NieR

[evil_ash_xero]

I got the actual ending (E).

The game certainly mixes it up on the third playthrough, does it not? Some serious shock and awe going on.

It sure as hell all comes together at the end. On my repeat playthrough I find that a lot of stuff early on I thought was mostly random actually was more relevant than I originally thought.

I agree. I thought some of that stuff was just there for "quirk", but yeah, it paid off.

[CIT]

Finally finished all story-endings (so A to E) and I'm still grinding for weapons/upgrades, so just some thoughts:

It's not easy to write something about Nier: Automata without major spoilers, but to jump ahead: it's been a long time since a game grabbed me this much and left such a lasting impression. It's a bold game that takes many risks, but manages to open up new ways in which a game can tell its story. It's super self-aware and constantly breaks the fourth wall, but through this manages to convey its plot, its questions (in a nutshell: why do we play?) and its world building through its game mechanics — something few other games actually manage.

The great thing is, how all aspects of the game mesh: The music that constantly evolves with the context, the play mechanics that are essentially transferred across all genres, the upgrade chips that turn even the HUD into a gameplay element, enemy software viruses that literally disintegrate the game, etc. After each ending this synergy gains more and more momentum and the game becomes even more meta, with the actually (and fully different) game really only starting in Route C (you even get a trailer for the rest of the game after ending B).

But the whole thing wouldn't work nearly as well if it wasn't grounded on solid gameplay. The combat (a type of simplified Metal Gear Rising adapted for an ARPG) is really well thought-out and smooth as silk. It's a great feeling to simultaneously eviscerate eight small-fry while perfect-evading the boss and using the opening to hack into him. And the game stays accessible to all play styles, from level 'n loot health spammer to the action aficionado who wants to perfect the combos and moves.
der lieber die Combos und Moves verinnerlicht.

Have to add that I love the morbidly melancholic atmosphere of decay the game transports, not least due to the fantastic OST by Keiichi Okabe. It's one of those games that show why videogames are such an exciting medium. For me it's a 10/10 game.

[HydrogLox]

Glowing (long; 29:33) review:

Nier: Automata Review | The Masterpiece You (Probably) Won't Play [Minor Visual Spoilers]

[AxelMill]

Oh, cool, I like long in-depth reviews. I'll make sure to watch it when I get home.

After giving it some thought, I think the first Nier had far, faaaar better bosses, in spite of its primitive battle system. Or maybe because of it, I don't really know.
Either way...
[SPOILERS FOR BOTH GAMES]

Spoiler

In Automata, after Simone, they kinda went downhill. They started reusing and recycling the same bosses over and over and over again. You fight Engels no less than three more times; the spider balls three/four/five times* (in quick succession, too), with minor changes between them. Eve was like a bad copy of the Shadowlord, Adam fights the same way for the three times you encounter him. The whale is really epic, but gameplay-wise it isn't exactly great, and not just because the shmup mechanics aren't amazing.
During the second half all you do is fight the same "Android"-type enemies disguised as bosses. That, or the really frustrating snake-like Machine, which they later on recycled for the second Emil fight, for whatever reason. Oh, and Auguste.

Nier had gigantic bosses, as well as smaller ones, and they all felt different.
The "Dark Colossus" that attacked the village, the giant eyeball of death in the Aerie, the block monster in the Temple of the Drifting Sands, all the Kainé fights, the Shadowlord, Devola and Popola, Emil's sister.**
I fought some of these four times, and I didn't get tired of them at all.
I have to admit, though, that the boar in the Shadowlord's Castle was really bad. Invincible for no reason at all - after all, the King of Facade does kill him - annoying chase sequence, and it takes up more than half the final dungeon.

By the way, could anyone explain me why Automata's final boss isn't at the same level as you are? Wasted opportunity there, unless you somehow stayed at level 50 for the entirety of Route C, it lasts ten seconds, even on Hard.

*Arguably Ko-Shi and Ro-Shi at the end of Route C can be counted as a single encounter, and their "fusion" as an entirely different boss.
**Sorry for the lack of proper names here, but I doubt most people read, and remember Grimoire Nier that well.

I still adore both games, don't get me wrong.

enemy software viruses that literally disintegrate the game

Too bad they're in the game for, like, five minutes. And they're pretty much almost unavoidable, unless you cheese those enemies with the Pod from faaaar away.

[Durandal]

Oh, cool, I like long in-depth reviews. I'll make sure to watch it when I get home.

After giving it some thought, I think the first Nier had far, faaaar better bosses, in spite of its primitive battle system. Or maybe because of it, I don't really know.
Either way...
[SPOILERS FOR BOTH GAMES]

Spoiler

In Automata, after Simone, they kinda went downhill. They started reusing and recycling the same bosses over and over and over again. You fight Engels no less than three more times; the spider balls three/four/five times* (in quick succession, too), with minor changes between them. Eve was like a bad copy of the Shadowlord, Adam fights the same way for the three times you encounter him. The whale is really epic, but gameplay-wise it isn't exactly great, and not just because the shmup mechanics aren't amazing.
During the second half all you do is fight the same "Android"-type enemies disguised as bosses. That, or the really frustrating snake-like Machine, which they later on recycled for the second Emil fight, for whatever reason. Oh, and Auguste.

Nier had gigantic bosses, as well as smaller ones, and they all felt different.
The "Dark Colossus" that attacked the village, the giant eyeball of death in the Aerie, the block monster in the Temple of the Drifting Sands, all the Kainé fights, the Shadowlord, Devola and Popola, Emil's sister.**
I fought some of these four times, and I didn't get tired of them at all.
I have to admit, though, that the boar in the Shadowlord's Castle was really bad. Invincible for no reason at all - after all, the King of Facade does kill him - annoying chase sequence, and it takes up more than half the final dungeon.

By the way, could anyone explain me why Automata's final boss isn't at the same level as you are? Wasted opportunity there, unless you somehow stayed at level 50 for the entirety of Route C, it lasts ten seconds, even on Hard.

*Arguably Ko-Shi and Ro-Shi at the end of Route C can be counted as a single encounter, and their "fusion" as an entirely different boss.
**Sorry for the lack of proper names here, but I doubt most people read, and remember Grimoire Nier that well.

I still adore both games, don't get me wrong.

enemy software viruses that literally disintegrate the game

Too bad they're in the game for, like, five minutes. And they're pretty much almost unavoidable, unless you cheese those enemies with the Pod from faaaar away.

I'd agree that the first game did bosses better, level balancing wasn't as a big of an issue in the first so they weren't ridiculously hard or easy outside replays, they were a bit more varied and unique in terms of presentation, and I always liked the 'strike the weak spot hard enough before time runs out' mechanic and the ensuing climax attacks.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I agree that the original NieR bosses are just the right kind of challenge for the sort of game it is.

[Zaarock]

Too bad they're in the game for, like, five minutes. And they're pretty much almost unavoidable, unless you cheese those enemies with the Pod from faaaar away.

They have a warning aura that can be reacted to and dodged, but on first playthrough you'll get hit by it for sure.

I'd agree that the first game did bosses better, level balancing wasn't as a big of an issue in the first so they weren't ridiculously hard or easy outside replays, they were a bit more varied and unique in terms of presentation, and I always liked the 'strike the weak spot hard enough before time runs out' mechanic and the ensuing climax attacks.

Having played through first route a few times at as low as possible level I never thought level balance was an issue. If you taunt an enemy and use attack items (which are very cheap) you do big damage regardless of enemy level. Usually just taunting gets the job done. Bosses are designed to be able to be no-damaged and it's quite doable compared to other games. The combat in this is strangely broken for a plat game, there's a some cheesy stuff you can do without any chips that look like oversights rather than bugs.

Compared to other action games the enemies in automata are really passive so you can mess around with the combat and cancel into evade whenever something dangerous is coming up. Think Ninja Gaiden 2/Nioh/Vanquish(GH), enemies in those just want you dead instead of warning you about flailing their arms 2 seconds before they attack. I thought the recycling of a certain boss type was ok since they have a huge moveset that you'll likely never get to see in one playthrough. And they make some big changes each encounter sorta like vanquish.

[BulletMagnet]

So you thought that FF15 would be the first S-E game to actually follow through on the "fight the CEO" silliness? Think again.

[BulletMagnet]

...and because that obviously wasn't weird enough, reserve your tickets now!

[cj iwakura]

I'm halfway into route B(I think), and so far it feels... I don't know. Inferior to the original somehow.

I think I'm the only person on the internet crazy enough to feel this way. Sure, it's better made. The combat, the graphics, it's all A+ tier.

But something about how messy the original was added to the charm, you know? The music tries, but it's not nearly as good. Also, Automata's very easy in comparison(insane quests aside).

And the fishing, boy do I miss the original fishing. Automata's has no depth to it. Just point and cast.

[Immryr]

...and because that obviously wasn't weird enough, reserve your tickets now!

Wasn't automata done as a play before they made the game too?

[evil_ash_xero]

This sold freaking 2 million copies.

That's great news for Platinum. Hopefully we'll get another one.