Post by Bytor on May 5, 2011 22:10:57 GMT -5
-Visuals- 8.5/10
I started out with a preconceived idea of what this game was going to look like. I had seen plenty of screen shots and a couple of videos of the game and I thought it looked pretty much terrible at best. Then I played it and I thought, wow...it's really not a very good looking game. Who in the world designed this and thought man this certainly looks good? Was he blind? Was he an out of work NES or PlayStation One graphic designer? Seriously what's the deal? Then...then...I played it some more, and thus admitted got into the story and the characters a bit more. And I somewhat ignored the graphics for the first part of the game. Then I played some more...and then some more and I realized that whomever hired the designer knew EXACTLY what they were doing! No, the game is not Unctharted 2 or even Final Fantasy XII but what it is is a game where the graphics fit the mood and feel of the game perfectly. This is a dark game. Civilization has fallen, mankind is in turmoil and barely surviving, but surviving it is, and there is still color and beauty in the world. Not everywhere, not a lot, but it's there. While society has crumbled it has lived and as much as possible it is making a comeback. The graphics are dark where they should be, bleak where they need to be and colorful in brief snatches just as society is flourishing in small enclaves and redoubts. No the graphics are not state of the art greatness. Instead what they are is visuals which fit the game simply perfectly.
-Sound- 9.9/10
Possibly and actually probably this soundtrack is 100% absolutely the best I've ever heard. The music is sweeping and majestic and while it does get a tad bit repetitive due to each area having it's own theme (and you do visit each area several times so...) I seldom noticed the fact that I had heard it all before. It's stirring and emotional and simply fits the mood better than pretty much every game out there. Voice overs are also extremely well done. Weiss and Kaine are simply tremendous and even your main character has the angst and anger needed to fit the story line. Simply incredible.!!
-Gameplay- 9.2/10
The game is atypical in many ways and yet and the same time it will certainly be familiar mechanics to anyone who has played an RPG or even an adventure game. The battle system is simple and yet fun as simple commands execute your attacks. What makes the system work so well is the customization available. By assigning different attacks/defenses to your shoulder buttons you determine how you want to fight. Want to stay back and use long range attacks then assign Dark Lance, want to melee from close range then make sure defend is assigned etc. Weapons and magic are also further customizable by assigning "Words" to them, a certain Word may raise attack by 20% while another may raise experience by 15% and each weapon/magic skill can have two words. Often it's fun to switch them out simply to fight differently, but often it is also necessary. Items are easy to find as well, they're pretty much everywhere but you can only carry so many of each so management is necessary. Shops dispense goods as well as buy surplus, but it's smarter to find an NPC that wants items you have, they'll pay more. Save points are frequent enough, pretty much at least one in every area and I never felt any one area was too big or took too long to explore. The game plays in several different ways. Typically, and mostly it's a 3D open range system, but occasionally it will switch to overhead dungeon crawler view and sometimes even becomes a side scroller. All in all I can find little fault (camera angles are sometimes tricky) with the mechanics. There's nothing really outstanding but there's also nothing that really makes you want to break a controller. Personally, solid game combined with a great story is my cup of tea, much better than great game play and crappy story...but, maybe it's me, because for me this game is wonderful.
-Story- 9.8/10
I am seriously not going to go into too much detail as the fascinating and captivating story is one of the high points of the game. Suffice it to say in a nutshell you play as a father (brother in Japan for some reason) who has a very sick daughter and you are trying to protect her, take care of her and find a cure. The story unfolds in a gorgeous way spanning @1300 years and has many twists and turn, moral dilemmas and portrays extremely well the strong bond that can exists between a father and daughter. The other two main characters, Grimmoire Weiss (don't call me Weiss) and Kaine are two of the most entertaining and fascinating characters I have seen in a game in quite awhile and both are excellent companions to you. Emil is also well done and has a heart wrenching story which adds even more substance to an already great story. It is a tad slow and a tad confusing in the beginning but as it unfolds it will keep you hooked...and wow...what an ending(s).
PS, you will NOT get everything through first play through, so....
-Overall- 9.5/10
Now, before you say a word I know. I have read and read and read and I am certainly in the minority on how great I think this game is. Only thing I can say is it's simply not for everyone. I know many are turned off by the graphics and by the seemingly constant back tracking (the world is, thus admitted, only so big) and many find the oft simple side quests to be maddening easy at times, somewhat difficult at others and seemingly unimportant. However, I disagree with all of you, lol. The size of the area available means little to me as each time I went there the battles were slightly different and I was going there for various reasons which also lent a feel of differentness. The battle system is not the hardest I've ever come across but I found it to be fun and challenging. The side quests were each unique and interesting enough to make them actually fun to me. And I've already went over the graphics previously. What I found in Nier was a game were I could not wait to see what happened next, and when I needed a break I went fishing, lol or questing for some object some NPC just couldn't live without or maybe I'd simply wander around and fight. The game simply told a heart wrenching story of love and betrayal and anguish and hope in such a wonderful way. All said while I know not everyone "get's it" if, like me, you do your gaming experience is all the richer for it. Bottom line, a truly spectacular game.