Most Philosophical Game Ever? - The Philosophy of NieR: Automata - Wisecrack Edition

[@itjustworks8193]

When i started i was like; hell yeah big booty anime bitches Around 48 hours later; what the meaning of life?

[@saltservice4024]

@@kevinremisch Hmm... Well, I guess the answer will just be straight in front of me... (nudge, nudge..wink wink..)

[@Jitts.the.caffeinated]

Welcome to absurdism, the game teases at Jean-Paul Sarte's school of thought in absurdist philosophy. However, Camus is the ultimate form of absurdism. In actuality, Nier Automata is more in the school of thought of Camus than Sarte, ironically enough. If I was to grossly oversimplify absurdism - it's anarchic atheism. The only rules that matter, are those that you decide for yourself. Unlike Sartre that used religious concepts like "bad-faith" to put a blanket of traditional morality of most major religions over the terrifying freedom we actually have as human beings (what loving God would allow the holocaust to happen?). So I concluded either: A. he doesn't exist or is sleeping soundly past the alarm clock, or B. He's a sick and twisted entity not worthy of worship. It's a long and absurd journey, but nothing builds self-confidence and a sense of self-worth like making a plan for yourself for your own life - and not waiting for some twisted deity to give you a purpose for its own amusement because some of us have heard "God works in mysterious ways" a dozen times too many. If there is exactly one thing I wish you would take away from this, I would hope you read Albert Camus's novel "The Myth of Sisyphus" It's a great starting point.

[@JB52520]

The meaning of life is to make more horrible humans so we can all stay trapped in hell.

[@ayingchanda]

Unfortunately modern science downgrade the meaning of life and atheistic philosophies suffocate life.

[@amoniousbt1110]

@@Jitts.the.caffeinated You could have said "a" but you had to whip out the ever publicized "The". You're programmed. Just as much as a person brought into a specific religion from birth. Question everything, especially the things that you are forbidden to question.

[@johngard15]

Deleting my save file was one of the most transcendent gaming experiences I have ever had; I was literally giggling with madness, compelled to see it through even after spending 60 hours to finish the game.

[@npalsensei]

I'm finishing the 2nd save playthrough now :P Worth it xP I'll keep this save though, I think I've sent enough of my will into the world.

[@johngard15]

Nikolas Pontikakis- surprisingly enough it does not allow you to sacrifice a second time.

[@npalsensei]

Oh, that's nice to know. So apparently not even the game wants to repeat the same circle. So much for that whole argument :P

[@johngard15]

LMAO, guess you're correct. I did have another friend propose a work-around if you're bound and determined to make pointless sacrifice in a truly nihilistic fashion: back up your game data before the first sacrifice so your game doesn't remember when you restore the backed up data.

[@npalsensei]

Btw, I just finished my 2nd save playthrough. It did ask for a sacrifice again.

[@Shadow11_]

I don't know why but at the end credits with other players helping made me cry. To me, it was like having friends help me during a tough time and it hit me hard. Maybe other people had the same thought or something completely different.

[@jesse3311]

They all came so far just so they could take a bullet for you. Seeing my failed reactions caused another to die for me hit so hard.

[@solara2966]

@@borbo23 how do you get this ending?

[@FalseH3]

It’s like the whole meaning of life and the point the game is trying to make hits you at once. That people matter and trying to help one another and show love is the best thing we can do with our lives. I was tearing up too!

[@holow3038]

@@solara2966 you need ending a,b,c and d after that the credits ask something ,then just say yes

[@solara2966]

@@holow3038 I got it thanks

[@SilverInThePitchBlack]

This is why I consider this one of the best games of all time. It actually uses the medium to tell a story in a way only video games could.

[@Kaithbk]

NoobPuncher0 whereever you are bro, if you are reading this let me tell you that your whole data helped me finish this beautiful game and i shared your gift with someone else. Thank you bro.

[@thewaydownmachine]

It's comments like this that make me want to an hero my save when I finish the game.

[@vicenteortegarubilar9418]

I was watching extra credits and they recommended me to whatch this, so here I am, but now wisecrack recommend to go watch that, so I suppose I will go to that, only to come back here in an endless cycle.

[@nicholasgilbert6621]

Nice meme

[@bungalowfeuhler1541]

They released them within one minute of each other.

[@flyskyhighml629313]

THEY HAVE TO TELL ME WHEN TOOOOOOOOOOOO STOPPPPPPPPPPPP

[@opfor_8876]

O SHIT

[@dmitrijsbondarenko7459]

A...complete circle you could say

[@elbana7346]

just give yoko taro an award already...

[@KuroNoTenno]

Or better yet, buy a copy of ten of NieR Automata, so he can have more booze money.

[@madscientistshusta]

@@KuroNoTenno i already bought 2 copys, yoko is my hero.

[@BitmapJack]

this fucking game is a bunch of useless philosophical questionings ,bunch of unnescessary questions , i think once you study philosophy in the university you start seeing these not so complicated , and less like a noob ,,like i did, i study psychology in the university ,and i had a philosophy teacher who shown us deeps of the psychology and phisolophy ,everything was clear with no myths i had when i didnt knew any of this....now i watch these videos of nier automata and all i can say when i watch it is WHAT A BUNCH OF SHIT HAHAHAHAHAHA what a bunch of pretentious bullcrap put together to sell this fucking game .....i also know why people get defensive if one criticize this shit ...and the answer is BOOBS AND BUTTS. .yea .because another thing i learn on the psychology study was about the sexual attachment and emotions ...the young nerds who actually masturbated to 2b (poor young bastards) HAVE A SPECIAL NEED TO DEFEND THIS GAME, you know ,,they are sexually and emotionally attached to this garbage ..

[@Justin-xk7yj]

@@BitmapJack What

[@gnuhgnauqneyugn]

@@BitmapJack dude, you are over-reacting. it's quite true that most of us are attracted by "boobs and butts" so that we started playing this game. but what you are wrong is, what holds us to keep playing the game is the STORY. like, how can a bastard invest such amount of time to just replay again and again for another endings without getting bored, even with sexual images of 2b? for me, i found 2b attractive at first, but sometime later she's just a lost character in a tragic story. you can't even get erection from that fact. also, philosophy is a deep meaning of the game that you have to actually use your brain after finishing the game in order to realize. people don't see it from the first sight, thus it's not commercial purposed. basically what i'm trying to say is, as people usually say: Come For The Booty Stay For The Feels

[@fireaza]

One element that the video seems to have overlooked is the themes of suicide. Both the machines and androids commit suicide, but for military androids, it serves the purpose they were created for. It's also completely inconsequential for them, as they can simply restore their backed up data to a new body afterwards. But for the machines, they only have one life to lead. Unsurprisingly, this means their reasons to commit suicide are very human. Reasons like fear in the face of complete hopelessness, obtaining a reward in some afterlife and to end suffering. That last point might be in support of euthanasia, as some machines survive their suicide attempt and end up in even more pain, which can only be ended by a mercy kill from 2B. This seems to say that for people who are desperate to end their lives, a quick, precise and painless method is a far better alternative than letting them do it themselves.

[@Phurzt]

It depends on the machine. Remember, the machine lifeforms are connected to a network that is effectively a hivemind. So only the machines that have disconnected from the network are actually committing suicide in the "mortal human" sense. Machines committing suicide while connected to the network is essentially like the network clipping a toe nail. This is why some machines are designed with the purposes of self-destruction like the machines who are effectively nothing more than a bomb with legs.

[@Max_G4]

The Android actually have something to sacrifice while commiting suicide. By commiting suicide, all of their data that is not saved, which is not always a possibility, is lost. It was seen many times throughout the game that they lose a part of themselves, such as 9S sacrificing his memories to upload 2B's in the first mission and then remembering nothing about 2B or what they did afterwards. Or any other time that he dies. They always lose some part of their personality and themselves. That also brings up the question if we are still the same without our memories or if we have a different body than before(when they transport etc.)

[@haseebhassan6955]

@@Max_G4 I am kinda late but if any of you played SOMA you would know that every 2b or 9s dies and the data they upload is just a copy of themselves so in reality they litterly commit suicide not knowing that they will be dead despite having their data backup

[@bobvella7228]

was thinking if every side quest results in misery, death, suicide.

[@jamieenoshima5147]

@@haseebhassan6955 That only applies with the belief that they have a soul tho? Doing a PC reset then importing all it's old saves is still the same machine or is it? Theseus ship. But to an android they where taught they don't have nor posess a soul. Do we possess a soul? That's very specific to SOMA because arguably the original humans where all already dead. And when I reset me PC it is gone it finishes. It does not linger on to be sad that my new saves are being played within a new flesh.

[@anthemlog]

"Uncle Pascal! Uncle Pascal! Play with us!" T_T

[@StardustKnight_]

🏳️ \ \ (• •) | || |_ _|] ^ ^

[@otakumartin4085]

Reudo_Ruediger I salute you.

[@Ingisen]

@@loverharu7351 Fear... I taught them fear... And it killed them. I cannot live with this heartbreak inside of me

[@ultragamer4465]

*"asobo"*

[@tristramcox4615]

Ouch...

[@braderickson9996]

A truly impressive analytical effort. Never heard of this game, it's amazing that this game even exists.

[@Naterkix]

You should give it a try. All of Yoko Taro's games have great stories but this is the first one that has good gameplay too. Drakengard 1&3 and Nier werent' _bad_ per se, just kinda clunky. Automata is actually quite fun (at least I think so), with Platinum Games style of acrobatic hack-y, slash-y, dodge-y goin' on with a chip system that you use chips (like computer chips, 'cause robots and whatnot) to increase or defense, add extra attack types and moves and a buncha other stuff. Just don't remove the OS Chip. Well, you can but just don't do it if you haven't saved in awhile.

[@JediKammy]

Naterkix S the moment I had access to the menu the first thing I did I was remove the OS because I thought the game was bluffing. I was then thrown into the tutorial again. Yes to suffering a slow ass tutorial I guess

[@generizze6243]

Brad Erickson nier 1 is 10x more fucked up than automata.. imho

[@S4ltyTar0]

It's not about being fucked up, Gene, and if it was Drakengard 1 would win hands down.

[@Hephaestus_God]

This game won best game music of 2017.. the soundtrack is stunning, and the game is fantastic.. you have to play the game 3 times in order to beat it, each time you get to play as a view point of all the main characters, and the 3rd time is when the game really hits the fan.

[@melchizedekpsj]

NieR: Automata is the best game I have ever played in my life.

[@gramdalon7686]

Same

[@zero5496]

same here

[@alexfranco2127]

I think it's game of the decade

[@chrisrog]

It's the worst game I have ever played in my life.

[@eliassenpai1313]

Melchizedek Phuah Siow Jin same here! 🌸

[@ChrisSmith-nx4zn]

Absolutely loved this video. I played through this game to get all 5 endings and the emotions and thoughts I were having were explained in this video. The game is fun as hell and just as smart. When I was fighting the ending credits it filled me with anger and despair when I kept dying. Then an overwhelming joy to know that so many people gave up their "lives" to help me get all the way to the end. And when I had the choice to delete my save file or sacrifice myself for someone I don't know, I paused for a moment and had to realize that if so many people did this for me, then I could do it for them. Even if I don't know them and most likely never will.

[@thelneffableus3236]

Vincent Circharo now 27 including the dlc one

[@zeromailss]

I don't care whether this is the game of the year or not, this game will forever be special to me

[@midnight-blade9413]

Same even tho i only watch the gameplay on youtube coz im poor

[@danielsantos6437]

The author of this has a great understanding of human psychology. I mean at some point in the game I got a reward in a quest, a fish called Mac(k)erel and both the description and the quest giver warned that it was lethally toxic to androids, but my curiosity got the better of me, I really wanted to know what this item effect was, so I clicked "use", and low and behold, the item did, exactly what it said it did. Curiosity, really killed the cat.

[@stefanolozardo9711]

Hahahaahaha underrated. I just thought: its 9S (I was in route B), he is not going to die for a fish. Then he.... dies, "but it was good although".

[@lunasmith9367]

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back

[@predalien1413]

Um that’s just a simple gag. Anyone come up with that prank.

[@nowherefool5869]

yea, ate the fish that came from jackass.. but i also caught another mackarel from the flooded city. would it have the same effect?

[@TheGerogero]

"All of man's unhappiness comes from his inability to stay peacefully, alone, in his room" -Blaise Pascal

[@christiantaylor1495]

That's literally what LAR is. Lay and rott.

[@xwildewalrusx1061]

FINALLY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS, Thx wisecrack

[@ShePudding]

If you really want to dive into the lore and overall themes of NieR (and other Yoko Taro games), might I recommend Clemps and ValkiriaAurora? They are wonderful youtubers who chew through every bit of the experiences this director has offered up over the years. Clemps is funny, VA has the voice of an angel, and best of all... you don’t need to devote 100 hours of your life to completing each title. It’s a blessing. 😇

[@ShePudding]

Kyle McCarley (voice of 9S) has a youtube account, and on it he and Kira (voice of 2B) lent their voices to a reading of the NieR:Automata stageplay. For free! Just soooooo good.

[@G_Rad_Ski]

Super Bunnyhop has a few good vids too. The lore is insane. Valkiria is the most in depth I have found though.

[@TheeCapN]

omg yes thank you. i wish games had book you can just read through because I can't play video games due to my life style. having the ability to just go through the themes and messages of games without having to invest 100s of hours would be amazing.

[@overlordlaharl1963]

Don't worry there are books. The downside is that they're not the same thing as the game it's just information about the games in books that aren't all translated. There's also the stage play. But since you can't play the game, I would also recommend you watch Clemps and then ValkiriaAurora. Clemps did longer story overview explaining the game important plot point, with more detail and precision than most channel, while including the important parts of the books and stage play. Plus he did the entire series from drakengard 1 to almost all of Nier Automata. Valkiria did some video that aren't as complete and that I wouldn't recommend first since they kind of spoil points, if you're gonna watch video about the whole game, but she goes into more details by having video focus on the entire story of specific character or things. So what I meant isn't that her video are incomplete in the sense of bad but more that they're better if you know the basic lore before watching them since you'll have the full context.

[@EduardBirkaya]

Yeah Wisecrack just covered the tip of the iceberg

[@Usagizaka46]

Mind blowing that even by sacrificing our save files, we too are in the cycle of death and rebirth in the Nier universe. This game becomes more and more profound the more I look into it.

[@mattg6106]

Definitely became my favorite game of all time after I finished the true ending. This is probably the only story I've ever seen that was told in such a way that any other form of media (show, movie, book, etc.) wouldn't have been nearly as successful. It really is a perfect video game story that takes advantage of game mechanics and limitations as a means to further its narrative.

[@reflexlevel0744]

NieR:Automata is my favourite game ever! Ending E is mindblowing. I am not an emotional person but god damn I cried so hard during ending E

[@cosminroman5878]

nah

[@cosminroman5878]

play the talos principle.

[@unknownname3703]

i've never cried at a game before but ending e and the weight of the world still makes me cry

[@russman2114]

Go play first nier game

[@reflexlevel0744]

@@russman2114 I will, when the remake comes out :)) (it't comming out in 10 days I think)

[@android19willpwn]

The philosophy of Nier: Automata is that 9S is a precious pure boy who must be protected.

[@kyokyoniizukyo7171]

Android 19 True, True...

[@Caseyuptobat]

Angsty edgeboi, belongs in the trash.

[@Edible_Kittens]

I want to bully his boipuss

[@electricboxers9043]

2B is shotacon can confirm

[@gouri175]

true, he is a precious angel that must be protected from all those philosophic, weapon wielding, nihilist assholes that were responsible for his downward spiral to insanity, murder and rage.

[@francesco8000]

"Came for sweet robotic ass and combat, stayed for the story and feelings" -Literally every person that played Nier: Automata

[@jewelbell5]

uh, no...freaks that like a cartoon ass....just no.

[@TheJarJarKinks]

Ironically, I think you're in the minority, jewebell5. Dubious about how many will admit it, though.

[@wallacesousuke1433]

jablue thirsty virgin and proud of that, eh?

[@TheJarJarKinks]

Just thirsty, but yeah.

[@wallacesousuke1433]

jablue xD

[@daniellanders9825]

You guys actually helped me pass my philosophy and film courses. Thanks!

[@jurgenshantz4273]

Daniel Landers that’s hilarious man

[@ElMaiku]

What? No learning allowed?

[@ah.3487]

Congratulations!

[@AdarColussi]

Great Video! Nier: Automata is the best Gaming experience I had in my life. It is also the only game for me, that when it asked me to delete my game and restart from scratch, I didn't feel bad about losing progression or felt like it sucked... Seeing and going through the 'E' End credits just warms your heart in a way no other game does.

[@senseihEnRY16]

my biggest question about the game is what kind of god gamers able to survive the final credits and sacrifice their entire game data to help me? To them i say, thank you

[@stevocon8521]

My GOTY last year, which is saying something because of Persona 5

[@cosminroman5878]

divinity original sin 2 should have been goty.

[@Dev-nr4dw]

Stevo Con Which is saying nothing because Persona 5 is disappointing trash. Fuck that game,there were FAR better JRPGs and RPGs released that year. It's not even RPG anymore because; most of your choices don't even matter , most of the characters are trash,Mementos is one of the most shittiest dungeons in an RPG(Yes,Tartarus is MUCH better)(and the mid-game is horrible), all the things that make RPGs great.Every other thing besides the combat and style is botched. The biggest mistake is Shido's palace.The game hypes it up so much but it turned out disappointing and Akechi was the only good part of this shit. It was disappointing just so that they could pull of a plot-twist. Fuck this shit,they made me go through this shit,unsatisfying palace just so they could pull of a cheap plot-twist. Weakest Persona game by far and THAT is saying something because it's worse than P1 and P4.

[@Dev-nr4dw]

cosmin roman I agree. NieR:Automata and Divinity 2 are one of the best games ever made.

[@madscientistshusta]

@@Dev-nr4dw omg iv never met anyone who felt the same about persona 5! I actually quit after you defeat akio er whatever the detectives man was, it was just so pointless it was basically and anime with pokemon battles in between plot points lol like ya its better than say a telltale quicktime event game but hardly worth even being on the same stage as nier:automata

[@holyflutterofgod]

The most impressive thing is that such a nontraditional narrative structure works so well!! This game bucks so many ideas about structure, and character arcs, and plot, and yet it _still_ feels like a completely cohesive masterpiece of storytelling!

[@pocketjoe]

Nier AND Neon Genesis Evangelion in a week? Goddamn.

[@KookiesNolly]

You know what else could be cool? Creating a website thanks to Squarespace! Honestly, I've used it before and it's so easy. I am just a dumb smiley on the internet so I thought I would need to learn how to code to make a website but with Squarespace, you don't have to!!! Seriously check it out! and use the code EliNS to get 10 % off your first purchase. Sponsored comment

[@Ikiratuki]

This guy gets it.

[@KookiesNolly]

Khashon Haselrig well that’s weird. Could it be that this code doesn’t exist and I’m just shitposting 🤔 ? Nah, you wrote it wrong! It’s EliNS. You can even use it on Skillshare! Are they new skills that you wanna learn? Wanna learn how to code, change a flat tire, or even write sponsored comments like this one? -> skillshare.com! Don’t forget to use the code EliNS! It can get you some nice deals 😉

[@nusretakdemir9141]

@@KookiesNolly holy shit shut the fuck up

[@WilliamMorfin]

I thoroughly enjoyed this game. In my opinion, it was an artistic masterpiece of a game.

[@darcgibson5099]

If you want a really in-depth analysis of all the different philosophies, layers, philosophers and theories of Nier Automata, check out 'Adam Millard - the Game Architect''s video 'A Comprehensive Reading of Nier Automata', he tackles each philosopher named in the game but also brings in a greater literary close-reading of it as a whole. Seriously watch it, somehow the guy only has 7.5k subs and definitely deserves far more.

[@jaxie4878]

This seems like a philosopher/gamer's wet dream

[@doombybbr]

meh, it just glossed over themes and leads nowhere in the end.

[@sloavonentertainment2801]

doombybbr It's mostly about nihilism/existentialism.

[@doombybbr]

I know what it is supposed to be about, but it barely touches on those themes.

[@doombybbr]

did them, literally only the introductory level of exploration of these themes.

[@thelneffableus3236]

jaxon fitzsimmons and musician

[@Zeboki]

Nier: Automata, The RIGHTFUL Game of the Year

[@ScuzoidMelee]

And that soundtrack. God damn....

[@blehhblehh2477]

That's a funny way of saying Persona 5. JK I love 'em both and I really don't care about awards, anyway.

[@bernardoheusi6146]

It got more than its share of slaps... Cuphead won soundtrack awards. Fuck awards.

[@jaumetejeroambrosio4411]

100% Agree. At the very least, it's my GOTY

[@xenocrimge6660]

Or P5

[@kaye.2574]

And this video was made for me ;~; I'm crying just by the mention of Nier

[@henriquemathias5909]

I had games tear me up through sadness before, but the Ending [E] was legit the first time I ever got to tears by seeing something so BEAUTIFUL. When the offer comes in, and the chorus kicks in, suddenly you are no longer just observing their journey - you are fighting their fight yourself, and you only realize how lonely you were while doing that when other people lend you their hand so you can see it through ( ; _ ; )

[@Naterkix]

Me too... That was the first time I had tears of rage (by the whole "trying for four hours and it's, like, 3 AM) and then the first tears of genuine joy about getting help... and then a bit of a gasp seeing "ExplodingAnus's save data was erased" (Even had the name not been so, er, "awesome" I probably woulda remember it too) then a minute or so to think and then a, "Hells yeah, take my data! Maybe some idiot out there won't be as big an idiot as I was and my message will spur them to get help sooner!" I will admit some of the tears happened from getting so bent outta shape about the game asking if games or their worlds or our world or _anything_ even matters, especially after all the stuff the games throws at you near the end. The choice involving save data in Nier made more narrative sense but, even though I only had to think for, like, a minute, I still think Automata's choice has a bigger impact just from making _you_ choose to give away something of your own. Even if it's just time, it _feels_ like something tangible. Though if you do, you _do_ get a new title screen. Plus, since I started replaying in less than a week, I can tell you you don't get asked to delete the data on a second playthrough. I dunno if it's a once per PSN account, or console thing or if it's stealthily saved in system settings somewhere or what but it doesn't ask and you still get the different start screen. I think Nier did that too but I don't remember.

[@yourneighbour5738]

How about Philosophy of NEKO PARA

[@SimonPiano42]

plus philosophy of HuniePop

[@stephaniesmith5454]

"Awesome channel" and "Extra Credits" in the same sentence, I miss 2018

[@psychicnecrosis8376]

Neitzch was talking about how to prevent the disintegrating force of Nihilism in the face of deconstructing objective truth.

[@psychicnecrosis8376]

Nihilism is, at its roots, a problem that people struggle to solve. If you stay at nihilism, and never develop an answer for it, then you're really not that smart, lol. And the answer isn't substance abuse or hedonism.

[@KookiesNolly]

That One Guy but being edgy isn’t about solving problems unfortunately. It’s about pretending that you are wise enough to see through « the system » when you are in fact just another useful idiot like everyone else.

[@KookiesNolly]

That One Guy really? Then, what are all my hipster friends talking about?

[@psychicnecrosis8376]

Eli N.S being pretentious lmao

[@KookiesNolly]

Thee Apollo that’s kinda what he meant. My problem with this though, it’s what nihilism has become in pop culture. there are lots of people who call themselves nihilist without even understanding the concept. They just stay at nihilism, because they think it makes them smart and edgy to act like they « understand the system » but don’t really look for a solution. They also pretend Nietzsche is a model for them even though the guy would have disagreed with them. Those are teenage edge lords who despite being the greatest intellectuals of their time, spend their days watching KZbin videos and learn philosophy solely from Wisecrack. I’m not saying that Wisecrack is bad but come on, dude, their videos are barely an introduction to philosophy. Some of the stuff they say are even wrong, like that time they talked about Christianity in their Jigsaw video.

[@TheDwarvenDefender]

9:00 BECOME AS GODS BECOME AS GODS BECOME AS GODS (They jumped off because "god is dead.")

[@user-ry2rb2qe4h]

Lmao

[@Naterkix]

Uh... No, I'm pretty sure that they did it because, by dying, their leader "became a god". So god/gods aren't dead to them because they're _becoming_ god/gods. Or at least they think. Or, I guess god _is_ dead and they're replacing them/it? Whatever the reason, it wasn't, "Oh no! God is dead! Despair! *jumps into literal lava*" but, "Oh, he died and _became_ a god! Sweet! Me too! *Jump into lava way more enthusiastically that anyone or anything probably should*" No one was there to tell them, "This cannot continue." but even if there had, it probably woulda worked as well as it does earlier in the game. We woulda ended up with just as many dead(?) robots and there's a chance there'd be two more bishies faffin' about the place. Or maybe lady versions of Adam and Eve? Though then older Taro fans would would probably immediately think, "Oh, sweet jiminy jeezums, the Watchers are back! Quick, kill it with fire before we have to do another shenanigan-filled, rhythm game-style boss fight!"

[@TheDwarvenDefender]

I'm pretty sure it can be interpreted as such: "God is dead. Our leader has died and is dead. God is dead and our leader is dead, so our leader must be God. His grace has become a god! We want to become as gods! If God is dead, then to become as gods is to die! Become as gods!" If you think that line of logic doesn't make sense, it's because cult logic doesn't make sense and they were a cult.

[@gwyn.]

BECOME AS SHACHOU

[@JOOOP98]

I love this game so much. It may be my favorite game of all time. The story is one of the big parts why I love it.

[@holopawdruid6816]

I've been waiting for this! This is my favorite game, I'm so glad you're covering it

[@johnmraz4332]

That last question was probably the most emotionally impactful decision I've ever made in a video game. Hope it helped someone else too. That final scroll was nightmareishly difficult

[@paulrbolden6533]

do Serial Experiments Lain.

[@JohnnyBsKillz115]

Love this game! Thank you for covering it!

[@Zanyotaku]

Before even watching this video - just seeing this posted here brought literal tears to my eyes. I had joked with my friends that I’d just kill for a wisecrack of NieR Automata. I had to calm down before starting this video, thank you for doing this! TT_TT

[@Zanyotaku]

After watching the video thank you so much for discussing the philosophers referenced throughout.

[@megatom7052]

Primeiramente quero deixar aqui bem claro, na minha lingua, QUE JOGO FODA MANO, não tenho palavras pra descrever o quão esse jogo é lindo. Second - I wanted to thank everyone who deleted their data to help me in the end (E) Third - I wanted to thank the creator for this channel and who makes it possible because I am Brazilian, and my English is not very good, (like my logic), and with this video I was able to understand even more the produndity of this work of art And lastly - I wanted to thank each one who helped create the subtitles in the other languages, (mainly what translated into Brazilian Portuguese, valeu cara de coração). Games not only pixels wiping on the screen making you 'lose' your time, games are what the play seeks, be it the meaning of life, (like what I look for), be purely fun ... You have the choice in your hands!

[@evansteele3162]

Wait according to my understanding of philosophy, Nietzsche fought against Nihilism. Hell aren't his ideas of the Ubermensch and the last man a direct response against Nihilism?

[@lalilulelo7520]

this is wisecrack everything is nihilistic here!

[@Max-xv5vt]

Wisecrack applied his philosophy incorrectly.

[@maxxvii2037]

Just like Mussolini

[@OneManCast]

Anyone who thinks NieR: Automata is a masterpiece of philosophy should not be considered experts of Nietzsche.

[@hendrikstrauss3717]

@Thee Apollo Okay. I am sorry. Misinterpreted your comment. Thx for putting the text out there of the definition. Hope you have a decent day, disregarding fools like me

[@TheReaper1497]

Actually the tough decision with Pascal can be ignored, I didn't want to help destroy himself and I walked away, and the game let me as Pascal cursed me for leaving him in his sorry state, still think it's the right choice, If he wants to die he can do it himself

[@npalsensei]

Which is the best choice. You know it's the best choice cause the game gives you absolutely no rewards whatsoever and also blocks you from getting a weapon and a certain encounter. At least if you kill him, you get some stuff, although from a gameplay/content perspective, erasing his memory is still the optimal choice.

[@lars6261]

Which is exactly what he did. He kills himself, if i remember correctly

[@yourneighbour5738]

That's pretty badass

[@DarkBlackStudios]

@@lars6261 Actually, he doesn't. He lives out with the experience in mind, lives with the consequences. In my book, that's the best option, as that's what we should all aspire to do.

[@madscientistshusta]

@@DarkBlackStudios well said.

[@Gio-ym4uj]

Nietzsche was *extremely* anti-nihilistic.

[@andersonrayregalia8378]

Firionel - it ruined his life basically

[@Maxisamo1]

Mostly because his definition was less "Life is meaningless and existence is pain" and more "YOU make your destiny and meaning, if you think someone has meaning, then it has meaning"

[@MCSorry]

Firionel - Thank you for understanding.

[@lancerialga7271]

Yes. he didn't declare "God is dead" in victory, he declared in in abject horror at the realization that we fucked ourselves.

[@mussaalphaxard985]

@@lancerialga7271 we did it when we choose free will over his deterministic existence from the beginning. BTW, the meaning of life is ascribed it's not there at all but in our minds

[@Tomyb15]

I just finished playing NieR automata (A through E) a few days ago. I couldn't have asked for more perfect timing.

[@kaustavmajumdar7572]

I was apparently sent by ExCred. Even tho I was subbed to both of you lot beforehand, ExCred much later than your philo-loving voices. Tbh, both of your channels are so good, I thank for your work and I will keep watching them. Love the time given to Nier Automata - It is the single most brilliant game I've never played.

[@CDangles]

I LOVE Extra Credits! I'm so happy that you two have a crossover :)

[@mothereric8774]

Do the video game “Soma” it is another very philosophical game.

[@arenkai]

More "in-your face/what would you do" kind of philosophy, but I agree, it's a trip worth taking !

[@LinusKarlssonMusic]

Soma is a fantastic and underrated game! Truly captures the feeling of existential dread perfectly.

[@ThatOneGuy7550]

PAPA BLESS Y'ALL AT WISECRACK

[@torrmas]

whooosh

[@BroudbrunMusicMerge]

Kendall Stauffer Whooooosh

[@KookiesNolly]

You know what else could​ be cool? Creating a website thanks to Squarespace! Honestly, I've used it before and it's so easy. I am just a dumb smiley on the internet so I thought I would need to learn how to code to make a website but with Squarespace, you don't have to!!! Seriously check it out! and use the code EliNS to get 10 % off your first purchase. Sponsored comment

[@EuropeanQoheleth]

The idea that God "lives in the sky" comes from atheists treating pre-enlightenment religious paintings like science; literal descriptions of something. Which they aren't. Like Genesis. A shame that people who claim to be for science and reason haven't reasoned their way into realising that just because something doesn't work like science that doesn't mean that it's worthless.

[@Christian-ir2mb]

great, great video, taking on a fantastic game probably overlooked by too many, this game was so revolutionary , gut wrenching and beautiful, and ending c and e are some of the best endings ever. GOD I LOVE THIS GAME!

[@rosspetersen4434]

"HEY WISECRACK, JARED HERE!!!" Holy shit. Why have I never realized how loud this opening was before?

[@Stiv64_]

12:41 This one robot who brought his brother buckets of oil over and over again was a nice allegory to sisyphus. :O

[@JL0ndon]

Yes! This is the video i have waited on NieR AutoMaTa. No one went through all the philophers. I kept commenting “oh did you notice Simone and Jean-Paul are named after 1950s French existentialists?!” I had taken Existentialism my first year of college and it’s been haunting me ever since 😂 and i totally mean that in a Camus Sisyphus way.

[@adamqadmon]

Wow, I totally did not expect you guys to do Nier. Autolike.

[@snarp408]

Seriously makes me want to play it all over again. Such a beautiful game. Truly a masterpiece

[@mccordinator]

What an AWESOME collaboration. I'm glad to find out about this channel :)

[@AryaArcana]

also the music is breathtaking

[@srfrid]

SPEC OPS: THE LINE. PLSSSSSSSS

[@rashkavar]

It's interesting watching this in the middle of a first time playthrough of Dark Souls. A game where I'd never have gotten past the Undead Berg if it weren't for the community resources people have devoted so much time into creating. People have probably put literal man-years of work into all those resources intended to help new players cope long enough to find their feet, and to help more experienced players excel - that may not be the same kind of sacrifice as in Nier Automata, but everyone's running on finite time, and the fact that many, many people have devoted weeks and months of their lives to making the game more accessible and intelligible is something that I'm astounded and impressed by.

[@Sarriuz]

9:08 "... leader of a small cult." Me: SMALL??? Have you tried killing all of them in the harder difficulties? They feel like a small army, not a small cult! 😂😂😂

[@4K3ND0]

I like to express my gratitude for your work. You put a lot of words out of my mind into your channel. This helps me to convey my own emotion onwards others. A value abilities that is useful without comparison. Thank you.

[@dreamer72]

That ending credits revelation really fucks with me. Thanks Wisecrack.

[@katphoodplaysagame9260]

"Would you help someone even if you knew they didn't like you?!" No.

[@IAmSuperSandGaki]

Katphood Plays A Game me: yes

[@parker469a]

Personally, I don't care whether people like me as long as I believe it's the right thing to do. Having said that, I never Platinum'd Nier:Automata and won't give up my save data till I do.

[@Buhllake]

You can platinum the game but even Nier has put in something in that platinuming the game must have meaning to you for the fact that you did it and not meaning for anyone else knowing you did it. Kind of the opposite idea of what a trophy is normally used for. They made it so you can actually just buy the achievement very easily with in game money and get the platinum trophy unlocked. Many people do it this way and the only one knowing you did it legitimately would be you.

[@BlargenMcFace]

That's pretty true for the xbox version, but at least on ps4 you get auto screenshots when you unlock a trophy, so you'd have a screenshot of you buying the trophy like a cheating cheater. Personally I never understood that feature. For me, I platinum'd the game legitimately, because it was a great game that I enjoyed playing several times through. Buying trophies is just cheating yourself out of more playtime.

[@GENOSANDIEGO]

From what I heard somewhere (can't remember the source), Yoko Taro finds collecting trophies silly. So he made it an option to buy trophies with in-game money. He also added auto-chips on easy mode because he thought if people have the option to skip the cutscenes, they should also have the option to skip the gameplay. The keyword here is option. So people who doesn't like that option should simply not do it.

[@MrGilRoland]

“I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle, and guess if we’ll ever have the chance to kill him”. I mean, this game a masterpiece literally from the opening line.

[@trevorveillette8415]

Correction. Everything that lives is designed to end, we are perpetually trapped, in a never ending spiral of life and death. Is this a curse, or some kind of punishment? I often think about the God that blessed us with this cryptic puzzle, and wonder if we'll ever get the chance to kill him.

[@christiantaylor1495]

Why?

[@ShopperKungVtuber]

beautiful game beautiful video

[@dantebad]

Once again.. man how I love your videos. This one in particular is awesome. I kinda investigate a little of Nier after I had finished all of it (yeah... platinum) and it was awesome to find out some interesting notes about the philosophers / bosses. This game is for sure one of those which when you finish it you end up feeling so many things no other game had made you feel before. Sort of depressed if may I say. next to its awesome OST is a magnum opus of modern artsy games.

[@GreenTeaGal01]

thumbs up on all changes. Dororo has been a treat since ep 1 and the video format is all good

[@jjthanetplanejames8317]

If you do Marvel characters in this Philosophy of Everything series, I would recommend the Silver Surfer or Doctor Doom. Both are interesting characters with Silver Surfer being a savior of his people and Doctor Doom being a villain who seems to not be bad.

[@thisjointisloose]

Oh Nines RIP

[@godzilla4189]

Philosophy of Daganronpa, please.

[@mrmacken]

This was one of my favorite games last year, maybe in the last decade. I’m super excited to see the themes broken down

[@johnchow3828]

YESSS THANK YOU SO MUCH WISECRACK COULDN'T HAVE HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS EXPLANATION

[@old_boy9030]

I just finished my first E ending playthrough, and something curiously serendipitous happened: you see, I used dudeism as my springboard into Taoism/Stocism/Zen, I am also and ordained dudeist priest... And one of the people who offered their data to help me at the end had named their character dudeism. On top of this, I didn't know they would ask you so many times whether or not you wanted to actually delete your save data to help someone else in the E ending, so at one point I got frustrated and said aloud, "Shut the fuck up, Donny!!" XD

[@Rollinghypogrif240]

A game that I’ve never played but it already makes me question about my life

[@eternal_wanderer5656]

You guys should definitely do: "Philosophy of Xenogears"

[@jojonta2119]

Thank you

[@alrightagain4605]

I really enjoyed this video. Thanks for getting NieR out there more guys.

[@SizzlingOne]

That [E]nding was a breath of fresh air. Of course I had to help! I'll not even dare type here just how many times I tried to get through that segment alone. To think that finally caving in showed just how important my sacrifice was to someone else, because if other people tried for even half as long as I did, then it was worth it. Actually, since I still need to incorporate the DLC content on another clean playthrough of all routes, making that sacrifice again is a possibility as a sort of final closure for me.

[@kingdionysus1867]

This game made me cry hella hard after watching all the main endings.

[@that1guy845]

I legit wrote my college essay based off this game, one of the best games I've ever played :D

[@GameTesterBootCamp]

I keep hoping for a remake of the first Nier. It featured a lot of really awesome story points as well. It features, from what I can tell, is the first hermaphrodite in gaming.

[@RogerNbr]

a remake of a game not even 5 years old?

[@ZTVGameZ]

@@RogerNbr yes

[@kaptenhiu5623]

Ha. I kinda agree with you here. I like its combat mechanics which I found quite cool. I was obsessed with power (level) of my characters, how to improve them, how to farm, what kind of chips I can use on certain situation, etc... It was a never ending quest for me to be the strongest in the game. Until I reach level 90-100, the game becomes so easy. I can defeat every enemy even bosses under 10 seconds. Nothing threatens me anymore and nothing excites me anymore knowing that I cannot die in the game. I feels that my work is for nothing. It was such a surprise for me to find the E ending. The game asks me to delete all of my save files. I feel this as a middle finger to me. My effort really is for nothing. It was meaningless but I enjoyed every bit of work I did back then

[@felicionetto8473]

14:46 just made me think how nice it would be to have a Magic The Gathering video. But Kingdom Hearts would still satisfy my heart. Another great video, peace!

[@eardescentmarvelo7566]

Love this. You have inspired me to write my humanities paper, thank you! Lol

[@captaincasterroth9193]

the entire Drakangaurd series is interesting in a philosophical way.

[@ValkisCalmor]

It's great to know that with Automata's success Squeenix will actually give Taro a budget if he decides to make another Drakengard.

[@Seblak]

Tho i actually feel like the Drakengard/Nier series has ended, so it would be another series or something like that. Yoko Taro, you damned pervert AND mastermind

[@bernardoheusi6146]

They could easily remake the entire Drakengard games. Just make Legna something that came from the Watchers, it being a dragon murders the lore. Change that, fixed.

[@TheNomad94]

*Drakengard

[@jankomarow9437]

Hey so when will we have a Code Geass episode? #AskWisecrack

[@luiscuellar685]

Jan Komarow hopefully but no guarantee

[@jankomarow9437]

Figured they're wainting for new season to start

[@coreylucas5346]

Hell no!

[@HiMyNameIsHsuYee]

Oh my God, I realized the game had deep underlying messages, but this video opened my mind. Subscribed.

[@yifi6379]

I've only watched Wisecrack's book summaries, this is new good to see this game here :)

[@the_Fisher_King]

Loved it , please think about doing philosophy of fate zero

[@mrbigglezworth42]

You could look at Nier:Automata possibly as a condemnation of Nietzsche and by extension Nihilism as a incredibly destructive philosophy that offers no answers but destroys every institution that came before it. All of the characters are in some semblance of existential dread due to a lack of meaning when they start to deviate from their original intended purpose of fighting each other. Some form cults, others religions, others get incredibly obsessive about a particular task, and others still just get homicidal over the lack of meaning in their lives. It feels like no wonder that many of them latch onto to anything they can to give some semblance of understanding to existence that I feel it underlines a critical flaw in the Nihilistic philosophy and those who opine it as a virtue with it's almost irresponsible refusal to offer an alternative besides the self. You guys do videos on Rick and Morty and Bojack Horseman as well with the same themes of Nihilism and seem to think highly of it, but I can't help but feel such an idea like Nihilism is by it's very nature an incredibly self-destructive idea that neither intends nor cares about trying to create or explain meaning into a world and only insists on deconstructing previously held beliefs regardless of any harm this may cause.

[@TheBlueLink3]

That's nice, deciding to not watch a channel anymore because they like one thing you don't. You haven't even really seen their point of view. If you don't want to watch those videos you can always ignore them, they have plenty of other videos and topics to watch. Liking this video most likely means that you will like some of their other videos.

[@MajorLawliet]

TheBlueLink3 Not... Watch a channel anymore? Whoever even said that?

[@TheBlueLink3]

Major Lawliet+ I think they deleted their comment. Basically they said that they didn't want to watch anymore of their videos because they like Rick and Morty, even though they seemed to like this video.

[@SimonPiano42]

@Tales maybe they could have emphasized his critique of nihilism more, but they did say that Nietzsche was all for creating your own meaning and saying yes to life, so on a whole this criticism of the video is exaggerated.

[@ChrisGuerra31]

Alright! Alright, Wisecrack! Enough already! I'll play Nier! And then I'm coming for this video.

[@shadowolf3998]

I do not know if you noticed but the final boss battle where you mentioned the Tao Philosophers actually has a black sphere and a White Sphere (Yin and Yang) both merging to each other and fighting as one. That one was not mentioned in the video but you get the idea if you are familiar with "The Way" or the fundamental principle of existence (that is what Tao means).

[@frenzybacon369]

Thank you for pointing this out. I've been thinking the same thing, just in terms of 2B as white (or A2 as an extention of 2B) and 9S as black. Throughout the game you keep interchanging between them, starting from full playthroughs and ending up with mere moments. Only in the end for A2 and 9S, two opposing forces, to unite and defeat another opposing force of the same principle. Dualism of androids vs dualism of the machines. Eternal enemies that can't exist without eachother. Brilliant detail.

[@egpNoodlez]

I should have checked this out after the Extra Credits episode but got caught up in something else and forgot. Saw your Philosophy of Deus Ex vid on Elias Toufexis' FB, great work! You've got my sub :D

[@JackgarPrime]

Pascal (the machine, not the IRL guy) was too good for this world.

[@rminm3683]

Please do serial experiments lain!

[@michaelolson7626]

Also, Jared sounds like Eric Cartman when he says "Automata"

[@goast_cuard]

8:52 I'd recommend, for anybody watching, to watch Clemps' video series about this game. In particular, this section has a lot more implications that this video shows, like how if you delete Pascal's memory, he's doomed to make the same mistakes that caused the mass suicide (among the other 2 options).

[@matheusmterra]

I really enjoyed the video, but I'm afraid I just can't show support to the Extra Credits channel after they bluntly shown support for anti-customer pactices in gaming industry by trying to sugar-coat microtransactions, lootboxes and all the bad shit that is sending gaming into a downward spiral that is reducing the quality of games overall. If they ever make a retraction to that and stop with censorship in comments (as pointed out by other KZbinrs such as Jim Sterling) then it is a channel worth supporting, but as it is I could not call myself a gamer if I were to show support to a channel that endorces anti-gamer behaviour from game publishers.

[@MadMax90001]

Didn't usa and eu start to criminalize lootboxes because they fall under gambling?

[@feddy11100]

@@MadMax90001 the eu talked about it but im not sure if they did or not. A few senators and reps in the US gave it lip service but it was more for political expediency than any actual concern.