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I hate to say it, but I'm finding NieR Automata aggressively mediocre...

Fiery Phoenix

Fiery Phoenix

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,880
Not a terrible game (I've played far worse), just a very, very mediocre one considering all I had been told about it before I actually started it.

To be clear, I'm just about to start Route B. Currently closing on to 25hrs of playtime. I'm being very thorough, and I do intent to play through Route C. But so far, I can't say I've been impressed by much of anything this game has offered to me. The only thing I really like about it so far is the soundtrack. Seriously great stuff there. But there's nothing else that's managed to grab me. Gameplay is nothing special. Graphics already feel dated. Dialogue and characters are just meh. Most side quests I've played take me straight back to DA: Inquisition; they're little more than fetch quests that I'm not sure the game would have lost anything without.

I also don't get why the game has so many 'troll' endings? That was funny the first couple times but unless I'm missing the point, it doesn't seem to add anything of value to the experience.

Again, the music and some of the main story stuff has been great so far, but literally everything else is just straight-up average. I'm trying to crawl through it to Route C, but it's only because I genuinely want to give it a chance rather than drop it. (I'm also playing it fully in Japanese and taking that as a chance to supplement my studying of the language, which I've been doing for a while.)
 
Milennia

Milennia

Prophet of Truth - Community Resetter
Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,297
First game that made me accept that I won't like everything people suggest to me

Im into 3d action etc. but I couldn't stand the colors and the shooty stuff, I know the game is supposed to make you feel depressed and washed out but not for me
 
EvilBoris

EvilBoris

Prophet of Truth - HDTVtest
Verified
Oct 29, 2017
16,705
It's a weird game, I know that feeling. I kinda enjoyed it more past the point you are at, as it goes full anime.
 
Grugga Pug

Grugga Pug

Member
Nov 5, 2017
444
I was right there with you. It wasn't a bad game by any means, but I don't think it was as good as many made it out to be. The game never really "clicked" for me.
 
Kouriozan

Kouriozan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,243
I got the Platinum of this game in preparation of Astral Chain and to catch up on PG games, and I agree, I had way more fun with Astral Chain.
The story was good and the soundtrack amazing, but that gameplay made me avoid combat as much as possible.
 
Klyka

Klyka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,721
Germany
User Banned (1 Week): Objectifying Commentary
Have you looked closely at the thighs when you walk?
The skin creases
 
DaciaJC

DaciaJC

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
6,685
If you can get through to route C and beyond, you might find the overall experience worthwhile.
 
PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
Member
Oct 25, 2017
116,802
Yeah. It burned me the hell out during Route A, just fighting the same few enemies and seeing the same locations over and over again as characters I did not care about, and then Route B was the hammer-blow that killed the entire game for me.

If Route C was about adding lots of interesting new locations and characters I might've stuck with it but it doesn't. It's all the same areas over and over and over and over again and it's just so empty.
 
GameAddict411

GameAddict411

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,582
It wasn't amazing, but to give you a heads up B route is the low point of the game. It's basically replaying the game from a different prospective. But the majority of the game is the same. The other routes are more unique and shorter though.
 
Weiss

Weiss

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
64,265
The important thing is that NieR Replicant is better and is a game for cool smart sexy people.

(the joke endings are based on how the works of director Taro Yoko have multiple endings. Usually's it four or five major endings with major plot ramifications, but they made a bunch of gag endings for mundane tasks here)

You gotta understand that seeing NieR Automata at E3 2015 was like catching Santa as he went back up the chimney. NieR was a cult classic at best, some weird artsy game with some great storytelling, endearing characters, a killer soundtrack, and nothing else going for it. We thought that was it, and then it turns out Platinum Fucking Games thought it was the sickest shit imaginable and when Square "we own Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest" Enix approached them for a collab Keiichi Okabe blurted out he wanted to do a follow up to the game whose only notable selling point was that when it released outside Japan they replaced the actual protagonist with a grizzled dad, and now Taro Yoko gets to be his freak self and get paid all over the place for it.

It was some real underdog sports movie shit.
 
Viale

Viale

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,632
Personally, a lot of the story in A/B gets kind of recontextualized as you get further in which is part of the reason a lot of people love it including myself. The technical issues you have with the game don't really change though. I also kind of found the gameplay to get a bit stale after a while even with ready access to all the chips.

Weiss said:
The important thing to understand is that NieR Replicant is better and is a game for cool smart sexy people.
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This is false though
 
HStallion

HStallion

Member
Oct 25, 2017
62,392
Like most every Yoko Taro game it does some aspects amazingly well, is incredibly willing to take risks and often falls flat in areas like gameplay. Even Automata with Platinum Games developing had some pretty mediocre gameplay the vast majority of the time. Boring enemies, lackluster combat scenarios, ugly and uninteresting level designs and so on. Bosses tended to be fun but there weren't a lot of them and they could be very spread out through the rest of the game.
 
Cudpug

Cudpug

Member
Nov 9, 2017
3,590
I'm in the same boat as OP and honestly resent this idea that in order to 'get to the good stuff' you need to play through the game twice (Routes A and B). That to me is not the sign of a good game. Certainly more of a time sink than I was willing to put in.
 
kiriku

kiriku

Member
Oct 27, 2017
947
I thought it was awesome, it's not a high quality game in every aspect, but the strong points are really strong to me. Soundtrack, story, and just overall weirdness and unexpected things that happen throughout the game. Or to sum it up, I thought it was one hell of a ride. I was coming in from the perspective of someone who loved the first Nier though, so my expectations were pretty low when it comes to visuals and combat, for example.
 
AgeEighty

AgeEighty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,598
It's fine to not like it, but if you've only got to the end of route A you've only seen the tip of the iceberg. I loved it.
 
Shairi

Shairi

Member
Aug 27, 2018
8,774
After finishing A and B route, I also thought the game was just alright or good but not the Goty promised by a lot of people here.

Though, shit goes down in Route C. It's a pretty amazing package overall. Especially the music.
 
XaosWolf

XaosWolf

One Winged Slayer - Powered by Friendship™
Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,974
Theres some good stuff in there for sure but I found the story and gameplay to be incredibly overhyped. I don't think even Yoko Taro himself understands why his games are popular and I hope it doesn't come back to bite him in the arse down the line.

The battle system - even with Platinum at the helm - is one of their weakest. Presumably part of the team wanting to make the game accessible to everyone.

And the story just seemed to throw in philosophical snippets at a whim that the fanbase ran away with. Yoko Taro himself even said he's just winging it:

Gematsu: The NieR series has always had a lot of strong themes and a very deep backstory. Where will this one go in terms of that?

Taro: "For me, I don't actually give it a whole lot of deep thought when coming up with the themes. There's not really this deep theme for me personally. If the fans have read into it and attached to a certain theme, or think that there's a certain theme to it, I think that's great. But for me, I don't go into it with anything pre-planned. I don't give a whole lot of deep thought. It's sort of on the whim, or in the moment."

Taken from: NieR New Project producer and director talk happy coincidences, happy endings
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As a final note: Making players go through 50+% of the game again to get an actual ending was already annoying the first time. Doing it for every game you make now is just being a dick.
 
dom

dom

▲ Legend ▲
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,477
Your need to do everything and thus spending twice the amount of time on Route A when you should have been almost done with the game.
 
coldsagging

coldsagging

AVALANCHE
Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,007
Big disappointment for me, I was pretty hyped given Platinums involvement. I've tried it a few times and could never get past the 5-6 hour mark. It's fine I guess, some of the soundtrack is great.
 
Roubjon

Roubjon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,306
It's one of my favorite games but like everything you're saying I understand. I think for me the vibe and setting and art design coupled with everything else is what propel it into something greater for me. Kind of like it's worth more than the sum of its parts.
 
SpicySpiritGun

SpicySpiritGun

Member
May 16, 2018
323
I think Route C is the apex, but if you're not already "feeling things" from the game it just might not be for you. I anticipate route B will be a slog for you, as it is generally considered the low point.

I love the game beyond words but it has flaws. The combat is strangely weak for a Platinum game.
 
HStallion

HStallion

Member
Oct 25, 2017
62,392
XaosWolf said:
The battle system - even with Platinum at the helm - is one of their weakest. Presumably part of the team wanting to make the game accessible to everyone.
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SeanPyle said:
I love the game beyond words but it has flaws. The combat is strangely weak for a Platinum game.
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Open world level design is TERRIBLE for any kind of combat system that relies on close quarters combat. There is often a reason a lot of character action games will lock you into an a smaller "arena" even if its part of a much larger area or map. The more open you get with things the harder it is to actually make well thought out combat encounters. Hell the fact that a ton of enemies get knocked away from you in Nier Automata but are slow to actually get back to you means you're often running all over areas cleaning up mobs or just smashing them all into a corner in hopes you don't have to spend extra time chasing after them.
 
Weiss

Weiss

User requested ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
64,265
SeanPyle said:
I think Route C is the apex, but if you're not already "feeling things" from the game it just might not be for you. I anticipate route B will be a slog for you, as it is generally considered the low point.

I love the game beyond words but it has flaws. The combat is strangely weak for a Platinum game.
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Yeah I think this is the best way to put it.

NieR as a series is intently driven by emotion. If seeing what happens next isn't your thing, that the act of interacting with the game's universe fails to compel you (ask me why NieR Replicant's grocery shopping sidequests are the raddest thing ever), then the game has let you down* there and it really isn't worth playing through it to experience its approach to storytelling through the medium by making you repeat content with a new perspective. It's not really worth it if the revelations of that new content don't justify the act of repeating it.

*I want to say "it's not for you" but that'd be cowardice on my part.
 
Astral

Astral

Member
Oct 27, 2017
28,375
Good luck in Route B. That shit is rough. I adore the game but to this day I'm baffled as to why the combat is so shallow. Platinum can and has done better, so I don't get it.
 
MrCinos

MrCinos

Member
Oct 26, 2017
740
I finished ABC routes and wish I watched a let's play instead. I enjoyed the main story, but most of everything else made playing the game a chore to me. Except for the OST, though I did start to dislike some of the tracks I've been hearing too many times.
 
thepenguin55

thepenguin55

Member
Oct 28, 2017
11,883
I love this game in spite of its structure being pretty clunky in a lot of ways and the combat being fine if a little bland, though the mid to late game sharp difficulty spike both makes the combat more engaging while making its flaws feel far more pronounced.
 
PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
Member
Oct 25, 2017
116,802
Weiss said:
Yeah I think this is the best way to put it.

NieR as a series is intently driven by emotion. If seeing what happens next isn't your thing, that the act of interacting with the game's universe fails to compel you (ask me why NieR Replicant's grocery shopping sidequests are the raddest thing ever), then the game has let you down* there and it really isn't worth playing through it to experience its approach to storytelling through the medium by making you repeat content with a new perspective. It's not really worth it if the revelations of that new content don't justify the act of repeating it.

*I want to say "it's not for you" but that'd be cowardice on my part.
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Yup. I think the thing that killed Automata for me was the INSTANT melodrama right out the gate from minute one starring these blindfolded sex doll androids that I instantly felt repulsed by. I didn't like them even a little bit and the game tries to pull a melodrama bomb with them right off the bat and my response was just "I literally don't give a shit.", and that poisoned the entire rest of the story from that point on.

With Papa Nier and Yonah? Yeah, that's something I can at least click with. But whiny porn androids, one of whom acts like Maid Lightning? No thanks.
 
astro

astro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
57,228
I think it's a game that struggles to do its intended thing well, but ultimately amounts to more than the sum of its parts IF you find a way for it to engage you enough.

Many of the individual parts: open world design, combat, quest design, etc... felt a bit basic to me, and the repetition with the various routes really tested my drive to continue. For me it justified itself eventually, but a lot of the journey felt like it dragged.
 
TheBaldwin

TheBaldwin

Member
Feb 25, 2018
8,316
Milennia said:
First game that made me accept that I won't like everything people suggest to me

Im into 3d action etc. but I couldn't stand the colors and the shooty stuff, I know the game is supposed to make you feel depressed and washed out but not for me
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Not only that, but it's also the game that made me decide that I will never try and finish a game just to get my 'money's worth'

I don't even mean this with Hyperbole, finishing Nier automata was the most miserable gaming experience I've ever experienced.
 
toad02

toad02

Banned
Oct 10, 2018
1,530
Felt the same when finishing Route A
After E it was instantly one of my favorite games this generation and it still is
 

Deleted member 81119

User-requested account closure
Banned
Sep 19, 2020
8,308
Some games I really struggle to understand how people can't enjoy them. But NieR Automata is one where I can totally see why some people don't like it. It's one of my favourite games if the gen though.
 
ZeroHunter

ZeroHunter

Member
Aug 6, 2020
898
I consider it one of my top 5 games of all time, but I completely understand why people have their misgivings about it.

For better or for worse, it's one of those games where you pretty much have to meet it on its terms, and if you're not about that then you may not have an enjoyable experience. Taro games, from my understanding (at least from someone who's only played the Nier games but is familiar with Drakengard), are first and foremost about the characters and the story. Secondarily, Taro doesn't really "do" happy endings, or even happy stories for that matter. They're filled with drama, tragedy, etc. and at BEST a good ending would be more like "well things maybe didn't turn out AS bad as it could've."

Couple that with a lot of gaming "sins" (low enemy variety, backtracking, replaying the same sections) and you have something where people are just going to bounce off of. Not everyone wants a heavy story, not everyone has the patience to go through the same things over and over to see the "true" ending. And that's perfectly fine.
 
FakePlasticTree

FakePlasticTree

Member
Jul 24, 2018
10,354
Yoko Taro games are inherently not for everyone. Like I don't care for the Drakengard games or that card gane coming out. But I love Nier. And I think that's okay. Sad that Fiery Phoenix of all people didn't care for Automata tho. Hit me up on Twitter or a DM here and I'll tell you why I think the game and its predecessor is good.
 
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