I'm sure you two geniuses know all about Simone de Beauvoir, Pascal, Engels, Kierkegaard, etc. These aren't just names thrown into the game, the game actively explores their writings.
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Skill Up: Nier Automata - The Masterpiece You (Probably) Won't Play
- Thread starter Son Of Sparda
- Start date
I'm sure you two geniuses know all about Simone de Beauvoir, Pascal, Engels, Kierkegaard, etc. These aren't just names thrown into the game, the game actively explores their writings.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
That has to be the most pretentious post I've ever read. Holy shit, LOL
Everyone says that, yet no one elaborates. I wonder why... The only thing I can see the demo not representing so well is, obviously, the story, but I don't care about that if everything else is trash.
Well, that part sucked too, so...
You realize that you're posting this sentence in a thread about a 30 minute long review that attempts to dive into what makes the game so good. Is that not an elaboration?
There's a huge OT and spoiler thread where people have written up reviews and postmortems of the game.
It sounds like you're being intentionally ignorant here as an act because you feel 'left out'.
I'll give it a shot. I feel like Nier:A isn't really a game you can sell just by talking up this or that element, as though in a vacuum. As it is, it doesn't really excel at any one thing, and has a lot of flaws from a purely mechanical perspective, but people enjoy the way the game comes together to be something greater than the sum of its parts.
It's like trying to describe why Undertale or Life is Strange work as games. Any attempt to put it down to words, without talking about spoilers, will make it sound more dull and unremarkable than it is. These cases just ask for a leap of faith.
FrankWza
Member
Ok. The combat can be very rewarding if you want it to be. Once you begin to get different weapons and chips it gets pretty cool. But its really up to the player. You can spam or cheese your way through. You dont need to become skilled like other Platinum games. Especially if youre not on the hardest difficulties. But you can pull off some pretty cool stuff if you do. Boss battles are good. Again, not typical of Platinum but good to very good. In my opinion the story is a great sci-fi story. Dark in a 2001ish way. And the sidequests are less of a chore than most open world games because the story payoff is better than most. They add a lot of depth.
I mentioned this earlier, but the setting really does differentiate it. It's the first post-apocalyptic game where I can truly see the repercussions of times gone by. It's not a horror game or anything but I constantly feel scared because abandoned cities can be pretty darn terrifying. Sound design helps in this regard as well.
That being said, if you can't get past the combat you won't enjoy yourself. I'm also not a huge Platinum fan (the only game I liked of theirs previously was the hated Korra) but I think the combat in this is fine. Doesn't hurt that you're not constantly being graded which was a pet peeve of mine in their previous titles.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Probably, but at work I can't watch a 30 min video. Anyway I'm asking the gaffers who said what they said about the demo, not the video creator.
Uh, I didn't post in those threads because I'm not interested in the game, but this is a thread about people not playing the game so that's why I'm chiming in here. Makes sense right?
Thanks for these. So as it is, I'm 99% sure this game isn't for me.
The POV is from someone who at first sight didn't like the game superficially or aesthetically or even mechanically and then realizes how its designs come together to make something special. It's gushy and doesn't go into spoiler content, so it's still difficult to be told what elevates the game.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
And your retort is exceedingly presumptuous for somebody who hasn't played the game.
Honestly I could write reams about this game, much as I could about the original Nier and its layers of allusion and allegory. But it seems kinda redundant when the work itself really demands to be experienced, that's the point of it being an interactive work as opposed to a purely passive thing like a book or a movie.
Case in point, being
the save-data erasure event
when its YOUR data going poof before your eyes in real-time,
Anyone can enjoy the view from a mountain peak on HD video/VR, or floridly described in beautiful prose but to actually be there and experience it in person after climbing up there... not the same at all.
Ending E of Nier: Automtata, is this type of moment elevated about as high as it can get within the strictures of a piece of commercial pop-art/entertainment. Because its not only a powerful "trick" to evoke a particular emotional response, but it brings all the themes and ideas explored in the game suddenly swimming into focus.
I don't expect this to convince you, or make you change your view one iota. But I can pretty much guarantee you that a few people reading this will know exactly what I'm talking about, and why its so impactful and meaningful.
I'll have to watch this video later. I blind bought the game a few days after launch not knowing much about it other than it looked pretty neat, and I'm loving it so far. I'll try and squeeze in some more game time this weekend, but I'm trying to finish off Horizon, and am only 6 hours into Persona 5.
What a great time for me to land a job...sigh.
What a great time for me to land a job...sigh.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
Spoiler-tagged now, but honestly after 7 years I think the statute of limitations has well and truly expired.
Seems to be an unwritten rule around here that people spoiler tag story-heavy games, even if they've been out for a while. Not to mention that while it's a cult classic​, many people haven't played it.
I dunno though lol...
Usually I roll my eyes regarding people's extreme sensitivity to spoilers, other times I can be sympathetic.
That's really quite a petty reason, you know?
Maybe, oh idk, listen to some people in the OT and look at some reviews, or even play the demo before shoving off a game based on a controversy that ended up being completely bunk.
What a dumb way to decide what game to play.
Veritigo_X
Member
lol 4chan got you good. Damn
KO Traveling Hobo
Member
Given that Automata has outsold all of Taro's other games combined, I think that there are a lot of people who never cared about Nier will now be interested in trying it out.
How About No
Member
lol its been out for a month
And it's 10% off on Greenmangaming if you're looking for the PC version
Yes, I also took Intro to Philosophy in college. I'm not sure what you are trying to prove here.
Did you just compare Nier Automata to Ulysses?
If you have GCU (well worth the price of admission $30) or Amazon prime you can get it for $48. Alternatively GameStop right now has it for $50.
http://www.polygon.com/2017/4/7/152...eo-review-skill-up-square-enix-platinum-games
Lol even Polygon made an article about the guy's video.
Lol even Polygon made an article about the guy's video.
It is a great video. I think it really captures what a lot of people feel without going into Spoiler territory. He is more vague than I would like at times, but as people have said, it's hard not to be vague because the game definitely has flaws. As well as spoilers that no one should have to hear before playing it. It's just that everything comes together so nicely that the flaws don't really matter as the game ends up surpassing just a gaming experience and ends up being much much more.
The music, the combat, the characters, the story, the concepts it explores, they really resonated with me and tons of other people.
It's one of the few games I'll never stop thinking about it.
Edit: Definitely on my top 10 list of all time and I feel like it's likely to move up that list as the days pass. My personal top 10 list is based off of how often I think about an experience in my life whether I'm discussing games or not.
There are only a few games that I put on the level of 'more than just a game' - Silent Hill 2, Dark Souls and Nier:Automata. It's a game that innovates in a way that devs have been striving for for years now and does it without trying. It's moved into my all-time top 5. I beat two weeks ago and it's consumed my thoughts.
oh wow you're just way too cool for this game, then.
Not Automata specifically - I was more talking about the fact that, if gaming got its Ulysses, it would be rated 2/10 on every gaming site, everyone would say the demo was shit, and all the youtube comments would suggest that James Joyce get another job. Or just pick anything that many find dull or difficult that is widely acknowledged to be important.
My point was that fun is the main metric for games being good or bad. But while enjoyment is a factor, a book or movie's value in the canon is sometimes not related to that at all. If parts of watching a movie bored me, made me uncomfortable, or were just unpleasant, that doesn't mean I think it's a bad movie. I don't think it couldn't possibly be a masterpiece. The things games are rated on are valuable things to know, but limits them to being appliances for producing fun. There's this gap that totally misses the work's place in a canon.
Pathologic is another example of something that doesn't fit the framework. I think of it now because Nier's defining trait is its fixation with the camera, both in the game and in the story perspective. But I remember reading something about it, maybe on RPS. They said something about it being brilliant, but the job they do demanded a low rating because that's just not how things are scored. That's the gap I'm talking about.
And I only have a limited time for replying, but to whoever said I was the most pretentious ever, thanks!
FrankWza
Member
I think I get see what you're saying, i.e. sort of similar to how fans and critics view Shadow of the Colossus. Critics may see a game devoid of content with almost no narrative and a barren world, but a fan can tell you the entire point is invoking the feeling of isolation and mystique in an untouched land, laser focused on delivering a simple premise but slowly building the player's bond to the world. SotC is a thoughtful game but superficially, in the context of content and 'fun', it's an empty boss rush.
As you mention, Pathologic is a title I've only ever heard people refer to it as actual work rather than fun play, not something that would rate highly but it's impressive in how it effects and manipulates players to feel and worry. Automata builds its world slowly, touring the player through different perspectives to its eventual end, at the midway point it temporarily kills the fun of new exploration/content to aid in narrative impact.
At least Automata does manage to fuse a fun variety of play with its necessary retreading.
Edit: That's not to say Automata is some art house thing, you can play it like any crazy action packed Platinum title, just garnished with some thoughtful or disturbing scenes.
Masked Man
I said wow
"Masterpiece" is a word I don't toss around with much frequency, but it is absolutely appropriate to use when discussing NieR: Automata. Thanks for sharing this review!
hydrophilic attack
Member
I distinctly remember you saying that you like Phantasy Star 4. Nier: Automata does most of the things that Phantasy Star does, but is actually a game that is...good. Let's compare the two.
Phantasy Star IV is boring old press-x-to-win, too easy, slow and snore-inducing turn-based command RPG. Nier Automata's battle system has lots of issues, but at least it's engaging, every single second. And the bullet hell sections are AMAZING. So Nier wins on gameplay.
I know that lots of people like Phantasy Star for its world and its story. But Nier: Automata does so much more with the same themes. So Phantasy Star has cool androids and stuff. But they are all sort of just there. They are not really explored in any meaningful way. Meanwhile, Nier actually uses its sci-fi setting with androids and autonomous robots to explore stuff like human nature, consciousness and identity. While Phantasy Star is content to stick to generic-as-hell light vs darkness, Nier actually brings up subjects like otherization, and explore the mechanisms that allow endless violent conflicts to fester and perpetuate.
I know you like Phantasy Star a lot, but Nier actually does everything better. And since I have played both games (though I haven't finished Nier yet) and you have not, I'm pretty much right by default. If you want to prove me wrong you'll just have to play Nier first
M0nochromatic
Member
Whoever compared the reception to Undertale is accurate. If it doesn't resonate with you, no worries, no harm done. But if it does? It hits like a truck, and you have to talk to someone else about it. Then the word of mouth spreads and you've got a lot of people saying their piece and recommending it.
Nah, just for this thread and it's inane hyperbole.
Completely agreed. Right now my friend bought a copy, and I'm living vicariously through him, but he's taking forever to get to playing it lol
Pretty apt. If it's applicable to bring it up and recommend it to people, I will do just that.
Same with my friend, issue is he is burnt out because of zelda.
Gotta tell him to step his game up. Played Zelda, then suddenly shelved it to play and finish Nier, then went back to finish Zelda, and now I'm playing through Persona 5...
Help me.