Right! I had many awe moments I won't be able to re-experience. But I can deepen my knowledge on the subject and keep finding new stuff to awe about. Check out Clemps's videos on the series for example :)
"And Nier is the caliber of masterpiece that's true value can only be discerened many years after it has arrived" 5 years later, and these words came completely true.
I literally only bought this game because it had an anime aesthetic and people were recommending it. I then went on to have an existential crisis and then possibly a spiritual experience.
I know this will get buried, but this review convinced me to buy Nier - Automata. I finished the final ending less than an hour ago. I don't think I will ever forget this experience as long as I live. Thank you for this video, Skill Up. Thank you, Platinum Games and Yoko Taro and every single soul who poured their heart into this masterpiece. If you are the gamer that looks for art in games, this is for you. Even if you aren't, this experience is worth your time. 10/10, probably my favorite game I've ever played. This is my second comment on youtube ever. That's how important this game is.
Jason dp it is but really after u get the first ending u play through the first part as your partner 9S and once u get to where u got ending A and get ending B the second half of the game comes into play as u will get the choice to play as 9S or A2 and by completing their segments do u gain access to the finale where u can get the final three endings P.S of u are interested in the endings and want to know how to get them fairly spoiler free go to the nier automata fextralife wiki it's really good for help in the game
this and another review convinced me to buy this game two days ago. waiting for it to arrive. Im a bit skeptical.. and my standards are kinda high just coming off of Horizon Zero Dawn and currently playing the ever creative Dishonored 2. this seems very interesting... looking forward to this... hopefully im not let down like Dragon Age Inq let me down lolll
Hey man, 2 years late but this review finally convinced me to buy the game. 45 hours later, got all endings, and it's genuinely one of the best games I've ever played. Thank you
I only got it because of Game Pass, and I could never have imagined how much I would have loved it. I put 30 hours into my first 3 days of having the game, and got all endings and achievements after 55 hours. It was a hell of a rollercoaster
I'm going to pick this game up and give it a try however I ain't the type to replay a game multiple times, I always move on the the next game once I beat it, the only time I keep a game is when dlc is announced for it which is why I still have doom eternal, I mean yo can't blame me, I gotta play ghost of Tsushima then last of us 2 and before all that I still gotta play dmc5, I seriously don't have time to keep playing one game, the only time I replay a game is if it's that good, but that's very rare for me to want to replay a game, there is only 2 games in the world I replayed a lot, and that was Uncharted 2 and Borderlands 2
@@boxerheadninja4281If you enjoy the game, it's really worth replaying. Each play-through is completely unique, with different characters, and story elements each time, so it isn't repetitive at all. You won't get anywhere near the full story from one play-through. But yeah, I understand, especially if you've got all of that to finish
@@snowcatss1 I'm not saying I won't replay it multiple times but Im sure as hell ain't getting all 27 endings, like i said I gotta keep moving forward, I would need to quit my job if I want to be playing non stop lol
From the bottom of my heart, thank you Skillup for reintroducing this masterpiece to me. I had given up at ending A but you made me go back and play it all the way to ending E. Thank you, This was one of the most memorable and amazing gaming experiences I've ever had.
@@Popirnot Have you not played them? A is basically the prologue of the story. B is a quick replay through the story through the perspective of 9S, this is the weakest point f the game but there are many things still to learn. C however, is the whole second half of the game, and what makes it truly special. D is an alternate ending to C (without spoiling anything, you can quickly select the final mission after what ever ending you get and make the other choice). And E is the ACTUAL ending, is is quite possibly the most memorable and best executed video game ending. PLEASE. If you had any interest while playing A, do yourself a favor and go back. Look up a guide for some of the 9S specific B run side missions, otherwise blast through the main story and get to route C :)
@MaxiChannel16 I've played ending e everyone dies, but they get repaired after bullshitily difficult end credits because I didn't have an online subscription
I don't know if you read these, particularly not on a 5 year old video, but, you made a big point in this video about wanting to encourage one person to play this game. I picked it up a long time ago, played it a little and gave up. I had the same opinion as you, "anime ass, meh, not for me." Later I came across your review and it convinced me to try it again. I can't thank you enough for it, it was an experience I'll never forget. The past week with all this SadFuntago content resparked that excitement, which again I wouldn't have had without this review. This may well be the most beautifully constructed and well reasoned review you, or anyone else I've ever seen, has created. It more than does the game justice. So thank you, again, for convincing me to take a chance on some anime dominatrix maid.
I got Nier at release because of the positive vibe around the game. Ended up being one of the most original and thought provoking games I've ever played, a piece of art really. Fully agreed that this is a masterpiece of gaming media and happy to see you give it the attention it deserves!
Skill Up Crazy? I'd call it good taste in games ;) I'm sure many other Nier fans will agree with you too. I was literally in the same boat as you, not all that interested in the individual mechanics after watching many reviews, but mainly went for it to bridge the gap until MEA was released and the positive vibe all over the web. How it went from there is pretty much exactly as stated in your review. This game truly deserves all the attention it can get. I always enjoy your detailed spot-on videos, keep it up SkillUp!
yeah, the first nier was re- wait, "this"? oh, how much you don't know... i have the feeling that like over half the people who bought automata have no idea that there was a nier on the ps3.
I had never heard of the older games and had nier on my radar for a while (I am a anime fan, rpg fan but I mainly play counter strike). while board, I started looking into it a bit and discovered the older games and their 'relation' to NA, was like screw it il preorder. I also had never taken a day off work for a game and it seemed like a great excuse. the day before PC release, I had watched a few reviews trying to avoid spoilers as best I could, I then found clemp's videos on drakengard and nier (watched all of them execpt drakengard 3, will probably go back and watch, but was mainly interested in niers backstory) and from the moment I ended that last nier analysis video, watching some 2 to 2.5 hours of his stuff, I knew NA would be amazing. Then friday came about. I had other plans as well (Went to the range with a military friend and his mom, tough his mom how to shoot the guns that they owned but she had never fired before as well as laying out all of mine for them to choose from), I got home and the install was complete and from there I powered through the game, I did quite a few side quests but skipped a lot, the main story just kept pulling me. 40 hours in and I had finished. its been what, 2 weeks since then and I still can't get N:A out of my head, I watched this review because I just love content about N:A and seeing what the press has said and I agree, they describe a masterpiece but give it a 9... very odd. Very great review skill up, subbed because of this video! Hearing the music in the background while you talked gave me chills, you described it perfectly as well! Ever so often over the last few weeks I have done somthing I have never done before, listened to a games soundtrack alone while doing other stuff (theme park is best music IMO). Thanks for the great video, I will probably pass this to a few friends!
I mean... I remember when Yoko Taro did an interview 1 year after the release of the game and he answered the following question “What would you say to the people who still haven’t played this game?” with “It’s been an year since the release, if you still haven’t played this game, i don’t think you absolutely need to do so” The humbleness in this sentence shows how much the mind behind this masterpiece told us very important things through those games
@@plipplop1769 exactly. no marketing out of nowhere. if you haven't play it, don't rush to play. you can, to not play it. you don't have to force yourself.
@@lunascomments3024 I mean it's a normal ass statement. I don't know why people are talking about it like it was some revelation about life "The humbleness in this sentence shows how much the mind behind this masterpiece told us very important things through those games".
Moetez Ouelhazi Well to be HONEST, i have not played past a short amount. I started trying to level up something and was make things easier. But an issue I have with the game is it heavy reliance on skill and reaction time of the player over it rpg qualities. Don't expect hours of collecting money and upgrading things to show too big of a difference like in a nirmal rpg. Even games like Devil May Cry and God of War make more use of the rpg a qualities. I also found the general gameplay pretty repetitive despite dishing hours of upgrades into completely different weapon types.
Moetez Ouelhazi please don't get me wrong I think that the game is pretty fun it's just not quite as amazing as I had my expectations set. They really missed out on some great couch co-op opportunities too as most games these days.
All these years later and this game lives in my head rent free and I cry every time I think about it. This game has aged like fine wine even though I haven't touched it in years. I love it that much.
It's a truly haunting experience. Even after all this time, even just hearing a clip of the music can evoke fresh tears. This and Life Is Strange completely changed how I saw 'gaming'.
Hey Dude, it's me, the one person who explicitly played the game because of your video I was here to watch gameplay footage of games I wanted to buy in order to make a decision a couple of weeks ago. NieR wasn't even one of the games I took into consideration - I didn't even know it existed. But somehow I stumbled upon this video. So yes, your seven days of work paid out. You successfully convinced me to get it even though I was here to compare three totally different games on order to figure out which of them I would buy. And now, there is only one thing left to do and say: THANK! YOU! ❤️ This is one of the best games, if not THE best game, I've ever played in over 23 years of console gaming. So seriously.. thank you :D Greetings from Germany and sorry for the probably bad English
"Greetings from Germany" and apologizing for our "bad English" are basically the way we want to greet the rest of the Internet. I have to stop myself from writing it ^^
@Johnny Flannigan and this video conviced me i just baought it myself though i'll have to wait till it actually gets here to play it likely i have a 3 day weekend next week
Edit: Yoko Taro himself tweeted at me about this review! Extremely humbled that he took the time: twitter.com/yokotaro/status/849523282193920000 Hey all- really hope you enjoyed the review. Don't forget that there is a free demo on the PS4 store, and on Steam you can refund it within the first 2 hours of play if you don't like it. I know this one is a bit of a 'long-shot' purchase (it was for me) so if you want to try before you buy, then I'd recommend going down these routes. Hope you love it. It really is amazing :) I also have one REALLY big request for a Japanese speaker with some spare time on their hands. I'd love to have this video translated into Japanese so I can forward this review to the game creator, Yoko Taro. Please message me on twitter @skillupyt if you happen to have the time for something like that. It honestly makes me sad to know that I won't be able to pass on my thanks to Taro in his own language, so I thought I'd make this odd request :) Thanks everyone.
+SkillUp Nier: Automata is just as good as you say. I played it almost nonstop for over 80 hours on PS4 Pro, dropping Horizon and Breath of the Wild, as great as they are, completely until I'd completed Nier: Automata A through E. It's easily my favorite game so far this year, and also I'll rate the soundtrack among the best of all-time. It's very likely Nier: Automata also has the best story and animation of 2017, which resulted in a punishing experience for me with Andromeda due to catastrophically unfortunate timing of release dates. Few games have continued to lurk in my thoughts the way Nier: Automata has. I'll be picking it up again for Steam later this year. I'm hoping for a remaster of the original Nier as well. 9.5/10 for me and probably my GotY for 2017.
I had checked many of the reviews online for Nier Automata and thought that they either didn't grasp the true depth and value of the game (despite high numbers/ratings) or didn't understand how to reflect that in the grade/number they gave it. Also none of them (in my opinion) delved into the depth of the experience, and the expression of true story telling that exists in Nier. Not a single review has done it the real justice it deserves, until now. Is it weird to say this has made me not only respect you more as a youtuber, but as a person as well? I've told everyone I know about it as well and tried (but feel I have failed) to convey the value and depth of Nier Automata to them. I know for certain it's the best game I've played in the last five (maybe ten years) and will certainly be one of the best games I believe I'll ever play in my life time. The experience resonates on a level deep enough to touch who we are as a person, and how we, as a people might very well be connected on levels we're only beginning to understand. But I digress, I'm getting overly philosophical and wordy. Thanks for vocalizing and expressing so well in a video, what I think many have experienced since playing through Nier Automata. Thanks for a review that does true justice to this masterpiece and labels it for what it is. And lastly, thanks for sharing it on this medium so it can reach the hearts and minds of many who would have lost their chance to experience what we did because they overlooked this gem of a story.
I knew this was an amazing game when a stamp collection side quest in the amesument park ended with 6 robots performing a twisted, hilarious version of Romeo and Juliet and murdering each other
Sounds great. Which is why I'm not gonna watch this stupid anime that isn't a prequel or a sequel to the video games story. It's just a weak ass summary of the video games story. Why would u spoil that people who haven't played the game? And why would people who played the game want to see the exact same story retold to them when they lived in it the video game? Lazy ass anims studio. Be creative. Its literally your only goddamn job.
This video is what inspired me to buy my PS4 and NieR: Automata 4 years ago. I find myself returning to your video occasionally, and each time I do, I do another play through of the game. As a gamer for roughly thirty-five years, It's hands down one of my favorite titles of all-time. Without your video I would've missed out on this, and I'm ever so thankful.
I ignored Nier Automata for roughly 2 years for reasons I don't know. Till I came across your video and all I could say is i legit regret taking so long to play it. Thank you for convincing me in playing perhaps one of the greatest video games ever.
me too, I played this game 2 years ago, but I dropped it because it wasn't interesting enough for me. 2 years later I feel bad because I only play this game when I ran out of games to play (GOW, DMC5, Spiderman, Red Dead etc...) This game is a masterpiece
Well, I bought NieR: Automata near its premiere and waiting to play it for no other reason than putting titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War ahead. I finished NieR just yesterday and I don't know if I regret the waiting. I grew up a little and started the game with no pressure of time or responsibility to do it. I guess, this helped me aprecciate that masterpiece even more.
Anyone else come to this comment section just to see how many new players have bought NieR Automata and enjoyed it just as much as we had? I love this community so much.
I saw the coverart I'm thinking I don't want to be seen as a perv by the people around even my parents, but I came across some music and few short clips of the gameplay and I considered buying which I did and I don't regret purchasing the game it's fucking amazing the story is good, music is great, art and graphics are on point, and gameplay wise it's just great
My only complaint about Nier is I can't wipe my own memory to experience it again for the first time. The wonder, the thoughtfulness, the deepness, everything was absolutely perfect.
I have nought but this to say - the greatness of a story is not measured in how it affects you the first time, but in its ability to draw you back for the 100th, even when you know exactly what will happen. It's why people come back to Shakespeare, and I hope this stands the test of civilizational time in the same fashion. I know it has stood the test of time for me. I hope you can find enjoyment in having suspense where once there was surprise.
I just started playing it for the first time and its so neat! I don't regret getting this game, absolutely wonderful, the moves of the character are epic and all the details of the game are mind blowing.... Finding my body at the bridge where the boss battle at the start of the game happens surprised me , as i didn't even know you can go back there and get the big sword back, i love how you can combo the two swords together.
I know we're over half a decade since you made this, I bounced off Nier when it first came out, played a couple hours, died the first time and never went back. I always avoided spoilers cause I knew it was a story heavy game, but then about 2 weeks ago I saw your video in my feed. I felt almost personally attacked by the title of your video, so I went back and played it over the course of the last 10 days, and wow were you right. So glad I caught a glimpse of your thumbnail, and now I'm back to watch the vid. :)
Oh boi! I'm just about end of the 4th run. Your comment immediately gave me the feeling that at the moment of writing it you wouldn't even imagine how outstanding this game is. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I do.
@@12315wojtek I agree, it's absolutely mind-boggling. I heard so much before I finally played it but nothing really truly conveyed how outstanding it is. I also understand the desire of this review to attempt to convey it as best as possible. In my opinion it is one of the best games ever made and it should be treasured.
Before playing the game: "Man, yet another one over doing it and spouting this 'masterpiece' word like it's nothing..." After playing the game: "This video doesn't even scratch the surface of how this game is gaming's ultimate masterpiece"
I loved the game so much and feel so deeply about the characters that every time someone brings up how "hot" 2B is, I go full SJW on them (ok, not really, but pretty close) It's like a trigger, I like the character so much that seeing her reduced to "Damn ! She's hot, look at those thicc thighs !" makes me go insane. Is this... what you call love ?...
WOMANpukumaru That's exactly why the game's narrative is so powerful. There's no word I hate more than "overrate" when talking about art. You can't take people's appreciation of a piece of art and completely disregard it by saying that they are wrong to love it this much. That's quite arrogant. This review doesn't even delve to the core of why this game is special: its design. This game is a masterclass in game design and narrative design, no game before it achieved the level of mastery with which it can convey abstract ideas and the narrative itself through gameplay. The narrative itself is a perfect example of how you can use the medium to subvert and reset expectations in order to tell a unique story that could only be told through a video game. Everything in the game's design serves a purpose and enhances the narrative. If anything, the fact that 2B is dressed like a skimpy french maid only made the game's final moments even more powerful. Proving once and for all that video games can make you feel deeply for characters regardless of character design. Her design tells you nothing about her, if anything it conveys ideas about the game that couldn't be further from the truth. That's another example of expectation subversion applied to video games. The people who made this game (and especially Yoko Taro) understand how video games work and how players engage with a game and they use this knowledge to craft an experience that never shies away from completely rebooting its tone and the narrative's stakes in order to surprise and engage the player. Oh, and he happens to like sexy girls. Why should he need other reasons than that to make some if in the end it serves the narrative he crafted ? NieR:Automaya single handedly makes the case for video games as art.
In this game FILLED with truly profound moments, none moved me more than during the true credits sequence, (SPOILERS AHEAD) with the insanely difficult bullet hell survival, and messages from other players accumulating every time I died offering words of encouragement, and the offer of a helping hand. I tried so hard to listen to the ones who said I could do it alone, but in the end I accepted the help, and holy FUCK when all the chorus voices join in the soundtrack, moved me to actual tears! Then when I finally beat that section, I was asked to give a message to other players, so naturally I offered myself as help to them, only to be told that if I wanted to help, it would require deleting my save data. I had spent so much time gathering and levelling my items and weapons, I thought I would just go back to chapter select and get 100%, but the game *insisted* it was not kidding around. I hesitated, I could have gone back and changed my message to one of encouraging a solo win, but I felt so inspired by my experience that, even though my individual contribution to someones game will have very little weight, it meant a lot to me, in a pay-it-forward kind of way, that I was willing to make that sacrifice. Right up until checking the main menu, I had some doubt that it would REALLY go that far, but my GOD do i respect the balls to LEGITIMATELY make you give up something of such personal value, for this almost invisible selfless act. I *mourned* my data, but I wasn't mad. I was a lot of emotions, but all of the kind to where I now hold videogames as a medium to a vastly greater standard.
when you play just the first 30 minutes, it spans an entire legacy of game genres from the early 90s to more recent years. its insane how well the game captures the feeling of gaming as a whole. A true masterpiece.
Indeed. While playing some parts of it, I tried to imagine some parts of it as a SNES or PS1 game. The way it fix so many genres together without being overwhelming is incredible! Also, for a modern story-driven game, it makes a lot of effort to remember you're actually playing a game, and not watching a interactive movie. I think the moments that did impact me the most were while I was in control of one character, and these are the majority here.
I tried my best to play it but after 3 minuets of buttery smooth 60fps the screen goes white for 15 or so seconds, then my PC shuts down with no blue screen.
yeah, and compatibility mode, safe mode, low settings, ultra settings, disabling cores so it isn't trying to run across 16 threads, I was getting close to the refund expiration so I had to just give up and stop trying.
yeah its an AMD build, water cooled Rizen 1700x and an overclocked RX480 with 8 gigs of video ram, and 16 gigs of DDR4 system ram. which crushes the recommended settings by double, obviusly the game favors Nvidea/intel
Guys, for those who haven’t played this yet, I, as someone who finished the entire game, can confirm that *at least* 95% of this video are straight up *facts,* and you don’t need to doubt anything by the looks of it. Before I played this game, it almost felt like taking a leap of faith when clicking “purchase”, but trust me, there’s something in this game that cannot be experienced through let’s plays, it’s something you have to live for yourself. Before you call us crazy, please, give it a try.
I been on the fence for so long, then my sibling asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said Elder Scrolls Summerset (MMO), Vampyr and this. Got all three....First now, 1,5 year almost later, I tried it...what a bloody master piece.
At first I thought this review was annoying as he kept repeating how much of a masterpiece this is; I decided to play it anyway to see for myself. I now no longer think this review is annoying.
While this game is great...it's far from being masterful.. whatsoever... I have this game and beat it multiple times A through E or whatever.... and.... it's not masterful... many parts of this game could have been fleshed out so much more.... for one. The level design is somewhat atrocious... a robot utopia world could have been a perfect place to flex creativity and ambiance here.... the level design is desolate and honestly quite frustrating considering the amount of back trekking done... The gameplay itself is masterful... best I've seen in some time... very fun sword play and I love the chip system... Conceptually it's deep. But execution wise isn't masterful.... The music is wonderful... I'll never forget the "THIS CANNOT CONTINUE" scene and the boss fight.. brilliant... Overall the game is a 7.5 to me... while ganeplay and story is great... the level design structure, ridiculously stupid map system and quest system make this average.. The developer Yoko is a great conceptual designer. Not a game designer or director... If LEVEL 5 had this franchise they would make it sing... I'm playing Ni no Kuni 2 right now and I'm way more impressed with the amount of thought and quality gone into the product.... If you're gonna play this game, don't buy it full... buy it bargain bin
@Andre Frazier thought and quality in Ni no Kuni 2? really? that game sucked! from combat to the the devastatingly horrible army mode, they were tedious and repetitive! what part of that is quality? and dont get me started about the crappy story
@@chiffoncakeandtea Hey, I'd lend them all to you if I could, lol. Love those games. None of them were very popular until Automata unfortunately though. Glad they allowed the creator to make a follow up to the first Nier. I'm hoping for a Drakengard reboot myself. Nier 1 getting a remaster...ish and a mobile game is a good sign though.
@Kurisu Makiseare you not sure how to get more endings because I just finished all the endings you just keep playing the save to get other endings I think any ending past E is secret though
I'm so glad someone gave this fantastic soundtrack the praise it deserves and yes it is absolutely the best video game soundtrack of all time (the Amusement Park music is the best from it because it has the build up when you first enter, it stays quite simple but as you go deeper in, more gets added until the fantastic vocals kick in, my jaw hit's the floor and i get chills from it, man i love this soundtrack so much)
"You look at the cover image and see a weird japanese hack n slash starring some kinky french maid dominatrix and you say 'No thanks'" You misspelt "Yes Please"
I literally spent 3 years doing odd jobs and saving money to build a pc just to play this game because I saw a weird Japanese hack n slash starring some kinky french maid dominatrix and said "oh *fuuuuck* yes"
Bruh there's a shit load of morals in that story. 9S is an under dog who never stopped trying. The good ending is behind the dude who goes completely nuts but for valid reasons (that almost never happens in games). The Strongest heros of the stories are actually victims because they simply accept the injustice and do what they're told. Fear of the unknown controlling and ruling people.
I only chose no because I did E before getting D, but right after I got D I redid it and said yes. A solid 45 hours of 95%ing the game only to be guilt tripped into doing the right thing. Worth.
I'm so happy there are still new comments on this video. Nier is more than a mere game, it's a lifechanging experience. The fact that there are still people who find it for the first time just fills me with joy.
Your comment near the beginning that perhaps it will take a while before people properly appreciate this game in light of what comes after is so spot on. I only just played this game around this time last year, and since that time, I haven't played any other game that has come remotely close to matching the brilliance of this game's story and immersive narrative. Even now thinking back on the last TEN years, even, I still don't think anything comes close. It's as if this game has completely altered my emotional memory, and now I can't even remember what I used to consider "good" before this game came along. I definitely remember really getting emotionally invested in Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, Nier Replicant, Returnal, etc, but for each one of them, there was just something about them that just didn't "click" completely. Returnal didn't have enough of an emotional punch, Ghost of Tsushima felt a little too cheesy with how the uncle was so uptight about not using certain war tactics cuz "we samurai yo", God of War is literally half a story, and Nier Replicant has moments here and there that I thought were a little contrived and took me out of the moment (like Devola and Popola near the end of each route) and having to play through the exact same sequences of events so many times really soured the experience for me more than anything else. Nier Automata, on the other hand, only continues to get better and better in my memories, and with each passing story I continue to encounter after it, it only looks better by comparison. Nothing has made this more clear than the existence of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I have been a mega fan of the series since Xenogears, which I actually only finished about a year after beating the original Xenoblade Chronicles back in 2012. Xenogears is a story like Nier Automata in my mind, i.e. one that hits literally every spot it possibly could and hits them at light speed. I've been watching through a playthrough of Xenosaga and I desperately want to get back to part 3, but it's been so long that I would need to start over at this point, and I will say I think it has potential to also be an incredible story on the same level as Xenogears, but I can't say yet. Anyways, I love Xenoblade Chronicles, but the story was not nearly as personal nor complex as Xenogears, so as great as the overall experience was, it still didn't eclipse Xenogears for me. Then Xenoblade Chronicles 2 came out, and other than a really cool twist near the very end, it was basically just a shounen/harem rom-com anime story, and it fucking sucks most of the time. I've harbored a grudge against that game for the last 5 years because I was expecting a story at LEAST as good as Xenoblade, but secretly I was hoping that maybe somehow Tetsuya Takahashi could find it in himself to actually make something as good as Xenogears again. That was an unrealistic hope, but man, he didn't need to disappoint THAT hard. Then Xenoblade 3 was announced. This time SURELY, I thought, we can finally get a good Takahashi story for the first time in over 10 years. There's no way the man could really have wasted an entire decade of his life making stories that aren't worth consuming, right? And for a time, I was convinced that Xenoblade 3 was a success. It starts off fantastically with grounded characters that completely avoid cringe anime tropes, no pointless sexualization, just "regular" anime stuff that used to be around before Sword Art Online popularized the adaptation of terrible light novels into mega hit anime. Things were going great, the story had a solid direction, and about 4/5ths of the way through the game we hit an emotional climax that had me crying through about a solid hour of cutscenes. It was brutal, it was effective. I was IN the story. It HAD me. And then the rest of the game happened. What followed was the most boring snow level ever created, a hyped up area called "The Cloudkeep" that was actually just a cube with 3 staircases and a boss fight at the top, a lore dump that amounted to "things sort of just happened and now we're here", a fetch quest throughout the rest of the world you've already explored, and a final dungeon. Throughout all of this, the story evolves thusly: two major story beats are explained in the "things sort of just happened and now we're here" variety, and the rest of the major plot points simply *aren't explained at all.* When the credits started to roll, I think I actually shouted at my TV "You're joking, right?" Another 5 years of Tetsuya Takahashi's mind wasted on a story that he decided not to finish. At least Xenogears' story itself was actually told to completion, even if the second half of the game was mostly unplayable due to production issues. The funny thing is, Xenoblade 3 feels the exact same way, like after the climax hits it feels like there should be another half to the game, and there just isn't. Only unlike Xenogears, they didn't even finish telling their story. All of this then made me think "man, what even was the last game I played where the story actually finished well?" and I immediately thought of Nier: Automata. I thought of it so much, in fact, that I couldn't stop thinking about it. I've now watched at least a dozen reviews in the last several days wondering if I'm going crazy, but no, it seems the rest of the internet agrees that this game has aged so unbelievably well I would serve it at a 5-star restaurant. So, your prediction was correct. In light of what games have come after it, there is still nothing that compares to Nier: Automata. I would put it alongside only 2 other games that I think match its quality in terms of storytelling and affectation: Undertale and Xenogears. These are without a doubt my 3 favorite videogame stories, bar none. The more stories people try to tell in videogames, the more Nier:Automata looks better by comparison. It's truly insane, but it's just that good.
I'm 3 years late but I wanna play this now Update: it's not just a game, it's literally an experience. It's intense and makes you think and gives you emotion and I've just never experienced a game like this. The music, the quest, the endings, everything is just amazing.
I have never fallen in love with a game faster than nier. The song that plays through the credits literally always makes me teer up. The games a certified masterpiece. 9/10 can't wait for replicating remaster
I'm not a big gamer, I like to play when I have time and I've never left a comment for a video game review. I was exactly the person that said "no thanks" after seeing the art and trailer. With my spare time limited from owning businesses and having kids I have to be selective on game purchases these days....there is just not enough time to play everything that looks interesting. Metal Gear, Dark Souls, etc were all games that I did invest the time in and loved for their creative originality. This review alone convinced me to purchase and give Nier a shot, and I'm glad I did. Thank you for taking the time to craft such a detailed review, your mission was accomplished.
Playing this game now thanks to this review. So you convinced me, seriously this game is so unique and has an amazing story. People really need to give it more credit
I ignored persona 5 until about a month ago. That game became my favorite game ever. I’ve been ignoring nier since it came out. But I think I’ll purchase it now
Did you do it? How did you like Nier:A if you got it? If you still haven't yet.... please take this as a sign that it is BEYOND worth it, especially if it hasn't been spoiled for you yet (at least Endings C, D, and E).
I watched the first few minutes of this review back when it came out, about two years ago, in the middle of a deep depression. I had just gotten PS4, too, my first console ever. Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the first games I bought, and the pictures I saw of Automata looked kind of pale in comparison - and yeah, I didn't much care for the waifu aspect either, or the cute robots. The first few minutes of this video convinced me to give the game a shot. I fell in love, and in the middle of a severe mental illness where nothing much felt like anything at all, this game made me feel and think and appreciate so many things. Two years on, it remains my favorite game ever, and I still marvel at its design, its themes, the interconnectedness of it all. I admire how Route A kinda feels shallow the first time you play it, but once you've finished the game and you play or see someone else play it, you get how much emotion and effort there is. All the silences that made no sense are now full of meaning - and pain. It's a masterpiece, still, and I owe it to you that I ever played it. Who knows how much more, because it might've literally saved my life. So yeah, your seven days was worth it. Thank you.
It actually makes me so happy reading your comment. I can definitely believe how this game can make one's life change, i changed myself a bit and the way i view the world after finishing this game. Hearing that it probably saved your life made my day, because i have so much love and appreciation for this game.
Wow, I hope you’re doing great bro. I almost skipped this gen, I only had my Xbox 360 but didn’t play it much at all. Got a PS4 last year in the midst of my depression, I’m 30 years old and never knew what true depression was... but during those agonizing months (being away from drugs and alcohol) I was able to find myself again.
Depression is not a mental illness you pussy. Schizophrenia is. Try living your life with a warped apprehension of space and time for five minutes and tell me if you still think depression is a mental illness.
Finished it last night. And what an experience it was. Had minor bits spoiled for me, but still, after getting [E], I felt both hope and emptiness inside, that's a rare feat. What a game.
I started playing it a couple weeks ago and finished Ending E a few hours ago. I did a good amount of side quests and collected about the half the weapons as i usually only play games for the story. However, I can't wait to start it over again and put more focus into it. This game has so much emotion and it had me fucking invested in the story and characters. I even bought Nier: Replicant so i could experience that now as well
@@jordankit1648 overall it's pretty good. I've put in 19 hours and i'm not dure how much i have left to go. Be prepared to get a lil annoyed with loading screens to different areas, it's not open world like Automata The story as it's gone on has gotten me pretty intrigued too. I like the characters but it feels like the development/relationship between a couple of them felt a little rushed imo. Just like Automata, the difference between normal and hard mode is a big jump. In Normal, i can slaughter a group of enemies with relative ease. Whereas in Hard mode i couldn't even kill the entire group of the same enemies and i died like 4 times before switching back to normal to kill em. That might just be me being awful though lol. The side quests are very much just kinda getting supplies and running errands for people, but there were a couple so far that made me sit back and really think about the choice i wanted to make. Plus, the side the quests are how you make the money and it is cool cuz it lets you get a better feel of the society. The scenery in some shots is pretty too. Some of the dialogue can be a little cringe but overall it's fine. The music is good too but for me not as great as Automata, but that is a tough soundtrack to beat. The combat play is pretty similar to Automata as well. I'd say the biggest thing for me was at the beginning with the genre change going from a science fiction-style game to one with medieval/fantasy vibes but i'm used it now. I'd recommend it, it's been a fun play so far.
How is it forgotten? Its still getting crossovers with other established franchises like Soul Calibur and Final Fantasy on top of basically saving platinum games from bankruptcy and allowing them to continue making games. Hell, bayonetta 3 probably wouldn't even be a thing if not for this game. It might not be on everyone's lips at all times but few games this decade have had as big of an impact as Nier:Automata and im positive its success hasn't been forgotten.
@@matrinezkevin11492 >implying Soul Calibur and FF are relevant any more I don't know about Platinum Games for now, but it sure seems they are shooting themselves in the foot with the completely botched release of the Game of YoRHa Edition a few days back.
No offense, but I had never heard of you before watching this video. I randomly saw this in a suggested video and watched it from beginning to end. I went out yesterday and bought this game. if you can continue to give reviews like this, consider me a new subscriber. phenomenal job, and reviews like this are leagues ahead of what any major publican has done. Hats off to you man!
you did it. you first 3 min off the review and a good friend who told me to play the game last year, got me into it. i wasnt so excited cause i played the demo and while it was nice, i didnt inow what to expect and i skipped the game.. so last year, i started your review and asked a friend who is a totally nier freak: is it worth? what makes it so special? and he say only: play it, you will see. i cant spoil anything about this game. so i did and it blow my complete away. and im so thankfull that iam a person who could play this. its not just a game its art. and i personally ranked on the same high as my all time favourite game. i will come back and play it again. and sometimes i just watch your review and can feel instantly my emotions that i had, when playing this game. if i will have kids: i will tell them about this game and how it changed me. thank you for this masterpiece of a review!
I went into this game blind and after the second playthrough i thought that the third would be the same story but through A2s perspective.. Imagine my surprise when i start the third and its literally the rest of the game.. Love this game 11/10
After spending 30+ hours in this game, I promised myself to go see the game's OST orchestra show since the song tracks in this game is absolutely incredible. I'm glad I could fulfill that just before the COVID outbreak. Seriously tremendous experience. And Yoko Taro himself was on stage!
Still one of my favorite reviews ever. If you come across this comment all these years later, thank you, Ralph. What an experience the first time through. The music, the combat, the revelations in the story my brain couldn't, all the way, follow because I'm broken, And that sweet sweet pixel ass on 2B. Thanks for recommending this one. I was on the fence because of all the reasons you listed toward the beginning of the review. But this video sold me 100% on the game and I don't regret it at all. Keep on keeping on!
You convinced me to play this game and now I've completed every ending, every side quest, every collectible, all DLC challenges, all with 100% completion. This game hits hard right in the feels and I can't stop listening to it's music even after finishing it. Thanks for such a great review of this game. Your time spent for this review was well worth it.
The amusement park introduction actually made me stop and made me actually interested to slowly explore the area, the music is simply bewitching, the robots performing around you, I was gobsmacked. I never had a moment in game where I was so enchanted by an area alone.
@@paulashwin247 Awww don't worry there are plenty of atmospheric games that synergize all the right stuff to give us those moments..........they just are different genres like MGS4 and Nioh
It's just that sudden change from desolate apocalyptic wastelands filled with murderous robots to suddenly coming into full view a carnival brimming with joy and your enemies deciding not to hurt you.
gobsmacked is a great word for that section... i fully agree. it's funny because i usually like to run and jump around killing shit as fast as i can but i too had to stop and slowly enjoy the music and performances.......right before i slaughtered them all hehehehehe
Found this video like 2years ago, watched a bit of the beginning and decided i wanted to play through it before watching it. Been procrastinating for so long, but now here i am, just finished the game, broken and lost, looking for answers........ oh boi am i gonna savour this video.
You know, I was on the fence about NieR: Automata when it came out. I was going back and forth over whether it was worth my money or time. Reviews were very favourable, but I've played games with favourable reviews before and found they didn't deliver the kind of experience I was personally looking for. Skyrim comes to mind as a perfect example of this; it was widely hailed as one of the greatest games of the last generation. Naturally, I picked it up, played it and put it back down 10 hours later. Never finished it. Never picked it back up. Anyway, I stumbled across this review. I've never seen any of your videos before, but the title and thumbnail grabbed me. I thought, "Maybe i'll get a 50th opinion from this guy." I didn't get an opinion. I got the single greatest review of a game I have EVER read, or watched. The passion you put into this review is awe-inspiring. It reminds me of my own passion for video games, a passion that seems to have faded in recent years; whether that's due to recent video games not providing the same experience I came to expect over a decade ago, or a progressive change within myself. You said if this review prompts at least one person to buy this game, it will be worth it. I just want to let you know, that's exactly what your review did. Immediately after finishing the entire review, I went out and bought it. The experience was worth much more than the price tag. I no longer doubt that video games deliver the experience I'm looking for. NieR delivered that experience and much, much more. So, thank you for your review. Without it, I may not have experienced one of the greatest games of this generation. You'll be my go-to for quality game reviews from now on. Subscribed.
fast forward to 2020 and some outlets are calling the last of us 2 as the game of the generation because of the emotions it leaves on the player then I go back to this game again and I'm like the hell were they thinking saying that? This game was sad. had interwoven storylines from different perspectives question your actions throughout the game and was fun to play with and had original music that was amazing
This and the first Nier is great at subverting expectation in my opinion. Yoko know exactly what the player expected, and build a story around it, and because he written it backward, which mean every point will support the end, and make the ending feel real and worth it rather than force. However, because of that, there will be some inconsistencies within the story, which most would be resolve in side content. I’m myself fine with that. However many would not and that is fine really.
Nier was so bad I couldn't even finish it, it's the only game I've bought in 20 years that I literally couldn't finish. So utterly boring and repetitive. There's a lot of people who didn't enjoy this game, and we'd be equally pissed if this game was called "the game of the generation".
tapp3r he didn’t say the game was “the game of the generation” he simply state that, many thing that TLOU2 has done isn’t specially enough to earned “the game of generation” TLOU 2 is not a bad game, it was not written as good as the first one. Nier Automata aren’t supposed to be the game of the generation either way, it’s a niche game, for a niche community including me. The fact that Nier can only exist as a game, and tell its story as a game is a big pros , because how much gameplay intertwine with the theme, and especially the final segment of the game can’t translate to other media. If you found the story boring without, anything interesting, then you might have miss something. The Naming convention is already interesting in itself before talking about the story. 2B or not 2B (Shakespeare), A2 (ettu brute), Simone (Simone de Beauvoir) Jean Paul (Jean Paul Satre) the ship of Theseus paradox, Kierkegaard (Søren Kierkegaard) etc. are most name of the boss that we encountered, which are names of famous philosopher, and their story are told subtlety that it’s involving the philosophers work and belief subversively. For example Pascal named after Blair Pascal, who has a work called Pascal wager, which stated that we should believe in god rather then not because the gain from it is better. If you not believe in god, but he is real then you would be torment in hell after dead. A statement created by uncertainty of the unknown, and fear itself. Fear of torment of punishment. In game Pascal child was killed because of fear itself, which reflected the double edge meaning of fear, it’s something pushing us to live virtuous, but living in fear is a torment itself right? Yoko Taro himself said he is too dumb to understand philosophy, but he can execute some of their belief intelligently, even though not perfect is quite impressive if you asked me. The 3rd play through of the game is a story of finding purpose and meaning, but is hided under a simple revenge plot of 9s revenge 2B. Most player played the game don’t really hated A2 so they must have done something right right? Because we can switch between 9S and A2, who is a new character that we can play that killed of 2B, a character that we have known for 15-20h. There are more stuff I can talked about the story, so so much more. The story may not resonate with you, you might think the story is dumb. However I strongly disagree with boring. I can show you even more subtle theme and main theme. They are interesting, but if it’s not your taste, then you won’t like it. Repetitive sure I’m not going to deny that, because the game doesn’t encourage you to make cool combo, and especially when you can cheese with the pod. However, the game offer you the ability to make really cool and exciting combo when you have 4 different weapon type, each have 2 combo depend on if it’s heavy or light, and you have a various pod program and chip set to modified yourself like witch time, shockwave, etc. You have 3 different set of weapon and pod (2 weapon, and 1 pod program for each set) that you can switch on the go anytime. Like suddenly I was using sword and spear to create this one combo and push an enemy away, then change to another set that have a pod program to pulled me in and used another set to create a new series of combo, dodging with a spear will push an enemy away and engage witch time, mean the enemy is still flying toward a point, and you can move a head to setup with maybe slow orb or something and using different weapon for continue combo. Even 9S can do some even more crazy stuff at longer range base on what I have seen people doing online. The game does offers you a wide range of thing you can try, it’s not bayonetta or DMC mad combo, however it’s there. Sadly the game just doesn’t encourage you to do it, which is a a point you want to criticise. Another problem might be the leveling system, and difficult setting. The flight segment supposed to bring something new, but I personally felt like they could be way better. Like I stated, a niche game like Nier did some of thing quite interesting and quite innovative itself. However it doesn’t deserve the title like I stated because most people going to ignore it, TLOU2 have incredible graphic, the combat is great. However, the story is not something to special if you watch enough film really. Oh yeah I can write another long paragraph talking about the music in Nier too lol, but I guess I have write long enough.
I stumbled to this video and purchased this game today. I understand i am years late to this game but looking forward to the experience as narrated by you.
@@mogur00 :) the soundtrack of this game is soo surreal, i absolutely love the pascal village soundtrack its a stress reliever, ive managed to complete the first take on the story but have not been blown away by it so far, perhaps the other endings have what you described, still its been a treat so far. thank you so much.
@@oceanquest47 just played through it myself before watching this video. I only wish he didn't spoil the fact that you have to play through more than once. It was incredibly fresh play a game and not know when it's actually going to end
@@murbly this game was just as you described. it is indeed a masterpiece on how it has been presented. the multiple perspectives it gives is rarely done by other games and any other game studio would have made a 3 or 4 sequels out of it whereas this game gives all in one. I wouldn't say it is perfect but damn it sure was a unique experience.
Hands down the most in depth and comprehensive review of this game to date. Not only have you gained a subscriber but you have achieved your goal as to convincing me to download the game ASAP. Bravo 👏🏻
The review that single handedly created a level of trust between me as a viewer towards you as a reviewer. This review was born after I already finished everything in NieR and after watching this review I just knew if I ever want a reliable reviewer who approaches games the way I do, each differently according to how each is best approached, then I'd come here. Nearly 4 years later I'm rewatching this review and during all these years not once have you delivered anything less than this quality. Bravo, and thank you.
...yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup. For me that was the other way around. I already trusted this guy, and seeing that he called it a masterpiece was enough to push me over the edge and buy it. I was just like he was at the start of the video, with one friend who said "no seriously, it's amazing, SERIOUSLY PLAY IT". Now, I'm that friend.
Funny how the game is constantly bashing the US to the ground but many fail to notice. (This is what he was going to speak of before realizing how long the video is.
My first impression when going through the beginning of the game : "Oh, so this is gonna be a story about these 2 partners that grow closer as they fight for a world where machines and androids can coexist and humans can finally live in peace." Boy was I wrong.
Damn was I hilariously naive in thinking similarity as well, game fucking does everything it can to give you a emotional crisis over fucking polygon androids, especially for those paying attention to it's very subtle hints that not everything is what it seems, its nihilistic but at the same time a very hopeful story, cant wait for the NieR remake
when I was close to the end of A ending, I thought "well, it will be an open ending! humanity is saved and fanfics everywhere!". And now I have an existencial purpose crisis.
I've been absent from video games for the past 10+ years and just got back into gaming. This review was part of what convinced me to buy Nier Automata a few months ago. I won't get into spoilers, I just want to say that after 47 hours I got to Ending E and just wow... outside of replaying it, I don't expect to find an equal. No game is perfect but this one is truly deserving of that 10/10 score.
not sure if you have by now, but the NieR Replicant rebuild is a worthwhile compliment to Automata not as good or profound, but feels familiar and is fantastic in its own way
I’d say some others are deserving of a 10/10 too. Nier automata obviously is one of them of course, fantastic game and I’ve had a wonderful experience with it
whattttt - i am playing games since childhood & i am an allrounder gamer - can play every type of game except (fifa) & have good taste in gaming as well - but what i can't understand is - how is this game is a masterpiece bcz i had completed this game yesterday after watching this review but ( it was 7/10) for me max - first of all its an excellent story but graphics are bad, water looks bad - shallow environment + bland copy paste buildings & tress, bushes - not much enemies variety - combat is fun but repetitve + that save game freater is absurd omg - worst is in order to get full ending you have to play this again & again - so plz tell me why you think this is a master piece - for me DMC 5 IS a game that deserve a tag of masterpiece.
So, here’s my story on how I came to play N:A. For some reason, I can’t remember why, I asked for Nier: Automata for Christmas in 2019. Maybe it was because I had just finished KH3 that year, and I heard that the combat of Nier was similar to it. Whatever the reason, I got it, and was excited to have it. And for almost exactly one year, it sat on my shelf collecting dust. Sometimes I’d pull it off the shelf, look at it, and think about when I’d play it, only to put it down and forget about it for another 2 months. Only 2 weeks ago, having finished finished the likes of FF7 Remake in the spring, Red Dead Redemption 2 in the summer, and Persona 5 Royal in the fall, and seeking something new to play, I finally convinced myself to give it a try and started playing. To those who’ve played it, you already know. To those who haven’t, I urge you to find out. To call playing N:A simply an experience would be understating it: it’s like my eyes have been opened to what it means to show, tell, and create the truest form of video gaming storytelling in the industry, if not storytelling overall.. I’d even go so far as to say that N:A, combined with the other incredible gaming experiences I’ve explored this year, Nier being chief among them, have enlightened me with so many thoughts, perspectives, feelings, and ideas of so many varieties, from friendship, to mortality, to the potential of my very existence. And, perhaps most importantly of all, Nier: Automata SCARED me. Not in the way jumpscares or evil monsters do, but in a deeper, more ancient way. I saw the world devoid of the human race in a far flung future, with the ruins of our existence stretched out across the world, and in typical human fashion, leaving a huge mess in our wake. I got to experience other beings, so very similar to us yet not us, look back on the world we built and judge us. And seeing this brought a fear into me that, not only will I never live to see where we will be and how far we’ve evolved in 10,000 years, but that I only have a small, minuscule amount of time in the world I live in to make a difference. And I want to live it as best I can. I will never forget this game, and what it has done for me. It is the TRUE game of this generation, and perhaps even more to come.
Nice story! If you would ever want to experience a similar feel of existential dread, try the movie Melancholia. It is a really slow burn. However, if you stick through it, there is this beautiful/horendous climax to experience. For me, it has been one of these movies/games which left me in 'thoughtful awe', and that's honestly the best place to be left in.
That's my biggest gripe with this game, it's too easy on Normal but fucking asinine on Hard (and I play almost every game on Hard). The damage boost for enemies is insane, even the little enemies you'd normally stomp can kill you in 2 hits. This creates an extremely unfun pattern where anything less than a perfect performance sends you back to your last save, making you sick of the loading screen and running back to where you died. That should be the Very Hard difficulty, with a more balanced Hard level. Other than that it's a pretty damn good game.
@@l.torrence4603 Those were simple for me because 9S is lowkey OP as fuck. I ignored them with 2B but hacked the shit out of them with 9S in the second playthrough, took me about a minute to get them down. What makes me furious when trying to play on Hard is getting rekt by those tiny tin cans that spin their arms and somehow do not flinch when you attack them, or hit for 60% of my HP by one of the flying donuts that attack from all sides. It forces you to be excessively careful, which ruins the fun of fighting. And on Normal I just steamroll everything, so that sucks too.
I just finished the game and honestly, I don't know what to say. On the one hand, I wonder if it was worth the psychological and emotional torture that Nier Automata put me through and on the other, I feel like no other series has resonated with me as much as this game had. One thing I can definitely say is this is my game of the year, no matter what anybody says. Thank you so much for giving the credit that this game deserves.
I finished the game yesterday and yeah i find myself wondering the same thing, at first i thought this game isn't for me but came back to see what the fuss was all about, and boy did it hit me hard.. a very few games made me feel that way, utterly empty and depressed " i suffer from depression" so yeah i wonder if it was wise for me to satisfy my curiosity about this game. but in the end it's beautiful without a doubt.
Nicole Maj I %100 agree as this game has wrecked me emotionally after finishing it lol, I must see more of the characters and what happens after the story
Walweeze2 Yes, you definitely should! Did you take a look at all the supplementary material available? If not, here's a link. All of it is canon and supervised by Yoko Taro himself. :) theark.wiki/w/Welcome
Completely agree. I love the game, but If I could go back in time and not play it, I wouldn't play it. It's seriously depressed me since I finished it and the emotional roller coaster is still exhausting.
TheTinyTimmyTimTim This scares me, I just finished 2B’s story and so far, I like the game but I wouldn’t say it’s anything I’d call a masterpiece. I want to keep playing to see what the hub bub is about but I don’t want to get depressed :/
I loved Pascal's theme and how it evolved for me. The first time I listened to it, I found it creepy and disturbing, but it grew on me and it became my favourite theme from the game. It grew on me as my fondness of Pascal and his village grew. His village became my favourite location on the game and even beyond that my appreciation of the theme changed as Pascal's story ended
I remember having money in my PSN wallet but not finding any games at the time I cared about, so I started browsing to find anything that could grab my interest and ended up impulse buying this game.... best impulse buy of my life.
That's exactly what I did! Lol. I was gonna buy Shadow of War though, but I realised the story wasn't good. At the time I was also coming across review vids of Nier Automata, saw IGN, saw Jim sterling, ACG, read through the comments of each review and everyone was praising this game for what it was. Thats when I decided to get the game, it was also the first pure Japanese game I got. And it's also the best decision of my life.
my best ever impulse buy of a game was valkyrie profile on ps1, pretty dated now but still one of the best games i've ever played. lucky because i once bought oni for ps2, what a piece of shit
The Game of the YoHRa edition recently released so that might make it easier ! :) I started playing myself because this video too and it is fantastic so far!
@@Retromaniabelgium dude, i envy, this is one of my favourite game, this is a pure masterpiece. I would do anything to play this game for the first time. This game is soooo deep with great combat and amazing story.
Nier;Automata made me finally feel something after I started playing brain dead repetitive games like League of Legends that slowly kill you from the inside. Nier;Automata broke through it.
Have you ever heard of indie games? or single player games? or the witcher? or bethesda games? or platinum games? or any other games company that isn't blizzard or EA? there are millions of amazing single player games out there.
@@prawngravy18 Yes played way more than you would think and did nothing for me. I will say one I have not played is Cleste but most other Indies I have played. Triple A games are more likely to be a joke than a proper game. I haven't been able to finish a Bethesda game. Idk dude.
What today is exceptional, in the past was your typical Japanese game, most games were like this in the PS2 era (and I mean most Japanese games, I didn't play much western games back then).
Wanted you to know just how convincing I found your analysis. As someone who is often disappointed with a lot of different creative media, it is refreshing to hear someone speak so highly and so convincingly regarding the quality of a product. I want to say, this is not the kind of game I would normally be interesting in playing, additionally I earn minimum wage, I also never buy games on release, as usually £40-£50 can affect my living standards for that month; however, I am choosing to make an exception. It is blindingly obvious that this is one of those works that is not just crafted, it is born, the creators of these kinds of media are concerned with one thing and one thing only, reaching the greatest potential possible; in doing so they give birth to a community dedicated to unravelling its secrets and examining its genius, not only do I hope to be part of this community, but so rarely do I allow myself to be witness to its birth. With the hopes of inspiring a similar mentality in the industry surrounding it, I will be throwing my measly sheckles into the collective hat. Thank you for bringing this game to my attention, by doing so you have fulfilled the greatest role that critics can, in other words, hopefully games like this will raise the standards.
Just played Stellar Blade, liked it but made me really really want to play this again. Just got through the first playthrough and remembered this video...I've been watching you since stumbling on this video and picking up Nier because of it. You rock Ralph (and team now)! Thanks for the years of excellent content!
The fact that this is game was not even nomineed to Game of the year or to a best storytelling is a proof how game journalism is fucked up. It is not about subjectivism, of course you may not like some titles. But it is about reliability. Skipping this game without taking into account its innovation, freshness in storytelling is unreliable.
@W A V E S Oh yeah.. I remember that game. It was the game that's near the end of PS3's lifecycle, one that had a remaster recently and was awarded at an awards show. I think the story was about some old dude with a kid and for a guy with years on his age, he's really powerful and had a really good story about that. Heard it would have a new sequel? It's God of War, right?
I played this game because of your review and Jim Sterling's review. 100%, platinum, deleted save as of 40 minutes ago. Thank you so much. Thank you so, so much. I have been a gamer for 22 years and my favourite game ever came out in 1997 (FF7). No game in the last 15 years has taken me this close to the level of awe, fulfilment and emotion I felt with FF7. Automata is a masterpiece. I need to reflect more and play it again, but it is definitely, already one of my favourite games of all time. Thank you
Care to explain spoiler free what makes it so good? Why does everyone get a hard on from this game? It's a japano game with lots of titties and fan service from what I can tell so far just from pics. I'd like to know what makes it so good tho, the story? Is it so philosophical and critical or what?
@@MajorasLullaby its just unique,and i can say it is the most philosophical,emotional game with tons of lore and plot points ive played in years the story is so good,that you feel like you want to play more of this game even after 60 hours also personally im not that emotional of a person(not trying to be edgy here) but when i see the pure amount of effort that go to make a franchise i tear up a bit just because "its so great" feeling and "im really glad i got into this" feeling nier might be the first time i got that feeling from a game
Funny you mention FFVII. That was the last game that made me feel this way over 20 years ago. Many good games, but those are the top two in my mind as well.
@@MajorasLullaby it subverts expectations in predictability. It has narrative building genius. If you have an interest in philosophy, it's a gold mine for winks and nudges. It is magnificently depressing while simultaneously being uplifting. The combat seems to lack depth, but if combat is your thing, by the third play through you can be pulling off ridiculous juggling combos (check out the spoiler free videos to see the magnificence). The story is encapsulating and ALL of the sidequests add to the story making it more intense/interesting....and the final (final) ending is the best ending I have experienced in video games. There's more I could say, but you should get the idea from above
@@TheRailwaystationist depends of what you define as actual lyrics. If you define it so that the language of the lyrics must exist, then yes. But the Chaos Language was made by the song writer imagining how languages would evolve over 100 years or so and while it lacks actual grammar and the words meanings are mosly not existant, it has its own words and they make up the lyrics.
@@Max_G4 Thousands of years* but I know what you mean. I meant "actual lyrics" as in an actual spoken language. 'Lyrics' has a definition, you know. I'm really impressed at how well they pulled it off. I actually didn't know this until I read it somewhere, and I had listened to the soundtrack for months at that point.
@@TheRailwaystationist Chaos language isn't purely chaos actually. It isn't words... yoko taro didn't want words. Chaos language is feelings. It is perfect for making you feel what others try to make you feel with words
@@shirori2004 Yep. I don't think I've seen it done as well as the N:A soundtrack before, though. Using characteristics of certain languages was a brilliant idea.
I come back to this review every few months, just to remind myself how grateful I am that this game exists. You sum up all the strong pieces that make up the holistic experience so well. Better than anyone else who tries to articulate it. I made a video myself that focused on Nier: Automata's core philosophic theme, but it just doesn't convey everything I want to say about this game. And I've kind of come to the realization that I don't think I ever CAN articulate everything this game made me feel. It's both a monolith and a tapestry in mind at the same time.
Not gonna lie, I still have to hold back tears whenever I hear "the weight of the world" to this day. What an epic game, what a experience, what a masterpiece
I just let them out. Usually a game never makes me cry but it hits even more when you realize this was a game company’s last hurrah and final chance. All the families and staff members at Platinum Games started chanted for the final song as this was their last game before bankruptcy. *What a hail mary*
Yea very few songs trigger such a visceral reaction out of me, weight of the world is one of them. The other big one is the travelers theme song from outer wilds!
This video was what made me give NieR:Automata a chance. I was very much of the same opinion as the one you describe for yourself, but you sparked the curiosity I needed to finally give it a chance this last month. I finished the game today, and it is without a shadow of a doubt the single greatest game I've ever had the privilige of experiencing. I just wanted to come back and say thank you. Thank you... This game will hold a truly special place in my heart for the rest of my life
@@djdndi I sure did. Tears streaming, and gladly gave up my save. Playing Replicant now, and then I intend to play Automata again and 100% it. Was about 80% there on the one I gave up
I just wanted to say that this video motivated me to purchase the game, and I am absolutely enthralled with it. It is a beautiful, intriguing, and just plain fun experience. Thank you very much for this review
Randomly entered this video, no idea who the uploader is. However, this must be one of the best video game reviews i've ever watched. Every minute was entertaining and it definitely had a positive effect on my view on the game. like+sub
Pretty sure the devs said ''Kainé'' has a dick. For some reason he specifically wanted this as part of his / her back story . but whatever enjoy your game man who cares what I think.
When you head back to Pascal's village at the very end of his arc in route c. The lack of music then compared to the same village's upbeat theme earlier in the game....small things like that are just genius.
@@daffanier It's an absolute delight. I normally don't like the hack'n'slash type but I randomly ran across some review, pirated it. And after a few hours I bought it.
I went into this blind, only hearing that it was a great unique game. I gotta tell you, it is AND it's so much more! This is an experience that will stay with me for quite some time. One of the best games of all time. Hands down. Great video and I couldn't have said it better.
I've watched many of your reviews and I wanted to reach out and extend a thank you. Your reviews are balanced and skilfully constructed, this one and the Warframe review in particular. You show a great desire to do what many game reviews do not these days; Avail the player and the studio. I like yourself do hope that the bigger studios will stop this cookie cutter attitude of game building and return to a day of crafted, creative, lovingly baked game making.
Got this game on release day. Don't regret the purchase. What truly blew me away about this game was the quality of its writing. I've never seen a game with a story that meshed so well with its gameplay, and also managed to consistently subvert my expectations over and over again.
I did regret it, because my computer was getting sub 20FPS at 640x480 resolution and everything on lowest. Then someone modded the game and let you turn down Global Lighting and got me 40-60 FPS on 1300 or so resolution. Now It's the only game in the last couple of years that's actually engrossed me into it. I still stand by my feeling that it's a dumb decision that Global Lighting sources were originally locked at 128 in a PC game when they had such a huge performance hit and such a low impact on the visuals.
You're not crazy. By the time I finished playthrough 2 I was wondering if I'd bother with playthrough 3. By the time playthrough 3 was done I realized the game was going to be misjudged by many people who stopped playing when they were really only HALF finished. Get ending A and you played a good game. Get the rest of the "main" endings and you'll understand why people want to call it a masterpiece. If you stopped after ending A, you don't deserve to think you finished the game. You really and truly did not.
That stipulates that the story is the one true facet that makes a game great. It isn't. NieR A is a mess to play and incredibly jarring with its genre mashing
@@ninezerotwo1778 The game is definitely could compete for the game of generations not even kidding. There is a lot of game that are great but none of them gives such emotion like that game. After all of this I understood one thing that reviews doesn't count at all.
This has aged very well, and with the Stellar Blade stuff happening right now I think was can understand why it wasn't getting those 10/10s. I just bought the game after watching your review and am looking forward to playing after Stellar Blade.
Do you guys remember when PUBG was nominated for game of the year over this game? Well I'm still upset about it.
People have no taste
most western games are trash money grabs now with near zero innovation/imagination.
Bob Ross weeb
Rin Pls profile pic lmao
Bob Ross lol
Bought it.
Played it.(cried, questioned my existence, cried again)
Worth it.
On pc?
Thinkin of buying it, but alot ssy its buggy
Ok that's too much dude
Hans Ross the game was made for the PS4, so if you have one, definitely go that route. And yeah, the pc version gets pretty buggy
MJPJAH the community fix it with a mod
Teeman for real? That’s awesome!
The worst thing about this game is never being able to play it for the first time again.
And that it finishes (great ending, thought).
i mean, as long as you beat it once you can...
i'm replaying it again after like a year after forgetting a lot of the details. it's still great
Right! I had many awe moments I won't be able to re-experience. But I can deepen my knowledge on the subject and keep finding new stuff to awe about. Check out Clemps's videos on the series for example :)
Lol
"And Nier is the caliber of masterpiece that's true value can only be discerened many years after it has arrived" 5 years later, and these words came completely true.
6 years today :)
Game is so fresh till this day
Yeah he was very on point with that comment
Then you are LOST! This is a teenybopper, emo, angst joke of a game!
@@nightfears3005corny comment, go get some bread and hoes
I literally only bought this game because it had an anime aesthetic and people were recommending it. I then went on to have an existential crisis and then possibly a spiritual experience.
Right
Lmao same but I’m gonna get it now
Literally me.
*existential robot butts*
@@zaqareemalcolm Heck, that's also part of the spiritual experience xD
I know this will get buried, but this review convinced me to buy Nier - Automata.
I finished the final ending less than an hour ago. I don't think I will ever forget this experience as long as I live. Thank you for this video, Skill Up. Thank you, Platinum Games and Yoko Taro and every single soul who poured their heart into this masterpiece.
If you are the gamer that looks for art in games, this is for you. Even if you aren't, this experience is worth your time. 10/10, probably my favorite game I've ever played.
This is my second comment on youtube ever. That's how important this game is.
Zaszol0 is this game that good man to beat it 5 times for real ending
Jason dp it is but really after u get the first ending u play through the first part as your partner 9S and once u get to where u got ending A and get ending B the second half of the game comes into play as u will get the choice to play as 9S or A2 and by completing their segments do u gain access to the finale where u can get the final three endings P.S of u are interested in the endings and want to know how to get them fairly spoiler free go to the nier automata fextralife wiki it's really good for help in the game
Eamonn Joyce so it's worth it ty gonna c what it's all about
this and another review convinced me to buy this game two days ago. waiting for it to arrive. Im a bit skeptical.. and my standards are kinda high just coming off of Horizon Zero Dawn and currently playing the ever creative Dishonored 2.
this seems very interesting... looking forward to this... hopefully im not let down like Dragon Age Inq let me down lolll
if its anything like the first nier you are in for one hell of a ride my friend
Hey man, 2 years late but this review finally convinced me to buy the game. 45 hours later, got all endings, and it's genuinely one of the best games I've ever played. Thank you
I only got it because of Game Pass, and I could never have imagined how much I would have loved it. I put 30 hours into my first 3 days of having the game, and got all endings and achievements after 55 hours. It was a hell of a rollercoaster
I just erased all 48 hours of gameplay and one redoing the whole thing again and 100% it
I'm going to pick this game up and give it a try however I ain't the type to replay a game multiple times, I always move on the the next game once I beat it, the only time I keep a game is when dlc is announced for it which is why I still have doom eternal, I mean yo can't blame me, I gotta play ghost of Tsushima then last of us 2 and before all that I still gotta play dmc5, I seriously don't have time to keep playing one game, the only time I replay a game is if it's that good, but that's very rare for me to want to replay a game, there is only 2 games in the world I replayed a lot, and that was Uncharted 2 and Borderlands 2
@@boxerheadninja4281If you enjoy the game, it's really worth replaying. Each play-through is completely unique, with different characters, and story elements each time, so it isn't repetitive at all. You won't get anywhere near the full story from one play-through. But yeah, I understand, especially if you've got all of that to finish
@@snowcatss1 I'm not saying I won't replay it multiple times but Im sure as hell ain't getting all 27 endings, like i said I gotta keep moving forward, I would need to quit my job if I want to be playing non stop lol
From the bottom of my heart, thank you Skillup for reintroducing this masterpiece to me. I had given up at ending A but you made me go back and play it all the way to ending E. Thank you, This was one of the most memorable and amazing gaming experiences I've ever had.
Can you tell me what was special about endings c thru e I was kinda left with a feeling of HUH
If I were to explain, I'd probably end up writing an essay here.
@@Popirnot Have you not played them? A is basically the prologue of the story. B is a quick replay through the story through the perspective of 9S, this is the weakest point f the game but there are many things still to learn. C however, is the whole second half of the game, and what makes it truly special. D is an alternate ending to C (without spoiling anything, you can quickly select the final mission after what ever ending you get and make the other choice). And E is the ACTUAL ending, is is quite possibly the most memorable and best executed video game ending.
PLEASE. If you had any interest while playing A, do yourself a favor and go back. Look up a guide for some of the 9S specific B run side missions, otherwise blast through the main story and get to route C :)
@MaxiChannel16 I've played ending e everyone dies, but they get repaired after bullshitily difficult end credits because I didn't have an online subscription
@@Popirnot lmao, each to their own I guess
Yoko Taro sent me here from one of his tweets. You got YOKO TARO TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU! Damn fine review!
Big Boss he did!? I wanna see
Fan XD Square Enix Look up Yoko Taro's twitter. Its one of his few current tweets in english.
Found it: twitter.com/yokotaro/status/849523282193920000
ACE Video kinda late but ty ^^
Your welcome ;)
Not only is the story an actual masterpiece, but the soundtracks are transcendental.
Sup bro
Easily my favorite soundtrack ever. I was enchanted when I first went to the amusement park
I got gamers thumb so im down a few weeks, using the time to get familiar with the ost and oh boy, it's amazing 😍
We meet again
Im glad i found you here, i never took you for one of being that of culture
Nier wasn't just a game, it was an experience. One of my most treasured games. Music that brought me to tears, especially that last credit roll
That game left me feeling empty inside.
@@TheKnightDrag0n There's gonna be Nier : Replicant in 2021. dw.
@@Syle3 I'm hype
I’ll never forget the whole experience and specially the credits
Which one?
I don't know if you read these, particularly not on a 5 year old video, but, you made a big point in this video about wanting to encourage one person to play this game.
I picked it up a long time ago, played it a little and gave up. I had the same opinion as you, "anime ass, meh, not for me."
Later I came across your review and it convinced me to try it again. I can't thank you enough for it, it was an experience I'll never forget. The past week with all this SadFuntago content resparked that excitement, which again I wouldn't have had without this review.
This may well be the most beautifully constructed and well reasoned review you, or anyone else I've ever seen, has created. It more than does the game justice. So thank you, again, for convincing me to take a chance on some anime dominatrix maid.
I got Nier at release because of the positive vibe around the game. Ended up being one of the most original and thought provoking games I've ever played, a piece of art really. Fully agreed that this is a masterpiece of gaming media and happy to see you give it the attention it deserves!
So glad I'm not the only one that thinks so! I've felt like a crazy person all week long!
Skill Up Crazy? I'd call it good taste in games ;) I'm sure many other Nier fans will agree with you too. I was literally in the same boat as you, not all that interested in the individual mechanics after watching many reviews, but mainly went for it to bridge the gap until MEA was released and the positive vibe all over the web. How it went from there is pretty much exactly as stated in your review. This game truly deserves all the attention it can get. I always enjoy your detailed spot-on videos, keep it up SkillUp!
yeah, the first nier was re- wait, "this"? oh, how much you don't know...
i have the feeling that like over half the people who bought automata have no idea that there was a nier on the ps3.
Play Nier on PS3 god damn ittt
I had never heard of the older games and had nier on my radar for a while (I am a anime fan, rpg fan but I mainly play counter strike). while board, I started looking into it a bit and discovered the older games and their 'relation' to NA, was like screw it il preorder. I also had never taken a day off work for a game and it seemed like a great excuse.
the day before PC release, I had watched a few reviews trying to avoid spoilers as best I could, I then found clemp's videos on drakengard and nier (watched all of them execpt drakengard 3, will probably go back and watch, but was mainly interested in niers backstory) and from the moment I ended that last nier analysis video, watching some 2 to 2.5 hours of his stuff, I knew NA would be amazing. Then friday came about. I had other plans as well (Went to the range with a military friend and his mom, tough his mom how to shoot the guns that they owned but she had never fired before as well as laying out all of mine for them to choose from), I got home and the install was complete and from there I powered through the game, I did quite a few side quests but skipped a lot, the main story just kept pulling me. 40 hours in and I had finished. its been what, 2 weeks since then and I still can't get N:A out of my head, I watched this review because I just love content about N:A and seeing what the press has said and I agree, they describe a masterpiece but give it a 9... very odd. Very great review skill up, subbed because of this video! Hearing the music in the background while you talked gave me chills, you described it perfectly as well! Ever so often over the last few weeks I have done somthing I have never done before, listened to a games soundtrack alone while doing other stuff (theme park is best music IMO). Thanks for the great video, I will probably pass this to a few friends!
I mean... I remember when Yoko Taro did an interview 1 year after the release of the game and he answered the following question “What would you say to the people who still haven’t played this game?” with “It’s been an year since the release, if you still haven’t played this game, i don’t think you absolutely need to do so”
The humbleness in this sentence shows how much the mind behind this masterpiece told us very important things through those games
Could you explain? I have no idea how that statement is that special in any way.
@@plipplop1769 exactly. no marketing out of nowhere. if you haven't play it, don't rush to play. you can, to not play it. you don't have to force yourself.
@@lunascomments3024 I mean it's a normal ass statement. I don't know why people are talking about it like it was some revelation about life "The humbleness in this sentence shows how much the mind behind this masterpiece told us very important things through those games".
@@plipplop1769 exactly. it's normal statement. well in my view, you're the same passionate person as the TS, just in different spaces & thinking.
@@lunascomments3024 What does TS mean?
Consider your 7 days worth while, I'm buying the game just because your review.
ValiusTrigger same here
Same here. I just bought and installed the game and I'll take it for a spin as soon as the kids are asleep!
ValiusTrigger hey tbh im still hesitating did u truly think its worth it?
Moetez Ouelhazi Well to be HONEST, i have not played past a short amount. I started trying to level up something and was make things easier. But an issue I have with the game is it heavy reliance on skill and reaction time of the player over it rpg qualities. Don't expect hours of collecting money and upgrading things to show too big of a difference like in a nirmal rpg. Even games like Devil May Cry and God of War make more use of the rpg a qualities. I also found the general gameplay pretty repetitive despite dishing hours of upgrades into completely different weapon types.
Moetez Ouelhazi please don't get me wrong I think that the game is pretty fun it's just not quite as amazing as I had my expectations set. They really missed out on some great couch co-op opportunities too as most games these days.
All these years later and this game lives in my head rent free and I cry every time I think about it.
This game has aged like fine wine even though I haven't touched it in years. I love it that much.
I still regularly search for people going through ending E on youtube. It's a masterpiece.
Time to see if the Anime will do the same
It's a truly haunting experience. Even after all this time, even just hearing a clip of the music can evoke fresh tears. This and Life Is Strange completely changed how I saw 'gaming'.
@@ausar567 Yoko Taro is on board as screenwriter and early reviews of Ep 1 are positive, so prospects look good.
Doing my first playthrough right now
Hey Dude, it's me, the one person who explicitly played the game because of your video
I was here to watch gameplay footage of games I wanted to buy in order to make a decision a couple of weeks ago.
NieR wasn't even one of the games I took into consideration - I didn't even know it existed. But somehow I stumbled upon this video.
So yes, your seven days of work paid out. You successfully convinced me to get it even though I was here to compare three totally different games on order to figure out which of them I would buy.
And now, there is only one thing left to do and say:
THANK! YOU! ❤️
This is one of the best games, if not THE best game, I've ever played in over 23 years of console gaming.
So seriously.. thank you :D Greetings from Germany and sorry for the probably bad English
Apologies for bad English while speaking flawless english lol
"Greetings from Germany" and apologizing for our "bad English" are basically the way we want to greet the rest of the Internet. I have to stop myself from writing it ^^
@Johnny Flannigan and this video conviced me i just baought it myself though i'll have to wait till it actually gets here to play it likely i have a 3 day weekend next week
Convinced me too, and while yeah it's a pretty fantastic game and I'm currently addicted to it, I think this guy was a bit hyperbolic with his review.
@@Himmelsfeger Same Problem mate.
Edit: Yoko Taro himself tweeted at me about this review! Extremely humbled that he took the time: twitter.com/yokotaro/status/849523282193920000
Hey all- really hope you enjoyed the review. Don't forget that there is a free demo on the PS4 store, and on Steam you can refund it within the first 2 hours of play if you don't like it. I know this one is a bit of a 'long-shot' purchase (it was for me) so if you want to try before you buy, then I'd recommend going down these routes. Hope you love it. It really is amazing :)
I also have one REALLY big request for a Japanese speaker with some spare time on their hands. I'd love to have this video translated into Japanese so I can forward this review to the game creator, Yoko Taro. Please message me on twitter @skillupyt if you happen to have the time for something like that. It honestly makes me sad to know that I won't be able to pass on my thanks to Taro in his own language, so I thought I'd make this odd request :)
Thanks everyone.
How did you play this game? I have heard the key board and mouse control system on PC can be a bit sub-par at times.
Oh yeah. You CANNOT use keyboard and mouse lol. It's awful. Control on PC all the way.
+SkillUp Nier: Automata is just as good as you say. I played it almost nonstop for over 80 hours on PS4 Pro, dropping Horizon and Breath of the Wild, as great as they are, completely until I'd completed Nier: Automata A through E. It's easily my favorite game so far this year, and also I'll rate the soundtrack among the best of all-time. It's very likely Nier: Automata also has the best story and animation of 2017, which resulted in a punishing experience for me with Andromeda due to catastrophically unfortunate timing of release dates. Few games have continued to lurk in my thoughts the way Nier: Automata has. I'll be picking it up again for Steam later this year. I'm hoping for a remaster of the original Nier as well. 9.5/10 for me and probably my GotY for 2017.
Well said mate :)
I had checked many of the reviews online for Nier Automata and thought that they either didn't grasp the true depth and value of the game (despite high numbers/ratings) or didn't understand how to reflect that in the grade/number they gave it.
Also none of them (in my opinion) delved into the depth of the experience, and the expression of true story telling that exists in Nier. Not a single review has done it the real justice it deserves, until now. Is it weird to say this has made me not only respect you more as a youtuber, but as a person as well?
I've told everyone I know about it as well and tried (but feel I have failed) to convey the value and depth of Nier Automata to them. I know for certain it's the best game I've played in the last five (maybe ten years) and will certainly be one of the best games I believe I'll ever play in my life time. The experience resonates on a level deep enough to touch who we are as a person, and how we, as a people might very well be connected on levels we're only beginning to understand. But I digress, I'm getting overly philosophical and wordy.
Thanks for vocalizing and expressing so well in a video, what I think many have experienced since playing through Nier Automata. Thanks for a review that does true justice to this masterpiece and labels it for what it is. And lastly, thanks for sharing it on this medium so it can reach the hearts and minds of many who would have lost their chance to experience what we did because they overlooked this gem of a story.
I knew this was an amazing game when a stamp collection side quest in the amesument park ended with 6 robots performing a twisted, hilarious version of Romeo and Juliet and murdering each other
I just Made A Video Called,
2B IS A ROBOT KILLING MECHINE! [NieR Automata] #1
IF you Have Time Can You Check It Out
Is this game on PS4 too?
@@fkoda4194 yes
Fr that stuff was mad
"Romeo, I'll punch the shit out of thee!"
"Pisseth off!!"
Sounds great. Which is why I'm not gonna watch this stupid anime that isn't a prequel or a sequel to the video games story. It's just a weak ass summary of the video games story.
Why would u spoil that people who haven't played the game? And why would people who played the game want to see the exact same story retold to them when they lived in it the video game?
Lazy ass anims studio. Be creative. Its literally your only goddamn job.
This video is what inspired me to buy my PS4 and NieR: Automata 4 years ago. I find myself returning to your video occasionally, and each time I do, I do another play through of the game. As a gamer for roughly thirty-five years, It's hands down one of my favorite titles of all-time. Without your video I would've missed out on this, and I'm ever so thankful.
I ignored Nier Automata for roughly 2 years for reasons I don't know. Till I came across your video and all I could say is i legit regret taking so long to play it.
Thank you for convincing me in playing perhaps one of the greatest video games ever.
me too, I played this game 2 years ago, but I dropped it because it wasn't interesting enough for me. 2 years later I feel bad because I only play this game when I ran out of games to play (GOW, DMC5, Spiderman, Red Dead etc...) This game is a masterpiece
Well, I bought NieR: Automata near its premiere and waiting to play it for no other reason than putting titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War ahead. I finished NieR just yesterday and I don't know if I regret the waiting. I grew up a little and started the game with no pressure of time or responsibility to do it. I guess, this helped me aprecciate that masterpiece even more.
ive had it since 2017, I only played a bit of it, got bored, then abandoned it. Maybe I missed out on a masterpiece, IDK
Anyone else come to this comment section just to see how many new players have bought NieR Automata and enjoyed it just as much as we had? I love this community so much.
Got platinum 2 days ago. So yeah, fanbase still growing! Glory to mankind
Yeah
Sure, but another settlement may need our help, mind checking for us?
I bought it a few months ago
I saw the coverart I'm thinking I don't want to be seen as a perv by the people around even my parents, but I came across some music and few short clips of the gameplay and I considered buying which I did and I don't regret purchasing the game it's fucking amazing the story is good, music is great, art and graphics are on point, and gameplay wise it's just great
My only complaint about Nier is I can't wipe my own memory to experience it again for the first time. The wonder, the thoughtfulness, the deepness, everything was absolutely perfect.
About to experience it for the first time!! Super excited
I have nought but this to say - the greatness of a story is not measured in how it affects you the first time, but in its ability to draw you back for the 100th, even when you know exactly what will happen. It's why people come back to Shakespeare, and I hope this stands the test of civilizational time in the same fashion. I know it has stood the test of time for me.
I hope you can find enjoyment in having suspense where once there was surprise.
agreed
I just started playing it for the first time and its so neat! I don't regret getting this game, absolutely wonderful, the moves of the character are epic and all the details of the game are mind blowing.... Finding my body at the bridge where the boss battle at the start of the game happens surprised me , as i didn't even know you can go back there and get the big sword back, i love how you can combo the two swords together.
That's how i felt about Subnautica so I might give this game a try.
I know we're over half a decade since you made this, I bounced off Nier when it first came out, played a couple hours, died the first time and never went back. I always avoided spoilers cause I knew it was a story heavy game, but then about 2 weeks ago I saw your video in my feed. I felt almost personally attacked by the title of your video, so I went back and played it over the course of the last 10 days, and wow were you right. So glad I caught a glimpse of your thumbnail, and now I'm back to watch the vid. :)
This is the best video you've made on this channel Ralph. I'll be buying the game immediately upon your recommendation.
Th3Jez Fuck yeah Jez. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it.
Th3Jez Didn't expect to see you here! Enjoy, it's a treat. 😊
Oh boi! I'm just about end of the 4th run. Your comment immediately gave me the feeling that at the moment of writing it you wouldn't even imagine how outstanding this game is. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I do.
@@12315wojtek I agree, it's absolutely mind-boggling. I heard so much before I finally played it but nothing really truly conveyed how outstanding it is. I also understand the desire of this review to attempt to convey it as best as possible. In my opinion it is one of the best games ever made and it should be treasured.
Same here, I’ve always known about the games but DAMN the review is so good I’m all in!
It's criminal that this game wasnt even nominated for game of the year.
Zylph It did win a few, just not from very reputable sites. Most of those better known sites like IGN and Gamespot caved in to the Zelda nostalgia
Zylph at least we got pubg... Because it made a ton of money... Right?
Because it doesn't deserved
Damn Train amazing grammar
so what english is not my mother tongue
Before playing the game: "Man, yet another one over doing it and spouting this 'masterpiece' word like it's nothing..."
After playing the game: "This video doesn't even scratch the surface of how this game is gaming's ultimate masterpiece"
arenkai that's so true. Don't forget you only need 2B's godly body to call this game a masterpiece😏
I loved the game so much and feel so deeply about the characters that every time someone brings up how "hot" 2B is, I go full SJW on them (ok, not really, but pretty close)
It's like a trigger, I like the character so much that seeing her reduced to "Damn ! She's hot, look at those thicc thighs !" makes me go insane.
Is this... what you call love ?...
arenkai yes. You are madly in love.
WOMANpukumaru
The poor girl deserves better my friend...
WOMANpukumaru
That's exactly why the game's narrative is so powerful.
There's no word I hate more than "overrate" when talking about art. You can't take people's appreciation of a piece of art and completely disregard it by saying that they are wrong to love it this much.
That's quite arrogant.
This review doesn't even delve to the core of why this game is special: its design. This game is a masterclass in game design and narrative design, no game before it achieved the level of mastery with which it can convey abstract ideas and the narrative itself through gameplay.
The narrative itself is a perfect example of how you can use the medium to subvert and reset expectations in order to tell a unique story that could only be told through a video game.
Everything in the game's design serves a purpose and enhances the narrative.
If anything, the fact that 2B is dressed like a skimpy french maid only made the game's final moments even more powerful. Proving once and for all that video games can make you feel deeply for characters regardless of character design.
Her design tells you nothing about her, if anything it conveys ideas about the game that couldn't be further from the truth. That's another example of expectation subversion applied to video games.
The people who made this game (and especially Yoko Taro) understand how video games work and how players engage with a game and they use this knowledge to craft an experience that never shies away from completely rebooting its tone and the narrative's stakes in order to surprise and engage the player.
Oh, and he happens to like sexy girls. Why should he need other reasons than that to make some if in the end it serves the narrative he crafted ?
NieR:Automaya single handedly makes the case for video games as art.
In this game FILLED with truly profound moments, none moved me more than during the true credits sequence, (SPOILERS AHEAD) with the insanely difficult bullet hell survival, and messages from other players accumulating every time I died offering words of encouragement, and the offer of a helping hand.
I tried so hard to listen to the ones who said I could do it alone, but in the end I accepted the help, and holy FUCK when all the chorus voices join in the soundtrack, moved me to actual tears! Then when I finally beat that section, I was asked to give a message to other players, so naturally I offered myself as help to them, only to be told that if I wanted to help, it would require deleting my save data. I had spent so much time gathering and levelling my items and weapons, I thought I would just go back to chapter select and get 100%, but the game *insisted* it was not kidding around.
I hesitated, I could have gone back and changed my message to one of encouraging a solo win, but I felt so inspired by my experience that, even though my individual contribution to someones game will have very little weight, it meant a lot to me, in a pay-it-forward kind of way, that I was willing to make that sacrifice. Right up until checking the main menu, I had some doubt that it would REALLY go that far, but my GOD do i respect the balls to LEGITIMATELY make you give up something of such personal value, for this almost invisible selfless act. I *mourned* my data, but I wasn't mad. I was a lot of emotions, but all of the kind to where I now hold videogames as a medium to a vastly greater standard.
I felt the same. I'm glad I chose this ending and that the end really was final. Gives the story gravitas I have rarely experienced otherwise.
when you play just the first 30 minutes, it spans an entire legacy of game genres from the early 90s to more recent years. its insane how well the game captures the feeling of gaming as a whole. A true masterpiece.
agreed!!!!
Excuse me what? I've been passing this game for a few years now and nothing has intrigued me like this comment yet lol
Indeed. While playing some parts of it, I tried to imagine some parts of it as a SNES or PS1 game. The way it fix so many genres together without being overwhelming is incredible!
Also, for a modern story-driven game, it makes a lot of effort to remember you're actually playing a game, and not watching a interactive movie. I think the moments that did impact me the most were while I was in control of one character, and these are the majority here.
Yes, this was exactly what I thought too ❤👌 Also the music is superb! 🙌 🖤
That's certainly not true unless your idea of gaming as a whole is limited to hack & slash and schmups.
Here is a testimony from someone who played the game because of this video. Loved it, spreading the video around
I tried my best to play it but after 3 minuets of buttery smooth 60fps the screen goes white for 15 or so seconds, then my PC shuts down with no blue screen.
Arthiem have u try turn down the resolution ??
yeah, and compatibility mode, safe mode, low settings, ultra settings, disabling cores so it isn't trying to run across 16 threads, I was getting close to the refund expiration so I had to just give up and stop trying.
Arthiem sorry to hear that mate. well i guess its your pc problem. maybe your pc cant handle it :/
yeah its an AMD build, water cooled Rizen 1700x and an overclocked RX480 with 8 gigs of video ram, and 16 gigs of DDR4 system ram.
which crushes the recommended settings by double, obviusly the game favors Nvidea/intel
Guys, for those who haven’t played this yet, I, as someone who finished the entire game, can confirm that *at least* 95% of this video are straight up *facts,* and you don’t need to doubt anything by the looks of it.
Before I played this game, it almost felt like taking a leap of faith when clicking “purchase”, but trust me, there’s something in this game that cannot be experienced through let’s plays, it’s something you have to live for yourself. Before you call us crazy, please, give it a try.
I been on the fence for so long, then my sibling asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said Elder Scrolls Summerset (MMO), Vampyr and this. Got all three....First now, 1,5 year almost later, I tried it...what a bloody master piece.
I did. Though I only finished 2b's storyline and I do not feel the same way as you guys do. I don't know whats up.
Played the demo but I'm really not all that impressed
@@brownchair2698 that's like a 1/4 of the game
@@MudeGun I am aware of that. But I mean shouldn't it get it's hooks in me now rather than when it is over? If you know what I mean.
I still come back and watch this every once in a while. Marvelous work shill up this is so good
Is the combat hood though
At first I thought this review was annoying as he kept repeating how much of a masterpiece this is; I decided to play it anyway to see for myself.
I now no longer think this review is annoying.
Rahl of Rivia I dont get it he only played for 2 day$ n he can review it ??? I been playing it for 4 days n I still havent seen it all.
Rahl of Rivia I disagree. It’s still a display of redundancy.
kabronplay Have you been playing it nonstop for 4 days?
While this game is great...it's far from being masterful.. whatsoever... I have this game and beat it multiple times A through E or whatever.... and.... it's not masterful... many parts of this game could have been fleshed out so much more.... for one. The level design is somewhat atrocious... a robot utopia world could have been a perfect place to flex creativity and ambiance here.... the level design is desolate and honestly quite frustrating considering the amount of back trekking done...
The gameplay itself is masterful... best I've seen in some time... very fun sword play and I love the chip system...
Conceptually it's deep. But execution wise isn't masterful....
The music is wonderful... I'll never forget the "THIS CANNOT CONTINUE" scene and the boss fight.. brilliant...
Overall the game is a 7.5 to me... while ganeplay and story is great... the level design structure, ridiculously stupid map system and quest system make this average..
The developer Yoko is a great conceptual designer. Not a game designer or director...
If LEVEL 5 had this franchise they would make it sing... I'm playing Ni no Kuni 2 right now and I'm way more impressed with the amount of thought and quality gone into the product....
If you're gonna play this game, don't buy it full... buy it bargain bin
@Andre Frazier thought and quality in Ni no Kuni 2? really? that game sucked!
from combat to the the devastatingly horrible army mode, they were tedious and repetitive! what part of that is quality? and dont get me started about the crappy story
I remember playing this game because, well, 2B looking really good.
I didn't expect it to turn into my favorite game of all times.
“Come for the thighs, stay for the cries” - Some redditor
I feel most people did the same and neglected the underrated greatness of Nier 1 unfortunately.
@@MagisterXII Oh, ohhh you don't even know how much I want to play the original NieR, as well as the Drakengard games.
@@chiffoncakeandtea Hey, I'd lend them all to you if I could, lol. Love those games. None of them were very popular until Automata unfortunately though. Glad they allowed the creator to make a follow up to the first Nier. I'm hoping for a Drakengard reboot myself. Nier 1 getting a remaster...ish and a mobile game is a good sign though.
The gameplay certainly isn't my favorite, but the narrative (lore) of Nier series is absolutely incredible.
"40 hour game."
*looks at my steam play time*
200 hours
Good video game
@Kurisu Makiseare you not sure how to get more endings because I just finished all the endings you just keep playing the save to get other endings I think any ending past E is secret though
my last save file was 59:59:59 because I think PS4 can't endure a timer bigger than 59 hours.
40 hours game? bruh i have 20 hours already, my stats says i have less than 30% completed
@Kurisu Makise at first less than 5 hours i unlocked Ending T (i removed the OS Chip lol xd) what did you do for the ending A, Christina??
nvm i already got ending A, but at 30hours
I'm so glad someone gave this fantastic soundtrack the praise it deserves and yes it is absolutely the best video game soundtrack of all time (the Amusement Park music is the best from it because it has the build up when you first enter, it stays quite simple but as you go deeper in, more gets added until the fantastic vocals kick in, my jaw hit's the floor and i get chills from it, man i love this soundtrack so much)
"You look at the cover image and see a weird japanese hack n slash starring some kinky french maid dominatrix and you say 'No thanks'"
You misspelt "Yes Please"
Exactly.
What crazy, uncultured weirdo says no to that. Everyone who says no thanks to 2B is dead to me.
@@catburglar82 Preach, brothers!
I literally spent 3 years doing odd jobs and saving money to build a pc just to play this game
because I saw a weird Japanese hack n slash starring some kinky french maid dominatrix and said "oh *fuuuuck* yes"
He missaid yes please
UNDERRATED COMMENT
"Do you still wish to rescue someone - a total stranger - in spite of this?"
If you selected yes, you understood the moral of the story.
Bruh there's a shit load of morals in that story. 9S is an under dog who never stopped trying. The good ending is behind the dude who goes completely nuts but for valid reasons (that almost never happens in games). The Strongest heros of the stories are actually victims because they simply accept the injustice and do what they're told. Fear of the unknown controlling and ruling people.
I only chose no because I did E before getting D, but right after I got D I redid it and said yes. A solid 45 hours of 95%ing the game only to be guilt tripped into doing the right thing.
Worth.
i re-downloaded it recently. i'm gonna 100% it and help a fellow android. may my data be useful. wish you luck.
I selected yes, ans didn't understand the moral of the story.
I’m sorry but I’m not giving up al 78 hours of grinding
I'm so happy there are still new comments on this video. Nier is more than a mere game, it's a lifechanging experience. The fact that there are still people who find it for the first time just fills me with joy.
I got final E 2 days ago, and you know what I did 😊
It really is a life-changing game. I hope Replicant gets its price lowered soon to insta buy it
I just had the chance to play it until now. at the moment I think is very good but i think I'm a bit far from the best part. but who knows
@@chocomints909 the whole experience is good imo, but I think you won’t get disappointed with what will be coming 😊
@@MikeTolosa Yeah i think it's very good. I've been hooked and enjoyed what's going on so far. Just nothing mindblowing (yet)
@@chocomints909 Well then, I hope you keep enjoying it and get surprised 👀 😊
Your comment near the beginning that perhaps it will take a while before people properly appreciate this game in light of what comes after is so spot on.
I only just played this game around this time last year, and since that time, I haven't played any other game that has come remotely close to matching the brilliance of this game's story and immersive narrative. Even now thinking back on the last TEN years, even, I still don't think anything comes close. It's as if this game has completely altered my emotional memory, and now I can't even remember what I used to consider "good" before this game came along. I definitely remember really getting emotionally invested in Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, Nier Replicant, Returnal, etc, but for each one of them, there was just something about them that just didn't "click" completely. Returnal didn't have enough of an emotional punch, Ghost of Tsushima felt a little too cheesy with how the uncle was so uptight about not using certain war tactics cuz "we samurai yo", God of War is literally half a story, and Nier Replicant has moments here and there that I thought were a little contrived and took me out of the moment (like Devola and Popola near the end of each route) and having to play through the exact same sequences of events so many times really soured the experience for me more than anything else.
Nier Automata, on the other hand, only continues to get better and better in my memories, and with each passing story I continue to encounter after it, it only looks better by comparison. Nothing has made this more clear than the existence of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I have been a mega fan of the series since Xenogears, which I actually only finished about a year after beating the original Xenoblade Chronicles back in 2012. Xenogears is a story like Nier Automata in my mind, i.e. one that hits literally every spot it possibly could and hits them at light speed. I've been watching through a playthrough of Xenosaga and I desperately want to get back to part 3, but it's been so long that I would need to start over at this point, and I will say I think it has potential to also be an incredible story on the same level as Xenogears, but I can't say yet. Anyways, I love Xenoblade Chronicles, but the story was not nearly as personal nor complex as Xenogears, so as great as the overall experience was, it still didn't eclipse Xenogears for me. Then Xenoblade Chronicles 2 came out, and other than a really cool twist near the very end, it was basically just a shounen/harem rom-com anime story, and it fucking sucks most of the time. I've harbored a grudge against that game for the last 5 years because I was expecting a story at LEAST as good as Xenoblade, but secretly I was hoping that maybe somehow Tetsuya Takahashi could find it in himself to actually make something as good as Xenogears again. That was an unrealistic hope, but man, he didn't need to disappoint THAT hard.
Then Xenoblade 3 was announced. This time SURELY, I thought, we can finally get a good Takahashi story for the first time in over 10 years. There's no way the man could really have wasted an entire decade of his life making stories that aren't worth consuming, right? And for a time, I was convinced that Xenoblade 3 was a success. It starts off fantastically with grounded characters that completely avoid cringe anime tropes, no pointless sexualization, just "regular" anime stuff that used to be around before Sword Art Online popularized the adaptation of terrible light novels into mega hit anime. Things were going great, the story had a solid direction, and about 4/5ths of the way through the game we hit an emotional climax that had me crying through about a solid hour of cutscenes. It was brutal, it was effective. I was IN the story. It HAD me.
And then the rest of the game happened. What followed was the most boring snow level ever created, a hyped up area called "The Cloudkeep" that was actually just a cube with 3 staircases and a boss fight at the top, a lore dump that amounted to "things sort of just happened and now we're here", a fetch quest throughout the rest of the world you've already explored, and a final dungeon. Throughout all of this, the story evolves thusly: two major story beats are explained in the "things sort of just happened and now we're here" variety, and the rest of the major plot points simply *aren't explained at all.* When the credits started to roll, I think I actually shouted at my TV "You're joking, right?" Another 5 years of Tetsuya Takahashi's mind wasted on a story that he decided not to finish. At least Xenogears' story itself was actually told to completion, even if the second half of the game was mostly unplayable due to production issues. The funny thing is, Xenoblade 3 feels the exact same way, like after the climax hits it feels like there should be another half to the game, and there just isn't. Only unlike Xenogears, they didn't even finish telling their story.
All of this then made me think "man, what even was the last game I played where the story actually finished well?" and I immediately thought of Nier: Automata. I thought of it so much, in fact, that I couldn't stop thinking about it. I've now watched at least a dozen reviews in the last several days wondering if I'm going crazy, but no, it seems the rest of the internet agrees that this game has aged so unbelievably well I would serve it at a 5-star restaurant.
So, your prediction was correct. In light of what games have come after it, there is still nothing that compares to Nier: Automata. I would put it alongside only 2 other games that I think match its quality in terms of storytelling and affectation: Undertale and Xenogears. These are without a doubt my 3 favorite videogame stories, bar none. The more stories people try to tell in videogames, the more Nier:Automata looks better by comparison. It's truly insane, but it's just that good.
I'm 3 years late but I wanna play this now
Update: it's not just a game, it's literally an experience. It's intense and makes you think and gives you emotion and I've just never experienced a game like this. The music, the quest, the endings, everything is just amazing.
I just bight it, it’s coming tomorrow and I’m so exited
I have never fallen in love with a game faster than nier. The song that plays through the credits literally always makes me teer up. The games a certified masterpiece. 9/10 can't wait for replicating remaster
I am also playing at the moment. I love it so much!! 🖤🖤❤❤
Totally should've ended the review with an "9". That would've been amusing.
😂
lmao
Nine.....z
NICES
"Its a solid 9 from my side " LMAO
I'm not a big gamer, I like to play when I have time and I've never left a comment for a video game review.
I was exactly the person that said "no thanks" after seeing the art and trailer. With my spare time limited from owning businesses and having kids I have to be selective on game purchases these days....there is just not enough time to play everything that looks interesting. Metal Gear, Dark Souls, etc were all games that I did invest the time in and loved for their creative originality.
This review alone convinced me to purchase and give Nier a shot, and I'm glad I did. Thank you for taking the time to craft such a detailed review, your mission was accomplished.
Hope you love it mate :)
Kevin Smith I recommend The Last of Us
Anon YMouse That was the last game I finished and it was fantastic. Thanks.
Kevin Smith well if life ever gives u a break I recommend bloodborne
Kevin Smith I know it's a big commitment but I highly recommend the Witcher 3!
Playing this game now thanks to this review. So you convinced me, seriously this game is so unique and has an amazing story. People really need to give it more credit
I ignored persona 5 until about a month ago. That game became my favorite game ever. I’ve been ignoring nier since it came out. But I think I’ll purchase it now
I love Persona 5 too :3
But this game is Amazing as well in A different way :)
I'm working through P5 and it's taking me literally forever brecause life. Will start this after
Did you enjoy it?
Did you do it? How did you like Nier:A if you got it? If you still haven't yet.... please take this as a sign that it is BEYOND worth it, especially if it hasn't been spoiled for you yet (at least Endings C, D, and E).
You wouldn't like it now that you've watched this you're overhyped
I watched the first few minutes of this review back when it came out, about two years ago, in the middle of a deep depression. I had just gotten PS4, too, my first console ever. Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the first games I bought, and the pictures I saw of Automata looked kind of pale in comparison - and yeah, I didn't much care for the waifu aspect either, or the cute robots.
The first few minutes of this video convinced me to give the game a shot. I fell in love, and in the middle of a severe mental illness where nothing much felt like anything at all, this game made me feel and think and appreciate so many things. Two years on, it remains my favorite game ever, and I still marvel at its design, its themes, the interconnectedness of it all. I admire how Route A kinda feels shallow the first time you play it, but once you've finished the game and you play or see someone else play it, you get how much emotion and effort there is. All the silences that made no sense are now full of meaning - and pain.
It's a masterpiece, still, and I owe it to you that I ever played it. Who knows how much more, because it might've literally saved my life.
So yeah, your seven days was worth it. Thank you.
It actually makes me so happy reading your comment. I can definitely believe how this game can make one's life change, i changed myself a bit and the way i view the world after finishing this game. Hearing that it probably saved your life made my day, because i have so much love and appreciation for this game.
Wow, I hope you’re doing great bro. I almost skipped this gen, I only had my Xbox 360 but didn’t play it much at all. Got a PS4 last year in the midst of my depression, I’m 30 years old and never knew what true depression was... but during those agonizing months (being away from drugs and alcohol) I was able to find myself again.
Reading your comment made me cry
@@alexvswrld I'm doing better than ever, thank you!
Depression is not a mental illness you pussy. Schizophrenia is. Try living your life with a warped apprehension of space and time for five minutes and tell me if you still think depression is a mental illness.
Felt like the thumbnail called me out. So I played Nier: Automata and it’s now my favorite game ever.
Finished it last night.
And what an experience it was. Had minor bits spoiled for me, but still, after getting [E], I felt both hope and emptiness inside, that's a rare feat. What a game.
I started playing it a couple weeks ago and finished Ending E a few hours ago. I did a good amount of side quests and collected about the half the weapons as i usually only play games for the story. However, I can't wait to start it over again and put more focus into it. This game has so much emotion and it had me fucking invested in the story and characters. I even bought Nier: Replicant so i could experience that now as well
How is Replicant?
@@jordankit1648 overall it's pretty good. I've put in 19 hours and i'm not dure how much i have left to go. Be prepared to get a lil annoyed with loading screens to different areas, it's not open world like Automata The story as it's gone on has gotten me pretty intrigued too. I like the characters but it feels like the development/relationship between a couple of them felt a little rushed imo. Just like Automata, the difference between normal and hard mode is a big jump. In Normal, i can slaughter a group of enemies with relative ease. Whereas in Hard mode i couldn't even kill the entire group of the same enemies and i died like 4 times before switching back to normal to kill em. That might just be me being awful though lol. The side quests are very much just kinda getting supplies and running errands for people, but there were a couple so far that made me sit back and really think about the choice i wanted to make. Plus, the side the quests are how you make the money and it is cool cuz it lets you get a better feel of the society. The scenery in some shots is pretty too. Some of the dialogue can be a little cringe but overall it's fine. The music is good too but for me not as great as Automata, but that is a tough soundtrack to beat. The combat play is pretty similar to Automata as well. I'd say the biggest thing for me was at the beginning with the genre change going from a science fiction-style game to one with medieval/fantasy vibes but i'm used it now. I'd recommend it, it's been a fun play so far.
@@Razzle-yer-Dazzle thanks for that brother. dope review!
@@jordankit1648 no problem man!
Two years later, the game is virtually forgotten.
Not by me, though.
Duncan Thaw great game
@@amircat1009 Great but forgotten.
Basically, the Bloodlines of this generation.
Her name was 2B
How is it forgotten? Its still getting crossovers with other established franchises like Soul Calibur and Final Fantasy on top of basically saving platinum games from bankruptcy and allowing them to continue making games. Hell, bayonetta 3 probably wouldn't even be a thing if not for this game. It might not be on everyone's lips at all times but few games this decade have had as big of an impact as Nier:Automata and im positive its success hasn't been forgotten.
@@matrinezkevin11492 >implying Soul Calibur and FF are relevant any more
I don't know about Platinum Games for now, but it sure seems they are shooting themselves in the foot with the completely botched release of the Game of YoRHa Edition a few days back.
No offense, but I had never heard of you before watching this video. I randomly saw this in a suggested video and watched it from beginning to end. I went out yesterday and bought this game. if you can continue to give reviews like this, consider me a new subscriber. phenomenal job, and reviews like this are leagues ahead of what any major publican has done. Hats off to you man!
Cheers mate :)
Brandon Peters for instance, compare this review with the 2 and a half minute hack job that is every IGN review ever.
The masterpiece I probably won’t play? You mean the masterpiece I’ve played and 100%? WHO’S READY FOR REPLICANT “VERSION UP” BOIS?!
Damn straight. Can’t get here fast enough.
Finally its coming. Been hyped since last year
@@haktar11 This is bait
@@haktar11 Garbage? That would be your taste my friend!
@@DTYUT Don't continue this conversation, it's simply bait. There's no need for them to get attention from you
you did it. you first 3 min off the review and a good friend who told me to play the game last year, got me into it.
i wasnt so excited cause i played the demo and while it was nice, i didnt inow what to expect and i skipped the game..
so last year, i started your review and asked a friend who is a totally nier freak: is it worth? what makes it so special?
and he say only: play it, you will see. i cant spoil anything about this game.
so i did and it blow my complete away.
and im so thankfull that iam a person who could play this.
its not just a game its art.
and i personally ranked on the same high as my all time favourite game.
i will come back and play it again.
and sometimes i just watch your review and can feel instantly my emotions that i had, when playing this game.
if i will have kids: i will tell them about this game and how it changed me.
thank you for this masterpiece of a review!
I went into this game blind and after the second playthrough i thought that the third would be the same story but through A2s perspective.. Imagine my surprise when i start the third and its literally the rest of the game.. Love this game 11/10
After spending 30+ hours in this game, I promised myself to go see the game's OST orchestra show since the song tracks in this game is absolutely incredible.
I'm glad I could fulfill that just before the COVID outbreak. Seriously tremendous experience. And Yoko Taro himself was on stage!
@Super Mario please pardon the mistake as I typed this at 3AM
What’s wild is that only one of the orchestra shows had the cast of the game show up and act out what happens after ending E
Damn, COVID was 4 years ago…
In my 43 years i have never had a gaming experience like Nier: Automata. Masterpiece.
Its a great game for a balance of emotional storyline and nods to classic arcade gaming that does not feel forced or gimmicky.
Just picked this up due to the ffxiv crossover and holy shit I regret sleeping on this game for so long. I havent beat it yet but I'm already in love.
God of War?
@@TheAbsoluteSir Bloodborne
I'm 42, and same for me. It's a brilliant masterpiece.
Still one of my favorite reviews ever. If you come across this comment all these years later, thank you, Ralph. What an experience the first time through. The music, the combat, the revelations in the story my brain couldn't, all the way, follow because I'm broken, And that sweet sweet pixel ass on 2B.
Thanks for recommending this one. I was on the fence because of all the reasons you listed toward the beginning of the review. But this video sold me 100% on the game and I don't regret it at all.
Keep on keeping on!
You convinced me to play this game and now I've completed every ending, every side quest, every collectible, all DLC challenges, all with 100% completion. This game hits hard right in the feels and I can't stop listening to it's music even after finishing it. Thanks for such a great review of this game. Your time spent for this review was well worth it.
After about a year from finishing it i still like hearing the soundtrack every day till now
I was working towards that 100% and oh boy the surprise that awaited me
Have you finish ending E?
@@deathboy12345 I have finished all endings from A-Z & 1 DLC ending.
@@tboltgames Did you cry from the E and C ending?
The OSTs alone messed up my life
huskytzu who u telling smh
You bet it did. This cannot continue!
@dimox99 hells yea lol i still listen to them as of 2021 🥲
The amusement park introduction actually made me stop and made me actually interested to slowly explore the area, the music is simply bewitching, the robots performing around you, I was gobsmacked. I never had a moment in game where I was so enchanted by an area alone.
yes any excuse to walk that area !!
One of the best gaming moments. I'm sad it has happened and that moment won't happen again.
@@paulashwin247 Awww don't worry there are plenty of atmospheric games that synergize all the right stuff to give us those moments..........they just are different genres like MGS4 and Nioh
It's just that sudden change from desolate apocalyptic wastelands filled with murderous robots to suddenly coming into full view a carnival brimming with joy and your enemies deciding not to hurt you.
gobsmacked is a great word for that section... i fully agree. it's funny because i usually like to run and jump around killing shit as fast as i can but i too had to stop and slowly enjoy the music and performances.......right before i slaughtered them all hehehehehe
Found this video like 2years ago, watched a bit of the beginning and decided i wanted to play through it before watching it. Been procrastinating for so long, but now here i am, just finished the game, broken and lost, looking for answers........ oh boi am i gonna savour this video.
You know, I was on the fence about NieR: Automata when it came out. I was going back and forth over whether it was worth my money or time. Reviews were very favourable, but I've played games with favourable reviews before and found they didn't deliver the kind of experience I was personally looking for. Skyrim comes to mind as a perfect example of this; it was widely hailed as one of the greatest games of the last generation. Naturally, I picked it up, played it and put it back down 10 hours later. Never finished it. Never picked it back up. Anyway, I stumbled across this review. I've never seen any of your videos before, but the title and thumbnail grabbed me. I thought, "Maybe i'll get a 50th opinion from this guy." I didn't get an opinion. I got the single greatest review of a game I have EVER read, or watched. The passion you put into this review is awe-inspiring. It reminds me of my own passion for video games, a passion that seems to have faded in recent years; whether that's due to recent video games not providing the same experience I came to expect over a decade ago, or a progressive change within myself. You said if this review prompts at least one person to buy this game, it will be worth it. I just want to let you know, that's exactly what your review did. Immediately after finishing the entire review, I went out and bought it. The experience was worth much more than the price tag. I no longer doubt that video games deliver the experience I'm looking for. NieR delivered that experience and much, much more. So, thank you for your review. Without it, I may not have experienced one of the greatest games of this generation. You'll be my go-to for quality game reviews from now on. Subscribed.
Chris Sparks really glad you enjoyed the game mate :)
Right there with you man. 80 hours into the game and no sign of slowing down. Haven´t felt this way about a game since Chrono Cross. Simply Inspiring.
dont buy games like skyrim only for the reviews. But why only put 10h into it? its more worth than that ...
Right there with you. This was the best video game review I have ever seen BY FAR for one of the best video games I have ever seen BY FAR.
Check out ACG, His reviews are absolutely incredible
fast forward to 2020 and some outlets are calling the last of us 2 as the game of the generation because of the emotions it leaves on the player then I go back to this game again and I'm like the hell were they thinking saying that? This game was sad. had interwoven storylines from different perspectives question your actions throughout the game and was fun to play with and had original music that was amazing
lol im dying at tlou2 shilling of the story... oo wee, you killed a dog... Yoko taros had us killing the wrong people
This and the first Nier is great at subverting expectation in my opinion. Yoko know exactly what the player expected, and build a story around it, and because he written it backward, which mean every point will support the end, and make the ending feel real and worth it rather than force. However, because of that, there will be some inconsistencies within the story, which most would be resolve in side content. I’m myself fine with that. However many would not and that is fine really.
Nier was so bad I couldn't even finish it, it's the only game I've bought in 20 years that I literally couldn't finish. So utterly boring and repetitive. There's a lot of people who didn't enjoy this game, and we'd be equally pissed if this game was called "the game of the generation".
tapp3r he didn’t say the game was “the game of the generation” he simply state that, many thing that TLOU2 has done isn’t specially enough to earned “the game of generation” TLOU 2 is not a bad game, it was not written as good as the first one. Nier Automata aren’t supposed to be the game of the generation either way, it’s a niche game, for a niche community including me. The fact that Nier can only exist as a game, and tell its story as a game is a big pros , because how much gameplay intertwine with the theme, and especially the final segment of the game can’t translate to other media. If you found the story boring without, anything interesting, then you might have miss something. The Naming convention is already interesting in itself before talking about the story. 2B or not 2B (Shakespeare), A2 (ettu brute), Simone (Simone de Beauvoir) Jean Paul (Jean Paul Satre) the ship of Theseus paradox, Kierkegaard (Søren Kierkegaard) etc. are most name of the boss that we encountered, which are names of famous philosopher, and their story are told subtlety that it’s involving the philosophers work and belief subversively. For example Pascal named after Blair Pascal, who has a work called Pascal wager, which stated that we should believe in god rather then not because the gain from it is better. If you not believe in god, but he is real then you would be torment in hell after dead. A statement created by uncertainty of the unknown, and fear itself. Fear of torment of punishment. In game Pascal child was killed because of fear itself, which reflected the double edge meaning of fear, it’s something pushing us to live virtuous, but living in fear is a torment itself right? Yoko Taro himself said he is too dumb to understand philosophy, but he can execute some of their belief intelligently, even though not perfect is quite impressive if you asked me. The 3rd play through of the game is a story of finding purpose and meaning, but is hided under a simple revenge plot of 9s revenge 2B. Most player played the game don’t really hated A2 so they must have done something right right? Because we can switch between 9S and A2, who is a new character that we can play that killed of 2B, a character that we have known for 15-20h. There are more stuff I can talked about the story, so so much more. The story may not resonate with you, you might think the story is dumb. However I strongly disagree with boring. I can show you even more subtle theme and main theme. They are interesting, but if it’s not your taste, then you won’t like it. Repetitive sure I’m not going to deny that, because the game doesn’t encourage you to make cool combo, and especially when you can cheese with the pod. However, the game offer you the ability to make really cool and exciting combo when you have 4 different weapon type, each have 2 combo depend on if it’s heavy or light, and you have a various pod program and chip set to modified yourself like witch time, shockwave, etc. You have 3 different set of weapon and pod (2 weapon, and 1 pod program for each set) that you can switch on the go anytime. Like suddenly I was using sword and spear to create this one combo and push an enemy away, then change to another set that have a pod program to pulled me in and used another set to create a new series of combo, dodging with a spear will push an enemy away and engage witch time, mean the enemy is still flying toward a point, and you can move a head to setup with maybe slow orb or something and using different weapon for continue combo. Even 9S can do some even more crazy stuff at longer range base on what I have seen people doing online. The game does offers you a wide range of thing you can try, it’s not bayonetta or DMC mad combo, however it’s there. Sadly the game just doesn’t encourage you to do it, which is a a point you want to criticise. Another problem might be the leveling system, and difficult setting. The flight segment supposed to bring something new, but I personally felt like they could be way better. Like I stated, a niche game like Nier did some of thing quite interesting and quite innovative itself. However it doesn’t deserve the title like I stated because most people going to ignore it, TLOU2 have incredible graphic, the combat is great. However, the story is not something to special if you watch enough film really. Oh yeah I can write another long paragraph talking about the music in Nier too lol, but I guess I have write long enough.
@@luunam2954 calm the fuck down
I stumbled to this video and purchased this game today. I understand i am years late to this game but looking forward to the experience as narrated by you.
howd u go?
@@mogur00 :) the soundtrack of this game is soo surreal, i absolutely love the pascal village soundtrack its a stress reliever, ive managed to complete the first take on the story but have not been blown away by it so far, perhaps the other endings have what you described, still its been a treat so far. thank you so much.
@@oceanquest47 Not gonna spoil it but... keep going. This game is its own sequel. Yes, as weird as it sounds.
Hurry up and finish the second round.
@@oceanquest47 just played through it myself before watching this video. I only wish he didn't spoil the fact that you have to play through more than once. It was incredibly fresh play a game and not know when it's actually going to end
@@murbly this game was just as you described. it is indeed a masterpiece on how it has been presented. the multiple perspectives it gives is rarely done by other games and any other game studio would have made a 3 or 4 sequels out of it whereas this game gives all in one. I wouldn't say it is perfect but damn it sure was a unique experience.
Hands down the most in depth and comprehensive review of this game to date. Not only have you gained a subscriber but you have achieved your goal as to convincing me to download the game ASAP. Bravo 👏🏻
When I realized this game is literally a HACK and slash my mind was blown.
omg i cant believe i just read that with my own 2 eyes.....
wait all these years now i get it lol ! tks
U trippin
@@kanjiNaem you will not believe this:i read this with one eye open
ba dump ssss
The review that single handedly created a level of trust between me as a viewer towards you as a reviewer. This review was born after I already finished everything in NieR and after watching this review I just knew if I ever want a reliable reviewer who approaches games the way I do, each differently according to how each is best approached, then I'd come here. Nearly 4 years later I'm rewatching this review and during all these years not once have you delivered anything less than this quality. Bravo, and thank you.
...yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup. For me that was the other way around. I already trusted this guy, and seeing that he called it a masterpiece was enough to push me over the edge and buy it. I was just like he was at the start of the video, with one friend who said "no seriously, it's amazing, SERIOUSLY PLAY IT".
Now, I'm that friend.
Good show
@@liesdamnlies3372 I really don’t get it. It doesn’t look fun….is it that good?
@@frankm6546 Yes. I didn't think I'd like it either.
@@liesdamnlies3372 character development
You don't beat the game, the game beats you.
This is I swear to fucking god the comment that best captures the NieR Automata experience even if it's written as a meme. You need more likes my man
+A Priest Of Kek Like given. And Space Penguin, well said
it was hard for me too, but stay calm, im in your corner. [USA]
Amen to that
Funny how the game is constantly bashing the US to the ground but many fail to notice. (This is what he was going to speak of before realizing how long the video is.
Does it feel good to be validated by time? This game is a true masterpiece.
My first impression when going through the beginning of the game : "Oh, so this is gonna be a story about these 2 partners that grow closer as they fight for a world where machines and androids can coexist and humans can finally live in peace."
Boy was I wrong.
Damn was I hilariously naive in thinking similarity as well, game fucking does everything it can to give you a emotional crisis over fucking polygon androids, especially for those paying attention to it's very subtle hints that not everything is what it seems, its nihilistic but at the same time a very hopeful story, cant wait for the NieR remake
when I was close to the end of A ending, I thought "well, it will be an open ending! humanity is saved and fanfics everywhere!".
And now I have an existencial purpose crisis.
I've been absent from video games for the past 10+ years and just got back into gaming. This review was part of what convinced me to buy Nier Automata a few months ago. I won't get into spoilers, I just want to say that after 47 hours I got to Ending E and just wow... outside of replaying it, I don't expect to find an equal. No game is perfect but this one is truly deserving of that 10/10 score.
The short game INSIDE has been a favorite of mine for some time, N:A being a close second. Might want to look into that one.
not sure if you have by now, but the NieR Replicant rebuild is a worthwhile compliment to Automata
not as good or profound, but feels familiar and is fantastic in its own way
I’d say some others are deserving of a 10/10 too. Nier automata obviously is one of them of course, fantastic game and I’ve had a wonderful experience with it
whattttt - i am playing games since childhood & i am an allrounder gamer - can play every type of game except (fifa) & have good taste in gaming as well - but what i can't understand is - how is this game is a masterpiece bcz i had completed this game yesterday after watching this review but ( it was 7/10) for me max - first of all its an excellent story but graphics are bad, water looks bad - shallow environment + bland copy paste buildings & tress, bushes - not much enemies variety - combat is fun but repetitve + that save game freater is absurd omg - worst is in order to get full ending you have to play this again & again - so plz tell me why you think this is a master piece - for me DMC 5 IS a game that deserve a tag of masterpiece.
what made you quit gaming for a decade? If you don't mind my asking
So, here’s my story on how I came to play N:A. For some reason, I can’t remember why, I asked for Nier: Automata for Christmas in 2019. Maybe it was because I had just finished KH3 that year, and I heard that the combat of Nier was similar to it. Whatever the reason, I got it, and was excited to have it.
And for almost exactly one year, it sat on my shelf collecting dust. Sometimes I’d pull it off the shelf, look at it, and think about when I’d play it, only to put it down and forget about it for another 2 months.
Only 2 weeks ago, having finished finished the likes of FF7 Remake in the spring, Red Dead Redemption 2 in the summer, and Persona 5 Royal in the fall, and seeking something new to play, I finally convinced myself to give it a try and started playing.
To those who’ve played it, you already know.
To those who haven’t, I urge you to find out.
To call playing N:A simply an experience would be understating it: it’s like my eyes have been opened to what it means to show, tell, and create the truest form of video gaming storytelling in the industry, if not storytelling overall.. I’d even go so far as to say that N:A, combined with the other incredible gaming experiences I’ve explored this year, Nier being chief among them, have enlightened me with so many thoughts, perspectives, feelings, and ideas of so many varieties, from friendship, to mortality, to the potential of my very existence.
And, perhaps most importantly of all, Nier: Automata SCARED me. Not in the way jumpscares or evil monsters do, but in a deeper, more ancient way. I saw the world devoid of the human race in a far flung future, with the ruins of our existence stretched out across the world, and in typical human fashion, leaving a huge mess in our wake. I got to experience other beings, so very similar to us yet not us, look back on the world we built and judge us. And seeing this brought a fear into me that, not only will I never live to see where we will be and how far we’ve evolved in 10,000 years, but that I only have a small, minuscule amount of time in the world I live in to make a difference.
And I want to live it as best I can.
I will never forget this game, and what it has done for me. It is the TRUE game of this generation, and perhaps even more to come.
Beautiful
Maybe Cuz 2b's booty... 😏😏😉
Marvelous !
Nice story!
If you would ever want to experience a similar feel of existential dread, try the movie Melancholia. It is a really slow burn. However, if you stick through it, there is this beautiful/horendous climax to experience. For me, it has been one of these movies/games which left me in 'thoughtful awe', and that's honestly the best place to be left in.
“Some Japanese Hack and Slash with some French maid dominatrix and you say no thanks” I see no world where that description ends in a no thanks
If you get pissed off easily absolutely dont play this game on hard.
L. Torrence thanks for the advice
That's my biggest gripe with this game, it's too easy on Normal but fucking asinine on Hard (and I play almost every game on Hard). The damage boost for enemies is insane, even the little enemies you'd normally stomp can kill you in 2 hits. This creates an extremely unfun pattern where anything less than a perfect performance sends you back to your last save, making you sick of the loading screen and running back to where you died. That should be the Very Hard difficulty, with a more balanced Hard level.
Other than that it's a pretty damn good game.
@@CidGuerreiro1234 whoever created those big gold mofo's are sadistic. I've never seen a none boss npc so hard to beat.
@@l.torrence4603 Those were simple for me because 9S is lowkey OP as fuck. I ignored them with 2B but hacked the shit out of them with 9S in the second playthrough, took me about a minute to get them down. What makes me furious when trying to play on Hard is getting rekt by those tiny tin cans that spin their arms and somehow do not flinch when you attack them, or hit for 60% of my HP by one of the flying donuts that attack from all sides. It forces you to be excessively careful, which ruins the fun of fighting. And on Normal I just steamroll everything, so that sucks too.
@@CidGuerreiro1234 no you haven't grind til you've fought that big bastard with 2b. Although 9S hacking those is really hard.
you're the only one who did justice for this masterpice
I just finished the game and honestly, I don't know what to say. On the one hand, I wonder if it was worth the psychological and emotional torture that Nier Automata put me through and on the other, I feel like no other series has resonated with me as much as this game had.
One thing I can definitely say is this is my game of the year, no matter what anybody says. Thank you so much for giving the credit that this game deserves.
I finished the game yesterday and yeah i find myself wondering the same thing, at first i thought this game isn't for me but came back to see what the fuss was all about, and boy did it hit me hard.. a very few games made me feel that way, utterly empty and depressed " i suffer from depression" so yeah i wonder if it was wise for me to satisfy my curiosity about this game. but in the end it's beautiful without a doubt.
Nicole Maj I %100 agree as this game has wrecked me emotionally after finishing it lol, I must see more of the characters and what happens after the story
Walweeze2 Yes, you definitely should! Did you take a look at all the supplementary material available? If not, here's a link. All of it is canon and supervised by Yoko Taro himself. :)
theark.wiki/w/Welcome
Completely agree. I love the game, but If I could go back in time and not play it, I wouldn't play it. It's seriously depressed me since I finished it and the emotional roller coaster is still exhausting.
TheTinyTimmyTimTim This scares me, I just finished 2B’s story and so far, I like the game but I wouldn’t say it’s anything I’d call a masterpiece. I want to keep playing to see what the hub bub is about but I don’t want to get depressed :/
I loved Pascal's theme and how it evolved for me. The first time I listened to it, I found it creepy and disturbing, but it grew on me and it became my favourite theme from the game. It grew on me as my fondness of Pascal and his village grew. His village became my favourite location on the game and even beyond that my appreciation of the theme changed as Pascal's story ended
I remember having money in my PSN wallet but not finding any games at the time I cared about, so I started browsing to find anything that could grab my interest and ended up impulse buying this game.... best impulse buy of my life.
As soon as I knew this game was coming out, I ran to game stop, 1 of the best games ever
Probably going to buy it myself.
That's exactly what I did! Lol. I was gonna buy Shadow of War though, but I realised the story wasn't good. At the time I was also coming across review vids of Nier Automata, saw IGN, saw Jim sterling, ACG, read through the comments of each review and everyone was praising this game for what it was. Thats when I decided to get the game, it was also the first pure Japanese game I got. And it's also the best decision of my life.
my best ever impulse buy of a game was valkyrie profile on ps1, pretty dated now but still one of the best games i've ever played. lucky because i once bought oni for ps2, what a piece of shit
this game was given to me to borrow. Thank god I didn't quit and tried again when I failed the beggining part lmao
best game I've played
Congratulations! You and your 7 days will be the reason why I give this game a go! great video, great channel!
How did you like it?
@@RatherPleasent still looking for a physical version :)
The Game of the YoHRa edition recently released so that might make it easier ! :) I started playing myself because this video too and it is fantastic so far!
@@Retromaniabelgium dude, i envy, this is one of my favourite game, this is a pure masterpiece. I would do anything to play this game for the first time. This game is soooo deep with great combat and amazing story.
@@Retromaniabelgium Great game ?
Nier;Automata made me finally feel something after I started playing brain dead repetitive games like League of Legends that slowly kill you from the inside. Nier;Automata broke through it.
Have you ever heard of indie games? or single player games? or the witcher? or bethesda games? or platinum games? or any other games company that isn't blizzard or EA? there are millions of amazing single player games out there.
@@prawngravy18 Yes played way more than you would think and did nothing for me. I will say one I have not played is Cleste but most other Indies I have played. Triple A games are more likely to be a joke than a proper game. I haven't been able to finish a Bethesda game. Idk dude.
Definitely Not Shanque bro you gotta give kh3 a try
What today is exceptional, in the past was your typical Japanese game, most games were like this in the PS2 era (and I mean most Japanese games, I didn't play much western games back then).
rvbrexer vice versa
Thank you for your review. I bought the game and will never regret that. Amazing experience!
Wanted you to know just how convincing I found your analysis.
As someone who is often disappointed with a lot of different creative media, it is refreshing to hear someone speak so highly and so convincingly regarding the quality of a product.
I want to say, this is not the kind of game I would normally be interesting in playing, additionally I earn minimum wage, I also never buy games on release, as usually £40-£50 can affect my living standards for that month; however, I am choosing to make an exception.
It is blindingly obvious that this is one of those works that is not just crafted, it is born, the creators of these kinds of media are concerned with one thing and one thing only, reaching the greatest potential possible; in doing so they give birth to a community dedicated to unravelling its secrets and examining its genius, not only do I hope to be part of this community, but so rarely do I allow myself to be witness to its birth.
With the hopes of inspiring a similar mentality in the industry surrounding it, I will be throwing my measly sheckles into the collective hat. Thank you for bringing this game to my attention, by doing so you have fulfilled the greatest role that critics can, in other words, hopefully games like this will raise the standards.
How did it go? If I may inquire
Dude... I just played the free demo on PS4PRO... my mouth dropped open. This thing is epic. Buying tomorrow. And I do mean "EPIC".
I love how he was able to explain it so well without actually spoiling much of anything for someone who’s never played it.
@nostylist that game is over 10 years old... that's like saying darth vader is luke's father is a spoiler.
He spoiled the aliens
@@xSG1969x the game is not even 10 years old lmao
@@zacharybrown8054 yonah is a character from the first Nier game. Which came out in 2010. It's over 10 years old.
SO so SO many songs in this game sent shivers down my spine, and the mood it sets for the scenes make them go down like medicine into your psyche
I totally agree- the soundtrack gives me goosebumps and brings back so many memories..
The live concert is incredible. look it up If you haven't seen it.
BECOME AS GODS
@@heysiri3327KAMI NI NARU
It’s a top 3 video game sound track EASILY. My favorite of all time.
Just played Stellar Blade, liked it but made me really really want to play this again. Just got through the first playthrough and remembered this video...I've been watching you since stumbling on this video and picking up Nier because of it. You rock Ralph (and team now)! Thanks for the years of excellent content!
The fact that this is game was not even nomineed to Game of the year or to a best storytelling is a proof how game journalism is fucked up. It is not about subjectivism, of course you may not like some titles. But it is about reliability. Skipping this game without taking into account its innovation, freshness in storytelling is unreliable.
Hollow Knight was the game of 2017 imo
Omega ZX he means the XBox version that came out 2018
The original came out in 2017 it ain't gonna be nominated twice and GOW still beats it.
@@ilanlm1 GOW is a joke by comparison
@W A V E S Oh yeah.. I remember that game. It was the game that's near the end of PS3's lifecycle, one that had a remaster recently and was awarded at an awards show. I think the story was about some old dude with a kid and for a guy with years on his age, he's really powerful and had a really good story about that. Heard it would have a new sequel?
It's God of War, right?
I played this game because of your review and Jim Sterling's review. 100%, platinum, deleted save as of 40 minutes ago. Thank you so much. Thank you so, so much. I have been a gamer for 22 years and my favourite game ever came out in 1997 (FF7). No game in the last 15 years has taken me this close to the level of awe, fulfilment and emotion I felt with FF7. Automata is a masterpiece. I need to reflect more and play it again, but it is definitely, already one of my favourite games of all time. Thank you
Care to explain spoiler free what makes it so good? Why does everyone get a hard on from this game? It's a japano game with lots of titties and fan service from what I can tell so far just from pics. I'd like to know what makes it so good tho, the story? Is it so philosophical and critical or what?
@@MajorasLullaby its just unique,and i can say it is the most philosophical,emotional game with tons of lore and plot points ive played in years
the story is so good,that you feel like you want to play more of this game even after 60 hours
also personally im not that emotional of a person(not trying to be edgy here) but when i see the pure amount of effort that go to make a franchise i tear up a bit just because "its so great" feeling and "im really glad i got into this" feeling nier might be the first time i got that feeling from a game
Funny you mention FFVII. That was the last game that made me feel this way over 20 years ago. Many good games, but those are the top two in my mind as well.
@@MajorasLullaby it subverts expectations in predictability. It has narrative building genius. If you have an interest in philosophy, it's a gold mine for winks and nudges. It is magnificently depressing while simultaneously being uplifting. The combat seems to lack depth, but if combat is your thing, by the third play through you can be pulling off ridiculous juggling combos (check out the spoiler free videos to see the magnificence). The story is encapsulating and ALL of the sidequests add to the story making it more intense/interesting....and the final (final) ending is the best ending I have experienced in video games. There's more I could say, but you should get the idea from above
@@barneyclarke7051 hm philosophy sounds good, different endings too. And there is one final ending that is the actual ending?
This game is a masterpiece. I played this and it's been on my mind ever since. The music puts this game over the top
Out of curiosity, did you know that only one of the songs (Weight of the World) has actual lyrics?
@@TheRailwaystationist depends of what you define as actual lyrics. If you define it so that the language of the lyrics must exist, then yes. But the Chaos Language was made by the song writer imagining how languages would evolve over 100 years or so and while it lacks actual grammar and the words meanings are mosly not existant, it has its own words and they make up the lyrics.
@@Max_G4 Thousands of years* but I know what you mean. I meant "actual lyrics" as in an actual spoken language. 'Lyrics' has a definition, you know. I'm really impressed at how well they pulled it off. I actually didn't know this until I read it somewhere, and I had listened to the soundtrack for months at that point.
@@TheRailwaystationist Chaos language isn't purely chaos actually.
It isn't words... yoko taro didn't want words. Chaos language is feelings.
It is perfect for making you feel what others try to make you feel with words
@@shirori2004 Yep. I don't think I've seen it done as well as the N:A soundtrack before, though. Using characteristics of certain languages was a brilliant idea.
I come back to this review every few months, just to remind myself how grateful I am that this game exists. You sum up all the strong pieces that make up the holistic experience so well. Better than anyone else who tries to articulate it. I made a video myself that focused on Nier: Automata's core philosophic theme, but it just doesn't convey everything I want to say about this game. And I've kind of come to the realization that I don't think I ever CAN articulate everything this game made me feel. It's both a monolith and a tapestry in mind at the same time.
Not gonna lie, I still have to hold back tears whenever I hear "the weight of the world" to this day. What an epic game, what a experience, what a masterpiece
That song is an instant trigger to my waterworks, absolutely beautiful
I just let them out. Usually a game never makes me cry but it hits even more when you realize this was a game company’s last hurrah and final chance. All the families and staff members at Platinum Games started chanted for the final song as this was their last game before bankruptcy. *What a hail mary*
Yea very few songs trigger such a visceral reaction out of me, weight of the world is one of them. The other big one is the travelers theme song from outer wilds!
This video was what made me give NieR:Automata a chance. I was very much of the same opinion as the one you describe for yourself, but you sparked the curiosity I needed to finally give it a chance this last month. I finished the game today, and it is without a shadow of a doubt the single greatest game I've ever had the privilige of experiencing. I just wanted to come back and say thank you. Thank you... This game will hold a truly special place in my heart for the rest of my life
@@djdndi I sure did. Tears streaming, and gladly gave up my save. Playing Replicant now, and then I intend to play Automata again and 100% it. Was about 80% there on the one I gave up
"He won't look my way". "He still won't look my way". "Someone please look at my way" gets me every time.
😢 me too, it's funny how well they humanised the robots, that they make you feel for them a lot more you should.
@@ashwinc3789 the start of 9S had me sobbing with the two brother machines and the throwing of oil. Goodness me ...
Fighting 21O, and finding out she just wanted to have a family 😭
I just wanted to say that this video motivated me to purchase the game, and I am absolutely enthralled with it. It is a beautiful, intriguing, and just plain fun experience. Thank you very much for this review
Randomly entered this video, no idea who the uploader is. However, this must be one of the best video game reviews i've ever watched. Every minute was entertaining and it definitely had a positive effect on my view on the game.
like+sub
Thanks for watching :)
Same scenario here.
Game looks like a decent Jrpg but I don't wanna play as a guy in a dress (which the main character is). Ill pass! have fun tho :D
Uhm, the main character wearing the dress is a female android, not a guy. The male (android) main character wears shorts.
Pretty sure the devs said ''Kainé'' has a dick. For some reason he specifically wanted this as part of his / her back story . but whatever enjoy your game man who cares what I think.
When you head back to Pascal's village at the very end of his arc in route c. The lack of music then compared to the same village's upbeat theme earlier in the game....small things like that are just genius.
I chose 9S before A2 at the start of route C and visited pascals village, surprise everyone was dead and pascal was nowhere to be seen
And then you open his shop and have nightmares for the next three days!
@@StryderK not if you chose neither option and walked away from pascal
"The masterpiece you won't play"
Me: is that a challenge? Cause I'll buy this game right now, damn it!
Please do!!
How's the game?
@@daffanier It's an absolute delight. I normally don't like the hack'n'slash type but I randomly ran across some review, pirated it.
And after a few hours I bought it.
@@TheJunnutin You finished the game now?
@@TheJunnutin Same here. I initially pirated it, and loved it so much I felt guilty not paying for it. Glad to support the creators!
I went into this blind, only hearing that it was a great unique game.
I gotta tell you, it is AND it's so much more! This is an experience that will stay with me for quite some time. One of the best games of all time. Hands down.
Great video and I couldn't have said it better.
I've watched many of your reviews and I wanted to reach out and extend a thank you. Your reviews are balanced and skilfully constructed, this one and the Warframe review in particular. You show a great desire to do what many game reviews do not these days; Avail the player and the studio. I like yourself do hope that the bigger studios will stop this cookie cutter attitude of game building and return to a day of crafted, creative, lovingly baked game making.
Got this game on release day. Don't regret the purchase.
What truly blew me away about this game was the quality of its writing. I've never seen a game with a story that meshed so well with its gameplay, and also managed to consistently subvert my expectations over and over again.
Simon Pilon the key is perspective. Yoko Tara is more grounded to Earth than we think he is. his stories ties in with reality very well.
I did regret it, because my computer was getting sub 20FPS at 640x480 resolution and everything on lowest.
Then someone modded the game and let you turn down Global Lighting and got me 40-60 FPS on 1300 or so resolution. Now It's the only game in the last couple of years that's actually engrossed me into it.
I still stand by my feeling that it's a dumb decision that Global Lighting sources were originally locked at 128 in a PC game when they had such a huge performance hit and such a low impact on the visuals.
Don't play on a potato. :P
The quality of it's writing? We definitely did not play the same game
@@aurancrash4654 internet brainworms will do that. After a certain point anything remotely earnest starts sounding cringe
You're not crazy. By the time I finished playthrough 2 I was wondering if I'd bother with playthrough 3. By the time playthrough 3 was done I realized the game was going to be misjudged by many people who stopped playing when they were really only HALF finished. Get ending A and you played a good game. Get the rest of the "main" endings and you'll understand why people want to call it a masterpiece. If you stopped after ending A, you don't deserve to think you finished the game. You really and truly did not.
Is it the best PS4 game of all time? I'm really interested in checking it out.
I finished the game but i dont have a new file with the finished game,.... why?
Sara Ziemann i already deleted it seems :/ but i still have my loadspace for the end a so i still play to end b :) thx for the reply 👌
That stipulates that the story is the one true facet that makes a game great. It isn't. NieR A is a mess to play and incredibly jarring with its genre mashing
@@ninezerotwo1778 The game is definitely could compete for the game of generations not even kidding. There is a lot of game that are great but none of them gives such emotion like that game. After all of this I understood one thing that reviews doesn't count at all.
This has aged very well, and with the Stellar Blade stuff happening right now I think was can understand why it wasn't getting those 10/10s. I just bought the game after watching your review and am looking forward to playing after Stellar Blade.