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 Latest update: Ep.13: The Dark Colossus Destroys All NieR (sometimes stylized as 'NIER' or simply 'Nier') was released for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in April of 2010. It serves as a sequel to the game Drakengard, but only in the loosest sense imaginable. The game was developed by Cavia and directed by Yoko Taro, all the same people behind the original Drakengard game. NieR was the final game Cavia developed before closing up shop in July of 2010. After a brief prologue, the story of NieR starts us off in the year 3361. At this point in time, humanity has found itself on the brink of extinction. Human settlements are few and far between, food and resources are scarce, and horrible shadow creatures known as 'Shades' roam the wild outdoors. On top of all that, a debilitating disease known as 'The Black Scrawl' plagues humanity. With technology and medicinal practices having seemingly reverted to medieval levels, there is little hope for a cure to this disease. Humanity is doomed to succumb to it eventually. We experience the story through the eyes of Nier, a middle-aged village handyman whose most notable trait is his ability to competently fight shades. At the start of the game we find Nier at his wits end; he is a single parent and his daughter Yonah is gravely ill. Many cures have been attempted, but to no avail. The villagers are good people that treat Nier and Yonah with all the kindness they can give, but it won't do any good if Nier can't find a cure for his daughter's illness. However, a series of strange events result in Nier having an encounter with a novel individual who might just be the key to curing Yonah's illness, and maybe even saving the whole world! But this salvation won't come easy and is by no means guaranteed either. It's a long shot, but it's the only shot Nier has. ...and that's just the beginning.  NieR is a great little game, but its strengths aren't easily visible at a glance. It's an action-RPG with passable-but-not-great combat and very little in the way of customization or party control. It's also not exactly a stunning game when it comes to visuals, either.. While the art design is quite nice, when it comes to fidelity NieR already looked dated when it came out, let alone years later. If all you ever saw of NieR was screenshots and short clips, you could be forgiven for dismissing it as a low-grade God of War knock-off and moving on. But in reality, NieR is so much more than that. The game is a sequel to Drakengard but it surpasses that game in almost every way imaginable. It's a tour de force of writing, mood building, voice acting, music composition, localization and creativity in game design. It's quite a different experience from most big-budget games, being more about using gameplay to enforce the narrative than making sure the player has fun, but it works. The game is a bit rough around the edges, but the things it does well it does exceptionally well. I don't want to oversell the game or give away too much, because a big part of the NieR experience is letting it defy your expectations. Just know that you're in for a one-of-a-kind ride with this game, both from a gameplay and narrative perspective. NieR tells the story of a man who is desperately trying to hold on to what little he has left to love. But it also tells the story of a (by all rights mediocre) developer who stepped up the plate, got their act together, and through hard work and perseverance managed to create one of the most gripping games of all time. A swan song if ever I've experienced one.  One last thing you need to know before we get started; Japan actually received two separate versions of NieR. Those would be NieR: Gestalt and NieR: Replicant. NieR: Gestalt was only released for the Xbox 360 whereas NieR: Replicant was only released on PS3. The two games are different in a few ways, but most notable is that they each have a slightly different protagonist. NieR: Gestalt is identical to the version of the game we got in the west, featuring a middle-aged Nier who is Yonah's father. In NieR: Replicant, on the other hand, Nier is a teenager and he's actually Yonah's older brother. The two games share the same story despite having different protagonists, although certain plot events have different deeper implications depending on which version of Nier you're playing as. In this LP, we'll be looking at the only version of the game we got in the west A.K.A. NieR: Gestalt. That said, I will be covering some of the ways in which the games differ, as well as the reason why two different versions of NieR exist to begin with. Much like the rest of the game, it's an interesting story.  SPOILER RULES: Don't talk about spoilers, even in spoiler tags. If something hasn't happened in the most recent update yet then please do not mention it at all. NieR is a bit of a cult-classic at this point, but it's also a a notoriously difficult game to approach. Because of that, this LP might end up being a lot of people's first time experiencing the game. Please be mindful of that when posting in the thread! Also, please don't speculate about where the plot is going! I've seen enough spoilers being posted under the guise of "speculation" on this subforum that I'd rather just nip that in the bud as a whole. Thank you!The Videos:                                           JordanKai fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Oct 1, 2016 |
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Apr 9, 2016 23:00
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Yonah's Diary Entries:          Research Reports(?):      Documents:        Quest Logs:                                 JordanKai fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Oct 1, 2016 |
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Apr 9, 2016 23:00
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Weapons & Weapon Stories: Nameless Blade  Nirvana Dagger  Lily-Leaf Sword  Moonrise  Beastbain  Rebirth  Earth Wyrm's Claw  Faith  Blade of Treachery 
JordanKai fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Sep 10, 2016 |
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Apr 9, 2016 23:00
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 Update Time!   Whenever I post a new update, I will also be posting all of Yonah's diary entries that appear in the corresponding video. From the next episode on I will be posting something else alongside updates as well, but we'll get to that when we get to that.  Yonah's Diary Entries:
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Apr 9, 2016 23:00
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Good luck on the LP! I liked NieR but never got to finish it, so I'm looking forward toward this.
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Apr 9, 2016 23:15
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Hurray! Now I don't need to spend like $80 on ebay!
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Apr 9, 2016 23:47
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I hope the LP goes well. I went into Nier genuinely expecting it to be a terrible game knowing what it was the sequel to. I'm glad I was so wrong about that. Also, I cannot ever say it enough, I loving love this games voice cast. Everyone knocks their performances out of the park. 
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Apr 9, 2016 23:48
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NieR is amazing for a variety of reasons, good luck with the LP!Skippy Granola posted:Hurray! Now I don't need to spend like $80 on ebay! Jesus christ, is that really your only option? 
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Apr 9, 2016 23:54
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I've heard many great things about this from my friend who's currently playing through it. I have no idea what to expect but I'm super looking forward to getting my heartstrings tugged!
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Apr 10, 2016 00:17
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What's the difference between the cut and uncut versions of the episode?
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Apr 10, 2016 00:31
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ultrafilter posted:What's the difference between the cut and uncut versions of the episode? Uncut means we talk over cutscenes and extended dialogue segments. For the cut version I remove all of that for people who find it distracting. Skippy Granola posted:Hurray! Now I don't need to spend like $80 on ebay! If you have a PS3 and live in North America, you can get a copy of the game for $20 off the Square-Enix webstore! https://store.na.square-enix.com/product/283132/nier-ps3
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Apr 10, 2016 00:40
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So way back when, back during The Dark Id's LP of this game, I was in a bit of a phase where I experimented with pixel art through the medium of edited Pokemon sprites. And I did a few for Nier! They're actually the only surviving pieces from that period due to being archived, and I'm still proud of them, so I'm gonna post 'em here too. I have permission from me. First off, our lovely father and daughter.
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Apr 10, 2016 00:51
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NieR is one of my favorite games of all time, I was literally just talking to one of my friends about it an hour ago. Really happy to be on the ground floor for this one. How much of the side stuff are you planning on doing?
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Apr 10, 2016 00:51
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MrAptronym posted:How much of the side stuff are you planning on doing? [Harrison Ford voice:] All of it.
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Apr 10, 2016 00:53
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JordanKai posted:[Harrison Ford voice:] All of it. You madman....
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Apr 10, 2016 00:56
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JordanKai posted:[Harrison Ford voice:] All of it. My god... What a brave soul.
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Apr 10, 2016 00:57
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Excited! As much as I love Dark Id's LPs, I really wanted to see this played and in-motion. This should be quite nice 
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Apr 10, 2016 01:05
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I'm so glad someone is doing an LP of this game! I never got a chance to play any of this series, so its all new and exciting! God speed with the 100% goal. This game is infamous in that regard...
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Apr 10, 2016 01:30
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I was just the other day listening to the soundtrack of this game (which is fantastic, by the way) and considering a replay. Have fun with with life in the sands.
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Apr 10, 2016 02:00
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This is a good game. Good luck.
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Apr 10, 2016 02:14
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JordanKai posted:[Harrison Ford voice:] All of it. At least you're not going it alone. 
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Apr 10, 2016 02:52
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Intro Lucina needs to chill.
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Apr 10, 2016 02:53
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I only discovered this game fairly recently, so I'm really glad to have a relevant place to discuss it instead of boring everyone who'll put up with me.
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Apr 10, 2016 05:49
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Geop posted:Excited! As much as I love Dark Id's LPs, I really wanted to see this played and in-motion. This should be quite nice yeah, i'm really glad this is a video lp! it's gonna be great
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Apr 10, 2016 06:25
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I have no issue at all with what happens during the timeline from the start of the video, to the ending of the game. It is just that great a story from what I remember.
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Apr 10, 2016 07:17
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Looking forward to experiencing this wonderful game again. It was a hell of an experience to play, and I cant wait to hear Ikwaylx's reactions to the game, as if I was experiencing it again for the first time.
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Apr 10, 2016 08:38
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Geop posted:Excited! As much as I love Dark Id's LPs, I really wanted to see this played and in-motion. This should be quite nice e: Is that Liam O'Brien voicing Nier? Kinda hard to tell when he's not shouting. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 10:56 on Apr 10, 2016 |
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Apr 10, 2016 10:50
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I got 100% completion in this game and I had no idea about the Perfect Block Counter attack or standing up instantly on knock down. I'm a bit shocked.anilEhilated posted:e: Is that Liam O'Brien voicing Nier? Kinda hard to tell when he's not shouting. Nah, it's Jamieson Price.
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Apr 10, 2016 11:02
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I admit, TDI's LP convinced me to buy Nier for my PS3. So, I'll just sit back and tend to my garden, cross-breeding flowers, and enjoy the ride before things inevitably spiral into Yoko Taro town.
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Apr 10, 2016 11:07
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I'm probably not going to be following this one just because I don't have time and because I've already both played it and seen the LP of it, but I wanted to pop in to say the thread title is absolutely amazing and I love you for it.
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Apr 10, 2016 13:53
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NieR is a beautiful game and it and Drakengard 3 are why I consider Yoko Taro one of the best artists in the industry. Dude's games are always weird and surreal, sure, but there's always a strong core concept to them that he's clearly very excited to express, and he's tremendously creative, as are his teams.
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Apr 10, 2016 14:42
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I've literally only heard the name NieR and have no idea what any of this is about, but I am super-glad we're getting at least one more LP from you, Jordan! You and your co-hosts have a way of getting across the goodness and fun in every game you play
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Apr 10, 2016 14:55
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it's still weird that a game by the guy from drakengard turned out to be like, good
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Apr 10, 2016 18:23
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Gamerofthegame posted:Intro Lucina needs to chill. she's cool, actually
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Apr 10, 2016 18:23
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mandatory lesbian posted:it's still weird that a game by the guy from drakengard turned out to be like, good I've heard it argued that a game doesn't need to be 'fun' to be 'good' - normally that's an argument reserved for games like Gone Home, but I think it applies to most of Yoko Taro's work as well. I can't exactly say I enjoyed Drakengard, and the third game pissed me off more than was reasonable in certain stages, but I love them dearly, and Nier was one of my favourite games of that year (even if it did emotionally destroy me and leave me thinking all goodness in the world was gone). I can see Automata being the game that sells me on picking up a PS4, if the gameplay matches the writing (and voice direction) of this one.
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Apr 10, 2016 19:17
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Playing Drakengard to completion was a fantastic experience, and I don't think that it would've worked anywhere near as well as it did if the game were better.
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Apr 10, 2016 19:24
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mandatory lesbian posted:it's still weird that a game by the guy from drakengard turned out to be like, good Perhaps Drakengard itself was, in the end, a good game?  He's actually pretty good. Well, after you strike the right balance between giving him too little power (Drakengard 2) and letting him run rampant (wanting to skip Drakengard 3 to make Drakengard 4, a game about finding about what happened to Drakengard 3).
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Apr 10, 2016 19:45
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His games tend to have amazing characters, though. I've always loved that Caim was his idea of the kind of hosed up psycho who could enjoy being a Dynasty Warriors character.
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Apr 10, 2016 19:48
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anilEhilated posted:Exactly the same sentiment here. A recurring problem I have with TDI's LPs is that I have a hard time believing he isn't making the ridiculous dialogue up; sometimes you just need to see the surreality in motion to believe it. I'm pretty glad to revisit this, it's a personal favourite of mine. [REDACTED] e: whoops, sorry. Gonna switch to full "coming in blind" mode now. 
ManlyGrunting fucked around with this message at 20:32 on Apr 10, 2016 |
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Apr 10, 2016 19:53
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ManlyGrunting posted:I'm pretty glad to revisit this, it's a personal favourite of mine. Whoa, this was getting a little too close to "talking about future stuff" territory! Grapplejack posted:You madman.... MrAptronym posted:My god... RareAcumen posted:At least you're not going it alone. I've done it before and I can do it again! (I also have some of it pre-recorded already. )
JordanKai fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Apr 10, 2016 |
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Apr 10, 2016 20:06
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