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[ValiantTraveler]

Playing some of the best PS4 games is the best thing that happened to me in this accursed year.

Man what a game. It's in my top 10 games now. I was aware of the broad strokes of the plot, having hastily watched a walkthrough when it came out, but the story still blew me away. The gameplay/story integration is through the roof. The combat is simple but a lot of fun, and I enjoyed watching the animations taken straight from wushu movements (2B's perfect dodge). I listen to the soundtrack nonstop and can't get tired of it. Favorite tracks include:





I could post the entire soundtrack so I'll stop here. Keiichi Okabe is on par with the best video game composers you can think of.

Another thing I was impressed by was the dialogues and the voice acting. 9S's VA in particular did a phenomenal job especially near the end of the game. And I recognized Makoto Niijima's VA, she's very fitting for A2 and her voice is sexy in a way I find hard to describe. Of course 2B and the other characters have stellar actors as well.

Some of my favorite moments:

Spoiler

- The opening level.
- Arriving at the City Ruins.
- When 9S hacks the factory and the lights turns out at the EXACT moment the track ramps up in epicness.
- The whole Dark Colossus (giant sea machine) section.
- Escaping the bunker.
- The joint boss battles where the perspective switches between A2 and 9S. I never saw something like this in a game before.

Really, this game has an incredible blend of lovable characters, interesting world, fun gameplay, spectacular set pieces, unpredictable moments, and emotional highs. This is peak gaming and peak art.

And that ending E...

Spoiler

I deleted my save data only to copy a backup from a USB drive

I think the way Automata was designed could serve as a reliable blueprint for mid-budget RPGs, one that allows developers to get creative without going over-budget:
- Graphics aren't particularly outstanding like AAA titles, but they're elevated by the art direction.
- Small scope setting, semi-open world.
- Locations are revisited for story and side quests.
- A relatively small cast of characters.
- Economical storytelling: cutscenes are short and to the point, many dialogues are played as recording during gameplay, visual novel sections.
- Enemy models share many similar elements.

Honestly, indie RPGs have a long way to go. All they rely on is pretty pixel art and tweaks to classic battle systems. They still can't compare with the veteran developers from Japan. The creativity, artistry, and storytelling is on another level.

I really really want to see a new NieR game in the future, set in the same world. At this point the series has a very clear identity that even the mobile game (Reincarnation) seems to adhere to:
- White-haired main characters
- Game is set in the absurdly far future of our world
- Technology and magic coexist
- Gameplay mixes various genres
- Tragic storytelling, filled with death and despair

Enjoy a few screenshots down below:

Spoiler

Now I'm eagerly waiting for my next batch of games, including Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition ( D.Final , get itt!!)

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Not exactly top 10 for me I think, but It's truly one of the greatest "experiences" of all time, I recommend people to play it all the time.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

I have it in steam but I have not played it yet. Too many games are waiting me...

 

[nowhat]

To me, it's in top 5 of the current gen (yeah, as my PS5 order has been postponed to next year, it's the current gen). It is not without flaws, and while recycling the environments is done in a clever way, having more locations wouldn't have been a bad thing.

But I can't think of another game that would have made me feel as happy/sad/overwhelmed at the same time in some of the endings. And the soundtrack, completely god tier. Amazing tracks in there.

 

[killatopak]

I actually bought a PS4 for this game specifically and yeah it’s in my top 5 this gen.

 

[Danjin44]

Before 13 Sentinels came out, NieR Automata was my personal GOTG.

 

[FreedomOfSpeech]

I'm currently (re)playing it.

A bit tricky to get the gameplay figured out, seems to be some combination of 3 buttons per action.

 

[Zimmy68]

I played about an hour and got a backdoor death by one of the endless wave of pink bubble enemies.
It wasn't hard for me, never came close to dying before but something offscreen finished me when I thought the waves over.
The game then proceeds to start over all the way to the beginning. No check points, no auto save points.
I said F this and could not delete the game fast enough.
I never want to play a game from a developer that has no respect for your time.

 

[ValiantTraveler]

I'm currently (re)playing it.

A bit tricky to get the gameplay figured out, seems to be some combination of 3 buttons per action.

Yes, you attack/shoot/dodge almost all the time. I got used to it after a while and it became very enjoyable to handle multiple enemies without getting hit.

I have it in steam but I have not played it yet. Too many games are waiting me...

Give it a try (though the opening level has a steep learning curve), it's really worth it and only takes around 30-35 hours to beat.

I played about an hour and got a backdoor death by one of the endless wave of pink bubble enemies.
It wasn't hard for me, never came close to dying before but something offscreen finished me when I thought the waves over.
The game then proceeds to start over all the way to the beginning. No check points, no auto save points.
I said F this and could not delete the game fast enough.
I never want to play a game from a developer that has no respect for your time.

I feel you, but you can just set the game on easy mode and that first level will be a breeze. Once you get used to the gameplay, that kind of situation almost won't happen again. In the final level, if you lose against a certain boss you fight it again directly instead of starting the level all over again.

 

[PooBone]

It's a fantastic gem. One of the best games of the generation.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Give it a try (though the opening level has a steep learning curve), it's really worth it and only takes around 30-35 hours to beat.

I know that I have to try it, but I already have Breath of the wild, shadow of the tomb raider, satisfactory, rogue legacy 2 and days gone to finish first...
And the instant I manage to find a PS5 Demons souls and the rest will make me forget it immediately...

 

[Guilty_AI]

I really really want to see a new NieR game in the future, set in the same world.

Good news for you then (although its actually a remake of the previous NieR title)

Honestly, indie RPGs have a long way to go. All they rely on is pretty pixel art and tweaks to classic battle systems

I have to disagree. Plenty of great indie RPGs that often do stuff better than most AAAs.
Like Crosscode, Disco Elysium, Undertale, Divinity Original Sin 2, Stardew Valley...

 

[hemo memo]

Speaking of, how is the performance on PS5?

 

[ValiantTraveler]

Good news for you then (although its actually a remake of the previous NieR title)




I have to disagree. Plenty of great indie RPGs that often do stuff better than most AAAs.
Like Crosscode, Disco Elysium, Undertale, Divinity Original Sin 2, Stardew Valley...

These games are very good, I was thinking more about the average indie RPG.

And yeah I know about the Replicant remake. I meant new game as in a sequel.

Speaking of, how is the performance on PS5?

I got you fam

 

[Guilty_AI]

These games are very good, I was thinking more about the average indie RPG.

I mean, its not like the average RPG game in general is good either.

 

[Javthusiast]

Was my goty next to Horizon that year. Excited for Nier Replicant remaster and then hopefully a brand new Yoko Taro game announcement.

 

[butane bob]

- When 9S hacks the factory and the lights turns out at the EXACT moment the track ramps up in epicness.

Underrated moment - that was inspired from Ikaruga where things happen in time with the music. Taro's action direction overall is unmatched.

- The joint boss battles where the perspective switches between A2 and 9S. I never saw something like this in a game before.

Same, and the way the character swapping gets faster and faster during the entirety of the second half is really subtle at first. You don't quite notice it's speeding up until you're ascending the tower, then it all clicks. The escalation of narrative tension is perfectly mirrored in the escalation of the character swap interval, along with the physical escalation of your characters ascending the tower. It's all heading towards that climax of ending E in one big mix where gameplay, narrative and themes are all squished together. Really brilliant stuff.

The way this game utilises the medium isn't going to be topped for at least another 5 years. My game of the generation, easily.

 

[lifa-cobex]

Unforgettable gem.

The music layers are ace.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

Hi, just completed my first run with 2b.
I bougth this game this morning, following some recommandation from gaffers.

Here is my take overall very good : 8/10
Universe : very good, nice plot.
Gameplay : nervous, 60fps, nice combos. Enjoyed it.
Rpg elements : average for me. Not enough weapon differences imho.
Gfx : poor (like ps3 gfx) . Don't play this game for that. A bit sad because the world could oothe so much more atmosphere. Anyway nothing distracting.

Glad to have played it. Will do the other run to get the other stories.

Play this game, it's cheap also (€19) so worth every penny.

 

[Raven117]

Good news for you then (although its actually a remake of the previous NieR title)




I have to disagree. Plenty of great indie RPGs that often do stuff better than most AAAs.
Like Crosscode, Disco Elysium, Undertale, Divinity Original Sin 2, Stardew Valley...

Neir Replicant has an absolute godly soundtrack. Neir Automata was outstanding, but the original Neir is transcendent.

 

[Camreezie]

Top 3 of the generation for me up there with The Witcher 3 and Alien Isolation. Would love another game on ps5 after Replicant remaster

 

[Danjin44]

Would love another game on ps5 after Replicant remaster

I want to see Drakengard 4 with Scalebound's dragon mechanic.

 

[Sleepwalker]

I played the first section, until my character woke up in a space ship? Then never played it again. Should I pick it back up?

 

[Phobos Base]

I only got round to playing it this year, but wish I'd done it sooner as it's simply superb. One of those very few games I've played that stays with me long after I played it. Being vague to avoid spoilers, but the way it all "comes together" with the true ending and the credits is amazing.

 

[Fbh]

Easily one of the top 5 games of the gen for me. Story, gameplay, music, art style, it all works.

Yoko Taro is great not only at making unique games but also taking advantage of videogames as medium to tell stories in a unique way.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Hi, just completed my first run with 2b.
I bougth this game this morning, following some recommandation from gaffers.

Here is my take overall very good : 8/10
Universe : very good, nice plot.
Gameplay : nervous, 60fps, nice combos. Enjoyed it.
Rpg elements : average for me. Not enough weapon differences imho.
Gfx : poor (like ps3 gfx) . Don't play this game for that. A bit sad because the world could oothe so much more atmosphere. Anyway nothing distracting.

Glad to have played it. Will do the other run to get the other stories.

Play this game, it's cheap also (€19) so worth every penny.

Its worth mentioning that new runs in this game are basically like new chapters. You literally are still only 1/3rd in the story

 

[Guilty_AI]

I played the first section, until my character woke up in a space ship? Then never played it again. Should I pick it back up?

yes

 

[Boss Mog]

You'll probably enjoy FFXV Royal Edition OP. I platinum'd it earlier this year during lockdown. I went in with the lowest of expectations and came away pleasantly surprised. It's clear that it was very much a rushed game, the royal edition added a ton of improvements and I feel sorry to those who played it without the royal edition content because they kinda got shafted.

 

[Croatoan]

Is there any way to play the whole game as 2b?

 

[Guilty_AI]

Is there any way to play the whole game as 2b?

no

 

[ValiantTraveler]

I played the first section, until my character woke up in a space ship? Then never played it again. Should I pick it back up?

You definitely should! Why did you even quit lol. The game introduces new levels and set pieces at a smooth pace so if anything you won't get bored.

You'll probably enjoy FFXV Royal Edition OP. I platinum'd it earlier this year during lockdown. I went in with the lowest of expectations and came away pleasantly surprised. It's clear that it was very much a rushed game, the royal edition added a ton of improvements and I feel sorry to those who played it without the royal edition content because they kinda got shafted.

FFXV is blowing me away right now with the graphics. At only 7 hours I already took more than a hundred screenshots. Just arrived at the Duscae region and I'm in love with the world and the empire ships that show up without warning. It's such a shame that we can't explore much of the world like the royal city. The banter between Noctis and the guys is great too, and of course the music is very well crafted. While I enjoy the combat, it's a somewhat chaotic.

However there are two things I don't like about the Royal Edition:
- The character change feature requires me to update the game and I have low internet speeds + not much storage space left (I don't want to delete other games as I still play/replay them)
- I bought the US version but have a EU account so to download the DLCs I had to make a new US account, however I can't share my save data with the new account. If I knew that I'd have bought the EU version instead. I wonder if I can play episodes Gladio/Prompto/Ignis without a save data?

 

[sobaka770]

It's a very very VERY good game. The music is something else, the enhancements and the whole android upgrade is great game design, combat flows well and the gameplay is fluid and fast-paced.
It probably will be one of my best games. That being said I do not have a wish to replay it and I do think that people praise the story and themes a bit too much. That thing is not that deep and some story elements are telegraphed from the get-go or are just plain silly (which is my usual gripe with most Japanese stuff but it's personal).

 

[Dav-Kripler]

I actually bought a PS4 for this game specifically and yeah it’s in my top 5 this gen.

Preach! It was my number one reason to get a ps4 too! I loved the crap out of gestalt and this was worth the wait

 

[Dav-Kripler]

Top 3 of the generation for me up there with The Witcher 3 and Alien Isolation. Would love another game on ps5 after Replicant remaster

You are truly someone with class

 

[PuffyCan]

One of the reason why I love gamepass, loved this game and would never have played it otherwise. Almost missed half of the game after getting the first ending. I know it's part of the experience to get multiple endings but they should push a lot more to do a second playthrough. Lots of people are going to the miss the best parts

 

[iHaunter]

I'm currently (re)playing it.

A bit tricky to get the gameplay figured out, seems to be some combination of 3 buttons per action.

One of the few games where I had to use the entire controller most of the time to play.

 

[nowhat]

No point in making a new thread, as the OT is already archived I guess this one is as good as any - this just popped up in my YouTube feed and was new info at least to me:



There are SPOILERS for the game, but if you need to start from scratch (why would you want to do so, I wonder...), at least on PS4 you can get pretty quickly to chapter select and all that. But as said. Spoilers. You have been warned.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Great game, but in my opinion NiEr is a masterpiece

i prefer NiEr because the experience of gameplay and the unique loop time in every game and save data, for me one of the best games that i play it.

 

[FreedomOfSpeech]

I'm having a hard time leveling up after completing A/B/C.

It's unclear to me what chapter to select so I can level up more. I am trying this because I bought the DLC and I think I'm not high level enough to stand a real chance. Also I hate playing as 9s.

 

[ValiantTraveler]

No point in making a new thread, as the OT is already archived I guess this one is as good as any - this just popped up in my YouTube feed and was new info at least to me:



There are SPOILERS for the game, but if you need to start from scratch (why would you want to do so, I wonder...), at least on PS4 you can get pretty quickly to chapter select and all that. But as said. Spoilers. You have been warned.

Yep I saw this the other week.

Yoko Taro said it took 3 years and 10 months for this discovery to be made, and the story starts on 3/10 of the year 11945. Just a curious coincidence.

Great game, but in my opinion NiEr is a masterpiece

i prefer NiEr because the experience of gameplay and the unique loop time in every game and save data, for me one of the best games that i play it.

You mean NieR

I'm having a hard time leveling up after completing A/B/C.

It's unclear to me what chapter to select so I can level up more. I am trying this because I bought the DLC and I think I'm not high level enough to stand a real chance. Also I hate playing as 9s.

I have no idea honestly. By the end of routes C/D you've met all enemies in the game -- aside from that secret boss, unless there is something I missed. I did see players on YouTube with level 90-99.

Is there a chip that boosts the experience gained?

Edit: Damn it, YouTube took down two of the tracks I posted. Gotta find re-uploads.

 

[nowhat]

Yoko Taro said it took 3 years and 10 months for this discovery to be made, and the story starts on 3/10 of the year 11945. Just a curious coincidence.

No, it's not a coincidence. 1 + 1 = 2, right? But then there's the 9, so when you add those together you have to carry the 1, so it becomes 3. But shouldn't the one be carried the other way as well? So 4 + 5 + 1 = 10. It all spells 3/10, it's so obvious.

Spoiler

yes I'm kidding

 

[NullZ3r0]

I had a blast with this game. And 2B wasn't bad to look at. I miss sexy videogame characters.

 

[YeulEmeralda]

Nier remaster is coming in.a few months.

Incidentally yes I was one of the dozen people who bought it way back on the 360. I was enticed by the box art. Remember when physical games in physical stores where a thing?

 

[ValiantTraveler]

I had a blast with this game. And 2B wasn't bad to look at. I miss sexy videogame characters.

Speaking of sexy characters, is Kainé playable in the first NieR?

 

[Danjin44]

Speaking of sexy characters, is Kainé playable in the first NieR?

No, She is part of your party but not playable. You only get to play as brother Nier.

 

[ValiantTraveler]

No, She is part of your party but not playable. You only get to play as brother Nier.

Ah, that's a shame. She would've been fun to play as.

I take it there a timeskip where brother NieR goes from boy to adult?

 

[Danjin44]

I take it there a timeskip where brother NieR goes from boy to adult?

Not only that but you also get access to more weapon class like spear and large swords.

 

[Arachnid]

GOAT A2 crew checking in

 

[ValiantTraveler]

GOAT A2 crew checking in

I loved the performance of her voice actor, Cherami Leigh, who also plays Makoto in Persona 5. Her voice is sexy in a rough way. Quite different from 2B's voice (whose actor did a tremendous job as well) and makes A2, whom (?) 2B is physically based on, feel more like a different character.

 

[Arachnid]

I loved the performance of her voice actor, Cherami Leigh, who also plays Makoto in Persona 5. Her voice is sexy in a rough way. Quite different from 2B's voice (whose actor did a tremendous job as well) and makes A2, whom (?) 2B is physically based on, feel more like a different character.

Wow, I had no idea that was Makoto. She was also my favorite character in Persona. I'm definitely going to have to watch out for that voice actress from now on. She's fantastic, and seems to go for a certain type of character.

EDIT: Holy SHIT, she's female V? And just like that, I regret playing through as male V. I'll definitely try out female V on my next playthrough in a year when all the updates and expansions are out.