Ah, NieR. An (apparently) low-budget game that saw unfaborable reviews, and that wasn't a success. Yet, it is one of the best games I've played this generation- a heart-wrenching story about a father, going through incredible ordeals, the only reason of doing so being his daughter's life.
A game where characterization is incredible- one of the best-written, most charismatic characters in the history of videogames being right there, in that game. Oh, he's also a book.
Your companions will laugh, will cry- will yell, will curse, will feel.
Incredible voice acting and writing would be two common praises- whereas gameplay may fall short, but boss battles are incredible. Graphics are rather bad, however.
It is a game that accomplishes something incredible: Making you feel. Feel sorry for the characters, feel sad because of the story- even shed tears in certain moments, it's there; the emotion.
An incredibly well thought-out world accompanies the amazing story presented in this game, as well. And, by last, the music. I'll embed a video of my favorite track in the game, just for the sake of it.
NieR is a criminally underrated and overlooked videogame I couldn't recommend more, I kid not. What is one of the best games this generation of videogames, stagnant with shallow experiences and flash over substance- a game that does things right, that gets to stand out, and gets to pull the strings of your heart. Mellow beats will accompany a certain character cursing you- and cursing god, for the death of her lifelong companion. A game where evil is not necessarily evil, when good is not good- when there's no such silly morality, instead opting for different points of view. A game that makes you feel horrible, for once. "Nothing is at it seems" is written on the box- and my friend, take those words to heart.
"No sympathy for your enemies, nothing shall stop your path" is a common theme; "Do you want me to feel SORRY for you?!" the main character yells in the saddening finale- ignorant to what he just did. He will push foward, not to be stopped by dreams, hopes, or the righteousness of what he's doing.
It feels all like a sick, twisted play- Misunderstandings, bloodshed, sadness- dancing with laughs, smiles, and jokes. It's a game I can't help but love because of that- because it avoids being dull, morally correct, and plain silly. Because it shows the grand best and worst of the human condition, questioning states of mind, philosophy, society and even humanity itself; all written masterfully like few videogames have done, to boot.
Sadly, however- the game is not without flaws. What many would argue are HORRIBLE side-quests plague the game- though the keyword is "side", as they obligatory are not. Push foward with the actual story, and you shouldn't see any issues.
The combat feels rather archaic for some, as well- lack of a lock-on button being a main criticism.
However, for a game that touched be so much- that I remember, even after months of beating it, I must say I overlooked those flaws easily.
The game may start off slow, and may not appeal to some- In fact, it has some questionable design choices; yet I just loved it, and I'm not afraid of recommending it to everyone I know.
Did I mention there's BOAR DRIFTING? Yes, you heard that right. Boar Drifting.
Go ahead, give it a try. The game's quite cheap nowadays, and it's an experience I feel not many should miss on; a really unique game that tells an incredible, shockingly well written tale unlike any other; accompanied by some awe-inspiring music, and that gets to be original; unique, and rather quirky, depending of your tastes. One of the most memorable games of 2010- scrap that, of this generation, NieR was for me.
That is why I wrote this blog post, recommending it to you, folks. If you appreciate a truly mature, deep, well-written and engrossing story, strengthened by incredible characters and great audio, NieR may be one of the best experiences you can have in this current generation of videogames.
Paul writes: There's no doubt that ArcRunner is a fun blast.
Review - FRONT MISSION 2: Remake is a game worth checking out if you like the genre. For rarity alone, it has to be worth a try.
A trailblazer for online gaming, some players are still holding a candle for Dreamcast.
such a shame, its my fav console by far. it was way better than ps1, problem was ps2 was due to come out, a year or so later, and many just waited for that, especially after the flop that was the Saturn,. (even though it way okay, it didn't sell well,).
ps1 did sell well, a lot of those fans waited for ps2. thus, the downfall of Dreamcast,,
I bought a DreamPi to play both Dreamcast and Saturn online! So far I'm only played with two people online with Saturn, and I need to spend more time with the Dreamcast community in order to play with them. I miss ChuChu Rocket online, good times!
P2P there's even Sega genisis games that still connect online based on this.
Hosted servers wasn't really something I saw regularly on non oc platforms until the 360 era.
All they did was curse. I didn't like the game because of the constant swearing and lame combat, story, length of the game, replaying the game just to get 10 secs of new scenes, etc. The game is dull and silly. I love jrpgs but this game is like the opposite of a good jrpg. Drakengard was over 9000 time better in everything.
but i didn't buy the game because of the boxart and the fact that square enix thought that all americans want in their games are swearing and a older main character.
i loved this game, my favorite game this gen by far. i didnt like the way kaine is profane in every sentence she speaks and grotesque in the actions she makes, but after playing through the game i can say that they did a fantastic job with her. it gives you a sense of the torment that she feels all the time, lets you feel her pain, and in the end gives you the choice to help her.
the first ending, meh, the second, still meh, then the third really caught me, and the fourth cemented this game as my favorite. other games will be hard pressed to compete with this game.
though i didnt enjoy boar drifting as much as you did, i also didnt have any problem with the graphics, i thought they were fine, the gameplay was great, switching from regular type killing, to a shooter type, from puzzles to platforming and horror type gameplay. it keeps it changing and interesting. as far as the music goes, it was some of the best thats ever been in games, it captured the moment and enhanced the game.
the game was truly fantastic, one that ill likely be replaying for years to come.
Oh god yes! Nier is one of those games that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It's narrative, coupled with those incredibly atmospheric musical scores, made for such a compelling and engaging experience. It was such a shame to learn that Cavia got bought out and dissolved within another company. Nier was truly their Swan Song. But I have heard that Square Enix wants to make some more titles that will expand upon Nier's universe. That makes me both excited to see more Nierness, but fearful because the studio responsible for the gem won't be making them.
High five, man! This game is hella fun, and gets a lot right that we usually accuse jrpgs of getting wrong.
I do have a small disagree. I don't know if this was explored more in the side quests, but I wouldn't call the world "well-thought out." I never really got a good sense of what the world was like. Are most towns like your hometown? Is that port as big as the cities ever get? The plot also feels a bit rushed near the end, (seriously they, like, beam the plot points into Weiss's mind) but the core story of a man stopping at nothing to save his daughter is great.
All in all, It never escapes the low budget feel, but has a lot of heart. Well worth playing.