Nier

[ForceStealer]

I played Nier (gestalt) back when it originally came out. It was pretty cool. I definitely had more fun with Automata, though.

Finding the connections to the first one in Automata was enjoyable, but I imagine discovering them in the other direction would be no less fun.

 

[Tetsujin]

Got the game today. Never played Nier myself but I watched an LP years ago before Automata released.

 

[Alex Strife]

I won't be back home until next month... but I sure as hell will make sure this game's waiting for me when I do!

Splitting my time between this and FF14 is going to be hard...

 

[Tetsujin]

Man, that boar has some hardcore defense

 

[ForceStealer]

lol, the game review industry/zeitgeist is so transparent sometimes.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1385204598370037761

I'm sure the remaster smooths some edges, but nearly 20 points better? And not just that now Nier has some cachet so suddenly game journalists are able to see the high points of a niche title?

 

[Tetsujin]

Man, the game's default camera setting feels slow as heck. Turning up the speed and decreasing that weird camera delay/momentum feels so much better.

Also, all the text-only dialogue from the original has voiceover now it seems. Neat.

 

[Strangelove]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1385696622286417922

i already wanted this game but now i have to get it for moral reasons

 

[Theozilla]

lol, the game review industry/zeitgeist is so transparent sometimes.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1385204598370037761

I'm sure the remaster smooths some edges, but nearly 20 points better? And not just that now Nier has some cachet so suddenly game journalists are able to see the high points of a niche title?

It’s actually not that unbelievable, since what kinda made Nier Automata so successful was its gameplay and quality of life elements being significantly better than Yoko Taro’s previous games. And this version upgrade significantly improves on that front. Like many people will still recommend Drakengard 1 while simultaneously describing its gameplay as “unplayable”.

 

[ForceStealer]

Nier 1 was by no means "unplayable" though, and this remaster doesn't give it full-on Automata gameplay. I have no trouble believing the improved combat makes the game better, but 20 points better? There's clearly a hype effect just because the franchise is successful now.

 

[Theozilla]

Nier 1 was by no means "unplayable" though, and this remaster doesn't give it full-on Automata gameplay. I have no trouble believing the improved combat makes the game better, but 20 points better? There's clearly a hype effect just because the franchise is successful now.

Sure while it wasn’t unplayable like Drakengard 1, it still was significantly less good (plus had a not good FPS consistency). And while hype probably plays some role into the difference, I think it also has to do with being legitimately a great “version upgrade” (as Yoko Taro describes it).
Also it is important to remember that, like Rotten Tomotoes, Metacritic’s scoring not a raw average calculation, so a game simply getting more reviews has the potential to increase its meta score, even if the raw average isn’t significantly different.

 

[cold_spirit]

For me, it's not that Nier Replicant is reviewing too high because of a hype effect, it's that the original Nier was reviewed too low. Killer soundtrack, great story telling, serviceable combat, I certainly wouldn't give it a 6/10. The original Nier released in an era where first and third person shooters with Hollywood storytelling were taking over the industry. I don't think reviewers at the time knew what to do with Nier. But that era has passed and audiences are more accepting of unique experiences now.

 

[ForceStealer]

For me, it's not that Nier Replicant is reviewing too high because of a hype effect, it's that the original Nier was reviewed too low.

...That was my point, yes.
That suddenly now reviewers are able to appreciate a game that isn't all THAT different because the franchise has seen success..

 

[Tetsujin]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1385696622286417922

i already wanted this game but now i have to get it for moral reasons

Why does it say "insert pyc ailc" in Angelic under Yosuke Saito's name

wtf does that mean

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Since 2010, when NieR first released, there's been an uptick in... unusual, off-beat games that don't fit nicely in an AAA game category. So the gaming news industry has figured out what to do with those kinds of games now and how to describe them.

Being a weird game no one knows what to do with has come to be seen as a *good thing* in the years since the original release of NieR. Ten years ago, that no one knew in the reviewing world knew what to do with NieR and that worked against it. Now games reviewers do know what to do with NieR and it's working for it.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

...That was my point, yes.
That suddenly now reviewers are able to appreciate a game that isn't all THAT different because the franchise has seen success..

I also took your point as more of a "look at that bandwagon" observation.

 

[Tetsujin]

So there's gardening and it apparently takes real time 24 - 48 hours for shit to grow and changing the system clock doesn't work?
Who the fuck thought this was a good idea and does gardening even do anything outside of having a trophy tied to it?

 

[Wol]

So there's gardening and it apparently takes real time 24 - 48 hours for shit to grow and changing the system clock doesn't work?
Who the fuck thought this was a good idea and does gardening even do anything outside of having a trophy tied to it?

Honestly, gardening always suck in games. I never did it, mining is my thing.

 

[Theozilla]

So there's gardening and it apparently takes real time 24 - 48 hours for shit to grow and changing the system clock doesn't work?
Who the fuck thought this was a good idea and does gardening even do anything outside of having a trophy tied to it?

Guess there are some/enough people who like it, as there are definitely enough Animal Crossing players who don’t play by “time travel” spamming the system clocks for the franchise to be successful. But yeah it is a niche and/or archaic feature.

 

[cold_spirit]

Long weekend where I live due to a holiday, so I've been slamming down Nier Replicant. Planning to do all side quests this playthrough. Just finished them all in part 1 and it's... not as bad as I thought it'd be. If the loading was a bit quicker I dare say it's even fun.

Nier Gestalt/Replicant is a game that's only grown in my imagination since I first played it. Now I really appreciate spending more time with its characters and world. So for that reason the side quests are fine.

Oh and it turns out only father Nier's birthday is September 11th. Brother Nier's is June 6th, which is Yoko Taro's birthday.

 

[Tetsujin]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1386667238900518915

 

[Theozilla]

Wonder how the sales will compare to Automata once the digital sales are taken into account? (however long that takes)

 

[Lulcielid]

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 sold 108,838 copies (PS4) on its first week in Japan.

Just a comparison for first week

• Drakengard - 122,000 copies
• Drakengard 2 - 100,000 copies
• NieR - 60,000 copies (Replicant) + 12,500 copies (Gestalt)
• Drakengard 3 - 114,024 copies
• NieR Automata - 198,542 copies

 

[Theozilla]

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 sold 108,838 copies (PS4) on its first week in Japan.

Just a comparison for first week

• Drakengard - 122,000 copies
• Drakengard 2 - 100,000 copies
• NieR - 60,000 copies (Replicant) + 12,500 copies (Gestalt)
• Drakengard 3 - 114,024 copies
• NieR Automata - 198,542 copies

Are those numbers just physical copies, or do they include digital sales as well?

 

[Lulcielid]

As far as I could research the numbers are all physical units.

 

[Lex]

Nier doing well in sales is absolute music to my ears.

I'm not very far into Replicant yet but I've enjoyed what I've played so far