finishing up sidequests and stuff. So hyped for Route C.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Finished Route B and my god it's amazing. Holy shit when
it turns out humans have been extinct the entire time, even before the invasion
. I spent more time in my second playthrough finishing up sidequests and stuff. So hyped for Route C.
I just beat B as well.

To be honest, I thought what you spoilered was a given.
All this talk about humanity on the moon, and you never show it? Right.... Saw that coming from moment one. I'd have considered it more of a twist if there actually were a living humanity by that point.

I'm liking what I'm playing, but I don't know if I could ask many normal people to play through the whole experience. Replaying the same game in B was kind of tedious. It's like this game was made for obsessive people, designed to keep casual players away from it's true rewards.

Onward to C... its first moments seem interesting so far.
 
I got the game about a week or two ago, actually went through and got all trophies
(only buying the fishing one from the shop, because I was near the end of it)
.

I simply wanted to say that I loved it, the story was really well done and that final ending was great. My overall experience with this game places it in one of my all time favorites.

Nier Automata is by far the most nuanced and human scifi RPG story I've ever played. It's a kaleidoscope of emotions, and a rollercoaster ride of strong feelings. Yet at the very end, there's is this gentle cascading wave of uncertain hope that warms the heart. I think Yoko Taro is someone who really understands human suffering, but takes positive things from it while having a strong opinion that we should not avert our eyes from the pain. Yet there's something about the guiding hand of the narrative which is so modest it gives the entire message a true sense of authenticity which is rare in auteur works. Metal Gear and Bioshock games are very similar in concept, and I love them, but they always have this feeling at the end that the creator wanted you to experience all this because they had a brilliant idea. Nier Automata feels like something the creator wanted to share with everyone but he almost feels shy to say that. I dig it.

Having been introduced to Taro's work from a friend, I can agree with this, to even how the viewpoints change/expand, the hints and subtlety of characterization/events to come
(the singing children in the song for Pascal's village comes to mind)
, I've definitely become a fan.

I'm also intrigued by the fact that a number of background stories/information exists in other related works...though mostly in Japanese.

Seems like a lot of thought goes into crafting these stories and ideas.

Hope to see another collaboration with Taro and Platinum in the future.
 

Maou

Member
Route C is just an ongoing depressing gut punch. Make it stop.
Nier Automata is by far the most nuanced and human scifi RPG story I've ever played.
So true. I was getting Evangelion redux at first, where storywise I was increasingly regretting playing past route A, but the unexpected ending E took me back to episode 26, so to speak. Note: I didn't even like Eva that much, but punishing the fans with new endings did remind me.

Unrelated, but it's really "Ko-shi" and "Ro-shi" in English? In a game featuring characters and enemies named Hagel, Pascal, and Satre, they didn't bother to translate Confucius and Lao-Tzu?
 

1upsuper

Member
I got 143 machines defeated out of the 150 I needed in the desert arena's special rank. ARGHHH I'm so close and yet I feel like I probably just need to grind chips and combine them into diamonds.
 

Meccs

Member
Just finished Path C and after forcing my way through Path C, the ending was awesome! Why isn't the whole game like that?

Switching from one character to the other, when you fight the big ball thing, was so well done. Like fighting him with A2 on foot and then zoom out and the fluid switch to 9S in the flight suit was genius. I loved it. Why isn't the whole game like that? Path A and B should have played like that instead of making two separate playthroughs which are mostly the same.

I watched D and E on Youtube though. I liked a lot of the little parts of Nier in the end but it never came together for me until the last hour of Path C. I feel a tight level design without the open world stuff would have been better in my opinion.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
It really depends if you like exploring the side stuff honestly. Like, there are a lot of side stuff exclusive to B that fleshes out the world a lot.

She you didn't play through e though. A big part of it is that you're the one playing it.
 
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