Know what annoys me? Aside from everything? When gaming website get a screenshot of a game then plasters their site’s name and/or logo all over the bloody thing like a ten-year old who got one of those label maker things for Xmas. Yes, we’re very happy that a publicly-released screenshot has been hosted on your geosite page, by all means, slather your idiotic web domain all over it. Heaven forbid we actually see the sodding screen capture when you could advertise yourself heavily to people who are already on your site!
And that was my first impression of NIER. Man alive, not thirty seconds can pass without SquareEnix splattering their logo all over the show while Cavia gets its only mention for a split second after seeing the SE logo three times. Then, while the vocalised intro for the violent opening plays out, you get to stare at another SquareEnix logo for a got thirty seconds.
No wonder Cavia went under when, should you mention some of their best games, most people are already convinced it’s a bloody SE game. Just because they’ve not released a decent game since FFX doesn’t mean they can try and siphon the credit away from a small, risk-taking company actually capable of presenting the level of darkness and sobriety they can only dream of.
I’m this annoyed, and I’ve not yet played a second of the game. This does not bode well.
Suskie Jul 26, 2010
True Jul 26, 2010
Nier was awesome. You're just a cynical elitist.
Suskie Jul 26, 2010
zippdementia Jul 26, 2010
True Jul 26, 2010
EmP Blogger Jul 26, 2010
As far as I understand the versions, Ben, they were very minor in difference. Nier was bit younger in one, and wanted to save his sister rather than his daughter. That was it.
True Jul 26, 2010
Yeah, like no one saw that coming. Ha ha.
Seriously, though, it does kind of go back and forth. Once you start the quests you may get bored but the story more than makes up for it, and it kind of turns into what I call an "Assassin's Creed" moment.
wolfqueen001 Jul 27, 2010
P.S. Haha; you didn't uncheck the box this time.
EmP Blogger Jul 27, 2010
Suskie Jul 27, 2010
Shock and awe.
Though if you're only an hour in, then you still haven't gotten to the part when an entire segment of the game was cut and replaced by ten minutes of white text on a black screen. Or the part where the game basically says, "Okay, you're halfway done. Now just backtrack through the entire fucking game and you'll be done." (This will henceforth be referred to as "Devil May Cry 4 Syndrome.")
For what it's worth, the story and characters are the best thing about Nier, easily. But they certainly don't override the atrocious graphics, the unimaginative dungeon designs, the simplistic combat, the shallow RPG elements or the endless fetch quests. And they certainly don't make up for the fact that you need to beat the game two or three times before Cavia actually decides to tell you the full story, and that's on top of all the repetition that bogs down just a single playthrough.
EmP Blogger Jul 27, 2010
True Jul 27, 2010
Please don't be offended when I say this, as it's not meant in a cruel way, but in reading this comment combined with your bash on Nightmare's Heavy Rain review I'm beginning to see more and more that you're not one to appreciate an artistic leap or two.
I thought the narration portion of Nier was original, though it could use some work. Rather than thrust you into yet another dungeon and have you battle the same monsters for the umpteenth time it switched things up, and asked that you use your mind, rather than attempt to stimulate you visually.
Genj Jul 27, 2010
Suskie Jul 27, 2010
This, on the other hand, is what happens when a dev team runs out of money.
espiga Jul 27, 2010
JANUS2 Jul 27, 2010
zippdementia Jul 28, 2010
EmP Blogger Jul 28, 2010
overdrive Staff Jul 28, 2010
I think after I finish off Summoner or feel like the camera is going to cause my eyes to fall out of my head, I'll go back to Lost Odyssey. It's time to finish that off. And then either Unfinite Indiscovery or Star Ocean 4. Probably. Don't know why I put it down for a while...probably went through a zone where I didn't feel like J-RPGs or something. Think I'm midway or so through Disc 2. Like to where you're in some cave with...stuff (memory eroding).
EmP/Zipp
My best memory of Xenogears was that one point where you spent an hour or so walking through a town just waiting for all the cinema and story to end so you can get back into big robot battles again. Yeah, like that only happened once. Still, the game could have been pretty memorable if the second disc wasn't so choppy and lame. All you did was get transported from one place to another to have a boss fight. And then you do the final dungeon and the game ends with the villain transforming into an angel and me being really confused and shit. But after I read an extensive plot summary FAQ, everything was made clear...kind of, since I don't have a Ph.D. in psychology. I do know that Grahf dude made a cool entrance, though!