What You Missed From NieR

[@iroquoispliskin4347]

I knew nothing about NieR and I came out of this video knowing less

[@arenkai]

Games are meant to be played. I know, no shit Sherlock ! But trust me, it's especially true with Yoko Taro games (Drakengard and NieR). Those games stories can't be dissociated from the medium of video games because they are aware of the player in ways I haven't seen many other games being. Not only with 4th wall breaks, but mainly by making the player a core part of the message Yoko Taro wants to send. The game's narrative isn't important, the designer's narrative is. Damn... And now I feel like I'm making even less sense...

[@arjVSwild]

This is the power of Yoko Taro

[@nickmagrick7702]

lol, sums it up

[@aremattpharr8020]

It's awesome

[@cmillertime7477]

I can only say that you are an idiot or need to actually play the games and then things won't be confusing at all. I hope the latter is the case. Really, they're not that difficult. If you've gotten through even a year of college the Nier/Drakengaard games are nothing.

[@bplup6419]

Me before playing Automata: "I have no idea what to expect." Me after playing Automata: "I have no idea what I was expecting." Me months after playing Automata: "Expectation is the crumbling precipice on which existence precedes essence. To expect is to be expected, and to be expected is to stave off the despair of existence though still forlorn from god. Should god expect my existence, essence or expectation- it is my existential expectation to determine the meaning of his expectation of my essence." Time to go fishing.

[@marrowyoutube]

Thesaurus called and she wants her words back

[@SonnyFRST]

Perfect. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@cmillertime7477]

Perhaps you shouldn't think so hard, and fishing is your sport. Nier A, Nier G, or any of the Drakengaard games, despite their brilliance, are not that difficult to comprehend. Stop acting like it's some monumental achievement, when it is simple metaphor.

[@ohamatchhams]

Ironic considering that this game as George said, shat on Sartre

[@siriuslywastaken]

@@cmillertime7477 I t w a s a j o k e

[@malcomalexander9437]

The reason Yoko Taro wears that mask on camera, and the reason why he announced Drakengard 3 with a hand puppet is because he is very shy, and doesn't like to show his face.

[@iwanttoputkamuistoesinmymo5938]

Malcom Alexander i love that man with all my heart

[@eliel1815shadow]

oh... poor little weirdo

[@NightFlutter]

he reminds me of sorachi hideaki which never showed his face

[@TheBigBovy]

Weeb Buckethead

[@aquascissors101]

Sinamon roll.

[@dragan4324]

Huh, Yoko Taro seems like one of those troubled brilliant people stuck in a day job.

[@arturalexma]

as a man in 2020, I can say that 2049 being a post apocalyptic era sounds about right.

[@arturalexma]

@Harold Jenkins why tho? :3

[@WritingOnGames]

Thank you George for answering the question on all our lips: "What's a *NIER*?"

[@ohamatchhams]

Whats a leppo

[@floppytokey]

Nier means "deny" in french.

[@TheGerudan]

Was that a Spoony reference by accident or by intent?

[@Trashware]

Nier is dutch for kidney. So there you go.

[@atmark666]

is a cutting edge marketing scheme.

[@alexandercns]

While this was a relatively good quick look over of Nier I HIGHLY recommend anyone wanting a more detailed look at the game to check out Clemps analysis of it. He also has videos on the entire Drakengard series, which Nier is a part of, so that would be good to look into as well.

[@luckluster]

Yeah after watching Clemps' analysis I highly agree. No offense to George, but he just skipped little too much...

[@alexandercns]

To be fair George did a good job at having a quick skim through the game/series. Clemps just does a better job and in-depth coverage.

[@CronoDyne]

Popcioslav - He also got things wrong. Only a minute and a half in and he spread the misconception of Daddy Nier being a "localization change." In reality Japan got both versions.

[@JackgarPrime]

And if you REALLY want to get in-depth and know everything that's going on, especially with Drakengard itself, hop on over to the LP Archive and check out the series of LP's done by TheDarkId. He goes into EVERYTHING there is up to the point that he did said playthroughs, and it's actually really, really good.

[@arjVSwild]

I second this

[@austinmctier3524]

"That's Ending A" Shows us Ending B

[@YouareDEDnotbigSurprise]

Well, 4 months late, but it's really showing the intructions on how to get Ending B. When I first got Ending A, I actually thought I got Ending B, because the endings in the original NieR don't have titles like in Drakengard or NieR: Automata, so nothing except this screen was shown.

[@Over_Head_Press]

Play the game

[@Name-ek4jc]

Cyten I did it's aight I liked it

[@K_Sketch]

If NieR has taught me one thing... killing is bad and wrong. Killing is badong.

[@Zeppelee]

Kinky Sketch Therefore, we must be the opposite of killing: gnodab.

[@K_Sketch]

Thank you Chosen One

[@bryanfisher2039]

Killing is wrong and bad. Killing is *wrad*

[@tyynymyy7770]

Killing is badong... but everyone loves 2B's badonkadonk.

[@Asdayasman]

Stream that film, if you're so great!

[@SnakesGames]

I love that scream of agony at the very end. That's how I felt trying to understand Kingdom Hearts.

[@TheCivildecay]

Kingdom hearts didn't have the sexy androids to make up for all the effort it takes to make any sense of the story

[@johngreen8465]

18:42 Nier Autofellatio I think he gave up kaka carrot cake

[@VashdaCrash]

John Green Is that a reference to a youtube animator? And why it's there?

[@shabello]

defeating a sandwich... only makes it tastier

[@skillustrates]

Sara Bennett I beat the shit out of a Jill Sandwich once. No meal since then has tasted half as scrumptious.

[@VashdaCrash]

Now I get it.

[@EmeraldLance]

This guy gets it.

[@nickmagrick7702]

14:55 this, right here specifically, is what makes the story telling of these games not just good but revolutionary. "How can both sides view themselves as the good guys?" This is a problem with crisis of morality and conscience that we as a whole have been avoiding. I feel like there are active players in society who intentionally paint others as the enemy that helps push their objectives and goals along. After all, its much easier to strip the rights and dignity of people away if you view them as monsters or are just otherwise afraid of them in general. Not many shed a tear for people in prison, let alone the ones arn't monsters at all (small offenses like drug possession ect) If we don't solve this problem of how we vilify others and justify cruel actions because of it, it will be the doom of us all. And that is not by any means an exaggeration. Which is why I find stories like Nier: automata so beautiful, its not unique in its ability to portray complicated moral philosophies, but its certainly a minority of the stories out there being told.

[@VashdaCrash]

Just the concept of the "bad guys" is disingenuous at best, a way to make things easier when some of our ambitions begin to get questionable. It. ay seem that we made our lifes easier with wisdom and technology, but it really is the same for everyone all the time, I think that's the human condition. But that's why we can always strive to be better.

[@michaeljefferson7316]

Tbh I had revisit this just to say this game is really legendary

[@nickmagrick7702]

@@michaeljefferson7316 it really is. One of the best pieces of philosophy despite not being a book in the past 100 years.

[@davidkohn2768]

If anyone wants a really in depth look (I'm talking a few hours) at the drakenguard/Nier series, check out Clemps, his work on it was great. If you wanna get ready for automata though, you just need to see his analysis on drakenguard 1, 3 and his Nier analysis videos (nier is a 3 parter, I believe the others are 2 parts each. 2 has nothing to do with automata)

[@RRRadish]

Or just experience it thoroughly instead of getting second hand information and theories by reading The Dark Id's LPs of all the games on lparchive

[@davidkohn2768]

RRRadish right, but that requires owning a ps2, PS3 and a Xbox 360

[@Kelly_Jane]

David Kohn he's saying someone already has absolutely everything already laid out online. Direct from the source presumably.

[@davidkohn2768]

arithine oh, I read that wrong then, gonna look that up when I get home then

[@hassanico9999]

Those read like crappy fanfiction written by a 13 year old and should be avoided at all costs.

[@dryox]

The Plural of "Gestalt" is "Gestalten". *German master out.*

[@nickmagrick7702]

thats interesting but I wonder if it isnt just a coincidence. The reason for the Gestalt game has to do with NaCl, just salt. I forget what the GE part stands for but I think it has to do with the naming of the replicants, its hard to remember all the details perfectly even though I just read this stuff yesterday. But it would be an extraordinary thing to have both a german root word to a philosophical concept that also relates to the latin root for the scientific meaning behind salt. The guy might be a genius but thats just... too much. So it would also be referring to the master race, or original race of humans? Id rule this is one of those things were because theres already so many patterns in the games inherently in the way he makes them, and how good people are on pattern recognition, that this is no more than seeing a pattern that doesnt exist. Although it could have meta reasons for why those words were named the way they were in the first place and how they relate to each other, like salt being synonymous with purity and it has properties to clean things, kill diseases, and provide a life sustaining mineral.... Sry I think I went to long, and im just assuming what you meant in your original comment and wern't just stating an interesting fact.

[@patrickholzer6415]

@@nickmagrick7702 I honestly think the prior comment was just about the german word Gestalt, which fits really well into the whole 'create replicas' scenario, since Gestalt can mean many things. It translates to 'person', as well as 'silhouette', 'body', and 'form'. It is a word often used in art, as well as to describe something you don't fully understand, and sounds like it fits very well with the project Popola and Devola were leading. That being said, I didn't know anything of this salt reference you were talking about, and I only played Nier: Automata so far. So thanks for that extra bit of knowledge. I always wondered what Project Gestalt was all about, since it got referenced in the third playthrough of N:A. Needless to say, seeing both a Devola and a Popola in this video is very intriguing.

[@patrickholzer6415]

@Lain weren't there several Devolas and Popolas actoss the world? That's what they said in Nier: Automata at least. About how unfair it was that all models had to feel guilty because of the few who did wrong.

[@木原篤郎-b4m]

@@patrickholzer6415 Correct, there were many Devola and Popola models, always in a pair. The ones from NieR are the ones who ruined Project Gestalt (according to Automata). Devola was killed by Nier and Popola used a suicide attack to try to kill Nier, but could only destroy Emil's body due to his sacrifice. The ones in Automata are different ones who still suffer the consequences of the other pair's actions. All Devola and Popola models are blamed for the actions of the ones from NieR.

[@SlabMangrave]

all i know about NieR is that one time I read a futa-on-male doujin about it. it was pretty good

[@Timic83tc]

link

[@DarkLordToturials]

we're waiting

[@GameAddictPenguin]

oh same actually

[@GIRru11]

I... want a link... please

[@xXZombieSlayerXx77]

I don't know how to feel about that... or about the Hideyoshi Ruby... but mostly the doujin.

[@teddybrow]

I may have missed this game, but it was only a NieR miss (⌐■_■)

[@Krukmeister]

A near miss means you didn't miss, I like the pun but it doesn't work.

[@teddybrow]

Pepe Roni Yeah, you're right. I realized that at some point after the fact. Should've restructured it :P

[@bluesquare001]

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh thumb up

[@pr9039]

You win the internet today

[@Fochit8611]

stop it

[@awakebydefault]

The 360 version in Japan had Father Nier btw

[@stanley1698]

So: 360 (All): Father Nier PS3 (JP): Brother Nier PS3 (US): Father Nier Correct?

[@awakebydefault]

Stanley Yup

[@M1ndblast]

Yep. Brother Nier was made exclusively for JP audiences.

[@deliciousdishes4531]

Or simply: 360: NieR Gestalt, PS3 EU: NieR Gestalt, PS3 JP: NieR Replicant

[@TidusplZUO]

Even the JP 360 version was in Engish with japanese subs. So there's no such thing as a japanese Papa Nier VA which is a damn shame

[@KeeBlade]

Shoulda listened to Pat and just watched Mr. Clemps' videos summarizing the whole series, George!

[@LieseFury]

I watched those videos. He still thinks shit like "xD Triggered" is funny. I'm glad I watched the videos because the series is actually pretty interesting, but Clemps is one of the most infantile people I've ever seen.

[@wildohhh]

It's mistakes like this which are why I'm making the bold decision of unsubbing from SuperBunnyHop.

[@hassanico9999]

But seeing you triggered by his use of it IS pretty funny.

[@LieseFury]

hassanico9999 That's not what triggered means.

[@patrickpatrickc1994]

i dont fuck w gamergaters lmao

[@swiftersunite]

Like most people I played Automata first, and I thought it was great. After playing Nier a year later, Automata retroactively became my favorite game of all time

[@hsunekichi2218]

It was similar to me, but after playing Nier gestalt, Automata went to the second place and Gestalt obtained the first place by far

[@ericmartinperez7099]

The next question should be... WHAT THE FUCK IS A SONIC?!

[@EposVox]

Shadowlord and Grimoire Noir. COME ON

[@highimpactsexualviolence5512]

Why do japanese people love german words so much? You've got the book Weiss and Gestalts in this game, and I swear the vast majority of anime series I've watched used German words at some point. I guess it sounds cool to them, but why is it so fucking common?

[@bazzy5644]

High Impact Sexual Violence Same question here and i would love an explaination, because it is honestly far too often the case, imo.

[@TitaniumDragoonNeo]

They love using English and Germanic/Nordic inspired words/phrases/concepts to a set a person, name, place, etc, apart from anything else in their media (this is to avoid using super mundane names that permeate Japanese culture noticeably more than it is in the West). It's also a fetish thing, since they often sound "exotic" and "cool." It's a similar thing of how people in the United States use bullshit medieval fantasy names in stuff akin to Game of Thrones (but not in GoT specifically), or with the use of non-Anglo-Germanic names in media. East and West love doing this, but I think the Japanese go for Anglo-Germanic stuff because it's the exotic thing that they're most familiar with.

[@Noonycurt]

Grimoir Weiss (German for white) and Grimoir Noir (French for black) are obviously meant to represent opposites.

[@highimpactsexualviolence5512]

DAHAXGUY That's a great explanation, thanks. What makes it hilarious is that they tend to completely butcher the pronounciations.

[@highimpactsexualviolence5512]

I guess it's not completely restricted to japanese media either. As I'm typing this, I'm actually watching 3% on Netflix, which uses german words as its episode names.

[@sai7521]

What the fuck

[@cosmonautg1430]

exactly

[@rockhuerta]

That's it, that's the game

[@powerpc127]

1:52 is a perfect analysis of why I love Nier. I bought it as part of a 'buy 2 get one free' deal, and had no clue what I was in for. Honestly, I thought it would be pretty bad, but it was cheap. A few months later I had beaten it twice, read a novel's worth of enthralling back story, watched a playthrough of Drakengard 1 on youtube (also a mesmerizing experience), and had spread the good word to anyone who would listen that it was one of the best games I'd ever played. It's definitely janky and under-developed, but the emotional roller coaster it put me through is still more intense than Automata's, which is no small feat. I was thrilled when I heard it was being re-released and I can't wait.

[@tsartomato]

>>let me tell you the whole lore guise >>on the other hand lore will take to much time, now look at this drama that i just found

[@Shadesofone]

6:30 "this is when things start to get weird" - so, up until this point everything was perfectly normal?

[@szylaj]

ESCALATION BABY XXDDD

[@ew275x]

Mr. Clemps's analysis makes this video kind of obsolete. Sorry George, should've listened to Louis CK.

[@bazzy5644]

ew275x No, i wouldn't say so, because his series requires so much more time than this. And this is fairly good as an overview if you only want a synopsis. So they both have their purpose, imo.

[@ew275x]

+Hans Peter, While he does bring up good points (why do shades turn into lizard bosses) and gives an overview, I am more confused after watching it ratehr than Clemps's video.

[@avnwx5526]

Nah, I really appreciate his analysis about it, rather than a long infodump that is just confusing for an outsider.

[@woawh5616]

If you've already seen clemps videos how are you able to make any determination on the quality of this one? You aren't the target audience you can't really make a statement like that.

[@ew275x]

+woa wh Yes, I didn't watch this video (I did). I just said it might be redundant and confusing compared to Clemps's videos which makes it obsolete in that there's a better video with the same aims alreayd out there. It's still a fine video. Also are you guys are taking my comments where I refer to a person as Louis CK a little bit too seriously.

[@Gh0st175]

I had no intrest in nier before this video, but after watching it I bought the new game

[@Gh0st175]

my poor bank account

[@spencerkaminsky6943]

Isn't it great though? I just recently finished it

[@TriToneTiefling]

Go play the Original, it's not as bad as George (and many others sadly) makes it out to be.

[@maximus832]

I've discovered this channel by an accident (through the Witcher series analysis ) but i'm absolutely in love with the quality of the content provided here ! Not only i find these serious satirical remarks more entertaining than most of the content provided on KZbin but also an intelligence and vast amount of information that the host provides , Bravo!

[@geralt43]

00:28 That's a lie. Fishing and grinding are purely optional in this game. Yeah, if you want to complete every single side quest you will have to slog through it, but if you want to enjoy the main story they can be ignored. If I remember it correctly, even the single main quest involving fishing can be skiped if you fail your second or third attempt.

[@tomstonemale]

Grinding is not optional when you revisit areas though

[@Memetic_BB]

Except for the part when you have to grind to get all of the weapons in order to obtain ending c.

[@Memetic_BB]

@Deborah Meltrozo Sorry, but 5 lengthy fetch quests and almost 130,000g in purchasable weapons is a little much. Especially when you're the kind of guy who just purchases the best weapon you can get and sticks with that weapon until the end, not buying any others because you already got the best one. Plus, grinding for money is also a huge pain. I like the Junkheap and all, but when you are constantly going back and forth between there and other shops just to buy a weapon that you're not even going to use is a massive drag.

[@Memetic_BB]

​@Deborah Meltrozo I hardly did any of the side quests, because they were so boring. So I had to do all of the weapons quests in one sitting. Plus, not doing any of the side quests meant that I was lacking the funds to buy weapons. And because I just hated the quests in the game, my means of getting the funds for weapons came from collecting and selling materials from the Junkheap. That was my situation. Basically it was just grind central. If the side quests were actually interesting and worthwhile (like Automata) I probably would not have been in that situation.

[@Memetic_BB]

@Deborah Meltrozo I've played the game three times now and it has always gone the way that I described. I really only love the game for the story and that's really about it. It's kind of like watching a movie for me. So having to collect all of the weapons before the actual end of the story is really why I would describe it as a massive drag.

[@elronman]

it's less that taro is poking fun at the industry hes just seeing how far he can push it before players won't accept it.

[@elronman]

in fact if you want to learn more just go watch his GDC talk, it's pretty interesting. but to explain, it's more like "what can you not do in a game, do that" like for instance every time you died, the game shut off, and you couldn't play it again. That sounds awful, but what if you put it in a horror game. What if you put it in a horror game where there were zero cheap deaths and very little danger, but you never told the player this. What if you made the game free to play and made the continues only a couple dollars or so. that's what hes getting at. What can we not do and doing just that is going to make the greatest impact on games. it might suck, or if you're clever and make the issues work for you it might be the most amazing new thing ever. Hell imagine if Resident evil 1 was made today. Do you think they'd make it impossible to see around some corners, I doubt it.

[@liberalleftywhohatesauthor4672]

Well as long as the front of that push is captained by 2B's big beautiful butt I'll accept anything he wants to push.

[@ajaxcrackmaster930]

"What if you made the game free to play and made the continues only a couple dollars or so." literally let it die

[@Fonnessu1992]

So this is literally Evangelion but a videogame. From the metacommentary about its medium to the themes of individuality and acceptance of the others (going through a cryptic plot and even with its very own troll director). And fans are crazy protective about it!

[@gerryw173ify]

Watching this in 2022 it's crazy to see how faithful the remake was while improving on it. I also really like the addition of Ending E which gives it a bit happier ending and a connection to Nier Automata. Unfortunately the PC port still has some issues but its easily modded.

[@mikedimples]

That was a really solid explanation of a bizarre, compliex, and intriguing story. Really well done, the other video summary I saw didn't go into so much of what makes this game interesting like you did. Now I'm so psyched to start up Autotities.

[@grimsoar8818]

That music...so good. I feel sorry for anyone that missed out on Nier and spoils it with a youtube video that can't do it justice. Recap was ok, but misses the emotion.

[@MrSuperAJ]

I bet Tetsuya Nomura is behind that mask. That guy is freaking nuts.

[@Peter1992t]

The amount of work and research that goes into these videos is extremely commendable.

[@rimurunava]

“What you missed from NieR” Everything.... its so beautiful.... and with automata as well.... its just so amazing.... somehow just seeing NieR in a yt vid title just makes me tear up.....

[@THEBIGMEOW]

All I say is when the queen dropped into modern Tokyo every time line went haiwire

[@johng8187]

3 years later and you still make my favorite videos on KZbin. Thanks for being cool George.

[@01animeking]

automata pc release 17th woooooooooooooooo

[@davidkohn2768]

01animeking wait, is that real? I can't fucking wait!

[@01animeking]

yep, news just came out

[@fokjohnpainkiller]

Just heard so myself. Never gotten this hard so quickly

[@android19willpwn]

17th of... this month? HMM. The question then, is do I get it earlier and also have it over Spring break, or do I wait and get shorter loading times? Platinum, why must you force such choices upon me?

[@M1ndblast]

Already finished the ps4 version. Seriously considering a double dip. I never even consider that a thing to do. This is some special stuff.

[@ludwigii9329]

I'm tired of hearing this misconception that making the main character older and a father was a localization thing. It wasn't. Japan got two versions of the game, Gestalt and Replicant, each featuring a different main character. The West just got the version of the game with the dad, that's all.

[@deliciousdishes4531]

well the dad version was the Xbox one though, which is more of a western console compared to the Playstation. Probably made for the people who enjoy their more western games on Xbox.

[@CJKS-wo8dm]

But, you can get Gestalt on PlayStation as well.

[@golDroger88]

Never wondered why the West only got the one with the father?

[@kaine.1345]

@@golDroger88 "Because Yoko think that Westerns don't like a young boy Japanese character"

[@Aetilus]

nier is a game about perspective. the players perspective on the gameplay and their role in the story constantly change. good shit. i mean its no ubisoft cash grab multiplayer plaform bunny but not every game can be so perfect for you

[@ellmister]

What an incredible video. Long time fan. This kind of intense diving into games I don't have the time to play is fascinating to watch and hear about.

[@robbyalp]

dont stop dude good stuff! was really nice to get a decent recap of one of the most confusing and convoluted games ive ever played, and also bask in the shared despair of even trying to figure it out

[@SammEater]

"What's a Nier?" "Your knowledge of the land shall be great."

[@Poet482]

I still, to this day, uncontrollably cry at the scene of the Shadowlord watching as the daughter he unconditionally loves and has gone to the ends of the earth and beyond to save kills herself right in front of him because she's doing what she feels is right. There is *so* much going on in the game's narrative leading up to it, and this is it; A final confrontation in which no side is the good or evil side, with a rightfully crazed man attacking Nier because Nier's daughter's mere existance caused his own daughter to kill herself. Nobody is good or evil, and each are ultimately justified in their actions here, but in this scene I almost think that the Shadowlord has every right to take Nier's life, even if Nier himself doesn't understand why. But at the same time, I don't want Nier to die because the Shadowlord's daughter's sacrifice would have been for nothing as Nier's daughter would be left alone. It's utterly tragic, heartbreaking, and visceral in how it tugs at every heartstring simultaneously. So many powerful emotions are at play and it kills me that every single one of the emotions that everyone present is feeling is 100% rightous. Love born of hate and hate born of love, both equally valid. I will never forget this scene as long as I live.

[@Vulgarth1]

I disagree. Nier and Shadowlord are both justified, but Nier is absolutely the evil one. The entire game is about how being selfish and short-sighted, giving into emotional whims and not being able to let go is the cause of all woes. Nier in particular is evil because he embodies the specific faults of all of the game's vignettes (Gideon, Lighthouse Woman, Boat Shade, Kainé's revenge, Emil's wanderlust and Popo/Devo's wish that one of the many replicant Niers will succeed) and combines them into the ultimate transgression. He dooms humanity for the sake of his own wants and needs. Not for Yonah, but for himself. He *says* it's for Yonah, but the game is letting him gaslight you the entire time while pointing to all these other people doing the same thing, and fucking everything up. Nier is the biggest monster in the Yokoverse beside Kami and yet, he is completely relatable. It's pretty great. I hate his guts and wish he never got his way.

[@brainwarts]

It's an admirable effort but the actual experience of playing Nier is so incredible... Like, it's janky, it's bullshit, but when you don't know what you're getting into and you play it it is one of the most unforgettable experiences in video games. Nothing has ever made me feel so fucking guilty and, frankly, weird than Nier. And yes, I've played MGS3 about a dozen times. The only thing comparable is weird oldschool science fiction literature like Childhood's End or Stranger in a Strange Land where afterwards you just feel like, "I don't know what I'm feeling but I'm feeling something intense and troubling." I guess this works for the people who just wanna play the latest Platinum action game. If you like story though Nier does something totally unlike anything else you've ever experienced.

[@tomstonemale]

Yeah, it's boring action game with a good story...sometimes

[@jaredw43]

Thanks for putting this together. My friend sent me a link to this video because I love Nier Automata but hadn't played any of the other ones. This video was exactly the summary I was looking for :)

[@kissmyrra2030]

Your videos are so well written that its a joy to rewatch them just for the sake of it , within months after of the conversation of it.

[@Makkasu0]

Fuck these comments. I don't have time for Clemp's analysis and I'm never going to play the older games. You're doing the Lord's work George.

[@yotamshitrit6820]

Come back next week as do the same thing with Kingdom Hearts.

[@TheTankbus]

Might as well bust out the alcohol, cause we aren't gonna make it through otherwise.

[@BobisOnlyBob]

PCP 101. How we feelin'?

[@JoshuaConnorMusic]

I've read primary school short stories with more direction and less plot holes than the adventures of emo boy and micky mouse. The video could be an hour long and it still wouldn't make any sense.

[@remembertotakeshowerspleas355]

I don't understand why people think Kingdom Hearts is complicated. Each game has a really simple story and the lore mostly nonexistent. They even have these little wiki-style journals which cover basically everything you need to know in each game. This is starting to feel like a meme.

[@remembertotakeshowerspleas355]

+JimJamBanx The protagonists act like hyperactive children most of the time. Even some of the villains have a lot charisma and charm to them. Calling them emo makes it sound like you heard just about this series in passing in the youtube comments and decided to trash it because it doesn't appeal to you. You could easily explain the story in under five minutes.

[@HamonADraek]

I love the idea that gestalts and humans re-united in some parts. It means that NieR's crime against humanity and causing Gestalt to fail do no matter. It never did matter. Humans were still going to go extinct. That fact is just so perfect for automata's existentialism. The greatest most heinous crime of all time does not matter.

[@Vulgarth1]

Not quite. If Shadowlord had succeeded this time around (there's heavy implication this has happened multiple times before), then there would have been enough time for the androids to solve the issues with the Gestalt program and save humanity. Nier's victory, however, dooms them to continue the slow slide towards extinction despite the successes of the android monitors in other areas. The final trick up their sleeve was using the Tree(s) of Dreams to store all the memories and genetic information of humanity, but those ended up being amalgamated into the machine consciousness near the end of Automata, IIRC? Or maybe in the Nier Replicant re-release DLC with Kainé?

[@NettoSaito]

Really good video for those who haven't played the original (and a good recap for those of us who have)! Just wanted to let anyone else know who reads this comment, the 10 short stories shown in the book (in Japanese) are actually translated into English on the Wikia. They're pretty fast reads, REALLY messed up, and well worth reading. On another note, the last story is what leads into Automata, and sadly it also confirms the Automata timeline is that of Young Nier (the Japanese exclusive version). Still both stories (Father Nier & Brother Nier) overall are similar enough, so it's fine.

[@NiemandKatzchen]

Thanks for keeping Yoko Taro's face spoiler free when referencing the GDC talk.

[@AdmiralWindy]

Its probably already been said before but a really good voice on this topic is Demolition D+ through his review of Drakengard 3. Check it out.

[@buffoonustroglodytus4688]

That dude doesn't make videos anymore tho

[@dontusemynameasshole]

He absolutely still does, just not on youtube after being totally turned off by how quickly and easily KZbin shut down his channel, took down videos, and sided with take-downs that were not legitimate, as well as outright suspending his entire account and demonizing everything. He felt that he was putting in a lot of love, care, and effort into youtube stuff whereas KZbin itself could give a shit less about it. This bit is just my interpretation but, I also feel like depression, personal issues, a unique personality, a pretty serious addiction, and a feeling of contempt for his 'fans' just turned him off of making that kind of content at all. He wasn't having fun, so he stopped. It's a HUGE fucking loss to the youtube community as a whole, but also for the anime community, who lost an amazingly unique, hilarious, passionate, and honest powerful voice. You can find him on Twitter and TwitchTV however.

[@Wibbels]

Think he is referring to his drinking problems. Almost every stream he does (been pretty active lately since Nier:Tomato Came out) he gets drunk or is drunk from the very start. In his latest stream tho i heard him say hes been trying to lay off the drink, but that was only like a week.

[@motherfudger6664]

WHere are his videos now? I'm curious to discover alternatives to KZbin but haven't had the time to really find them lately.

[@AdmiralWindy]

hes still on youtube, so you can see him there, or on his facebook group i think!

[@georgie7109]

I hope George realizes that he will have to incorporate those noodles in every video for as long as he lives.

[@Saninsince992]

I don't know who BriHard is, but I think you miscredited him/her in your video description, since it links to the Nier2 website. Other than that, great video. Nier is one of my favorite games of all times, and although you are very critical of it, you tend to explain it's intrigues in a very interesting well formulated manner.

[@Saninsince992]

Checked a bit of his stuff out. Seems pretty good. Thanks for the recommendation. My post was more trying to highlight that he was miscredited in the description, but that seems to have been fixed now.

[@mercury2157]

"A face only a Yonah could love"

[@UncleSofthands]

That awesome moment when you find a new channel that you have some how missed for years and now have a whole back log of content to watch, great stuff man

[@bocodamondo]

the books are called weiss and noir? white in german and black in french? thats kinda random

[@xanubisabysse3113]

No it’s weiss in french

[@deltahat2625]

@@xanubisabysse3113 are you high? white in french is "blanc"

[@xanubisabysse3113]

@@deltahat2625 in the french version of the game the name of the book is Weiss and yes i'm high

[@tiborvenancio6443]

@@xanubisabysse3113 lmfao "and yes i'm high"

[@greciasoleble]

And people are still saying that the MGS timeline is convoluted, ha!

[@Memetic_BB]

Despite the faults of the first game (and there are a LOT of them), it will still remain as my favorite game of all time.

[@zbmccarter]

I played this game years ago after watching the "classic game room" review, and I friggin loved it. I recently started Nier automata (also a great game) because I liked the original so much. Now I'm reading about all of the negative criticism the original got when it came out and its kind of blowing my mind. I vaguely remember a few parts of Nier being frustrating, and it took a while to get into the story, but overall I remember this being a freaking awesome game. Also, a lot of the stuff critics are praising automata for were done in the original as well (well written characters, intellectually and emotionally engaging story, variety of gameplay styles). The dismissal of the first Nier game by people who love automata doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I mean, it isn't perfect (no game is), but it is unique, fun, and has a giant boss made out of boom boxes...

[@DavidSilva-ke3ts]

Cheers George. I was excited by the trailers - it did look like there were innovative/interesting/responsive/express control/mechanics on show *unlike MEA*. Figured there'd be a weird, convoluted story, with a tonne of references to games I haven't played. Now I expect something reflective, genuinely mind-bending, and loaded with drama. Sold!

[@robekworld]

Thanks! This was a lot more sane than the other videos I tried to watch to catch up. I was even more confused than I started with all the Legion and Red Eye stuff, but this was the missing piece I was looking for. Thank God

[@FavianTubeX]

Nier is an outstanding game, play it. I feel bad for anyone who spoils the story for themselves with this video

[@KiyaWarrior]

aint no body got time for that

[@shierubea]

FavianTube What have I done...he said to watch this first! *SOBS*

[@TriToneTiefling]

Actually it's not a long game. Getting ending A can be done in 7-8 hours easy, and getting all the weapons while somewhat tedious isn't actually that hard with a guide. Once you get all 30 weapons, you can easily rush endings B-D in one day if you want (dont, just do one ending an afternoon and you should be ok)

[@lazysylph3312]

It's really just an okay game. The only thing that really separates it is the story.

[@100billionsubscriberswithn4]

Yeah, story aside, it just seems sorta average.

[@mads_in_zero]

The subtle detail of only adding Devola's vocals to the town theme after mentioning her in your summery? Good shit.

[@Gestalt85]

Just want to point this out because I don't hear most people ever say it... Yes the fetch quests are annoying, but you know what? You can also just not do them at all. Completely optional. I love the crap out of NieR, but I avoided most of the fetch quests and had a great time.

[@timothyfinn3619]

Unless you are going for all the endings in Replicant, than you have to do some side quests to get all of the weapons, also some of the sidequests give details of lore. Getting 100% of the weapons on hard mode is an absolute nightmare. The side quests in Automata where way more forgiving than the ones in Replicant (also ending Y was for a secret boss, that one doesn't count)

[@marcelodrummond8906]

Great video as usual, George. I introduced your channel to some friends of mine and they loved it! Cheers from Brazil

[@ryuail]

George, that tiny bit at the end where you dropped the book so perfectly punctuates NieR.

[@Horochimara]

"I think I'm going insane??" WEEEEELCOOOOME TOO YOKOOOO TARROOOO

[@dantess2693]

I haven't played Automata yet, but Nier was a very immersive game. It was creative and atmospheric, playing the paternal role was excellent and the game's world was so vibrant and alive.

[@EthanRobertson]

Now I can skip straight to thicc robot girl.

[@Asdayasman]

Plural.

[@treasurehunter3369]

android

[@FunnyVideosShowPL]

That scream at the end was everything I wanted to hear from this video. Thank you.

[@joseoliveira1735]

This video, good stuff. Especially the final segment with the crazy classical music.

[@theSato]

The intro disclaimer is just wrong and has a glitch: At first it says "If you're interested in playing through *these* game", then the word "these" suddenly changes to "this" as its going off-screen. And even then, it's still wrong, since it should say "these games".. lol. Just a heads up, minor silly mistake :D

[@wickedwitt04]

He's talking about the fact that you're actually lost starting Nier without playing most of the Drakenguard series for its setup. Then, Nier only partially prepares you for Nier: A. It's a convoluted, yet gripping surreal experience that makes you certainly ponder many things deeply and breaks dozens of gaming and story-telling norms.

[@bigredjanie]

I swear the western version of the main character looks like Rick Sanchez...

[@DylanJo123]

Joe1up awwww jeeezzzeeee daddy, i dunno, tho those shades seems very angry

[@ovahlord1451]

Wubalubbadubdub!

[@Miyakolover]

You mean Rick Sanchez looking like him?

[@STOPPEDINCOLORADO]

The fuck? No he doesn't.

[@bigredjanie]

V HAS COME TO Why not? And yes I know Nier came first.

[@MrVicodin]

Whoa, was that a Spoony reference?

[@aitch9053]

Aww, Spoony. I miss watchin him, that Ultima series was great. I wonder what he's been up to? After checking, I guess now he just spends every day tweeting about pro wrestling and Trump conspiracies? 1300 tweets just for February alone, damn... Looks like he hasn't made a real video in over 2 years... And still gets a thousand dollars a month on Patreon?! Man, what the hell happened to him?

[@derram0k]

He got involved with the 'Games are political' crowd.

[@eldritchautomaton]

*sigh* I really miss Spoony. He made quality videos.

[@doger235]

we all do

[@iambrett333]

So I just wanna say this video got me into NieR in the wierdest way. Having never heard of the franchise before, I watched this video (because I love your stuff regardless) and learned so much about it. Coincidentally less than a week later I stumbled upon a giveaway for NieR: Automata and I knew the answer SOLELY because of this video. So thank you so much for helping me get into this crazy and great franchise. Nearly 100%ed the game I love it so much

[@GeorgeMazur29]

Fun fact: the English voice actor for Nier also did the voice acting Lord Genome in TTGL and Garen in League of Legends

[@WanderPIerce]

I love Platinum too and I debated playing all the Drakengard games and Nier to get a handle on this series but it looks like just playing one and doing a little research is enough to break your brain.

[@TheSlickMachine]

I don't think you should watch this video. If you have a PS3 or 360 you should play it yourself. Georgie boy doesn't do it justice. Even if you watched the whole video play the fucking game. Believe me.

[@budlikycz2445]

The Slick Machine what pisses me off is there is no fucking online download... its disc only and here in my country this game is nowhere to be found ffs I wanna play this game. But I dont have a chance because I cant get it from nowhere.

[@100billionsubscriberswithn4]

I dunno. The fact that it's apparently difficult to find, and that reviewers including George weren't big fans, has me hesitant to pick it up.

[@tomstonemale]

Don't believe him. Play Bravely Default or Spec ops: the Line instead

[@slifer875]

Remember the adventures of lucky ted....

[@sonicartist91]

I just finished Story:B on Nier: Automata. I said "Hey, why don't I look up a video that talks about what the first nier game was about?" I finished your video and hearing that scream of confused frustration is how I felt trying to piece this all together. But, what I can say is that it is a fun game! Thanks for helping me understand what the plot is?

[@Dukefazon]

Thank you for not screwing up the Gestalt/Replicant part. I've read/seen summaries where they totally got it wrong.

[@deadstockparadise5898]

It sounds like these games have far more creativity and reverence towards their genre than you claim and you're trying to make them look like they're far more like the sheer "fuck this genre" cynicism of Spec Ops: The Line. I watched the full video where he talked about violence and it felt more self-critical than anything else. I dunno where you got the idea from it that he hates being "forced" to make games with violence and is giving them these themes as a "fuck you". He completely acknowledges the appeal of violence to humans, he just frames it in a slightly different way. I watched the GDC talk and what he said wasn't "IT'S FUCKED UP THAT YOU GROSS GAMERS CELEBRATE VIOLENCE" at all Also the sexualization isn't ironic just because his characters are non-standard. Taro's Twitter makes it clear he's a pervert.

[@xXZombieSlayerXx77]

And there is nothing wrong with that :D

[@Alastor343]

george is one ofthose people thats somehow convinced himself that if it isnt battlefield levels of realistic its not supposed to be serious. All hes doing is limiting the things he can enjoy and its stupid

[@deadstockparadise5898]

Oh yeah I wasn't calling him a pervert to insult him lol.

[@deadstockparadise5898]

To add to what I said, Taro confirmed in a recent interview that the games he makes are exactly the games that he wants to make. But something tells me people are more likely to listen to SBH's misconception than the words of the creator because the whole "frustrated artist who hates his job and adds FUCK YOUs to his bosses" thing is more appealing to cynical people. You can earnestly portray violence as both visually appealing and thematically negative. Look at Gundam, it made a fortune out of that very contradiction: WAR IS HELL themes, but with cool-ass robots designed to make you want to buy toys. There's nothing wrong with that, the entire point of a lot of art is to frame everything in a beautiful affirming way - even tragic things.

[@Leap623]

Does George even take Battlefield seriously?

[@UsonoHoushi]

Yeah.... Getting TOO deep into those series will make your head hurt WAY more than say... Kingdom Hearts. But DAMN does it give you the FEELS with REALLY likable characters and eargasmic music❤❤❤❤

[@JeffreyM641]

Nier, a videogame with a story on par with a great novel. It is dense, it asks hard questions and it is very aware of the genre it exists in. Too bad the gameplay is boring as shit most of the time. Actually playing through Nier is a painful dull slog of the worst that action JRPG's have to offer. Still... It might be one of the greatest artworks videogames have ever seen.

[@elmeramuro]

I would never play this game but I sure as hell can't wait to watch the hours worth of videos deconstructing its madness you make after it is released!

[@vikingwoman3372]

You actually made me want to buy and play NieR .. I knew almost nothing abot the game and about Drakengaard etc but i really want to dig into this.. It looks interesting,fun and exiting and looks like it is going to be rough on my emotions but you made me exited about this game.. I have only watched Lore summary-From Drakengard to NieR Automata and i have watched your video here and i cant wait to get started.. Thank you for that :)

[@stephen2624]

Hehe. Despite how grimly depressing these games can be, they're ridiculous enough to leave you smiling again.

[@CruzifixioOG]

That thing at the beggining of Nier aint snow, it's salt... made from humans.

[@samvimes9510]

You didn't even get into how fucked up Kaine's past is. I picked up the game because I'd heard so many amazing things about it, and on the first playthrough I felt it was kinda meh, despite the amazing soundtrack. But that second playthrough, holy hell...the new story elements are a punch in the gut and completely make up for the lackluster gameplay. Nier is easily one of the most creative and emotional games I've ever played, and I cannot wait to see how Taro tears my heart out with Automata.

[@_Executor_]

Thanks, bro you went through a big research and you almost lost your mind, but you made it.

[@NanoAugur]

I'm glad more people will get to experience the joy/madness that is Sith Lord Taro Yoko, even if only slightly. Really enjoyed this one. :)

[@egirlSkeletor]

I'm very very confused but also totally sold on Nier:Automata

[@panah8394]

Really depressing that NIER is only now getting any wider recognition because of a brand new "hype AAA game developed by platinum games™"

[@Dahpie]

Yeah it's sad. Yoko Taro is a genius to be honest and this game is an underrated gem.

[@emptilion]

Panah One game in the series had to do it one way or another. I'll welcome more fans in whatever way they come. The thing that annoys me more are the people who don't know anything about Yoko Taro, and who feel the need to critique the series all of a sudden by comparing it to the standards of the more mainstream videogame series. People can have their own opinions, but laughing about the jank, and enjoying the weirdness has always been part of the charm.

[@Dahpie]

It's more along the lines that Yoko Taro is only getting success because he now has AAA backing as opposed to before where his games might've not been the best but his story and characters were excellent. Basically Nier should've gotten recognition well before hand.

[@panah8394]

@StaySkeptic It's a bad thing because the novelty of a series being a "cult hit" or a "cult classic" loses that air of being interesting and it encourages bad behavior on the part of the developers. Look at Dark Souls, Dark Souls 1 was a cult hit, 2 became more streamlined for a mainstream audience, and now we have Dark Souls 3 which is more akin to Bloodborne than it is a Dark Souls game, and I'm not hating on Dark Souls, They're some of my favorite games ever, it's just an example of what mainstream appeal can do to a franchise that's roots originally sat in a playerbase that loved a game for it's uniqueness, Mass appeal kills ingenuity. And it's disheartening when you're a person that's played NIER since it's orignal release, and kept up to date on the Drakengard series since it's original release. Only to see massive crowds of people pile into the group of people who like these games only because "I saw Platinum is making the sequel" It's a kind of we were here first scenario and it underplays the greatness of NIER and it's spinoffs when people only realize how "good" it is because Platinum happened to be developing the newest game. I'm not saying you're a bad person for being slow on the uptake or anything, all I'm saying is. It leaves a severely bad taste in my mouth when I see something gain mass appeal, because it almost always leads to bad things.

[@emptilion]

Panah Well, I wouldn't worry to much about Nier automata becoming super popular and mainstream. Platinum isn't terribly popular themselves you know. They are still in niche territory. NieR has only crawled out of the "completely unknown to the majority of gamers" status.

[@WarteryMind]

The easiest way to enjoy Yoko Taro games is to just embrace the insanity and not think about it too hard.

[@iota-09]

but i like thinking so hard my head explodes, it's what makes me feel living, after a whole year, has your opinion changed toward that too?

[@GuillieDaShogun]

@@iota-09 How are you feeling about this comment 2 months later?

[@iota-09]

@@GuillieDaShogun less or more the same, i still love overthinking stuff although i try to choose more carefully on what to overthink. Games, especially ones from yoko taro keep being among the things i like to overthink.

[@veranet99]

I don't think I would have enjoyed this game more than I enjoyed this video. Thank you!

[@jpeg1991]

So I watched this when it was first uploaded on having vaguely heard of Nier. However, this video dragged me into the whole series and lore. Since then I've played and completed Drakengard and Nier: Automata and they've been wonderful experiances. I've since had to have a copy of the original Nier shipped from the US to the UK just to play this and I have to say, despite how little fun you've had with it, I'm having some of the most fun gaming than I've had in years. The lore to the whole series is so in depth it sucks you in, and the gameplay, especially after being softened to it with Automata, is actually really fun and any short comings can be forgiven for the games experimentation in genre. I'm still early on in Nier, but I've had a wonderful time so far, and now I can't wait to play the bat shit insane Drakengard 3.