NieR Automata

Just finished this game which came out right before the pandemic. I actually played through this game twice, and found I liked it more the second time around.

This game fuses many different video game styles, from RPG elements to action side-scrollers.

The story is set in a and barren, war-torn earth, hundreds of years into the future. Humans no longer live on earth with the last remnants of humanity now on the moon. The war is fought between machines created by an alien race and androids created by humans.

It's a pretty good game with unique gameplay elements and explores the theme of existence and what it means to have a purpose. I recommend this for people who like JRPGs (Japanese role-playing games) and action games like old-school shooters.

The major downside is that the game has three parts, second of which is pretty much a repeat of the first, from a different character's perspective. You need to play all three parts in order to get the full experience of the game. There are new scenes and new abilities in the second section and certain story elements are more fleshed out, but still.

The second downside is that while getting the "true" ending is quite simple, it's not obvious how to do so. The game will ask you which to choose a character at the end and there are two main endings depending on which character you choose to finish as.

Still, the good definitely outweighs the bad and was a great experience.

One thing that is absolutely stellar about the game: it has by far some of the best musical scores in gaming history. There are times when the soundtrack is absolutely gorgeous. Songs range from somber to up-tempo and dramatic.

Here's one random background soundtrack from the game:

YouTube

@vivify said
Just finished this game which came out right before the pandemic. I actually played through this game twice, and found I liked it more the second time around.

This game fuses many different video game styles, from RPG elements to action side-scrollers.

The story is set in a and barren, war-torn earth, hundreds of years into the future. Humans no longer live on eart ...[text shortened]... you choose to finish as.

Still, the good definitely outweighs the bad and was a great experience.

I heard there are at least 5 separate endings that can be viewed and even up to 11 overall. Not sure how real that is, just something I got off a review page of the game. It seems that most people seem to like the third character the best. A2 I think the name is. The whole concept of having to play through 3 times to finish the game I find strange.



"Still, the good definitely outweighs the bad and was a great experience."

I keep hearing this about Elden Ring. Lots of things that need to be fixed, but everyone still says "It's a great game and a great experience."

@suzianne said
I heard there are at least 5 separate endings that can be viewed and even up to 11 overall. Not sure how real that is, just something I got off a review page of the game. It seems that most people seem to like the third character the best. A2 I think the name is.

After the first section the game informs you there are 26 different endings (one corresponding to each letter of the alphabet). A lot of these "endings" are really just different "game over" screens.

For example, if you screw around exploring instead of going on an important mission, the games ends and there's a screen with the character saying they were just to curious to do anything else, followed by a quick roll of the credits.

On my playthrough I found there are two main endings, one if you end the game with 9S (the mail character) and one with A2. To get the "true" ending, you have to end the game with A2 first, then you can load your last save file and end it with 9S.

The whole concept of having to play through 3 times to finish the game I find strange.

You're technically playing 3 separate sections; the second chapter of the game is a replay of the first through the perspective of the male character. The third section continues the story through the end. While it's fun playing as 9S, I wish they would've made the second part it's own story rather than a reply.

Another downside is the frequent reuse of the same locations. There's only a handful to begin with and the missions require multiple visits to areas that you'll get tired of seeing.

It's a good game, though definitely not the masterpiece most reviews make it out to be. I was mostly drawn to it because it's unique. As I get older most games start to look the same, so games with more creative gameplay and storylines tend to get my attention.

"Still, the good definitely outweighs the bad and was a great experience."

I keep hearing this about Elden Ring. Lots of things that need to be fixed, but everyone still says "It's a great game and a great experience."

I'm just not into "Lord of the Rings" kind of games. They also typically require constant leveling up of stats, which I sick to death of. I realize every game nowadays have some leveling-up required, whether weapons, abilities, etc., but games that make this a grind (like RPGs or MMORPGs) I avoid.

WTF...did I really say "mail character"? And I used the wrong form of "too".

Damn.

@vivify said
WTF...did I really say "mail character"? And I used the wrong form of "too".

Damn.

Hehe, this is why I don't bother posting while drinking. It quickly becomes unintelligible.