Drakengard 2 | A Complete History and Retrospective

[@kingimura2430]

I literally just watched Eruptionfang's almost 7 hour long video on the entire NieR timelime a couple weeks ago. I love how the NieR series and Drakengard series are written and presented, and I'm totally looking forward to any new works from Yoko Taro.

[@viderevero1338]

That's what got me into Drakkenguard and Yoko Taro games overall as well. 😂

[@sspd077]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5TMcqyLlt-ni5I the 4 min and 30 second mark when movie scene starts.

[@radagonsoreseal3457]

The only reason 2 is hated is because it had no involvement with Yoko which is the whole reason people play his games because he has a special touch to them. That being said I don't think 2 is near as bad as people claim.

[@blairfujin]

It's pretty much as mediocore in its gameplay as 1 but without taro's stuff that elevated 1 to some it's... just that - mediocore, not really bad, just meh

[@ScourJful]

Tbf saying people disliked 2 for that reason is disingenuous. People dislike 2 not only because it has the same gameplay issues form 1, but it also lost what made 1 so special despite it's gameplay being so mediocre. 2 isn't a horrible game, but all things considered it really lacks everything that mad both Drakengard 1 and 3 well loved. Not to mention I'd argue 2 also just has the worst storytelling somehow in large unnecessary essays of lore dumps everywhere as well the story being pretty bland.

[@ags8507]

it just repeats the same problems as the first game but doesnt have those wacky/insane story elements to make it up for it, its almost your typical bad jrpg game, there is a good reason the game is liked by very few

[@KOTEBANAROT]

Sawako natori had a way bigger influence on how drakengard 1 turned out to be though...

[@andrewtarasenko2976]

It's best out of trilogy in my opinion. I've had the best time playing this one specifically

[@tlozfreak888]

Caim grinning is such a great face. Probably my favorite thing from this game. Not that it has a lot of competition.

[@jakefoley9539]

The cutscene where Caim and Angelus finally reunite and die together is one of the most emotional moments I've experienced in any video game. People talk about Taro being such an emotional puppet master but for me he has yet to achieve anything even close to that in any of the other Drakengard or Nier games.

[@Road_to_Dawn]

I have yet to personally play any of the Drakengard games or Nier Automata, but there was one scene in particular that hit me really hard in Nier Replicant, where… [spoilers] Fyra was killed by the wolves right after her wedding in Facade. It seemed like a real injustice to her after her hardships as a child, to finally grow up and go from nothing to becoming the queen, right before she’s murdered, I felt rage against the wolves and wanted her avenged as the rest of the party did.

[@maximilianoramirez9489]

Really? I feel like the Nier games exceeded in that and made even more powerful moments. Like when 9S and 2B find Emil's hideout.

[@DemonLordSparda]

Some stuff in Nier Replicant and Automata are way more emotionally impactful for me personally.

[@mr.raider7865]

Opening act to nier replicant is extremely rough

[@pickedceasar1216]

Eh I think the canon ending of Drakengard 3 is way more emotional Same with pretty much anything involving 2b

[@Nicholas339]

Happy SonDay! I'm proud of you enduring through 2 and I hope you stay strong for 3 and the jank and uhhh dialogue

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Sonday!

[@martinnolhaf3151]

@@YourFavoriteSon1 monday is saved

[@GiubileiFernando]

I literally just found your channel because of the Drakengard 1 video and you uploaded a Drakengard 2 video by the time I finished watching 😂

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Good timing

[@julinofooly]

He’s so consistently good at that 😂 happened to me when I watched yakuza 0 then the next one came out!

[@Alpheus_09C]

Lmao, I'm the exact same. It's thanks to him I'm buying both nier games

[@oyxnova4519]

Same here too lol

[@iamthehobo]

Yeah, our son has a really impressive output. You should have seen him beating and reviewing a Yakuza game a week for like 3 months.

[@Antimakker]

Not gonna lie... My guy you are the best video essayist when it comes to games, really enjoying your videos.

[@ShadowWolfRising]

Zhangpo was likely going to be a boss originally, but probably got cut. If I'm not mistaken, there is art for him showing his pact creature and what he lost in the pact. He was bonded with Ifrit. He was born Pre-mature, so he was motivated to eat alot to get strong to makeup for it, but he also clearly enjoyed it. He lost his sense of taste. Also this wasn't mentioned in the previous game's review, but that Priest got the most absurdly lucky pact price when he made a pact with his dragon. He lost his hair. Just his fucking hair. For added What the fuckery, apparently out of all the pact makers, he regrets the price he paid the most............Yes, that's including all of them both enemy and ally, he regrets his loss more than Arioch and Hanch. Somehow. Granted it was because he was a huge ladies man so.....'Shrug', Hanch was a happy child, whose charm and smile warmed the entire village she was from..........And then she fell in the water and the Kelpie formed a pack with her. She lost her charm in the pact. Needless to say, this fucked her up mentally (Not unlike the Baby eating Elf from the previous game, who lost her womb and went insane as a result with her pact.) (Kinda bizarre though, looking at her she's not particularly bad looking, especially sitting her next to Zhangpo so.....'Shrug'.). For an added Bonus, she's also the one who made the poison that killed Nowe's adopted father and then one meant to kill Nowe himself. Name: Caim Job: Murdering People. Emotional State: 'While Murdering People.' Loving this shit. Yaha made his pact in an attempt to make Ulrik love him (It gave him the power to Charm People.......I bet Hanch was pissed when she found out.). He also had sex with a bunch of the Knights (And Verdelet the Priest from 1, who apparently is Bisexual.). He lost his ability to feel Pleasure in his pact (Again, Ironic Prices for each of them.......granted Looking back not entirely sure why Caim's pact price was his ability to speak. (Ok, apparently the reason was it was his last anchor to his humanity, his ability to communicate with people.........Which given how much he loves murder anyway, doesn't seem like the worst price.).). Gismor's Pact Partner is a Shadow, which made him lose his Physical body in his pact Deal..........Which given he can resume his normal form, even if as an Illusion, and he can still touch things, makes it seem his Pact Deal is the most bullshit and It doesn't seem to actually have a downside. Even the Priest regrets his hair loss due to being vain and a Womanizer (And whatever the equivalent for Chasing men is.). Interestingly, he was apparently a Soldier of the Empire in 1 and was persecuted for it. Also you fight Shadows in 1 who have similar powers as him, so that's actually kinda neat. As for good old Luca Blight, but Protagonist and somehow crazier Caim.........Apparently he and Angelus had Romantic feelings for each other by the end. Which is wild. So as for Nowe's parents. ...............Uh, so remember when Inuart put Furiae's corpse in the seed? Yeah uh........so his also fell into it.........and some of Legna's blood..........All 3 are his biological parents. He's technically Caim's nephew.

[@jakefoley9539]

just wait till these content creators find out about Nero

[@KOTEBANAROT]

Some points on verdelet, while a lot of these pact comments were made tongue in cheek, what verd actually regrets is the fact that he has no friends because after he lost his good looks, he had to take up a job of a priest, forever chained to his solitude. He makes remarks about being envious of caims connection with angelus, even saying that his pact partner was never close to him even before he turned to stone. He also repeatedly wanted to make friends with furiae as he felt they had similar struggles but was rebuffed by her. He does feel kinship with her and feels very badly about her situation to the point of crying. In the Drakengard judgement manga, written by the cowriter of drak and nier (she actually wrote a lot more stuff than YT ever did, he was only responsible for the core ideas and Leonard's character and plotline) (no, shes not jun eishima either), verd is given more dimension. He was pre-pact in the manga, still had hair, and was a priest, and he was in a weird sort of relationship with the goddess that came before furiae. The goddess indulged in relationships with men as she felt the world owed it to her because shes sacrificing her life for it. She made attempts to bed verdelet as well and was repeatedly rejected by him, except for when she was about to die. She asked him to hold her (echoing furiaes words in drak1, no, its not censorship they both use the word "hold"), and apparently they end up doing it. I love that story because its so twofold - verd tries hard to be the priest people require, includng rejection of the thing he loves most, and in his falling to goddess' request he also falls from grace; on the other hand, its a request of a dying woman he does care about and he wants to give her some comfort. She dies smiling and he sets off to brand a new goddess (furiae)

[@GPhipps]

As for why Caim's pact price is what it is, the running theory I usually see and that I read was mentioned by the writers (can't confirm that myself), is that he loses the main means of expressing himself as a person. All he can do is act and, without the ability to hold a conversation with non pact partners, he's effectively trapped in his habitual murder. Considering his moments of humanity often get (understandably) glossed over by characters and audience alike in favour of discussing his bloodlust, it's a fitting price. In the novelisation, he's instead explicitly into his sister Furiae, but being unable to express this verbally when he learns her feelings, she interprets it as denial and kills herself, thereby making it rather severe, unlike what Angelus thought. It's a novel only element, but it's a solid reason for his pact price being what it is. It does gel nicely with how the price ultimately damages his interactions with Manah, since he somewhat mellows out with her, but, being unable to express it still looks like he's out to make her miserable, leading to her tricking him and stabbing him in the eye. Gives the idea that a pact price can be something that would have only shown value at a later point.

[@qwefg3]

Hanch with her loss of charm meant that while she looks normal ... Most normal people are unable to find her attractive. Think of it as an ugly curse as everyone else is unable to find her attractive. In much the same way how losing 'time' still allows someone to grow and change even if they are no longer unable to physically change or grow literally older with the benefits and cons of not being a child. Pacts are crazy like that.

[@Speznas96]

I get why people enjoyed Drakengard 1 and 3 but honestly the music in Drakengard 2 was something else. I really enjoyed listening to those tracks back then because they did fit into the dungeons and scenes perfectly. And tbh i liked the story unfolding and the romance between Nowe and Manah didnt feel forced at all. It just so happened over time.

[@Thiago_Alves_Souza]

I wonder if after the Nier saga, if we're ever gonna get a Draken sequel to see what happened to their world once things were happening in our world during the Nier years.

[@davidbird7328]

Well the watchers probly destroyed it

[@koladearasanmi2005]

How would love to get a remake of the 1 and 3 as I like the story but the combat doesn't hold up anymore

[@Comkill117]

I love how the instant the watchers are back Manah immediately gets possessed again.

[@0ctopusComp1etely]

High Five for the "2nd Ending, Best Ending" Bros. It's still pretty jank, but I feel the world still being at war and reality shifting towards new territory is much more interesting than the alternatives. Plus it lets me imagine an entire culture of people forming pacts with dragons to fight in epic battles against automatons and potentially giant stone babies, and that just pleases the inner 12 year old in me to no end. Cool stuff can just be cool sometimes. I doubt Drakengard 2 is ever going to get its own sequel (justifiably), but if it does, I hope the developers use the 2nd ending.

[@ktktktktktktkt]

I had avoided content related to Drakengard 2 since I was under the impression it wasn't canon. Although it isn't quite a Yoko Taro story, it was still interesting.

[@SageofStars]

I always get annoyed when people call Nowe an idiot. Because he's not. He is, in fact, a genius in many ways. Raise from birth by Legna, he was found at 6-10 years old(It is very unclear specifically when) by the Knights, and then had to be taught human language, culture, and norms, and then took up sword training. In at most 12 years, this guy learned not only everything an adult is expected to know about fighting in, if not the history and oddities of his world, but also became a master swordsman to the point where he can fight men twice to three times his age with ease, and in larger numbers. Some of that is his nature, but not all of it, they comment on his skill with a blade a few times. So no, he's not an idiot. Worse yet, like Ethan Winters of Resident Evil or Yuito Sumerugi of Scarlet Nexus he's ignorant of some things because people deliberately withhold information from him...plus he DOES tell Eris that jerkwad poisoned him, once he's got the poison itself out of his system. While he's stumbling around, barely conscious, and reeling from what he heard, he's not really in a state to explain anything to anyone.

[@GPhipps]

He makes generally sound decisions with the information he has. It's odd how he's ignorant of some things, but on ths other hand we don't really know how many people were aware of the human sacrifice stuff with the seals. Also, like you say, being raised by Oror fairly late in childhood for a relatively short time, it'd be hard to give him a comprehensive education on the world. The missable scene with Oror and what we know of him also highlights that he actively raised Nowe to think with his heart first and to help people. So Nowe's just acting like you'd expect anyone to with his upbringing. The main problem is probably that in the District of Hallowed Water he and Eris don't sit down and talk things out for longer like you'd expect old friends to do. It doesn't sit well, but other than that, he's just a nice person who makes reasonable decisions on limited information. He at least gets a solid send off in the novelisation, where, from what I gathered from garbled google translate and other people's comments, he decides to actively reform the knights with Seere's help and reflects on his experiences, and in the anniversary novella, apparently does a pretty phenomenal job as leader of the knights. I think the novelisation is more ending C and the novella is mkre ending A. Can't be sure though, but if so it means Nowe's undeniably extremely competent in at least two canonical timelines.

[@Harakengard]

I might be in the minority here but i actually prefer Drakengard 2 over the first one : don't get me wrong, Nowe is your very generic JRPG protagonist, it's not good looking to say the least. However, being a Muso fan, i really liked the gameplay : i felt the feedback was good and the weapons variety as well as the different characters made up for the repetitive aspect. I also really liked the soundtrack and why exposition heavy (which didn't bother me back then), i found the story to be really captivating. Now keep in mind, i played Drakengard 2 before the 1st game. But considering how much more interesting it looked, i was obsessed finding it... And i was massively disappointed. Not only the gameplay felt completely lifeless and boring (even as a muso fan i can't stress how boring the gameplay felt), i wasn't even fan of the writting : sure, it's tragic but why would i care? If it's just a succession of tragedy one after another, i will just stop myself from caring for the characters and thus caring for the events of the game's world. Both Niers would later do FAAAR better than both Drakengards 1 and 2 on that regard (among many others) : there's still tragedy but there are also lighter scenes to be sure you're not accustomed emotionally. While i sure respect Taro, i think Drakengard 1's writting is pretty overstimated (not that it makes Drakengard 2's writting something incredible in comparison). A few things about the second game that aren't mentionned here though : Legna is also the dragon who killed Caim's parents and Inuart's partener. Also, Nowe is more or less Caim's nephew (which could explains why Caim's tried to protect him).

[@viderevero1338]

I was so hyped for this video. Really starting to get into that Yoko Taro rabbit hole (though this game doesnt have Yoko Taro's involvement)

[@Yuriel1981]

I feel like Drakengaard 2 is the the first failed Branch that Accord examines. Making it really only important in knowing what happens if the canon ending in Drakengaard doesnt take place at all.

[@disappointedcustomer2072]

DROP THE DAMN KINGCOBRA DOC!!

[@ZephyrFate]

“Exhausted on the holy land” is still one of the all time great videogame tracks.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

I've fallen behind with between being busy and having a few of the people I follow releasing a large number of long videos. I will watch this later but your videos never disappoint, regardless to whether I have played the game or not. Proud of you son.

[@ImPoopnRightNow]

Long critique videos? Any suggestions? I'm always looking for nerdy long form game critiques.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

@@ImPoopnRightNow Not all of the ones I was talking about were about video games but here are the ones I follow. No particular order. They have a variety of styles too. Noach-Caldwell Gervais Joseph Anderson NeverKnowsBest IFinishedavideogame Thegamingmuse GmanLives Upisnotjump AvalancheReviews Recevick Nick930 Luke Stephens GVMERS LazerzZ Cvit RagnarRox

[@zekecontreras77]

Every little detail and animation was on point and hilarious! Way to go Speedoru!

[@KageNoTenshi]

if i remember there was quite a bit of detail added each different times you replay, it shows viewpoints from other characters that you didn't know from the first play

[@deohere7647]

I rented this from a blockbuster when I was 14. I felt as if I was too old for it and wondered what happened to Drakengard.

[@direfury]

you didn't mention that Nowe was the product of the fusion of Inuart and Furiae in the Seed of Destruction and that Legna was Inuart's dragon evolved

[@KajorArtStudios]

Hey there, son. I'm really enjoying the series so far. You're doing a great job. Me and my girlfriend actually started watching this series together and we're really enjoying it. Can't wait to see your video on Drakengard 3. Keep up the good work.

[@Heretic_real]

Hyped for that drakengard 3 video!

[@VoltitanDev]

No wonder DrakenGuard 2 felt so different it's under new management and executive meddling. What i mever understand about executives sometimes is that if a game is popular enough to get a sequel why change the thing that made it unique, the ground gameplay i would understand but the dark tone is part of its identity.

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

How do you feel about Drakengard 2 Dad? 🐲

[@thomasstone3480]

seems like kinda a bummer

[@TheDiscoGenre]

Mediocre as hell with some good ideas (Brother Nier is basically Nowe done correctly)

[@acetown2263]

I came for cobes and stayed for your actually pretty good breakdowns of video game lore.

[@TheT3rr0rMask]

Square Enix wanting to dump the heavy themes just baffles me. If someone didn't buy the first one for that reason would they buy the sequel anyway? Still received an M rating in the US too so partially pointless. Biggest of all (idk if its recognition was different back then, so forgive me if I'm wrong) the original's themes WERE what gave it life and an audience. This kinda direction is what keeps assured buyers away and you can't bet newcomers will be down all of a sudden. Goofballs sitting in chairs "know how to sell video games".

[@KevinMCable]

A space tale that involves dragons... Im so glad he got to work on ff14 a little bit. Still my favorite alliance raid.

[@sakuracila]

i've watched both of your drakengard videos so far, big fan of these! really excited to see a drakengard 3 review as well, it's my favorite of them all

[@martinnolhaf3151]

Heyhey, another Video to watch while at Work. Thanks Son for the hard Work that makes mine bearable!

[@meowy2k]

loving this series son!!

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[@Letsplay1332]

Constantly hitting on series I'm looking back on, feeling lucky.

[@yucatansuckaman5726]

Whens the cobra vid coming out?

[@azk9218]

Thanks! Played through Drakengard, Nier Replicant and Nier Automata, on my way through Branch C in Drakengard 3. But I thought that I don't have guts to play Drakengard 2, the first one was cool because of Yoko Taro's charm in it. Still, I'm curious how they played the second game. Now I know who's Eris (Eris Spear in Drakengard 3) and from where Manah's stuff originate as DoD3 DLC EDIT: halfway through video I realised I might actually want to play it, so stopped watching :D

[@germjam1733]

only here for the Cobra documentary

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Sunday

[@germjam1733]

@@YourFavoriteSon1 twu

[@jpower1414]

​@@YourFavoriteSon1TMDWU

[@carruthers2915]

The "wierd blur" in cutscenes may be caused by the pcsx2 emulator. That ghosting effect you seen to have I've seen in other games I've emulated too. If you see that happen in a future emulation you should try looking up fixes in the settings. A common fix seems to be messing with the "manual hardware fixes" settings

[@francisco646]

Hey, Son, do you occasionally take requests? I know this isn't an older game, but I've been having a blast with a game called Astlibra Revision and I'd love to hear your take on it. It was made over a span of 15 years, and it has such a beautiful story and soundtrack! I had no idea what to expect going into it, and it continued to blow my mind every step of the way. Either way, keep up the awesome work. Always super fun to watch your content.

[@codman4372wx]

Ive actually gotten all endings twice. At first i didnt actually care too much for it, but upon my second playthrough, its grown on me a bit

[@RazorBladezX]

Hey son. Can’t wait to sit down to watch this video later today. Excited to see what you say !

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@eppinizer]

Yay! Another Sunday morning brightened by your content. Thanks as always, Son.

[@GeaForce]

I like that Urik guy... He reminds me of Leonard for some reason

[@EpicurusStan]

Yessss! I never got the chance to play this one, or the third. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them.

[@Lorendrawn]

I loved this game, but only as a kid. It actually turned me on to the omegaforce likes. The world was fascinating. Now I wouldn't be patient enough to play through it

[@FullOut]

New video! Love to see it!

[@YEETUSDAFEETUS]

watched the first last night then this happens you've made your old man proud son

[@bradsheaks4811]

This series desperately needs a remake/reboot

[@user-mg1pj2vt9l]

44:50 reminds me of the Yorha bunker

[@RictuSlayer]

Never played 2 but did 1 and 3, I wonder if 1/3 are viewed different in retrospective now that we know Yoko Taro better thanks to Nier Automata. I remember working at gamestop from holiday 2010-13 and the only real memories I have of 2 is noting how rare I saw people trading copies in(probably due to low sales in the first place) and Nier was just always chilling in our preowned under $20 bin. Eventually when Automata became a hit I was shocked considering how little of the original Nier I remembered actually selling lol

[@alexrod8305]

I'm proud of you son. You know your stuff

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Thanks Dad

[@saltiney8578]

The drakengard series would be excellent for a remake I loved the first game but the game with large scale viewing distance and other things modern day hardware can acheive would be cool to see.

[@Buzz3092]

I take a little psychic damage time I hear C-eye-m, but hearing Caim pronounced correctly right after was a fucking critical hit. I’m a nonbeliever, but I’m still praying we don’t hear the story of Zeh-ro/Russ in the next retrospective. I joke, but I love the retrospectives. It’s just that mispronouncing the name of a major character from multiple games with voice acting feels weird. Like you’re either trying to bait comments like this or you just play through the game on mute and don’t listen to your own video after editing. The content is too high quality for me to believe it’s the latter, but the bait is such a big distraction.

[@IMPOSING-NOOB2233]

release the documentary!!!!!

[@jenniferrannila1414]

Yeah Drakengard 2 had its improvements in the gameplay side of things, but making Taro a minor cutscenes editor was probably a mistake because his eccentric story telling process in the first game was what made that game as fascinating as it is. And replacing him with a yes man who just made the game have a generic fantasy story just made its flaws stick out more than Drakengard 1's did.

[@Vanity0666]

Idk I think it's really good still, it's just way more subtle about the themes it's trying to convey where Taro just puts it out there in your face and challenges you to enjoy it

[@theoktonos]

nobody "made" Taro do anything, he didn't want to be involved in the sequel so Cavia took it upon themselves

[@Wingman_T25]

(Nvm you already did I’m just stupid and didn’t look 😅)….I would honestly love to see you talk about Yakuza and Judgement. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how the series evolved and changed. Think it would be incredibly interesting. Keep up the great work! Love your channel

[@Road_to_Dawn]

I believe he actually already has done videos on most of them

[@Wingman_T25]

@@Road_to_Dawn hold up for real? I must be trippin then 😂 lemme go look for I make a fool of myself

[@Wingman_T25]

@@Road_to_Dawn shit. 😂

[@user-mg1pj2vt9l]

This game is underrated, the last plot twist with Legma kind of broke my heart. I think people just don't like it because its not made by Yoko Taro

[@Emmerlaus007]

The orbs for special dragon powers dont appear if you destroy a target by locking on them and destroying them with autofire. You need to destroy them by attacking them directly. And, unpopular opinion, I actually loved Drakengard 2 a lot more than he first one.

[@dansan6294]

I liked seeing caim again and how he was shown but in general the writing in this game was so fucking bad

[@BurghezulDjentilom]

first ! thanks son for weathering this game, if only it weren't named drakengard it would have been seen better, but not by much

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Wasn't great haha

[@BurghezulDjentilom]

@@YourFavoriteSon1 well, I hope the frame rate gods bless you for D3 lol btw are you doing the original replicant or the remake ? I think it would be interesting to cover both in a way as to highlight the better gameplay for the remake but the (in my opinion) tighter soundtrack for the original, things like that. Keep it up son, proud of you !

[@schribbler1592]

This was a PS2 game I got with my console at Christmas many years back. I admit it has its issues, but my god was it content full. So much you could unlock and do for that era, and on a console. I agree that Drakengard 1 was much better in terms of story, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart. Editt: never tried 3. The PS2 was my last Sony Console. If anyone has some hints to where I might acquire the third game, I would be grateful.

[@FPoP1911]

The only sonshine I appreciate these days.

[@KoalaMarch77]

There is NOWE you won't make a video about Drakengard 3, right?

[@hundun5604]

29:59 small correction; Gnomes, not goblins.

[@calemr]

The comments on Nowe being a generic hero who does as he's told Does seem a recurring theme. And, to add to that, it seems to usually end badly. And then, by the end, he rejects Legna's orders, and that's when he's able to gain power and do something Actually heroic. Is this intentional? I dunno. Maybe?

[@Firedrake-SP]

I honestly wish Drakengard 2 would let the player choose either Eris or Manah as Nowe's lover.

[@theeagleswill2928]

I cant wait to spend lets say 6hrs watching the full retrospective of all the games in the entire series drakenguard 1,2,3 nier and neir automaton with all supplental media lezzzz gooooo

[@ThisIsTheTowne]

Ffxvi has me. But I'll watch this. Your comprehensive look is always thorough and generously fair to games without shying away from what doesn't work mechanical and/or personally. Just good stuff

[@bimoprasetyo6862]

A DRAKENGARD 2 content, Thank You 🎉 Most of the Nier & Drakengard Fans have a Strong Dislike for this Entry and i Doubt Yoko Taro would even bring up this Game anytime soon because of the "Conflicting Timeline" with the Nier Franchise, But.. Compared to the Entirely Tragic Lore of Nier, Having an Actual Happy Timeline, Feels Bittersweet even thou it Most Likely will be Forgotten. But Hey... It was Nice While it Last.

[@user-mg1pj2vt9l]

Its odd that yoko taro had no involvement but i can see some resemblance of some if the things of this game in others. Flying Nowe reminds me of the flight units.

[@solomonchild3398]

I like when the dragon says "dont listen to the women they will lead you astray"

[@captainkaiju2273]

Were you playing on an emulator? I never had the blurry cutscene issue on both physical copies I have like you seem to

[@captainkaiju2273]

Yeah it has to be an emulation issue, cause checking my PS2 copies I don’t have the blurry cutscenes at all. Can’t really say it’s a fault of the game when that’s not the case

[@jenniferrannila1414]

He did say he played on an emulator which makes sense because copies of the game on the PS2 are mega expensive.

[@a1uptactics358]

When’s the cobra doc coming?

[@VoltitanDev]

Drakenguard 2 is the diet coke Drakenguard

[@Blarglesnarfe]

I feel like I'm the only person in the world who loves this game at times. I feel it really respects and draws outward on so many concepts and ideas from Drakengard 1... for the most part! It NAILS Caim and Angelus and gives them an outstanding send-off. It does not undo what the world is like, this is just a greener cracksack world. Nothing Nowe can do can stop war, death, or the world ending. His dumbass heroics nearly end the world. It's less "Which is the least bad ending" like D1, and more "What ending do I think is right" (aside from the final shitty ending *maybe*). Like, Nowe and Manah are right, the system is awful. And it flatly has to exist because otherwise humanity DIES. Or would you rather have dragon war? I dunno, it recontextualizes Seere from a bland goody two-shoes, I really like Manah, Urick, and Eris, Legna is hilarious... Idk! I like this game.

[@FerLopez5]

I remember playing this when it came out, I don't have fond memories of it, the gameplay is very repetitious, restrictive and after the third level or so you are just so fed up, added that with a sickness i had at the time and things not gowing my way in the past I can't say I miss it, except for the music, also whenever i hear people saying they want to reach a "wider audience" I want to throw up, you know it ia bad thing is on the way when studios start to meddle with the artistic vision

[@NebLleb]

Drakengard 2 is a bit like another sequel to a cult classic game from the 2000s, BloodRayne 2, which I've actually played: They change certain things (writing for one, gameplay for the other) for the worse, but improve on major faults from their predecessors (gameplay for Drakengard 2, plot and writing for BloodRayne 2). I'll freely admit that of the two Drakengard sequels, THIS is the one I'll play as the gameplay is meant to be a massive improvement and the story is still meant to be good, though not as great as 1's. Considering Drakengard 3 bought back the jank and apparently featured a DREADFUL, needlessly profane, extremely horny localisation that killed the series dead in its tracks and even somehow managed to derail the protagonist Zero in the same game she made her debut (from what I've been told, she was meant to be a nihilist neutral who showed little emotion except to her dragon partner and those close to her out to rid herself of a most peculiar Watcher plague in the original Japanese script, the dub derailed her into an annoying villain protagonist who yells swear words constantly), I think I'll take my chances with the sequel that focused on the gameplay rather than the tone and plot just this once.

[@jakefoley9539]

Even the tone and plot of 2 are closer to the first game. 3 legitimately feels like its from a different series, and I say that as someone who kinda likes 3.

[@TheDiscoGenre]

tfw this ramble reminds me that 2B suffers similar localization issues to Zero, but they aren't as damaging/idiotic. Also doesn't help 2B is a fake protag/coomer bait.

[@thatitalianlameguy2235]

it's supposed to be like that cry about it dk3 is cool

[@GiubileiFernando]

I have a theory that the "Gods" are an evolution of the leftover beings from Nier Automata, the ones that shot out in the Ark. Even if this game is in a different timeline, it says that Dragons created humans "from the Gods" which could mean that the Gods either are humans or, more likely, shaped themselves in the image of humans like Machines and Androids do. In this way the whole franchise is a cycle were humans are created in the image of gods and they themselves inspire other being into elevating them to the status of those gods in the first place. The logic virus transforms into the Red Eye disease, too. It's not exactly a time-loop, more like a neverending chain of alternate timelines infecting each other and repeating the same basic events. The Ark is clearly related to the Cathedral City that changed the world of Midgard and brought magic and monsters to that version of Earth.

[@spiteu9272]

Solid work, Son. TMDWU

[@j11mz16]

i got this when i was like 10, i had no idea what was going on

[@Drizznaut]

oh that's why.

[@jonbigcawk]

I love you son, you make me proud

[@ricardomiles2957]

i dropped the game in that tower, it was too hard for me. holy i was nearly finishing that game

[@toawing]

I think if ending B was the default, with say 2 more (to fit this games number) that are increasingly bleak would of worked better. To fit standard jpg conventions the second could of had Manah survive while Eris died, Nowe uses the bone casket to save Manah with the help of the gods who seem to have a fondness for her. Ending with a Manah in a red dress linking back to her younger self who seems to of been reverted back to her more pliable self, Nowe who now has prominent red eyes and a great feeling that we have messed up. Multiple call backs to the original including the grotesques I'm not sure what the third would have exactly, it would feel right to have Nowe, Eris and Manah overcome their issues to do the right thing but all having to die for that to happen. Perhaps have after their deaths Legna step up for the final boss, not for the dragons but to honor Nowe. The theme of a father son bond being used here in a very dark, drakengard way. Oh and to symbolise this maybe have Legna take a new form, based somewhat on Angelus's chaos form

[@Kezzabezza]

Heya. New here and wondering why you always say bye dad?

[@theedwardian]

The title "drag-on dragoon" sounds like a self-deprecating joke because of how tedious the game can be.

[@Trizzle2Jernts]

Anyone remember playing Ninety-Nine Nights (N3) for the 360?

[@AidenAlias]

Man they really did make this one a typical rpg story. Maybe layering so much controversy all in the first game was a bit excessive but this is to much of a course correction

[@Beavernator]

Looking forward to Drakengard 3 and the battle with framerate... 👁👄👁

[@k92ful]

Tnx mate

[@MrPAPA-sp7gt]

Good job, son.

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@R3prieve]

Not a bad game all in all. Overhated nowadays.

[@Salciin]

I think the air combat had a big big downgrade in Drakengard 2. Angelus had some weight to her, which felt great in the sense, that she is a big and powerful dragon. Legna however feels like a literal paper airplane to me.

[@fumomofumosarum5893]

I did not like this game. I found it especially bad that they redconned Caim to be a psychopath... : / While the new protag was just super generic anime boy....

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

It's definitely not great

[@captainkaiju2273]

But they literally characterized Caim as bloodthirsty in the first game? He only had a turnaround because of his attachment to Angelus. So of course he became more unhinged when the one thing left that he cared about was going mad from the Seal, and affecting him as well.

[@KOTEBANAROT]

How is caim a psychopath? He is as ruthless as he is in the first game. He only kills to save angelus.

[@KotoCrash]

"Kai-um"

[@M3plusYOU]

Cobra video

[@samantha_t99]

Be patient, BOY.

[@vibe1337]

❤

[@novustalks7525]

The story makes no sense in this one and they made it generic which is the exact thing yoko taro wanted to avoid

[@banks3388]

This game isn't canon...