Gaming Nier: Automata (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

[amolbhatia50k]

Its a shitty port alright. Theres a fan made mod called 'FAR' i think that fixes most issues. I'd say thats virtually essential on PC.
I loved it. The characters, world and storyline were all pretty brilliant. Music was great. Just one of the better RPG's ive played since ... like FFIX or something. Just kept surprising me. I'm kind of bummed out that i've finished it tbh (after 50+ hours).

Yeah I've heard the port is a bit crap and you have to fix it yourself by downloadting a third party patch.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Yeah, it was awesome from what I played. I just couldn't be bothered with it at the time as I'd come off Breath of the Wild and I don't have the energy to play that many games anymore. The concept seemed very unique and I've read a ton about it since I played.

I didn't buy it because I have an essay in for Wednesday. I'll get round to it soon though. It's £24 in Argos if anybody else is interested.

The story is the thing that surprised me the most in how it explores deep questions regarding humanity and existentialism all without really spamming you with text or long cutscenes either.

To anyone giving it a chance, I'd definitely recommend playing it entirely. One playthrough/ending is nowhere near the full experience. Then again, you have to enjoy the game enough to actually want to do that.

 

[Adebesi]

Im about 16 hours into this and its pretty bloody good. It took me a while to get to grips with certain aspects of it. The map for example: would be nice to have the choice of having only one missions active at a time and putting others on hold to make it a bit clearer. But it is a lot of fun to play, parts of it remind me of my teenage years playing games like Battle Squadron on the Amiga. Just enough to be enjoyable nostalgia, not so much that I start thinking about how much games have moved on since then and how that isnt quite what I signed up for. The variation in the gameplay really works and I am already completely immersed in the story and looking forward to the required second and third play-throughs.

 

[Kaos]

It’s pretty much the only game in recent history I’ve felt compelled to complete more than once. Really does replayability right.

I’m glad the director is getting the recognition he deserves, the first Nier game was criminally underrated.

 

[Adebesi]

Have to admit I was feeling a bit apprehensive about the fact you are pretty much required to play this through multiple times in order to feel the satisfaction of having completed it, as I never replay games, even when I have really enjoyed them. But I understand the second and particularly third play throughs are quite different. So hopefully it wont feel like a chore. For now I find the whole thing quite intriguing to be honest.

 

[Kaos]

Have to admit I was feeling a bit apprehensive about the fact you are pretty much required to play this through multiple times in order to feel the satisfaction of having completed it, as I never replay games, even when I have really enjoyed them. But I understand the second and particularly third play throughs are quite different. So hopefully it wont feel like a chore. For now I find the whole thing quite intriguing to be honest.

Yeah I pretty much rolled my eyes at the whole 'real game begins after you complete it the 2nd time!' mantra, from precedence it tends to be a case of developers exaggerating their game's replayability. But having 'completed' the game three times I can confirm that's certainly not the case. It does feel like a different game each time.

 

[Adebesi]

Yeah I pretty much rolled my eyes at the whole 'real game begins after you complete it the 2nd time!' mantra, from precedence it tends to be a case of developers exaggerating their game's replayability. But having 'completed' the game three times I can confirm that's certainly not the case. It does feel like a different game each time.

Second time as well?

I heard the second time is slightly different to the first, but not a hugely different. But then the third play is completely different.

 

[Kaos]

Second time as well?

I heard the second time is slightly different to the first, but not a hugely different. But then the third play is completely different.

I don’t want to say too much out of fear of spoiling it, but yes the second time is a bit more of a familiar experience than the third, but because of the different perspective and mechanics it still feels fresh enough. The third may playthrough may as well be a sequel.

 

[Red_Aaron]

I'm midway through 9S story now and pretty much immersed in the world, I'm really enjoying it and despite GOW being out I've no desire to play that before finishing this.

I love the flying sections and how they break up the action. The 9S story is near identical so far but I'm putting more effort into learning the skill chips and becoming a bit of an invincible badass.

 

[Adebesi]

Think I lost about 6 hours of play time last night. Did a mission which threw an unbelievable number of enemies at me. I was actually pretty well stocked with restoration at the start of it but the enemies just kept coming and coming and coming and my supply dwindled. I kept thinking I had cleared it but then another batch of them would start coming at me. Stupidly I kept saving my progress where possible because I didnt fancy having to go through it all again, only in the end I found myself with no more restoration, facing some massive electricity-clad machine I thought I had killed hours before. I have no hope of killing him without resupplying, and nowhere to resupply until I kill him. So I have to go back to my last separate save file, which was a long time ago. Lesson learned: I need to do hard saves more often.

 

[caid]

Think I lost about 6 hours of play time last night. Did a mission which threw an unbelievable number of enemies at me. I was actually pretty well stocked with restoration at the start of it but the enemies just kept coming and coming and coming and my supply dwindled. I kept thinking I had cleared it but then another batch of them would start coming at me. Stupidly I kept saving my progress where possible because I didnt fancy having to go through it all again, only in the end I found myself with no more restoration, facing some massive electricity-clad machine I thought I had killed hours before. I have no hope of killing him without resupplying, and nowhere to resupply until I kill him. So I have to go back to my last separate save file, which was a long time ago. Lesson learned: I need to do hard saves more often.

Could you not use some healing plug in chips? If you're at the part i think you are you shoould have some pretty good chips at this point

 

[Adebesi]

Could you not use some healing plug in chips? If you're at the part i think you are you shoould have some pretty good chips at this point

Good point. I'll have to look at that. I definitely have a chip that heals me when I kill an enemy, maybe I have some others. But anyway, it's not a problem anymore. I was so preoccupied this morning I couldn't focus on my work so I took an hour to try and resolve the situation. What I did was drop it down to easy, that was enough to see me through. It wasn't even just that boss, there was that, then Adam showed up, then another onslaught outside Pascal's village, then a couple of those weird flying snake things. But I managed to do all of that without dying, and then I was free to pop to the shop and buy some health potions.

So then I was able to get back to work. Tho I'm still thinking about getting back to it tonight.

 

[Adebesi]

What I established this morning is that easy is very, very easy. A nice get out of jail free card to have.

 

[caid]

What I established this morning is that easy is very, very easy. A nice get out of jail free card to have.

I was pretty much immortal about half way through my second playthrough, difficulty level wasn't particularly relevant. Them chips that start healing after a couple of seconds not being hit are kind of silly.
Had a couple of them and a really good melee damage reduction chip (find that ranged attacks just aren't strong enough to overcome the silly healing). I'd have to chase enemies around the room to keep their damage up so they could kill me or drop all of my chips to get killed for some of the silly endings.
(You weren't at the part i thought you were, cant remember if the one i was thinking of is before or after the part you're at).

 

[Adebesi]

I don't think I have any particularly exciting healing chips at this point. None that heal after seconds of not being hit, for sure. I'll have another look later. But for sure I have some chips that would be good if they didn't take up so much space. I have a +3 weapon damage one that uses 20 spaces or something stupid.

 

[Adebesi]

So turns out I was very, very close to the end. (And it was Eve I fought, not Adam. Confusing, never come across a man called Eve before.) After my save yesterday morning I only had the final boss fight left to do, then I completed ending A.

How many times do people play this through. I understood this game probably required three play throughs, A, B and C, but now I see people talking about playing through for ending E. Do people seriously play this game through five times? Are the forth and fifth markedly different from the third?

 

[caid]

So turns out I was very, very close to the end. (And it was Eve I fought, not Adam. Confusing, never come across a man called Eve before.) After my save yesterday morning I only had the final boss fight left to do, then I completed ending A.

How many times do people play this through. I understood this game probably required three play throughs, A, B and C, but now I see people talking about playing through for ending E. Do people seriously play this game through five times? Are the forth and fifth markedly different from the third?

Nah theres only 3 play throughs. Theres an ending for every letter in the alphabet though (most of which are silly). Pretty sure Eve is a woman btw

 

[amolbhatia50k]

So turns out I was very, very close to the end. (And it was Eve I fought, not Adam. Confusing, never come across a man called Eve before.) After my save yesterday morning I only had the final boss fight left to do, then I completed ending A.

How many times do people play this through. I understood this game probably required three play throughs, A, B and C, but now I see people talking about playing through for ending E. Do people seriously play this game through five times? Are the forth and fifth markedly different from the third?

Dont worry about it. I'm putting this in spoilers because I really feel this is a game one should know as little about as possible.

Spoiler

Only the second play-through is really a repeat play-through. And even in that, there's enough change up/addition to keep things interesting. Endings C, D and E will mark the completion of the game but they dont represent three different play-throughs but one. And either way, that section of the game has no repetition. It's pretty much a sequel/finale of sorts.

 

[Adebesi]

Dont worry about it. I'm putting this in spoilers because I really feel this is a game one should know as little about as possible.

Spoiler

Only the second play-through is really a repeat play-through. And even in that, there's enough change up/addition to keep things interesting. Endings C, D and E will mark the completion of the game but they dont represent three different play-throughs but one. And either way, that section of the game has no repetition. It's pretty much a sequel/finale of sorts.

Amol, should I read what you put in spoilers? I dont really want to spoil any forthcoming surprises. I just want to know whether I have two more plays ahead of me, or more than that.

If the spoilers are for the benefit of people who havent even completed it once I will read it. But I am up for keeping any surprises for the next two plays intact.

 

[Adebesi]

Nah theres only 3 play throughs. Theres an ending for every letter in the alphabet though (most of which are silly). Pretty sure Eve is a woman btw

Eve is most definitely a dude. Ironically Adam is the more effeminate one. Believe me, I spent hours - HOURS - fighting him last night while he yelled abuse at me, it is still ringing in my ears. Ive been to Bangkok. I have seen gender ambiguity. I did not see it last night. What I saw was an angry man with a girl's name trying to take it out on me. But that shit did not stand. It took me a while but in the end I put that man down.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Amol, should I read what you put in spoilers? I dont really want to spoil any forthcoming surprises. I just want to know whether I have two more plays ahead of me, or more than that.

If the spoilers are for the benefit of people who havent even completed it once I will read it. But I am up for keeping any surprises for the next two plays intact.

It's just three play-throughs, mate, and the third one is very different. I just mention their nature a little in the spoiler. Nothing much really.

 

[Adebesi]

It's just three play-throughs, mate, and the third one is very different. I just mention their nature a little in the spoiler. Nothing much really.

Ah OK. Yes I knew the third was completely different to the first two. I just thought endings C, D and E might be sequential, like A and B. Anyway, Ill understand that more when I get there.

Cheers.

 

[Adebesi]

Spoiler: My first impressions of the second play through:

Combat isnt as fun with 9S as B2. Maybe Ill get the hang of it but in terms of melee its a huge step down, I feel weaker now than I did at the start of the first play, despite having umpteen plug in chips, a levelled up sword and being being level 20-something. Clearly in absolute terms I am way more powerful than B2 at the start of the game but considering how much more powerful the enemies are now, I feel a lot weaker relatively speaking.

And I havent got the hang of this hacking game, really. Most of the time I can do it, and yes, it is a pretty powerful weapon, but it doesnt feel quite right to me: a room full of enemies and rather than hacking your way through them you are going in and out of this game. It feels a bit jarring when you use it multiple times in a battle. It doesnt feel like it quite works. Again, maybe I am missing something or it will grow on me. But that is my first impression. And when it comes to big enemies, the kind you have to fight for 10-15 minutes because their health goes down so slowly, I cant beat the hacking game. That isnt a criticism, its good it isnt too easy, but it does render the hacking relatively ineffective, leaving me with much more limited combat options. But maybe Ill get better at the minigame, or will find more nuance in my use of the square button, and he'll grow on me. For now I have found the most effective way to fight is to stay back and use the pod gun, but I find that a bit tedious after a while, when enemies are taking ages to die.

Also, where can I get fresh water and the other ingredients necessary to level up my pod? I googled it and found you can get 5 fresh water doing a mission that is only available from your third play through. And even then, I need 10. Is there a water source available earlier?

 

[caid]

Spoiler: My first impressions of the second play through:

Combat isnt as fun with 9S as B2. Maybe Ill get the hang of it but in terms of melee its a huge step down, I feel weaker now than I did at the start of the first play, despite having umpteen plug in chips, a levelled up sword and being being level 20-something. Clearly in absolute terms I am way more powerful than B2 at the start of the game but considering how much more powerful the enemies are now, I feel a lot weaker relatively speaking.

And I havent got the hang of this hacking game, really. Most of the time I can do it, and yes, it is a pretty powerful weapon, but it doesnt feel quite right to me: a room full of enemies and rather than hacking your way through them you are going in and out of this game. It feels a bit jarring when you use it multiple times in a battle. It doesnt feel like it quite works. Again, maybe I am missing something or it will grow on me. But that is my first impression. And when it comes to big enemies, the kind you have to fight for 10-15 minutes because their health goes down so slowly, I cant beat the hacking game. That isnt a criticism, its good it isnt too easy, but it does render the hacking relatively ineffective, leaving me with much more limited combat options. But maybe Ill get better at the minigame, or will find more nuance in my use of the square button, and he'll grow on me. For now I have found the most effective way to fight is to stay back and use the pod gun, but I find that a bit tedious after a while, when enemies are taking ages to die.

Also, where can I get fresh water and the other ingredients necessary to level up my pod? I googled it and found you can get 5 fresh water doing a mission that is only available from your third play through. And even then, I need 10. Is there a water source available earlier?

Enemies around the flooded city drop water, sometimes. Hacking is kind of essential on 9S, theres a few enemies that can only be damaged by hacking. You can get a plug in chip that makes the enemy you hack do aoe damage to nearby enemies, it'll clear out a room of weak enemies in about 2 hacks. Its really, really strong if you get good at it. I dont think it gets easier really tbh, but it doesn't get harder either and practice helps.

 

[el3mel]

The second playthrough was definitely the weakest for me. I think the hacking gets repetitive fast and there's nothing much new in most of the walkthrough than the first one. I rushed it quickly to get the third one.

It's designed to try different style than the usual combat but I think hacking should have had more variability.

Still a great game nevermind.

 

[caid]

The second playthrough was definitely the weakest for me. I think the hacking gets repetitive fast and there's nothing much new in most of the walkthrough than the first one. I rushed it quickly to get the third one.

It's designed to try different style than the usual combat but I think hacking should have had more variability.

Still a great game nevermind.

I enjoyed it a lot more than i expected. The extra bits were quite interesting. Agree on Hacking mostly though. I was pretty sick of it by the end of the game. Still enjoyed the more traditional fighting a lot at that point

 

[el3mel]

I enjoyed it a lot more than i expected. The extra bits were quite interesting. Agree on Hacking mostly though. I was pretty sick of it by the end of the game. Still enjoyed the more traditional fighting a lot at that point

I enjoyed it from the story wise. The shocking reveal

Spoiler

about human already extincted and the androids commander were sending empty supplies to the moon so that androids still believe human are there to fight for

left me restless for some minutes.

 

[Adebesi]

I was googling where to find fresh water earlier and found something that looked promising, opened it up and was confronted with a pretty massive spoiler. Closed it straight away and cant be sure exactly what to read into it but I feel pretty sure I know where things are going in the third play through now. Still, I dont know for certain, and there are presumably lots of other surprises to come. So certainly not opening the spoiler above.

If it means what I think it means im not that surprised, it feels like it has been pretty well sign posted.

Or, I had a theory from half way through the last play through, and confirmation bias led me to believe what I saw aligned with my preexisting theory.

 

[Faetheshire86]

I started playing this a while back. Stuck it on the harder difficulty and it took me about 4 hours to get to the first save point. It really put me off continuing. One of the most horrible starts to a game I can remember.

Once I finish God of War I'm going to have another crack at it.

 

[Adebesi]

I started playing this a while back. Stuck it on the harder difficulty and it took me about 4 hours to get to the first save point. It really put me off continuing. One of the most horrible starts to a game I can remember.

Once I finish God of War I'm going to have another crack at it.

It's a strange quirk. There's plenty of opportunities to save after the opening scenes.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Still the best game i've ever played. Was obsessed with the story after I got Ending E. It just clicked with me and is pretty sad when you digest whats been going on with the main characters. Downloaded the soundtrack and still listen to it daily. The game doesn't start properly until you complete ending B and just to correct things, you don't play the whole thing again after each ending, the story changes drastically after ending B and Ending B is the first play through but in the eyes of a different character.

1) Nier Automata
2) God of War
3) Persona 5
4) Zelda BOTW
5) Horizon Zero Dawn
6) Bloodborne

 

[Vidyoyo]

Still the best game i've ever played. Was obsessed with the story after I got Ending E. It just clicked with me and is pretty sad when you digest whats been going on with the main characters. Downloaded the soundtrack and still listen to it daily. The game doesn't start properly until you complete ending B and just to correct things, you don't play the whole thing again after each ending, the story changes drastically after ending B and Ending B is the first play through but in the eyes of a different character.

1) Nier Automata
2) God of War
3) Persona 5
4) Zelda BOTW
5) Horizon Zero Dawn
6) Bloodborne

What's that a list of?

 

[Captain Obvious]

What's that a list of?

My favourite games from the last few years

 

[Vidyoyo]

My favourite games from the last few years

Ah makes sense.

 

[Adebesi]

I changed my mind slightly about hacking. Ive got used to using it and made my peace with it being my primary mode of combat, and am pretty impressed with how powerful it is. I can also appreciate it makes playing it through again a bit more interesting, given the fighting is all completely different. It is slightly repetitive, there is no getting around that, but there is something quite satisfying about it too when you get better at it. Also appreciating the second play through more generally. Last time around I accidentally missed quite a few side quests, I just ran out of time to do them. This time I have been more methodical and done stuff I didnt do last time.

It really is a very, very good game.

 

[lawliet354]

I've just finished the first playthrough, and it just confuses me because the story is pretty short and I haven't finished a lot of the side quest, should I continue playing the second playthrough?

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I've just finished the first playthrough, and it just confuses me because the story is pretty short and I haven't finished a lot of the side quest, should I continue playing the second playthrough?

Yes! The game requires multiple playthroughs. It has been designed that way.

 

[el3mel]

I've just finished the first playthrough, and it just confuses me because the story is pretty short and I haven't finished a lot of the side quest, should I continue playing the second playthrough?

Definitely you must, not just should.

By the time you finish the third play through, you will know the story is far more complex that what it looked like. The first playthrough is just an introduction to the events.

 

[lawliet354]

Definitely you must, not just should.

By the time you finish the third play through, you will know the story is far more complex that what it looked like. The first playthrough is just an introduction to the events.

Yes! The game requires multiple playthroughs. It has been designed that way.

Cheers, I thought it was weird that it only took me 12 hours to 'finish' the game, looks like there is still so much more to come

 

[GaryLifo]

Cheers, I thought it was weird that it only took me 12 hours to 'finish' the game, looks like there is still so much more to come

I'm currently on second play and as I understand it, once I'm done with this, a third playthrough essentially unlocks a large second half of the story.

So far, second play through is not just ng+ of the first playthrough.

Trying not to spoiler here