Nier Catch-All

Thanks for the guide, Minarchist. I found the in-game explanation for the fishing to be completely baffling and literally never managed to catch a single fish. At the point in the game where you're required to catch one in order to progress, I failed so many times that the game gave me a fish for free and tossed up a cut scene where Weiss berated Nier for being such a bad fisherman that it took forever.

Yeah, I got really frustrated when I couldn't get it to work and did some trolling on the intertubes. Turns out it's quite simple, but either has a "base are" level translation fail or was quoted verbatim from one of the dev's breathless four-year-olds.

Also, don't be like the idiot reviewer that fished on the wrong beach forever. There's a giant red x where you need to fish!

Minarchist wrote:

Yeah, I got really frustrated when I couldn't get it to work and did some trolling on the intertubes. Turns out it's quite simple, but either has a "base are" level translation fail or was quoted verbatim from one of the dev's breathless four-year-olds.

Also, don't be like the idiot reviewer that fished on the wrong beach forever. There's a giant red x where you need to fish! :D

Best. Review. Ever.

stevenmack wrote:
Minarchist wrote:

Yeah, I got really frustrated when I couldn't get it to work and did some trolling on the intertubes. Turns out it's quite simple, but either has a "base are" level translation fail or was quoted verbatim from one of the dev's breathless four-year-olds.

Also, don't be like the idiot reviewer that fished on the wrong beach forever. There's a giant red x where you need to fish! :D

Best. Review. Ever.

Honestly, considering that the other reviews at the time were lukewarm at best, that review is part of why I didn't bother with Nier for a long time.

I ended up playing it a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. It's certainly possible that I enjoyed it more than I might have since I had low expectations, but still, it's a great game. After playing it, I think the reviews are probably a combination of not being able to look pasts its flaws, or simply not "getting" it.

It's a shame that he didn't give the game a fair shake, but at least he was professional about it and flat out said he can't review it because he didn't play it. Unfortunately, that's more than some reviewers do.

I picked Nier up for $9 after hearing how underrated it was on GAF. So far... the music is great? The character design seems slightly interesting? I've put about an hour or so into it, and it seems like I've stepped back into some janky Japanese action game time machine. I'm stuck at some part with a lot of bridges and a bunch of huts on the side of some canyon walls and I have no idea how to proceed. I was going to look it up but kinda meh'd out at that point.

I'm usually pretty forgiving if there's at least one cool thing to look forward to, even it it just means playing to hear more good music. Does the story pick up a bit? Is there an OMGWTFBBQ moment that totally goes "YES! Even if the rest of the game sucks, I will remember this gaming moment forever!"

Swat wrote:

I picked Nier up for $9 after hearing how underrated it was on GAF. So far... the music is great? The character design seems slightly interesting? I've put about an hour or so into it, and it seems like I've stepped back into some janky Japanese action game time machine. I'm stuck at some part with a lot of bridges and a bunch of huts on the side of some canyon walls and I have no idea how to proceed. I was going to look it up but kinda meh'd out at that point.

I'm usually pretty forgiving if there's at least one cool thing to look forward to, even it it just means playing to hear more good music. Does the story pick up a bit? Is there an OMGWTFBBQ moment that totally goes "YES! Even if the rest of the game sucks, I will remember this gaming moment forever!"

Oh yeah. Give it time. The graphics are dated and the level design is kind of meh in the general sense, but things get really interesting. Oh, and look for the little things; they really nailed the details. Probably more on that after I finish the last ending...

Swat wrote:

I'm usually pretty forgiving if there's at least one cool thing to look forward to, even it it just means playing to hear more good music. Does the story pick up a bit? Is there an OMGWTFBBQ moment that totally goes "YES! Even if the rest of the game sucks, I will remember this gaming moment forever!"

It totally has those moments but you need to work for them. The majority are the bits of the story filled in on the second play through (not as bad as it sounds, since all playthroughs after the first start a significant chunk of the way through the game, at a certain pivotal moment).

There's also a few crazy ways it switches up the gameplay in certain areas which I wont mention just to avoid spoiling the suprise.

Glad to see so many people playing Nier. Do yourself a favor and play New Game + after you beat it. It starts about halfway through and it's really interesting what they do. I don't want to give anything away but it's a wonderful implementation of new game +.

I bought this on the cheap, having heard enough interesting testimonials from disparate sources. Looking forward to the weirdness.

What GardenNinja and BNice said.

This game got slighted f*cking everywhere -- every preview review trailer quicklook et all. It's almost THE posterboy for art vs. commerce, AAA vs. story.

Loved this game, love the Neogaf thread for it.

I lent my copy of Nier to a buddy at work recently. I told him it may not be his thing, but that he should give it a shot anyway. Worst case, he doesn't like it and returns it. Last Monday, before the weekly meeting, he says to me "Man, I am really enjoying Nier" and expressed confusion as to why it reviewed so poorly. I haven't had a chance to discuss it with him more than that, but I'm spreading the Nier love.

I just finished up a playthrough of Nier, and then a second playthrough to see the first of the alternate endings. I Youtube'd endings C and D.

Anyways.... what a fantastic, yet flawed game. Much like Mass Effect, I disliked a lot of the mechanics but I loved loved loved the story. The music was also a wonderful surprise, and I ended up buying the soundtrack.

And just as some shameless self-promotion, here's a link to my own post mortem on the game.

Why can't more games have poignant stories like Nier's?

Honestly, I think the impact of the "D Ending" is lost in the video -- but that might be coming from a person who spent to much time grinding to get 100% out of the game and the watch it slowly get deleted. ... ... ...

I finally finished Ending A, and am a bit into the next part. I think the world it describes is very interesting, and has kept me happily playing along and doing almost all the sidequests.

Here's a question, though, towards the end of the first time through, I could swear it told me that I gained a book or something. My impression was that it was a book that explained some of what was going on. Thing is, now I can't find anything at all like that. I was pretty tired when I saw this, so am I just making this up? Is there something in the game that lets you read up on the backstory eventually?

Poppinfresh wrote:

Here's a question, though, towards the end of the first time through, I could swear it told me that I gained a book or something. My impression was that it was a book that explained some of what was going on. Thing is, now I can't find anything at all like that. I was pretty tired when I saw this, so am I just making this up? Is there something in the game that lets you read up on the backstory eventually?

I assume:

Spoiler:

that you are talking about the documents that you receive prior to the second battle against Popola and Devola.

If so:

If you looked in Grimoire Weiss (under the Letters tab, iirc) you can read those documents and others. The set I'm thinking of spells out exactly what has gone on, and really redefines the world for you. Worth reading on your second time through for sure...... and Ending B is pretty awesome.

Oddly, I still can't find the papers on my game, so I looked them up online. I also looked at a bunch of stuff on the origins of the world over here. Kind of wacky stuff, but interesting and unique do a lot for me. I'm already dreading the game ending, as this has really sucked me in.

Poppinfresh wrote:

Oddly, I still can't find the papers on my game, so I looked them up online. I also looked at a bunch of stuff on the origins of the world over here. Kind of wacky stuff, but interesting and unique do a lot for me. I'm already dreading the game ending, as this has really sucked me in.

I posted this over in my "NIER = GOTY" thread, but if you want to really, really dive into the lore of the game, do the following:

(a) finish all endings, assuming you're planning on doing so
(b) go over and read the translation of Grimoire Nier, which includes everything from short stories to backstory to an interview with the developers.

Just be warned, though. The game itself was depressing; Grimoire Nier, though fascinating, takes things quite a bit further.

Nei wrote:

Honestly, I think the impact of the "D Ending" is lost in the video -- but that might be coming from a person who spent to much time grinding to get 100% out of the game and the watch it slowly get deleted. ... ... ... :cry:

I am working through this underated gem at present. Play through A was good, but massive holes in the story, I didn't quite gel for me.

The run to ending B filled me with the same questioning doubts about my 'motives' as I had playing Shadow of the Colossus (why am I killing these creatures?). I had issues facing P33 and I felt for the wolves, and armored Boar.

I am now heading into my C run, 85% of the side quests complete in the end game, and 100% finished from the first. Ending D is going to kill me too, but I am soooooo loving this game, I felt it deserved a resurrection.

Quick question. I want to get the last few remaining timed boss kills on this run.

Spoiler:

one is when I confront the two twins in the Shadowlord's castle for the second time, and Emil saves the others. Is there additional C content here, or would you suggest a two stage run for that section.

I don't want to miss a moment of this layered tale.

Monkey, the only thing that's different for the C and D runs is the final boss and the ending, so you can safely skip cut-scenes until you beat the final boss. Be sure to hold a save just before you enter the final dungeon, as you can use that one to run both the C and D endings without having to go through the whole second half of the game again. Go for the final final boss battle's speed achievement on the D run, as there are some interstitial cut-scenes you'll need to skip in order to come in under the time limit (these are the same in both endings).

Also, be sure to make a USB backup of your game data if you don't want to lose it all!

Thanks Min, appreciate it, as always

Just leaving this link here for anyone who necro's this thread in the hope of finding a good indicator for what you need for the weapon upgrades.

http://www.crazyaj.com/games/nier.html

Pop in what you have, at what level, then it gives you a shopping list for what's left. Google-fu should then help you round out the spawn points.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

Just leaving this link here for anyone who necro's this thread in the hope of finding a good indicator for what you need for the weapon upgrades.

http://www.crazyaj.com/games/nier.html

Pop in what you have, at what level, then it gives you a shopping list for what's left. Google-fu should then help you round out the spawn points.

Oh yeeeeeaaaaah!

*ahem* I mean, thank you.

OK, I've just seen ending D. Don't go nier this spoiler tag unless you've seen it too (please, please, please). You have been three-warned (sorry, having some pfun).

Spoiler:

Nier sacrifices himself, Kaine cries. I understand that significance (heart once filled with hate/rage, now filled with love, and understanding). Why was I expecting more? What more was I expecting? I don't know, after all of the reveals, the spin from ending A to ending B, then the 'original' Nier sitting amongst the downed Shades at the end of ending C, ending D just felt a little underdone. Maybe I was expecting something a little more epic.

I am going to wade through Grimoire Nier, as Minarchist suggested. This might 'fill me up' a little more.

I think I need to let this one sit with me for a while. I don't think I'm done thinking about this one just yet. Any insights, thoughts?

Here's the deal with D, and why you were expecting more.

Spoiler:

The C ending is the "father' ending, and the D ending is the "brother" ending. See, in Japan, there are two versions of the game, Nier and Nier Gestalt. The latter has a younger, more-typically-emo-JRPG Nier who is Yonah's brother, not her father. The brother Nier is supposed to become more attached to Kainé during the game than father Nier does, and I guess presumably not quite-as-attached to Yonah. So, in that sense, ending D works. Of course, IMO, Nier works fantastically well as a father story, and would fall completely flat as a brother story -- only a father would have the kind of love that would damn the entire world (don't think this is the case? read the spoiler sections of my Nier = GOTY thread) to save their own child.

That being said, the way they handled the ending was very cool. Hope you made a USB backup.

Also, IIRC, I think at least part of Grimoire Nier

Spoiler:

is written from the perspective of "brother" Nier -- for instance, there's a part of his younger life where he has to become a male prostitute (ya rly) in order to feed himself and Yonah.

Grimoire Nier is fascinating, but expect a lot of WTF moments.

Minarchist wrote:

Hope you made a USB backup. ;)

ABSOLUTELY! I feel sorry for the first person who went for that ending unprepared. Thanks for the thoughts too.

So think I'm going to jump into this this evening. Wife is out of town and I need to clear the pile a bit.

Saw Minarchist's ravings about the game over here and picked it up recently on that Newegg sale. Didn't see this catch-all at the time.

Anyway I understand I'm supposed to play at least one NG+ to complete this story, so I'll probably check back in a few hours if I'm close to, or finish, the first run tonight or tomorrow. Based on the existence of an achievement to beat the game in under 15 hours or something, it seems doable by tomorrow for sure. Going to play on Easy and see where that takes me. I really don't want to struggle with it, I just want to enjoy the story.

w00t.

Pretty fun so far. Taking a late dinner break. Only complaint is the controls are annoying me a bit. It's like you can only have two spells, or you can do without dodge/block which seem pretty important. Also I keep accidentally doing the finisher move when trying to block, so I'm going to try to remap that when I start back up.

Story is very interesting so far. I just bumped into Kaine for the first time a few minutes ago and am now on my way to Seaport to learn how to fish.

Stele wrote:

Pretty fun so far. Taking a late dinner break. Only complaint is the controls are annoying me a bit. It's like you can only have two spells, or you can do without dodge/block which seem pretty important. Also I keep accidentally doing the finisher move when trying to block, so I'm going to try to remap that when I start back up.

Story is very interesting so far. I just bumped into Kaine for the first time a few minutes ago and am now on my way to Seaport to learn how to fish. :D

Make sure you fish from the right beach. Justin McElroy has a now (in)famous review that ended when he didn't know where to go.

You're in for a great ride...

That review thing is interesting. When I went fishing...

Spoiler:

the first time right beside the guy that gave me the pole, I tried 2-3 times and didn't catch anything. I went on with some sidequests and then at some point the big red X that tells you where the next main objective is pointed me to that other beach.

Even there, I tried 2-3 times and didn't catch anything. Then Weiss said "this is going to take a while" or something and the game pulled a 2 days later on me. And Weiss said something about 248 attempts or so.

So technically I haven't caught any fish either. And I honestly don't intend to on this run, since I'd like to finish under 15 hours. That fisherman guy apparently has more quests that will improve my skill or equipment or something but I'm not going to bother right now.

Well a couple more bosses down and Kaine in my party now (can't see spoilering that since it's in the instruction book that she joins you on your quest ).

All these loading screen journal entries are... interesting. There was one that was clearly not Yonah's entry that caught my eye.

Also in the Southern Plain...

Spoiler:

I opened the gate of that mansion with spiders. When I walked inside everything turned black & white. I guess except for Kaine and me. Anyway no quest there yet or anything, I was just exploring a bit... and that was very odd.

And of course still trying to figure out how the prologue ties in...